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 display nonsecure items, click Yes. Otherwise, course items stored on a nonsecure (http:) website 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

Your instructor may have included the Calendar tool, which allows you and your instructor to post course-related events, and it allows you to post personal events that only you can see.

• From the course home page, click the Open My Calendar button or click Calendar 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.
• To add a personal event (visible only to you), click on the date on the calendar at left. Then click Add Event (left). On the Add New Event window, enter a title and, optionally, a url and description. To enter a time or to schedule the event for consecutive days, click show more options (bottom right). Click Save.
• To edit a personal event, from the main Calendar page, click the notepad-and-pencil icon next to the entry.
• To delete a personal event, click the trash can next to the entry.

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 chant 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 Add.
• To change the color of your own entries, click the smiley icon (top).
• For a printable view of the chat window, click the printer icon (top).
• To exit a chat room, click Exit Chat (top right).
• To view a chat archive (if available), wait for the book icon to appear next to the chat name (at least twenty minutes after everyone has exited and the chat). Click the book icon and then click the session date/time 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 Course Content, you will see a listing of Content Modules (folders) containing files or links to web sites.
• To view a file or website, click the hyperlinked name. If the file is PowerPoint html and is visible in ICON, click the Undock icon (top) to view it in a separate window.
• To view or print multiple files at one time, click compile for printing (right). Then select the file(s) you wish to view and click View. 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 it its native application.)
• To download a non-html file and choose the destination folder, click compile for printing (right). Then select the file you want and click View. Right-click on a filename for the option to save the file.
• To perform a keyword search for content, click Search Content (right).
• To access additional options (e.g., a related Discussion), enter a Content Module by selecting it from the menu at left. Then click one of the icons at top right (holding your mouse over the icon displays its function).

Discussion

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

Important:

• When you are creating messages, make sure you add a Topic, not a Forum. Never create a new Forum without first getting permission from your instructor.
• Instructors can identify senders of anonymous postings. Other students, however, cannot.

• Click Discussion 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 Add Message (top right). 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 Submit.
• To compile selected messages for downloading or printing, open the topic, select the messages you want to include (click boxes). Then click the right-most printer icon in the row of icons at top (just left of the question mark).

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 one 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 Browse Then browse your desktop for the file, type in a description (optional), and click Upload. When you see a message that your file has uploaded successfully, click Done.
3. To see which assignments you have submitted, click History. To open a previously submitted assignment, click on its filename.
4. To see whether your instructor has downloaded your assignment, click History. On the Dropbox Submission History window, look at the icon to the left of the filename: a downward arrow means it has been downloaded; a red circle means it has not been downloaded.
5. To view your grade and instructor feedback on an assignment, click Dropbox in NavBar. Click New (or 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 mail account.

To automatically include your Hawk ID in 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 Gradebook tool may allow you to view some of or all of your grades (but not individual 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. 5. Comment to individual only (never to entire class). 6. Points earned/points possible. 7. Example: Assignments count 20% of final grade. Assignment 1 can contribute up to 12% (Weight Achieved). 8. Comments can be for individual or entire class. 9. Click to see mean and/or grade distribution for this grade item. 10. A bonus (extra credit) item is always weighted 0% of final grade, but this particular item can add up to 2% to final grade.

Groups (Classlist)

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 Classlist in the NavBar.
2. Click the Groups tab.
3. Select the group type from the Group Type droplist (top). An SE beside the group type name tells you this is a self-enroll group.
4. If the groups are not yet full, a Choose Group button will appear next to this droplist. Click this button to see a list of available groups of this type.
5. Click the circle next to the group you wish to join and then click Done.
6. To view all groups, select Show All from the Group Type droplist (top).

Locker

Your instructor may have included the Locker tool, which allows you to store files and retrieve them from any workstation. You can also make selected files available to other course members.

To upload files to your locker, click Locker in the top-left NavBar, click UploadNew File. Then Browse for the file on your computer, and click Open. If you wish to make the file downloadable by other course members, click the IsPublic checkbox. Enter a description (optional) and click Upload. Click Return to Locker.

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

My Personal Homepage

Your instuctor 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 My 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 Changes.

To create a personal homepage from within ICON:

1. Go to your MyHome page (top-left NavBar) and click My Personal 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. 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. Start the uploading process by making sure the image filename does not include any spaces. Then, on your My Homepage screen, click Upload, browse your desktop for the image, and click Upload again. Once the image has been uploaded, click on the image filename to open it, copy the url (use Ctrl-C on a PC, Command-C on a Mac), and then close the image window. Now that you've copied the url (the path to the image), you're ready to insert it into your homepage html file. Click the Edit icon to the right of your html file, place your cursor where you want the image to display, and click the Insert Image icon. In the popup window, paste in the URL and click Insert. Finally, click Save and Close the html editor.

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 My Profile (left), enter any information you wish to share, and click SaveChanges.
• To view class member profiles, open an ICON course and click Classlist in the NavBar. Then click the question mark 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 the Submissions or Reports tab.

28 August 2007