Student Support

Before Using Moodle

If you are unfamiliar using the internet, email, uploading and downloading, or managing computer files, you may not be ready for online learning. A simple computer basics course, however, can help you learn these skills in a relatively short amount of time. One easy way to check if you're ready is to take the Online Assessment System for Internet Students (OASIS). OASIS will help you determine your readiness for taking online courses based on your study skills and preferred learning styles.

Getting Started

If you have never attended Chicago State University, you will need to apply for admission. Prospective students can receive admissions material online by accessing CSU's Office of Admissions homepage.

Once you are admitted to CSU, you may begin registering for online courses with CSU X-Press, which you can access in Cougar Connect. Students are required to register with the university according to the scheduled published in the university Class Schedule Bulletin. Registration is not complete until all fees are paid, or fee payment arrangements have been made with the Bursar and all registration materials are processed by the Office of the Registrar.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Moodle won't let me log in.  What can I do?

Q2. When I log in, I can't get past my profile page.  What should I do?

Q3. My courses aren't listed in Moodle.  What should I do? 

Q4. How do I submit a file for an assignment?

Q5. I can't access a quiz in my course.  What should I do?

Q6. The links don't work in my course.  What can I do?

Q7. This week's materials aren't showing up in my course.  Who should I contact?

Q8. Why don't I receive announcement emails from my instructor?

Q9. Videos aren't playing in Moodle. What can I do?

Q10. Why can't I hear the audio from A/V files in my course?

Q11. Moodle logged me out during my quiz.  What can I do?

Q12. Why is my quiz grade a zero?

Q13. Why won't my course's BigBlueButton session play?

Q14. Which internet browsers are best for using Moodle?

Q15. What if I have an additional question and/or need to speak to someone?

 

 Q1. Moodle won't let me log in.  What can I do?

A1. There may be a couple of reasons why your login credentials are not being accepted by Moodle:

1) You are using the incorrect CSU email username and/or password

Solution: Check your CSU email username and password to make sure you are entering the correct combination of letters and/or numbers.  

2) Your CSU email password needs to be reset

Solution: Call the ITD helpdesk at 773-995-3963. Inform them that your CSU email password needs to be reset. They will provide you with assistance in claiming your account online.

 

 Q2. When I log in, I can't get past my profile page.  What should I do?

A2. In some instances, students may repeatedly see their profile page when they log into Moodle. If this is the case:

1) You may have previously changed your email from your CSU email to a personal email address.

Solution: Change your personal email address back to your CSU email address. Scroll down and click “update profile.” This should fix the problem.

2) Do not change your profile information or change your email address.

Solution: Contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology at elearning@csu.edu and ask for assistance.

 

 Q3. My courses aren't listed in Moodle.  What should I do?

A3. There may be several reasons why students cannot access their courses on Moodle. The two most frequent reasons for this are:

1) The instructor has not made the course visible

Solution: Contact your instructor via email and inquire when he/she will make the course available. Note: Some instructors will not make the course available until the first day of the semester.  

2) Banner has not updated your registration

Solution: Call or visit the registrar’s office at 773-995-2517 or ADM 128 to make sure that you are currently registered for the correct number of courses/credits.  Please note that it takes at least 24 hours after you register for your online course to become visible in Moodle.

 

 Q4. How do I submit a file for an assignment?

A4. To submit an assignment in Moodle, you should see a link in your course for the activity/assignment for which you are submitting work.  If you do not see this activity listed, contact your instructor, letting him/her know that it is not shown.

If you do see a link to the assignment page, click on it and scroll down to the bottom of the screen.  You should see a button that says “Add submission.”  If you do not see this button, contact your instructor, letting him/her know that this button is not shown.

If you do see this button, click on it, and you will be taken to a new page.  Scroll down to the bottom of this new page, where you should see the following box:

Click on the blue arrow, and a new box will pop up.  In this new box, click on the button that says “Choose File” and select the file you wish to submit.

When you are ready to submit your file, click “Upload this file” and then “Save changes”.

On the screen that follows, scroll down to the bottom, and click on the button that says “Submit assignment.”  On the next screen, click on the button that says “Continue.”

Your file is now submitted.

 Q5. I can't access a quiz in my course.  What should I do?

A5. There may be several reasons why you are not able to access your quiz.

1) You are trying to access a quiz that is no longer available.

Solution: Check the dates and time of the quiz to make sure you are accessing it on the correct date and/or time.

2) The instructor has not made the quiz available.

Solution: Contact your instructor to find out when the quiz will be made available.

3) You are only allowed one attempt at the quiz

Solution: If you have already taken the quiz once, then you will be unable to take it again.

 Q6. The links don't work in my course.  What can I do?

A6. If a link within your Moodle course does not appear or is not functioning properly, contact your instructor to let him/her know.

 Q7. This week's materials aren't showing up in my course.  Who should I contact?

A7. If any course materials aren’t showing up in your Moodle course, first be sure that you are using either Firefox or Chrome for your internet browser.  If you are still having problems, contact your instructor to let him/her know.

 Q8. Why don't I receive announcement emails from my instructor?

A8. All announcement emails that are sent through Moodle courses are sent to your CSU email account inbox, not your personal inbox.  If you are not receiving these announcement emails to your CSU account, then contact your instructor and ask him/her to verify that the settings for announcements are set to “Forced subscription”.

 Q9. Videos aren't playing in Moodle. What can I do?

A9. Moodle supports the playback of multiple video formats. If your instructor has embedded a video or provided a link in the course, and you are having issues playing it:

• Make sure that you are using Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox, or Safari as your internet browser.
• Make sure your computer's Flash Player is up to date (NOTE: Flash files do not play on iOS devices, such as iPads).
• Contact your instructor to verify that the link or embedded video file is active and working.
• For any further technical related inquiries, please contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology by email elearning@csu.edu.

 Q10. Why can't I hear the audio from A/V files in my course?

A10. First, make sure that your computer's speakers (external or internal) are turned on.  Then:

• Check the volume setting controls on your PC or Mac and make sure it is adjusted to a normal level.
• If that doesn't work, contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instruction Technology by email at elearning@csu.edu.

 

 Q11. Moodle logged me out during my quiz.  What can I do?

A11. Moodle is programed to log a user out who is inactive for two hours. If you are staying on one Moodle quiz page and just reading, typing into a text box,  selecting radio buttons, or choosing from drop-down menus, none of that registers as "activity". You have to load a new page or refresh the current page for  Moodle to consider you active.

• When your taking a online quiz, we recommend that you click the "Next" button every 10 minutes, even if you haven't finished answering all the questions  on the page.  Then on the next page, click the "Return" button. This will let Moodle know you are active as well as save the questions you have already answered.
• If you do get kicked out of a quiz, immediately log back in to your course and click on the quiz. As long as the time has not expired for the quiz, you will see a button that says "Continue the last attempt."  Click that button.
• For further technical support, please feel free to contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology by email at elearning@csu.edu.
  

 Q12. Why is my quiz grade a zero?

A12. There are several possibilities that can cause this to happen while taking an online quiz/exam in Moodle:

• Your internet connection was disconnected while taking the quiz/exams
• You were kicked out of the quiz due to time expiring and Moodle did not save your answers.
• You forgot to submit and finish the quiz/exam once you were done.

Solutions

• If the quiz/exam allows for another attempt and the time limit has not expired, attempt the exam again.
• If you are not able to try the attempt again, immediately contact you instructor via email or phone.

 Q13. Why won't my course's BigBlueButton session play?

A13. BigBlueButton recorded sessions come in three different formats: Java, Video MP4, and Audio MP3. If you are having problems viewing or hearing a recorded BigBlueButton session:

• Start by checking your system.
• Once you are up to date with the latest version of Java, open the BigBlueButton Session and verify that you can see and hear the presentation.
• If you are having further technical issues, contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology by email at elearning@csu.edu.

 Q14. Which internet browsers are best for using Moodle?

A14. For the best user experience when accessing Moodle, please use the following browsers

• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Google Chrome

Q15. What if I have an additional question and/or need to speak to someone?

A15. If you require further assistance with Moodle, contact the Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology at elearning@csu.edu. Our offices are located in Library 322 & 323.