Athens Technical College

E-Learning >> Technical Support

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the learning management system (Blackboard), for your course(s), please follow the three steps below:

Step One:
Make sure you are aware of the software/hardware requirements

Step Two:
Make sure your computer :

meets the software/hardware requirements
browser has pop-ups enabled
has all media downloads

If you are still having trouble accessing areas of your BLACKBOARD course, contact your instructor.

Step Three:
If your computer meets all requirements and your instructor has not been able to solve your technical support issues, submit a support request. You will receive a response within 24 hours on class days.

Many technical problems have to do with the student's particular Internet Service Provider (ISP) or with his/her own hardware or software. In most cases, students will have to contact their ISP for technical support.
NOTE:Athens Technical College cannot resolve problems with your own hardware, software, or Internet service.

If you experience major technical difficulties with your computer, you may come to campus and use the computers in the library to complete your coursework.

Notice About Books and Required Access Keys

Some online/hybrid courses use books that require an "Access Key." This Access Key is ONLY available with new books, or purchased directly from the publisher. It is your responsibility to check with the instructor of your online course to determine if the course will require an Access Key. Please do this before you purchase your books for online/hybrid classes.

Computer labs on campus

Online,hybrid, or web-enhanced students are welcome to use the computers in the libraries on the Athens and Elbert, Greene, and Walton County campuses at any time. The libraries on all campuses are open during regular school hours.

Assistive technology is available through the Athens Technical College Library. Please see library staff for assistance.

Tips for Communicating Online

The following tips for online communication apply to e-mail messages and to discussion forum posting. Remember, you must use your @student.athenstech.edu email address. For more information visit the Student Email page.

Write meaningful subject lines
Your subject line should draw the recipient into the rest of the message. It should provide enough information that the recipient can guess at the content in the body of the message. On the other hand, the subject line shouldn't be too long, or it will not display in its entirety.

Be careful about humor
Many messages containing ironic or sarcastic humor can be misinterpreted at the other end. Don't cut the humor, just make sure that people know when you are making a joke (ha!).

Be careful about expressing frustration, anger, or complaints
Minor complaints can sound like major anger without a context, especially if the recipient is in a defensive mood. So if you are complaining, make sure your recipient knows how you would like them to respond.

Make it personal
Put your name and course number in every e-mail you send. Putting the recipient's name at the top of your message in a situation is a tiny step that makes any message much friendlier. Recalling a personal detail or shared experience also helps. E-mail is a sterile form of communication if you don't occasionally add these touches.

Use selective emphasis
DON'T PUT MESSAGES IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. IN THE ONLINE WORLD, THIS IS SHOUTING!!! On the other hand, an OCCASIONAL word in all caps, surrounded by *asterisks*, or given its own line can help your meaning come out more clearly. Be careful about the bold, underline, and fancy font options in some modern e-mail programs. The message won't necessarily look as fancy to the recipient if they don't have the same e-mail program.

Consider privacy
Remember that system administrators can read any message sent via e-mail. It is also just a click of the "Forward" button away from being passed along to the person you complained about. Be especially careful when you are involved with mailing lists. When you reply with a joke to that message from your friend, you might accidentally be sending your joke to hundreds of other people.

Tips for sending e-mail attachments

When you attach a word processing document to an e-mail message, the instructor may have trouble opening it or reading it if he or she has a different word processor (or different version) than you have. Below are three suggested options to try when attaching documents to e-mail messages. You may have to try all three to find a way that works for the person you're sending the attachment to.

OPTION ONE	Save your document (either to your hard drive or to your flash/thumb drive). Remember where you saved it. Open your e-mail program and compose a brief message to the recipient. In your e-mail program, click on the attachment button. A dialogue box will ask you which file you would like to attach. Remember where you saved your document and select it. This action will attach your document to the e-mail. Then click send.
OPTION TWO	In your word processor, choose File-->Save As and then choose to save your document as "rich text format" (called an "rtf" file). Then attach the rtf file to an e-mail message, as described above. This option works when the two parties have different word processing programs (e.g. Microsoft Word and Corel Word Perfect).
OPTION THREE	In your word processor, copy all the text from your document and paste it directly into your e-mail message. This option works if the above attachment options fail. All the formatting used in the word processor will be lost, but the words will all get there.