Setting
up your computer and viewing Academic courses online
Setting up your
computer
Stanford Online
streams course videos at 300 kbps.
This data rate requires a high-speed connection (DSL or cable). Our academic courses will be delivered
to you using our Award-Winning User Interface. Please note the following system
requirements and enjoy the quarter!
- PC
o
Windows 2000 or
Windows XP
o
Windows
Media Player 9 +
o
Browser of Internet
Explorer 6.0 + (for optimal performance)
o
FireFox 1.5
+
- Mac
o
Mac OS X version
10.3.9 or later
o
QuickTime Player 6.5
+
o
Flip 4 Mac 2.2 (for optimal
viewing)
o
Safari
o
Full functionality
of notes is possible once the video is fully buffered.
- Linux
o
MPlayer (current version)
plug-in to view .wmv files
o
Limited
functionality of notes (user will be able to view imported notes). Linux users can play the video
linearly. Linux users will not be
able to fast-forward or rewind; however, they will be able to view the video
full-screen.
Authentication
Demos and previews
can be accessed without logins.
However, all academic courses
require registration. Our online
materials require a SUNet ID to log on.
- Degree students (HCPs) receive their SUNet ID through their academic departments.
- Non-degree students (NDOs) need to contact HelpSU (650-725-HELP or file a HelpSU
ticket) to get their University ID number.
Once you have your
University ID number,
o
Go to: http://sunetid.stanford.edu.
o
Click “Request my
own SUNet ID.”
o
In the “Enter your
Stanford ID” box, type your University ID, and click
continue.
Note: Your SUNet ID is permanently assigned to you. If you are not enrolled for the
next quarter, your SUNet account will be deactivated
automatically.
- Auditors
o
Go to: http://sunetid.stanford.edu.
o
Click “Request my
own SUNet ID.”
o
Click on “provide
other identification.”
o
Enter your name and
other information and click “Continue.”
o
Select your SUNet ID and click “Continue.”
o
Follow the
instructions on the page to select your password and click
“Continue.”
When you have
successfully created your SUNet ID, or are
“reactivating” your SUNet ID,
send a message to scpd-registration@stanford.edu
asking SCPD to sponsor your SUNet account. Please
include the following information:
§
Your full
name
§
Class(es) you are auditing
§
Your SUNet ID
Viewing Courses on
Stanford Online
1. Go to the SCPD home page.
2. Go to the top
right hand corner “jump to” box. Select “Online Classroom.”
Or Click “Stanford
Online Classroom” from the Academic Schedule section.
3. Click Academic
Courses or Online Seminars.
4. Scroll down to
find your course or seminar and click on it.
Technical
Support
Phone:
650-736-0774
Web: Technical Support
Email:
PC
Users FAQs
I click on the video
link, but nothing happens.
Pop-up blocker
software and Internet Security applications can cause this problem. Temporarily disable the pop-up blocker
to launch the video session.
When I press “play”
on my Windows Media Player, nothing happens. Why?
When I click on the
link to access my course, the video screen is black. Why?
We
stream our videos via HTTP (port 80), and you should receive the video if you
were able to browse the Internet.
Most of the time reinstalling a fresh copy of the Window Media Player
will fix Hardware and software problems such as missing Codecs, configuration issues, and whether Windows Media
Player is your default player.
- If necessary, reinstall
WMP:
o
Go to Start ->
control Panel -> Add/ Remove programs.
o
Click on the
Add/Remove windows components, and uncheck the Windows Media
Player.
o
Install the latest
version of Windows Media
Player.
o
Attempt to access
Stanford Online content again.
- Determine if the player is
configured to optimize Stanford Online content:
o
Launch Windows Media
Player (Start menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment
-> Windows Media Player).
o
Go to Tools ->
Options (if you don’t see the Windows Media Toolbar double click on the top of
the window activate the hidden menu), and confirm that the player is set up as
follows:
o
Then hit "OK" to
close this window, and "OK" again to close the Options window, and try our test
video.
If you are not able
to see the test video, network
or player issues are responsible for disrupting the video stream. To determine if network issues are
causing the problem:
1.
Try
accessing the course from another workstation within your network.
2.
If the problem
persists, the network may be configured to block streaming video. You can
speak to your IT department or view the video from a different location (e.g.
your home).
If you still cannot
see Stanford Online content, please submit a Help
Request.
The video rebuffers when I am viewing my class. How do I change the buffer
time?
To change the buffer
time:
- Launch the Media
Player.
- Click “Tools”, “Options”, select
the “Performance” tab.
- Under “Network Buffering” check
“buffer”, and enter “30” for “seconds of data”, and “OK.”
When can I expect to
see the most recent course content page?
If you don’t see
course content updates posted each day, most likely, your browser has cached an
old page. Try clearing the
cache:
Windows (Internet
Explorer):
- Click “Tools”, “Internet
Options”, “General”, under “Temporary Internet Files.”
- Click “Delete Files”, and click
“OK.”
How do I determine
why I am not receiving audio during the video
playback?
Ensure that your
machine has audio playback capabilities.
- If you have headphones or
speakers, make sure they are set-up properly.
- If you have a CD-Rom drive/DVD
player, try inserting a disc and playing it.
- Try to play a video from another
to see if you receive audio.
- Make sure that “mute” is not
enabled on your system or on the Media Player.
- Make sure the volume is turned
up.
If you continue to
experience audio difficulties, reinstall your Windows Media
Player.
Mac
Users FAQ
How
do I maximize my user experience using QuickTime and Flip4Mac? Will I be able to use the Note Taking
feature?
Officially, the
SONNET interface only supports Windows users in Internet Explorer. However, a 3rd party plug-in
is available for Mac users on Safari.
Flip4Mac maximizes QuickTime’s functionality to play WMV streaming
videos.
- Download and install Flip4Mac.
- Configure Flip4Mac:
o
Go to System
Preferences
o
Find the gray icon
of a switch and an apple
on the dock and click
it.
If there is no icon like that on the dock:
§
Go to the Finder
§
Click Applications,
then scroll down to System Preferences with the same icon and double-click it to
open.
o
At the bottom left,
you should see a Flip4Mac WMV icon 
. Click it.
o
Select the Plug-In
tab at the top, and make sure the first three check boxes are filled. It may give you a message that your web
browser must be restarted for the changes to take effect. This is fine. The screen should look like
this:
o
Click on the Movie
tab at the top.
o
Check the third box,
“Create streaming movies,” if it is not already checked.
o
Click the red button
at the top left to save and get out of System Preferences.
Use SONNET with
Flip4mac
First, make sure you
are using Safari as your browser (look in the top left corner at the bold menu;
it should say Safari).
- If you aren’t using Safari, you
can usually open it by clicking on the compass icon
on the dock at the bottom of your
screen.
o
If you don’t see the
icon there:
§
Click on the Finder
icon at the left end of the
dock.
§
In the window that
pops up, click “Applications” on the left.
§
Scroll down until
you see “Safari” with the same compass icon
and
double-click it to open.
Now, when you go to
watch a class, the interface should look something like this, perhaps with
video:
Take a
note:
- To take a note, click the Video
Time button on the right to grab the video’s current time specific to your
note.
- Fill in the note text box with
your note and click “save bookmark.”
- The new note should show up in
the list of notes in the top right.
Jump to a
note:
- To jump to a note, click the
time of the note from the list of notes in the top right. The cursor under the video should jump
to the appropriate place in the video once the video is fully
buffered.
However, due to a technical
limitation in the Flip4Mac software, the video may not actually start to play at
this new point.
To make the video
actually jump to the new point, simply
click on the cursor at its current position. The video should re-buffer (this may
take a few seconds) and continue playing at the new position.
We are currently
working on a fix for this problem and will update the interface as soon as
possible.