Frequently Asked Questions

Heartland Centers What does HCL stand for? Heartland Center for Public Health and Community Leadership Yahoo What does HCPHP stand for? Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness What does HETC stand for? Heartland Public Health Education & Training Center Top

Learning Management Systems What does LMS stand for? Learning Management System Why are we using this system? To help the public health workforce be prepared in case of a bioterrorism attack or public health emergency. Sometimes after I register for and launch a course from your LMS, I am asked to login or register on a different site. Why is this? The Heartland Centers' has agreements with several providers of quality online preparedness courses. This enables you to have a wider selection of titles available in one place for your training needs. When you register for the course on our site and launch the course, your computer is directed out to the world wide web to the URL address where that course is housed online. Some of these providers require a short registration for access into their system. There is no charge for this access. After you have completed the course, you will be returned to our LMS. How often are courses offered? Most online courses are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week anywhere you have an internet connection. Other courses will only be available at specific times, such as face to face meetings, exercises, etc. Before registering for a course, click on the course title to view all the information about availability. Top

User Questions Who can use Heartland Centers' Learning Management System? Anyone, anywhere in the world who has access to an internet connection can use the Heartland Centers' LMS for their preparedness training. Who will see my personal information and course progress reports? (Confidentiality) Any personal information placed into the LMS by the user can only be viewed by the participant and Heartland Centers' LMS Coordinator. Access by the LMS Coordinator is only to provide support services upon request. Can I keep track of courses or trainings that I have taken that are not part of the Learning Management System? Yes! The LMS is a great way to keep a complete transcript of all of your training. You can add Non-LMS courses in the "My Courses" link under "Add Non-LMS Courses". This is for your own personal record keeping and is printable in your personal reports. Can I sign up for a course that is not listed in my "Recommended Courses" after the self-assessment? Yes. You may choose from the entire course catalog at any time. Occassionaly, registration for particular courses or events is restricted to a particular group. In that case, it will be stated as such in the course description. Will there be credit offered for these courses? Most of the LMS courses offer a certificate of completion that is available for you to print right at your desktop after you have successfully complete a course. You can access this feature in the "My Courses" section. In addition, some courses offer continuing education credit. This will be stated in the course details. Usually, this requires that you print off and mail in a form to request the credits. There may be a small fee associated with the request. I've never used this system before. How do I know what my user name and password is? In order to begin using the LMS, you must first create an account. Click on "Register with Us" on the left menu bar of the home page. Here, you can choose your own username and password, and complete the account form. Once you have done that, you will need to select and assess your competencies. Then, you will be ready to view the course catalog and begin selecting the courses you would like to take! How can I find out more about a course listing? Click on the course name for more information regarding the course and to register. Anytime you see a red, underlined word or group of words on the LMS, you can click it for more information or for a link. What events are listed on the calendar? Heartland Centers uses this calendar to record all of our training related activities. Some of these are not listed as courses on the LMS. For accurate listings of courses being offered to everyone, please refer to the course catalog instead of the calendar. Top

Technical Issues Do I need any special computer equipment? What about using a McIntosh? Some courses may require earphones or speakers. The system works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later and Microsoft Office or compatible applications (Office 2000 or later is recommended.) Who do I contact if I am having trouble using the LMS? You can utilize the User Help feature on the left menu bar for help anytime. If you do not find the answer to your question, you can contact the LMS Coordinator by clicking the "Contact Us" link on the left menu bar. What should I do if I am not receiving notification that I have registered for a class? Make sure that the e-mail address that you typed in when you created your account is valid and entered correctly. You can do this by clicking on "Edit Profile" in the blue welcome box at the top left of screen. How do I change my username or password, or update other personal information? You can update any personal information as well as change your username and password by choosing "Edit Profile" in the blue welcome box at the top left side of the page. Be sure to save your changes by clicking the save box at the bottom of the form. Why am I asked to register again when I begin an online course that I have already registered for in the Heartland Centers LMS? Many of the courses we offer are created by another Center for Public Health Preparedness or University and "housed" in their home LMS. Unfortunately, these LMS systems do not yet communicate information to each other. You are asked to complete a secondary registration with them so they can identify you. I completed a course and received a certificate, but the course is still listed as a "Current Course" in my transcript, not in the "Completed Courses" section. Why? If you began an online course and had to complete a second registration in another system to access the course, your completion information is not automatically sent to us. If you received a confirmation of completion email or certificate from the place that hosts the course, forward an email copy to lmshelp@slu.edu and your transcript will be updated. You can also fax a copy to 314-977-8150 Attn: Heartland Centers LMS Administrator. Please allow a few days for your transcript to be updated. Top