The names and contents list of a course site's content areas will vary depending on both the course and the instructor. Generally, these areas contain lecture notes, assignments, assessments (such as quizzes and tests), readings, links to other websites, and sometimes video or audio clips.
Many longer items (such as lecture notes) will be available as printer-friendly PDF files. In order to view these files, you will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader plug-in, which may be downloaded for free from Adobe's website.
Lectures may be presented in Macromedia's Flash format. These lectures frequently include audio and require the Shockwave Flash player, which may be downloaded free from Macromedia's website. Some courses will also include Flash-based games, Quicktime video clips, and audio clips. To open video and audio clips, you'll need the Quicktime player, which may be downloaded free from Apple's Quicktime website.
Many faculty members make their Powerpoint lectures available through Knowledge. If you do not have Powerpoint installed on your computer, download a free Powerpoint viewer from Microsoft's website. You may find documents posted using Microsoft Word or text-only files. If you do not have a compatible word processor, download a free Word viewer from Microsoft's website.
PDF, multimedia, and other downloadable items generally appear as small text links at the top of the item they are associated with. They may be opened by clicking the link, or saved to your computer for later viewing by right-clicking the link then left-clicking Save Link As ... (or Save Target As ... in Netscape/Mozilla-type browsers).
NOTE: Always scan your files for viruses before opening them. See the instructions in your virus protection software for more information on how to scan individual files.
Some items may be collected and placed in folders (as the Reading Notes are in the example above). To open a folder, click the underlined link.
Some items (such as the Discussion Question above) may be links to content located in other parts of the course site.
