Student Guide to ICON

Logging in to ICON

How to log in to ICON

1. Open your browser and go to http://icon.uiowa.edu.
2. Enter your HawkID and password. You will go to the MyHome page, where you can access individual ICON courses. If you don’t see your course name, click the little plus sign under My University of Iowa Courses. If you have trouble logging in, call the Help Desk at 384-help.
3. Under MyCourses, click on the course title. If you see a popup window asking if you want to view only the webpage content that was delivered securely, click No. Otherwise, course items stored on a nonsecure (http:) websites will not display.

If you follow these instructions exactly yet have trouble logging in, verify with your instructor that your name is listed in the ICON course.

Need Help Using ICON?

Call the ITS Help Desk at 384-HELP (4357) or its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu.

28 August 2007

Tools

Calendar / Schedule

Your instructor may have included the Calendar tool, which allows your instructor to post course-related events.

• From the course home page, click the Schedule Tool button in the Events widget or click Schedule in the NavBar.
• To navigate to different months, use the forward and back arrows on the calendar at left.
• To view details about an event, click on the hyperlinked date on the calendar at left.

Chat

Your instructor may have included the Chat tool, which allows you to converse with other class members in real-time.

• Click Chat in the NavBar.
• Click on the desired chat. The chat window opens, and the names of all users currently present are displayed under Participants (left). Any messages entered before you logged into the chat room will not be visible.
• To add a comment, type your message in the single-line text box at bottom and click Send.
• To change the color or style of your name click Chat Settings (top). Make your changes in the pop-up window.
• For a printable view of the chat window, click Print Chat (top).
• To exit a chat room, click Exit Chat (top right).
• To view a chat archive, go to the main chat list and click the Sessions icon next to the chat name. Click the hyperlinked date and time of the session you wish to view.

Content

The Content link allows you to access readings, lectures, etc, as well as outside websites.

• Click Content in the NavBar. Under Table of Contents, you will see a listing of Content Modules containing files or links to web sites.
• To view a file or website, click the name. Click the Undock icon (top) to view the file in a separate window.
• To view or print multiple HTML files at one time, click Print/Download (top). Then select the file(s) you wish to view and click View Printable Versions. Print from your browser's file menu. (Note: Course materials that were posted as files rather than as web pages display as links. If you click the link the file will open in its native application.)
• To download files and choose the destination folder, click Print/Download (top). Then select the files you want and click Prepare for Download . Right-click on the hyperlinked zip file to save the file.
• To perform a keyword search for content, use the Search For box (top).
• To access additional options (e.g., a related Discussion), enter a Content Topic by selecting it from the menu at left. Then click one of the icons at top left (holding your mouse over the icon displays its function).

Discussions

Your instructor may have included the Discussions tool, which allows class members to post and read course-related messages.

Important:

• Instructors can identify senders of anonymous postings. Other students, however, cannot.

• Click Discussions on the NavBar. You will see a list of discussion topics organized by forum. Click on a hyperlinked topic to open it. Messages are organized into threads (a thread is a message and all replies to that message). Unread messages are displayed in boldface.
• To read a message, open the topic and then click on the message title.
• To respond to a message, read it, click Reply, type your response, and click Submit.
• To post a new message, open the topic you want to post the message to and then click Compose (top left). Enter a subject and type the message (notice the HTML editor, spell checker, and preview icons above the textbox). Attach a file, if desired, and click Post.
• To compile selected messages for downloading or printing, open the topic, select the messages you want to include (click boxes). Then click the printer icon in the row of icons above the list of posts.

Dropbox

Your instructor may have included the Dropbox tool, which allows you to submit files online.

Before you begin, check to make sure the filename does not contain a space or any of the following characters:

“ ” * / : < > ? \ | ’

If it does, rename the file or else your instructor may not be able to view or download your assignment.

1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar. You will see a listing of your assignments, organized into folders. Click the current assignment name. You will see the instructions.
2. To submit a completed assignment, click Add a File. Then browse your desktop for the file and click Upload. Type in a description (optional).
3. Click Upload and then click Submit. You will see a message confirming your submission. You will also receive an email from icon-support@uiowa.edu confirming your submission.
4. To see which assignments you have submitted and when, click History and select the folder whose history you want to see. To open a previously submitted assignment, click on its filename.
5. To see whether your instructor has downloaded your assignment, click History. Next to the file name an Unread by user icon means that the instructor has not downloaded the assignment while a Read by user icon means he has.
6. To view your grade and instructor feedback on an assignment, click Dropbox in NavBar. Click View in the Feedback column for that assignment.

Email

Your instructor may have included the Email tool, which allows you to send messages to ICON users and anyone else with an email address. Mail is sent to the user’s regular email account.

To automatically include your Hawk ID in all email sent with ICON (strongly recommended):

1. Click Email in the upper-left NavBar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Type your Hawk ID in the Email Signature Box and click Save.

To keep a record of all your outgoing mail:

1. Click Email in the upper-left NavBar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Check the box for Send a copy of each outgoing message to your_hawkid@uiowa.edu and click Save.

To send a message to instructors, classmates, or to anyone with an email account, regardless whether or not he or she has an ICON course:

1. From within your ICON course, click Email in the NavBar.
2. Click Compose if necessary.
3. Type the recipients' names (separate them with a semi-colon (;), not a comma); OR click Address Book.
4. If you clicked Address Book, a window will open. Select the recipients. (clicking the box beside To CC Bcc selects all).
   Click BCC (blind carbon copy prevents recipients from seeing who else received the message, in compliance with FERPA regulations). In a few seconds, the selected name(s) will appear in the Bcc field.
5. Click Add Recipients. The Address Book window will close, and you will see your Compose screen, with the recipient names in the Bcc textbox. You can leave the To: textbox blank.
6. Enter a subject.
7. Type your message.
8. To attach a file, click Browse, locate the file on your computer and click Open. Then click Attach File.
9. Click Send.

Grades

Depending on your instructor’s settings, the Grades tool may allow you to view some of or all of your grades (but not other class members’ grades) and class statistics. To view your grades, click Grades in the NavBar.

The student in the example below can view the weights assigned to different items (some instructors weight grades, others do not), along with the "out of" grades, some class statistics, and the final grade. All of these are displayed at the instructor's discretion.

1. Final grade weight. 2. Click to see class mean and/or distribution of grades for final grade. 3. Click to display window with weights, Calculated Grade (ICON's calculations) and Final Grade (grade after instructor makes adjustments). 4. Final grade. This may appear as a letter grade or a percentage, depending on your instructor's settings. 5. Comment to individual only. 6. Points earned out of points possible. 7. Example: Assignments count 20% of final grade. Assignment 1 can contribute up to 12%. 8. Comments can be for individual or entire class. 9. A bonus (extra credit) item is always weighted 0% of final grade, but this particular item can add up to 2% to final grade. 10. Indicates that this quiz score has been dropped from the final grade calculation.

Groups

Your instructor may have created course groups and may (or may not) ask students to enroll themselves in these groups.

If your instructor asks you to enroll yourself in a class group:

1. Click Groups in the NavBar.
2. If your instructor is using groups in which you must self-enroll, you will see a link entitled "Choose Group." Click that link.
3. Select the group in which you'd like to enroll. You may be able to see the current group enrollment by clicking the hyperlinked number under Members.
4. Click Select.

Under My Groups, you can see a list of all the groups to which you have access.

Viewing group membership:

• Click the hyperlinked number under Members opposite the group whose membership you'd like to view.

Using group-related dropboxes:

• You cannot directly access the dropbox through the groups tool. To use the dropbox, click the Dropbox link in the Navbar. You'll see a dropbox folder related to your group.

Using group-specific discussion boards:

• If your instructor has set up discussion boards specifically for the groups, you can reach them by clicking the hyperlinked titled under Discussions.

Sending email to your group:

• Click the email icon () to send a message, ICON will repopulate the To: field with the group members' addresses.
  

Locker

The Locker tool allows you to store files and retrieve them from any workstation. You can also make files available to other course members.

To upload files to your locker, click the Locker link under My Settings on your ICON My Home page. You can also access the Locker from the top-left NavBar inside some ICON courses. Click Upload. Then Browse to locate the file on your computer and click Open. If you want others to be able to download the file(s) you just uploaded, select Make uploaded file(s) public to others. Enter a description (optional) and click Upload. Finally, click Return to Locker. To later change an uploaded file from Public to Private (or vice versa), select the file, click the pencil icon, and click in the Public checkbox to change the setting.

To download files from your locker, click the file name, select Save to Disk, and click OK.

To view someone else's public locker files, click Classlist in the navigation bar. Click View Locker Files next to the person's name. Select the file(s) and click Download.

My Personal Homepage

Your instructor may have included the Classlist tool, which allows students to view the personal homepages of their classmates from within ICON.

There are two ways to add a Personal Homepage link in ICON. You can link to an existing personal webpage outside of ICON (e.g., in Facebook or MySpace), or you can create a Personal Homepage from within ICON.

To use an existing external personal homepage as your ICON Personal Homepage:

1. From your ICON MyHome page, click Profile in the Welcome box at left.
2. In the Homepage textbox, enter the address of your Facebook, MySpace, or other personal website homepage.
3. Click Save.

To create a personal homepage from within ICON:

1. Go to your MyHome page (by clicking the link in the top-left NavBar) and click Homepage under Welcome (left).
2. To compose an HTML document in ICON, click New, enter a filename, and click OK. Then click the Edit icon next to the filename, type your text, and click Save.
   • To include a link to a web site, open the website in a new browser window and copy its URL (Ctrl-C for Windows; Command-C for Mac). Then return to your ICON window and click the Edit icon next to your homepage filename. On the Advanced tab, click the Insert Link icon, enter a caption for the link, paste in the url you just copied, and click Insert.
   • To include an image, you must first save and close your HTML file and then upload the image to ICON.

     1. Start the uploading process by making sure the image filename does not include any spaces.

     2. On your My Homepage screen, click Upload, locate and select the image, and click Upload again.

     3. Next, click the Edit icon to the right of your HTML file. The HTML editor will open in a pop-up window.

     5. In the main ICON window, click on the image name to open the image.

     6. Click on the image and drag it into the HTML editor in the pop-up window.

     7. The image should now be displayed in the HTML editor. You can adjust the size of the image by dragging the boundary boxes that surround the image when you click on it.

     8. Once you have made your adjustments, click Save and then Close.

3. To give your classmates access to this page via the Classlist tool, click the Homepage icon to the right of the filename. The house will turn black to show it is accessible to others. (Only one file will be accessible.)

Note: You could create the document on your desktop and upload it to ICON, but you would need to upload any images separately and re-connect them in ICON. You would also need to re-connect any website links from within ICON.

Personal Profile

Your personal profile, available to individuals in all your ICON courses (provided the instructors include a Classlist link in the NavBar), can include your name, email, phone, hobbies, url for an external website, and other information you choose to post.

• To create a profile, click MyHome in the top-left NavBar. Then click Profile (left), enter any information you wish to share, and click Save. Note that if your instructor makes the Classlist tool available in your course site, any student or instructor enrolled in the course can see this information.
• To view class member profiles, open an ICON course and click Classlist in the NavBar. Then click the Profile icon by the student’s name. (Clicking the question mark icon by your own name allows you to edit your profile.)

Quizzes

Your instructor may have included the Quizzes tool, which allows you to take quizzes and view results online.

• Click Quizzes in the NavBar. You will see a list of quizzes, the dates and times they are available, the number of times you have taken a quiz, and the number of attempts allowed.
• Click on the quiz name.
• Read your instructor’s instructions and click Start Quiz and OK .
• For each question, enter your answer and click Save (at right). You could also wait until you have answered everything and click Save All Responses (bottom left), although you risk losing unsaved answers if your instructor has set a time limit and it expires or if your instructor does not allow back paging. But in most other instances, you can change an answer after it has been saved and then click Save again.
• Click Go to Submit Quiz (bottom right). ICON will warn you if you have forgotten to answer any questions. To change an answer, or to answer an unsaved question, click on the question number at left. Then enter and Save your change and click Go to Submit Quiz again. When you are satisfied with all your answers, click Submit Quiz and then OK.
• Depending on your instructor’s settings, the results may be available immediately. If so, they will be displayed automatically as soon as you submit your quiz. If class statistics are available, you can view them by clicking the Reports tab.
• To see results at other times, open the quiz tool and click the quiz title and then click Submissions then click on the attempt you'd like to see or Reports tab.

01 October 2009