SimNet for Office 2003
Enterprise Edition, Release 2.0
User Manual
Table of Contents
Getting Started with SimNet Enterprise......
Logging In......
Skipping Log In......
For Blackboard and WebCT Users Only......
Registering......
Downloading Local Lessons and Practice Tests......
Skipping Log In......
Setting the My Lessons Location......
Changing Your School's SimNet Home Page......
Taking Exams......
The Assessment Menu......
Custom Exams......
Practice Exams......
My Results......
Practice Exams......
Starting and Taking SimNet Exams......
Starting and taking Composite exams......
Starting and Taking Test Bank Exams......
Feedback and Hints......
Moving the Question Box......
Exploring the Simulated Interface......
Retaking Questions......
The Question BOX......
The Question List......
Ending Exams......
Exam Results......
Composite Exam Results......
Creating Custom Lessons......
My Results......
Delayed Exam Results......
Taking Lessons......
The Learning Menu......
Hints......
Overview of Lessons......
Scoring......
Navigation......
Progress Review......
Teach Me......
Show Me......
Let Me Try......
Working with the Question Box......
Using the Simulated Interface......
Bookmarks and Notes......
Search......
Refining Your Search......
Making Custom Lessons......
Saving and Deleting Searches......
Help and Technical Support......
System Requirements......
Operating System......
Software......
Hardware......
Other......
Audio Problems......
Virus Protection......
Firewall Configuration......
Privacy (Cookie) Configuration......
Technical Support......
Problem: I don't see any Office Specialist Lessons......
Problem: I don't see any Practice Exams......
Problem: I don't see any Textbook Lessons......
Problem: I don't see my results at the end of an exam......
Problem: I registered for the wrong class and/or section......
Problem: I selected the wrong module during registration......
Credits......
License Agreement......
The McGraw-Hill Companies......
Triad Interactive, Inc......
SimNet for Office 2003, Enterprise Edition, Release 2
Getting Started with SimNet Enterprise
When you first start the SimNet Enterprise Edition, you will see the Main Menu:
From this page, you can log in to the program, modify your program settings, or access the SimNet Enterprise Web site.
Logging In
If you have not yet done so, you must complete your registration before logging in to the program for the first time.
You must be online in order to log in and use SimNet Enterprise Edition. If you do not have an Internet connection, you will not be able to use this version of SimNet.
To log in to the program:
1.Type your username and password in the appropriate boxes
2.Click the Log In button
Hint: User names and passwords are case sensitive.
After you log in, you'll see a screen where you can select to go to the Learning program or the Assessment program. Click Take an Exam or Take a Lesson to get started.
Skipping Log In
If you have already completed your registration and downloaded your local lessons and practice tests, you can access those files without going online. Click the Skip Log In button, then select Take a Lesson or Take an Exam. Notice that Custom Lessons, Custom Exams, and Test Bank Exams are unavailable when you skip log in.
For Blackboard and WebCT Users Only
If your school is using the Blackboard or WebCT enabled version of SimNet Enterprise, you will not register through the SimNet Main Menu. Instead, you will register when you access the SimNet link through your Blackboard or WebCT course for the first time.
If you want to use SimNet without logging in to your Blackboard or WebCT account, you can click the Windows Start button, point to Programs (or All Programs), point to SimNet 2003, and click the SimNet 2003 Enterprise Edition icon. Do not log in through the Main Menu. Instead, click the Skip Log In button to access the Office Specialist lessons, Textbook lessons, and Practice Exams that you installed during registration.
Registering
Before using SimNet for the first time, you must complete registration and download your local lesson files and practice test files.
To register, you must be online.
If you already have a username and password:
1.Enter your username and password in the Log In box on the SimNet Main Menu.
2.Enter your registration code in the space provided, and click OK.
3.You will automatically go to the SimNet registration page where you will need to enter the registration code. See Step 5 below.
If you do not yet have a username and password:
4.Open Internet Explorer and go to your school's SimNet homepage (for example, substituting your school's SimNet account name or "subdomain" for myschool).
5.Click the Student Self Registration button.
6.Enter all of the required information in the Student Registration form.
Remember, your username and password will be case sensitive.
It is important to enter a valid e-mail address, so we can send you your password if you forget it.
7.Click the arrow in the Class/Section box to see the list of available classes. Be careful to register for the correct class/section.
8.Enter your registration code in the box. If you do not have a registration code, you will need to contact your instructor.
9.Click the Continue to the next step button.
10.Click the Continue to the next step button to go to the page to download your local files.
11.Click the Download Setup Files button.
12.When the dialog box pops up, choose 'Open' or 'Run' to install these files.
13.Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation.
For more information about downloading and installing local lessons and practice exams, see the topic: Downloading Local Lessons and Practice Exams.
When you are finished installing the local lessons and practice exams, you can close the Web page. You are now ready to log in to SimNet through the SimNet Main Menu.
Downloading Local Lessons and Practice Tests
As part of the registration process, you will be prompted to download the setup file(s) to install the local lessons and practice tests for the module(s) you selected. Click the text Download Setup Files button to begin the installation process.
- First, open or "run" the setup file from its current location. If you select "save" instead, be sure to note where you save the file, so you can run the file from that location instead.
- Next, click Yes at the security warning.
- Click OK to start the installation process (this message will vary, depending on which module(s) you are installing.)
- If you are using a McGraw-Hill textbook, you can download lessons to correspond to the book's table of contents. You can select more than one textbook from this list. (The list of available textbooks will vary, depending on which module(s) you are installing.) Click Next to continue.
- Finally, click Finish to close the installation program.
Skipping Log In
The SimNet Main Menu offers a Skip Log In option. If you skip log in, you will not have access to custom lessons or exams (including test bank exams). However, you will be able to use the Office Specialist Lessons, Textbook Lessons, and Practice Exams.
The skip log in option does not require an active online connection.
Setting the My Lessons Location
The My Lessons folder is a location you specify to store custom lessons you create for yourself. The most common location for the My Lessons folder is:
On your local hard drive if this is the only computer you use to run SimNet. Setup automatically sets the My Lessons folder inside the SimNet subfolder in Program Files.
On a floppy disk if you need to move custom lessons between different computers (for example, if you use SimNet both at home and at school).
On a network if you are using SimNet only at school and you have an assigned data folder on your school network.
If you are using SimNet in a computer lab, you should always check the My Lessons location on the Main Menu (located near the bottom of the screen). If you need to change the location, click the Change Settings button.
Navigate to the location you want to use for the My Lessons location, and click OK. If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can use the Make New Folder button to create a new folder.
Changing Your School's SimNet Home Page
Each school is assigned a specific home page for SimNet Enterprise. During setup, the installation program asked you to enter the "subdomain" for your school. Your instructor should provide you with this information. If you are using the program in a school lab, the subdomain has probably been entered for you.
If you need to change the subdomain, you can do so from the Main Menu by clicking the Change Settings button.
You can also visit your school's SimNet Enterprise home page on the Web:
1.Open Internet Explorer.
2.In the address bar, type (substituting your school's subdomain for myschool).
From your school's SimNet Enterprise home page, you can:
Register your account
Download local lessons and exams
Add or remove classes from your account
Change your password
Check for important announcements
Link to technical support
Taking Exams
The Assessment Menu
The Assessment Main Menu looks like this:
Custom Exams
By default, the list of Custom Exams is displayed. Custom Exams are the tests that your instructor creates for you. They are graded and the results are sent to your instructor's gradebook automatically. If your instructor hasn't created exams yet, this menu will be empty.
The length of each custom exam is set by your instructor and thus may vary. Your instructor also sets the number of times you may take each question and if you can retake an exam. When you answer a question incorrectly, the program may show a hint telling you how to complete the question, if your instructor has selected this option.
There are three types of custom exams:
SimNet Exams use the simulated interfaces for the applications and computer concepts.
Test Bank Exams contain multiple choice, true/false, and short answer (fill-in-the-blank) questions.
Composite Exams are multi-part exams that can include both SimNet and Test Bank exams.
To begin an exam, click the exam title once to select it, then click the Start Exam button (or just double-click the exam title).
Practice Exams
Practice Exams are downloaded during the registration process. For more information, see the topic Practice Exams.
My Results
The My Results page allows you to view results for exams you have taken. For more information, see the topic My Results.
Practice Exams
Practice exams are available for you to go through on your own. The questions are randomly selected, so you may not see the exact same practice exam twice.
Practice exams are usually 30 minutes long and allow you to retry questions you answered incorrectly (up to three times per question). When you answer a question incorrectly, the program will show a hint telling you how to complete the question.
During setup you have the option of selecting a textbook to use for the Study Guide for practice exams. If you selected a textbook, the relevant page numbers will appear in the results page at the end of these practice exams.
Starting and Taking SimNet Exams
The Assessment main menu lists all of the available custom exams. SimNet exams are identified by a symbol similar to the Microsoft Office logo next to the exam title.
1.To begin an exam, double-click the title from the list, or click the title once, then click the Start Exam button.
2.The Start Exam button will not be active until you have clicked an exam title. Exams can take a minute or two to load. Be patient if nothing happens at first. You should see a Loading Exam... screen within 30 seconds or so.
3.When the exam has fully loaded, you will see a message You may now begin the exam. Click the OK button to begin the exam. The exam timer will not start until you click the OK button.
4.To answer a question, complete the required action just as you would in the real application. The program will respond with Correct or Incorrect. When you click OK, the program will advance to the next question automatically.
Note: If your instructor disables the "Correct" and "Incorrect" feedback, you will see a generic message indicating that you have completed the question. Click OK to advance to the next question.
Starting and taking Composite exams
The Assessment main menu lists all of the available custom exams. Composite exams are identified by a small graduation cap next to the exam title.
To begin an exam, double-click the title from the list, or click the title once, then click the Start Exam button. The Start Exam button will not be active until you have clicked an exam title.
This opens the composite exam menu.
From the composite exam menu, you can see all the available sections in the exam, including the total number of questions in each section, and the number of questions you've attempted.
Composite exams may have a single time limit for the entire exam or individual time limits for each section. In the screen shot above, each section has its own time limit. Notice the composite exam menu shows the time remaining for each section.
1.To start a section, click it, then click the Go to Selected Section button.
2.While the section is loading, you may see a message. (If the section uses one of the SimNet simulated application interfaces, the section may take up to 30 seconds to load.) When the section has loaded, click OK to .
3.To return to the composite exam menu, click the Exam Menu button at the bottom of the question box.
4.Click the Exam Menu button to confirm that you want to leave the current section. If there is time remaining in the composite exam, you can return to the section later.
5.This returns you to the composite exam menu, where you can switch to another section. If you complete all the questions in a section, you will automatically return to the main composite exam menu.
6.When you are ready to end the composite exam, click the End This Composite Exam button from the composite exam menu.
Starting and Taking Test Bank Exams
The Assessment main menu lists all of the available custom exams. Test Bank exams are identified by a pencil symbol next to the exam title.
Test Bank Exams are true/false, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.
To begin an exam, double-click the title from the list, or click the title once, then click the Start Exam button. The Start Exam button will not be active until you have clicked an exam title.
For exams that list one question at a time:
After you answer each question, you must click the Submit Answer button. If you want to skip a question and come back to it later, you can use the Next and Previous buttons.
For exams that list all of the questions in a list:
You may answer the questions in any order. To clear your answers, click the Clear Answers button. When you are finished, click the Submit Answers button. Once you have submitted your answers, you cannot go back and change them.
Feedback and Hints
If your instructor has enabled feedback, you will see Correct or Incorrect after you respond to each question. You must click OK to advance to the next question.
If hints are enabled, you will see a hint after answering a question incorrectly.
Note: If your instructor disables the "Correct" and "Incorrect" feedback, you will see a generic message indicating that you have completed the question. Click OK to advance to the next question.
Moving the Question Box
If you find that the question box covers part of the screen that you need in order to answer the question, click one of the four arrows in the corners of the graphic in the upper right corner of the question box to move the question box to that corner of the screen. To minimize the question box, click the hide button.
When the question box is minimized, you'll see this at the bottom of the screen: