Playing this CD-ROM

The Effective Practice with e-Learning CD-ROM utilises the auto-run feature in Microsoft^® Windows. To view, simply place the CD-ROM in the CD drive of your computer. The Internet browser will automatically open, allowing the CD to auto-run. Alternatively, click Start >My computer and select the JISC icon. To play the CD-ROM on a Mac operating system, double click on the CD-ROM icon on the desktop and then double click on Run.htm.

To return to the home page from anywhere within the CD-ROM, click the JISC logo in the top left corner, or the Home link in the bottom left corner.

You will need the following minimum technical specifications for optimum viewing of the materials on the CD-ROM:

File formats
You are advised that file formats used in Effective Practice with e-Learning are provided in html, Macromedia Flash™, QuickTime™, Windows Media^® Player v7, Microsoft^® Office and Adobe Acrobat^® PDF formats. File names appear as follows:

Web (.htm)
Flash (.swf)
MS Word (.doc)
PDF (.pdf)
QuickTime™ Movie (.mov)
Windows Media^® Video (.mwv)

Adobe Acrobat Reader installers are provided on this CD-ROM in the plugins folder for PC and Mac OS X users. Mac OS 9 users can download Adobe Acrobat Reader from www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Uploading files to an intranet or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
It is recommended that you recreate the folder and file structure of the CD-ROM on your intranet or VLE. In this way you will maintain the links between files and will not lose navigation. To upload the materials, copy the folder called 'JISC' from the CD-ROM to the intranet or VLE server. In order to access the start point, select the index.htm file.

Accessibility information

For those with visual impairment, most of the content, with the exception of the video clips and the Model of learning activity design, can be accessed using a screen reader, a magnifier or a customised browser. Most web browsers enable users to change the colour of font and background and to view pages in a larger font size. In Internet Explorer v6, these changes can be made by selecting the following menu options: Tools > Internet Options > General and then making use of the 'Accessibility', 'Colors' and 'Fonts' options to customise the view. For further information on the functions of Internet Explorer that can be used to improve accessibility, please refer to the Microsoft^® website.

Transcripts of the video case studies are to be found adjacent to these items as downloadable Microsoft^® Word documents.

You can find further information about making a variety of electronic files more accessible by visiting the TechDis website at www.techdis.ac.uk

Viewing the video case studies

These are available in two formats: QuickTime™ v5 and Windows Media^® Player v7. A link is provided to download the free QuickTime™ player if a user who does not have the software installed on their machine. Speakers or headphones are recommended to hear the sound associated with the video clips. Please note that the QuickTime clips may take a few seconds to open.

Please note that the video clips in Windows Media^® Player format may not play if you are using Netscape or Mozilla as your browser.

Downloading files

Both the Microsoft^® Word and PDF files will open in any browser. You are advised to download these files to save locally before making use of them. Some materials opened directly from the CD-ROM appear in a new ‘viewer’ window and not in the Microsoft^® application. This allows you to preview the content, but the viewer has restricted interactivity. In order to interact fully with the content, you have to save the files to a local drive and work on them within the appropriate Microsoft^® application. PC users can save files by selecting File > Save As from the top menu in the viewer. Mac users can copy the file from the 'Documents' folder on the CD.