English 303Z
Fall, 1997
Instructor: Robert Yagelski

TopClass is a sophisticated web-based program that enables students and teachers to share documents, send and receive messages, and have discussions online without having to log into an email account. For English 303Z, we will use TopClass as a way to share and discuss drafts of essays. (We will not use the other features of the program.)

This page provides brief instructions for using the features of TopClass that we will use for English 303Z:

Accessing TopClass

To get to the TopClass site on the University computer system, you first need to be in a web browser such as Netscape or Lynx. In this class, we will be using Netscape. (You may be using a different browser if you access the web from home.) To access the site and log in, follow these steps:

1. The URL for TopClass at SUNY-Albany is http://topclass.albany.edu/topclass/. Enter this URL in your browser and go to the TopClass site. Or you can click the link to the TopClass site at the top of this page. The TopClass home page will appear with this image on the top of your screen:
   
2. Click on the "Log-in" bar that looks like this:
   
3. On the login page, type in your login ID and your password (both of which you will receive from me) and click the log-in button. The TopClass homepage will now appear with a house image at the top.

4. On the TopClass homepage you will see a number of bars that represent the various features of the program (for instance, "Read Messages"; Send Message"; "List of Students"). Click on the Discussion List bar, which looks like this:
   The Discussion List feature is the only feature of TopClass we will be using.

5. Once you click the bar, you will access the Discussion List page, which has the same Discussion List graphic at the top. Now click the link to ENG303 to access our course discussion list.

6. Now you'll see another page with the same discussion list bar on top but with two links, one labeled "Announcements," the other labeled "Discussion." Click on the one labeled "Discussion."

7. Now you will see another page with the same Discussion List graphic at top and a list of folders and messages for our class. If everything works the way it should, each response group will have its own folder on this menu. So from here you should be able to click the folder for your response group. You should then see another list of messages, and you can simply click on the message you want to read.

Posting a Message to the Discussion List in TopClass

We will be using TopClass to read and discuss each other's drafts. When you access the discussion list in TopClass, you will do so in order to read the drafts of your response group members and comment on them or to post your own draft and read your group members' comments on your draft. (Sometimes we may also use TopClass for an in-class workshop.)

Posting messages to the discussion list is easy. Let's assume that you have accessed TopClass in order to read and respond to a classmate's draft. To post your response, follow these steps:

1. First, access the folder for your group or the message you want to respond to. At the bottom of the page you should see a toolbar with a line of round icons. Click the "reply" icon, which looks like this:
   
2. Now you will see a new screen with the words, "Send Message" at the top and a series of blank boxes below it. In the Subject box, type "Response to JOHN's Draft" (obviously, you should use the name of the person who wrote the draft). Then move your cursor to the message box and begin typing your response. When you're finished, simply slick the "send" button at the bottom of the page. Your message will be indexed in the discussion list folder along with all the other messages posted there.

Sharing Your Draft inTopClass

To post a draft of your essay to your response group's folder in TopClass is not much more involved than posting a message. Follow these steps:

1. Before you begin, make sure the file containing your essay (it should be a Microsoft Word file or a WordPerfect file) is on a disk in the disk drive of your computer.

2. Now access the folder in the Discussion List for your response group (as described above in the previous section). At the bottom of the page you will see a line of small round icons. Click the one for "Send Message," which looks like this:
   A new screen will appear with the words "Send Message" at the top and several blank boxes below it.

3. In the Subject box, type your name and "draft." For instance, if John were posting his draft, he'd write, "John's Draft." Now move the cursor to the large message box and type in a brief message to your response group members, telling them that you'd like them to respond to your draft and perhaps saying something about the kinds of problems you might be having with the draft or the kinds of feedback you might want them to give you.

4. Then, click the button at the bottom of the page that has the words, "Add Attachment" on it. Now a new page will appear with the words, "Attach File" at the top. Just below that will be a box and a button with "Browse" on it. Click that button.

5. Now a dialogue box will appear labeled "File Upload." At the bottom right is a small window labeled "Drives." Click the small arrow at the end of that window and then click drive A. Now in the larger window on the left you should see a list of files that are on your disk. Find the one containing your draft and click it. Now click "OK."

6. The dialogue box will disappear and you will be returned to the "Attach File" page. The name and directory of your file should be in the window. Now click the "Submit" button. The program will now upload your filefrom your disk

7. You will then be returned to the "Send Message" page, and you should see the message you have written to your group members. But now there will be a link to the file containing your draft. Click the "Send" button at the bottom of the page to post your message to the discussion list. When your classmates open your message, they will also be able to open your file and read your draft.