Help Accessing Your Courses
Computer Set-Up
Before you can access your courses, the following configuration requirements must be met. If you have any problems, work with your school's technical support to make sure the following technical requirements are met for the school workstation where your child accesses the PLATO curriculum. If you require further technical assistance with the configuration, feel free to call the KYVC Help Desk at 1-877-740-4357.
- Internet Connection Speed
Participation in the courses requires at least 128kbps internet connection.
- Enable JavaScript and ActiveX Controls
Most browsers have these features enabled by default. However, they may be disabled due to a recent Windows update, or if someone has customized the browser's settings.
- Disable Pop-Up Blockers
Pop-up blockers must be disabled or configured properly in order for your course to run properly. Pop-up blockers or stoppers are typically used to prevent extra pop-up windows from opening in your browser. The procedures to disable or configure pop-up blockers are all different, depending on the type of browser and version. Please note that special toolbars, such as Google Toolbar or Yahoo Toolbar, also feature pop-up blockers. If you have difficulty disabling a pop-up blocker, please contact the KYVC Help Desk for assistance.
- Enable Cookies
It's recommended, but not required, that you enable cookies on your computer. Cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information; in this case, they allow the server to know that you already authenticated, and therefore allowed to access services or perform certain operations as you navigate through a course. Usually, web browsers have cookies enabled by default, however if you have customized your security settings, it is possible they could be disabled.
- Install Adobe Acrobat Reader
It may be necessary for you or your student to read documentation converted into *.PDF format. In order to view these types of files, it is necessary for Adobe Acrobat Reader to be installed.
- Install PLATO and Macromedia Plug-ins
PLATO, the program which will run your course, requires the use of plug-ins on your computer. You can download and install the required plug-ins when you first log in, or download them direct from the vendor website. Downloading make take a fair amount of time, depending on your connection speed and the number of installs. It's recommended that you download and install the plug-ins ahead of time, before the student attempts to run the courseware.
- PLATO Specific
- Other Interactive Programs
It may be possible that you have these plug-ins already installed on your machine. Please test their availability before downloading.
- A Message for AOL users
If using AOL, your workstation's resolution must be set higher than 800
X 600 pixels. While using AOL to connect to the internet and take PLATO
courses, you may find that you sometimes get disconnected or "timed-out"
if you are idle for more than a few minutes. To prevent this from happening,
please follow these two steps:
- In your AOL browser, click this
to open a new, special window that will update itself every few minutes
to assure your AOL stays connected.
- Open either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator to connect to KYVC4K12
website and then PLATO.
In AOL version 8.0, there is an option that will allow you to disable the
time-out feature. For more information on that feature, you will need to
contact the AOL support team. This new option promises to lessen the problems
we have encountered when users access the Internet through AOL.
KYVC Help Desk:
The KYVC Help Desk will be able to tell you if your student
is registered properly and identify their user name and password for accessing the KYVC portal.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the KYVC Help Desk offers several ways to contact us. Please
select the method which best suits your needs. Student
comments or complaints regarding courses or faculty are
handled by the institution delivering the course.
An excellent resource is also their online knowledge base,
in which you will find online manuals, frequently asked questions and learning
tools to enhance your effectiveness. Please report problems if you do not
receive same-day response from the KYVC call center.
PLATO Tech Support can be accessed by:
- calling 1-800-869-2200. You will reach an automated attendant. You will
be prompted to enter your PLATO ID number (see below).
- emailing them at platosupport@plato.com
Have the following information handy when you call or email them:
- PLATO ID #: 4628161-101
- Account name: Kentucky Virtual University
- Your name
- Your phone number
You can call them about the following types of issues:
- difficulty accessing PLATO
- difficulty downloading necessary software
- difficulty configuring browser properly
- using various functions within PLATO
- interpreting and resolving error messages when attempting to use PLATO