| Chat is a typed or spoken interchange between class members and their instructor on a set date and time. Concordia uses two different types of chat. The first is text based chat. The second is a form of Voice over IP (VoIP) that uses the internet to conduct a conference call similar to what you would do over the telephone. The professor will have you use one or the other, depending on the professor's preference and the content of the course. | |
| Text chat is very similar to instant messaging or any other chat room. It is a synchronous meeting of students and instructor for instruction, presentations, or comment about the course. You will be assigned a chat time by your instructor. Generally, these chat groups are eight or less in number to encourage active participation. | |
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The text chat can be found under the Communication Tools. Once in Communication Tools, click on the Chat icon to enter the Chat area. In order for Chat to work, you need to have Java enabled on your computer. If you are uncertain, go to the Access & Login area of this course. The first two paragraphs have links to Browser Settings to help you set up your computer correctly. |
When you first enter the chat room area, you will see a choice of at least four rooms. Sometimes they are numbered and other times they will have the day and time of your chat. Click on the appropriate room as assigned by your instructor. This will bring up a window similar to the one pictured below. If the window does not load, you do not have Java properly enabled. |
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| On the right side you will see a list of the participants in the chat. To send a message, type your message into the area outlined in red above. When you are done typing, press the Enter key on your keyboard to post the message. | |
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| As the messages are posted, you will see them appear in the large gray area on the screen. You can follow the "conversation" as the comments are made. Occasionally, and ISP (generally true only for dial-up connections) will bump you off if it does not feel you are actively using the connection. If that is the case, periodically post a period (.) to the list to keep the connection active. | |
| For most classes,
transcripts in the form of Word documents will be posted the day after the
chat is complete. You can download the transcript to review what was said. (Return to Top) |
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