New to PNG 405?

Start Here!

To get started with the course, please follow the required steps below. You will find it useful to print this page out first so that you can follow along with the directions!

  1. First, review our site viewing tips to make sure our Web site works for you as we intended.
  2. Meet your instructor! (You can return to that information at any time by clicking on the About Your Instructor button on our course syllabus.)
  3. Carefully review the course syllabus (the same page you were just on!) to learn about the course and its requirements.
  4. Familiarize yourself with our "classroom" by taking a look around at the other resources linked to the tabs above...
    • Calendar—a monthly look at what we are doing in the course.
    • Lessons—the main Table of Contents page for the core lecture materials.
    • Class—where you can access information about your fellow students, including e-portfolios
    • In Touch—access to our course e-mail system, message boards (threaded discussions), and chat rooms. In the Message Boards area, you will notice that, in addition to message boards for each lesson, there are several general-purpose message boards we'll be using:
      • General Discussion - for general postings and questions (i.e. not lesson- or project-specific)
      • Technical Issues - for peer-to-peer technical support
      • Suggestion Box
    • Tools—additional course tools where you can view your grades, set your user profiles for the site, etc.
      • Follow this link for additional information and directions for ANGEL-related course tools
  5. Update your "Personal Information Settings" for Angel to make sure that the rest of us have current information about you.
    • Click on the My Profile button at the upper-right of this window. (Or, if you use the default "frames" version of Angel, you can click on the My Profile link in the left-hand menu bar—they both lead to the same page.)
    • Under the My Toolbox section, click on My Settings.
    • Under My Settings, click on the Personal Information Editor link.
    • Fill in the boxes on the resulting page with your current information. Be sure to include the URL for your personal home page at Penn State. That how your instructor and classmates will access your portfolio.
    • Click on the Save button at the bottom of the form; you will return to the My Settings page.
    • Click on the Exit button at the upper- right to return to the course.
    • Click on the Class tab and you will see a summary of your personal information as part of our class list. (Details can be seen by clicking on the User Profile link under each entry on that page.)
  6. Set up your course e-mail preferences. You have the option of forwarding a COPY of your course e-mail to your personal e-mail address. You will NOT be able to reply to class e-mail that way, but it is a way to be notified of e-mail sent to you in the course. If you want your mail forwarded, follow the steps below. If not, you can skip these directions!
    • Click on the My Profile button at the upper-right of this window. (Or, if you use the default "frames" version of Angel, you can click on the My Profile link in the left-hand menu bar—they both lead to the same page.)
    • Under the My Toolbox section, click on My Settings.
    • Under My Settings, click on the System Settings link.
    • Scroll down to the Mail Settings section.
    • Enter the e-mail address where you want COPIES of your course e-mail sent.
    • Click on the Save button at the bottom of the form; you will return to the My Settings page.
    • Click on the Exit button at the upper- right to return to the course.
  7. Turn on the "My Announcements" and "New Mail" alerts. On your Profile page you have the option of being alerted to any new items that have been added to your courses, including announcements, message board postings, and e-mail messages. We recommend that you turn on the "My Announcements" and "New Mail" alerts to ensure you don't miss anything!
    • Click on the My Profile button at the upper-right of this window. (Or, if you use the default "frames" version of Angel, you can click on the My Profile link in the left-hand menu bar—they both lead to the same page.)
    • From the My Profile page, click on My Settings under the My Toolbox section
    • From the My Settings page, click on My Profile Content
    • Check the box next to both "My Announcements" and "New Mail"
    • Click on the Save button.
  8. Turn on the "What's New - Message Board" alerts. On your Profile page you have the option of being alerted to any new message board postings. We recommend that you turn on the "What's New Message Board" alerts to ensure you don't miss any postings!
    • Click on the My Profile button at the upper-right of this window. (Or, if you use the default "frames" version of Angel, you can click on the My Profile link in the left-hand menu bar—they both lead to the same page.)
    • From the My Profile page, click on the icon that looks like a little page with a tiny yellow bull's-eye on it in the My Courses header.
    • From the My Course Settings page, scroll all of the way to the bottom of the page to the Advanced Settings section and check the boxes for Mail and Posts in the What's New section.
    • Click on the Save button.
  9. Click on the Lessons tab (above), then click on the link to the Lesson 01 folder to begin the course!