Getting Started and Getting Help

Welcome to the course! This first page has information about how to get technical help and how to navigate through these modules.

First, a quick note about the current reality for all of us right now: Learning during a pandemic is challenging. And while you surely didn’t plan to take all of your courses in an online environment, we’re glad you’re here. All students come to UC Santa Cruz with diverse life experiences, identities, prior knowledge, motivation for learning, and academic and cultural strengths, which creates a unique educational ecosystem in our classrooms, remote or otherwise.

Getting Help

If you are struggling with financial, housing, or food insecurity or do not have the equipment you need to complete classes online, please contact Slug Support at the Dean of Students office (deanofstudents@ucsc.edu).

If you’re experiencing technical difficulties, try these common troubleshooting techniques first.

  • Use Chrome, Firefox or Edge as your browser. Safari is incompatible with Canvas and many other websites.
  • If you can't open a page, or your submission isn't registering, try using an alternative browser to see if the problem is specific to your browser.
  • Turn your computer off and on again.

If the problem persists, contact ITS for support, either online at https://itrequest.ucsc.edu, via email (help@ucsc.edu), or by phone: (831) 459-HELP (4357).

 

If you need support specifically for Canvas, click on Help (the question mark icon) on the left side of any Canvas page. This opens many avenues for support:

  • Search the Canvas Guides if you need to learn how to do something (submitting an assignment, checking your grades, etc.)
  • Report a Problem to create a help desk ticket
  • Chat with Canvas Support for more immediate help

For more resources, visit the keeplearning.ucsc.edu page on Technologies for Students Learning Remotely.

 

Next Steps

The first module for this course will open after you’ve reviewed all of the materials in this module and completed the Orientation Quiz. You’ll know you have already visited a page when Canvas shows a green checkmark next to it.  You don’t have to view these materials in a specific order, but if you want to keep going, you can click the Next button below to move through the module.