General Hints and Tips

Using the "Mark Read" Feature
When you start to read a discussion, you may find you have a large number of postings visible, and you will have to scroll to the bottom of the list to read them.  
  
To avoid this you can use the "Mark Read" feature.  However, you do not have to mark each posting separately.  
  
Read the postings and then go to the last one.  Click on the blue  "Mark Read" link in the top right of the last posting.  All the posting except the last one will disappear and the last one will be "grayed out".  If you have a total of 18 postings and you look at the conference title on the top left of the screen, it will state (18 posts) (0 Unread).  As more postings are made, the number "Unread" will change, e.g. (22 Posts)  (4 Unread).  

To see the "Unread" postings click on the (4 Unread) link.
  
If you wish to review/read all the postings again, click on the (22 Posts) and they will all temporarily appear for you to read.

Creating Customized Links
There are a number of web sites to which you will frequently refer during the course, for example, my CIC Part 1 Resources site.

You can add this site to your "Favourites" list (Internet Explorer) or your "Bookmarks" list (Netscape Navigator) but it may be more convenient for you to create a customized list of web sites on your CIC login screen.

The designers of the CIC web site have given you this option.

When you log in, you will see three main columns for information.

Column 1 contains a list of the courses in which you are enrolled.  Column two has the title "Your Name Links" - mine states "Derek's Links".  Column three has a list of Resources.

Assume you want to add my CIC Part 1 Resource Site to this list.

In your centre Links column, you will see the prompt:

Customize or add to Derek's Links  (of course Derek will be replaced with your name).

Click on this prompt and you will see three input boxes.  Complete them as follows.

Type of Link      Label you want on your home page                  Actual Address
http://            Derek's CIC Part 1 Resource Site      publish.uwo.ca/~floyd/cicsupt/index.htm

(Do not include the http:// in the main address part since the system will include it automatically.)

Click on Submit and the CIC Part 1 Resources link will appear on your menu.

You can then add other links using this procedure.