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Student Do's and Dont's
Description: There are many things in TRACS that you should and shouldn’t do. Here is a helpful list for you that will make your TRACS experience the best it can be.
Do’s:
- Do have a NetID and password prior to logging into TRACS. You will not be able to without one. For help with your NetID or password please contact ITAC at 245-4822 or ITAC@txstate.edu
- Do make sure your instructor is using TRACS. If you do not see a class on TRACS it may be because the instructor is not using the system.
- Do look in the drop-down MORE SITES menu if you are sure the instructor is using TRACS but you do not see the course. The drop-down menu is located to the left of the logout button.
- Do make sure you are using a reliable internet connection when accessing TRACS.
- Do use Internet Explorer or Firefox as a browser on a PC and Firefox on a MAC.
- Do save your work when completing assignments or forum postings. Your browser may time-out when you are completing tasks in the assignment and forum tools thereby losing any work you’ve just done. One suggestion is to write your assignment or forum posts in a Word document and then copy and paste it to the tool you’re working in.
- Do use the Paste from Word function in the Text editor. Using the function eliminates any unreadable code Word uses and preserves your formatting.
- Do check any feedback or corrections made by your instructors in the assignments tool. You will have to click on the assignment you submitted to see that information.
- Do make sure that the file extension (.doc, .docx, .ppt, etc) is added to any file you are uploading. This applies to MAC users especially.
- Do make sure you receive confirmation when submitting an assessment, assignment, or file to the dropbox. This is the only way you will know for sure that the instructor got your submission.
- Do create a project site for group work. The instructions on how to create a project site and add participants is available on our support page at http://tracsfacts.its.txstate.edu under the Students menu.
- Do verify that you are NOT sending an email through the TRACS Mailtool to the entire class when you mean to send it to only your professor or another student. Many times students send the entire class an email on accident.
- Do verify that all grades are posted in the gradebook before you look at your final grade. Many times professors will not release your final grade until they are ready.
- Do click on the Announcements tool in TRACS to view all announcements made to the course. The Recent Announcements area on the Home Tool in TRACS only shows you the most recent announcements made by the instructor, not all of them.
Dont’s:
- Don’t create a course site. Only instructors are allowed to create a course site. If you are missing a course verify with the instructor that they are indeed using TRACS, that the course is published, and that the course has been created. Also verify that the course is not in your drop-down MORE SITES box.
- Don’t talk about private information in a chat room. All participants can see what you’ve written in a chat room and students are not able to delete anything they’ve said during a chat.
- Don’t post anything to the Fourms tool without verifying that it is indeed what you want to post. Students are not allowed to edit or delete postings in Fourms.
- Don’t copy and paste from Word by using the copy and paste command (ctrl + V). Many times your formatting will not come over properly. If you use the Paste from Word feature most formatting is preserved.
- Don’t have more than one internet window or tab open at a time, especially when taking an online assessment. We cannot be held responsible for any lost data or errors that occur when multiple windows or tabs are being used.
- Don’t use your browser’s back button. Many times you will see a Back or Cancel button located in the TRACS tool you are working with. If you do not, use the RESET button for the tool. Every tool has a RESET button available in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
- Don’t hit the enter button to skip down to the next line when writing a chat message. Hitting the enter button posts your chat message. There is no way to have multiple spaces in a chat message at this time.
- Don’t freak out if your final grade is not posted in TRACS. This is an intentional setting set by the instructor. They will release the final grade when they are ready.
- Don’t hesitate to contact us for help! If something goes wrong we need to know about it quickly. This is especially true in the case of online assessments. The sooner you notify us of a problem the sooner we can begin investigating the issue. This also helps us and you when corresponding with your instructor.
For questions, contact ETC Support at 245.5566. You can also email us at tracs@txstate.edu
For the TRACS website home page, go to: http://tracs.txstate.edu/portal/login
If your login fails and you need help with your Net ID or password, contact ITAC at 245.4822.