This FAQ explains how to access your Web Desk, online classrooms, and other services at KSurf.net. It also provides helpful navigation tips and answers to frequently asked questions. To browse this document, click any topic from the index below or you can use the PageUp and PageDown keys on your keyboard to scroll through the text.

KSurf.net is an online learning community and social networking site for Knowledge Surfers — Internet users of all ages and from all walks of life who love to learn! We believe that lifelong learning is essential to a healthy body, mind, and spirit, and that education is the key to peace and prosperity in the twenty-first century. Hence, our mission: "Empowerment through Knowledge."

KSurf is powered by a dedicated team of experts: mentors, forum moderators, and instructors who strive to make learning enjoyable for all. They are proof that individuals can and do make a difference in this hectic world. After you have attended a few classes and experienced the benefits of online learning at KSurf, we hope that you, too, will join this "Revolution of the Mind" and share your knowledge at our global village campus.

To become a member of this community and receive our free e-mail newsletter and new course announcements, just complete this short subscription request form. A Web Desk will be instantly created for you. From your desk, you can conveniently enroll for classes, access online classrooms, participate in discussion forums, and access a variety of other resources and services on our website. Only one Web Desk per user is allowed. Multiple accounts will be deleted.

If you have taken classes at VU in the past, you will find that we have made quite a few changes. Among other things, we have redesigned the VU campus and streamlined the way in which classes are delivered. We call this new learning environment Webversity 2.0! Here are some highlights of these changes and new features...

Social Networking! Share user profiles, blogs, and photos with friends and fellow Knowledge Surfers around the world! Links to these new features are conveniently located on your Web Desk.

Your Web Desk has been expanded. The four-class limit has been increased. You can register for up to six classes at a time.

  Start your classes immediately. You no longer have to wait up to a month for classes to begin. Once your enrollment is approved and we have received your registration fee, you can start your classes.

  No waiting for weekly lessons. All course materials will be available when your classes begin so you can learn at your own pace!

  More time to finish your class work. You will have a full eight weeks to complete your class work.

  One-Click Enrollment. The old enrollment system with multiple steps has been replaced by a sleek new interface. Click the "Add" button for any course and it will be added to your schedule instantly! Dropping a class is just as easy.

  Low Registration Fees. All courses are now individually priced. Register for just one class at a time and save!

  We now accept Paypal! Of course, we also accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. In addition, we have made other improvements to our payment system designed to maximize your privacy and security.

We hope you like the new layout of our virtual campus. As always, if you have suggestions or feedback, please let us know.

Navigating our website makes use of a graphical user interface (GUI) which relies on regular, clickable hyperlinks (most of these links are displayed in green), and menu bars (sometimes called "surfbars"). Mousing over a link on a menu bar will cause the background color to change, usually to  blue . Clicking the link will also change the background to a distinctive color – usually  bright green  – so you can easily find your place when you return to that page.

Often, clicking a link will open the requested document or web page in a new browser window. This allows you to explore that URL, close the window when you are finished, and return to the original launch page (for example, your desk). This speeds up your online experience because you don't have to wait for your desk to reload after each page view.

Many pages on this site use Javascript, a Web-based programming language, which provides a richer interactive experience. You will therefore need to enable Javascript in your browser to access most parts of this site. All recent versions of the major browsers, including Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Safari support Javascript. To verify that your browser supports this feature, click here – a popup window will open in the center of your screen, indicating whether your browser is properly configured for Javascript.

Most of the features which you are likely to use on the KSurf site can be easily accessed from your Web Desk. You will find a collection of hyperlinks to access information FAQs, discussion forums, account management tools, and other popular features grouped together in the Control Panel, located on the left side of your desk. Links to the new social networking features mentioned earlier (profiles, blogs, and photo galleries) can be found here as well, as shown above.

Your browser must be configured to accept "cookies" so that your virtual desk can be created and your class schedule "remembered" by our server. If you don't know whether your browser is configured to allow cookies, you can use this quick test to make sure.

If you need help setting your browser to accept cookies, we have compiled helpful step-by-step instructions. A detailed FAQ is provided for Firefox users, as well as directions covering other browsers including Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, and Opera.

Note to Safari users: Most versions of Safari have a documented and widely discussed bug which affects the way that this browser handles (or rather, fails to handle) server cookies. We have made repeated efforts to rectify this problem without success. For this reason, we do not support Safari on our site. You are welcome to try using this browser and, depending on your version and configuration, it might work fine for you. However, if you are asked to log in over and over, or your classes disappear from your desk, or you notice similar annoying behavior, then you will need to use a different browser (Firefox, IE, or Opera) to access our site. We regret this inconvenience but please understand that we have no control over third- party software design.

To enroll for classes, you must have a Web Desk and you must be logged in. To log in, go online to http://ksurf.net/mydesk and enter your username and password which you selected when you initially created your new account and desk. If you have taken classes at VU in the past, you will find the new interface much easier to use. Rather than having to click through multiple menus, you can add and drop classes with a single mouse click.

On your Web Desk, you will see the Webversity Course Manager widget in the center near the top of the page (a "widget" is a chunk of code that adds programmatic power to an otherwise ordinary web page). It will resemble what you see in the screen shot on the right.

At the top of the Course Manager, your name is displayed followed by your email address and an [update] link. Use this link to keep your email address up-to-date. This is very important! If we send you email that bounces, your desk will be automatically deleted by our software, and you will have to start over and create a new account.

Below your name and email address, you will see a list of courses in which you are presently enrolled. The course number, title, and enrollment fee for each class will be displayed. Once the enrollment fee has been paid, the amount in this column will change to '-0-' and a date will appear in the "Course Ends" column. All coursework, including extra credit projects and final exams, must be completed by this deadline.

With our new learning platform, you no longer have to wait several weeks or more for a "semester" to begin. You can enroll at any time. You will have a full eight weeks to finish the course. The eight weeks begins on the day you enroll. So, if you join a class on June 15, it will end on August 15.

Once the "Course Ends" date has passed, links to the classroom and the final exam will no longer work. The class will remain on your desk, however, until you remove it. This eliminates confusion that would be caused by classes disappearing from your desk. You can use the "Drop A Class" link (shown in the screen shot above) to remove classes which you have finished or have expired). For step-by-step details on removing a course from your desk, please see these instructions.

Once a course has expired, you may re-enroll as your time and interests permit. When you re- enroll, you will have another eight weeks to complete the course. If you already have done some of the coursework from your previous attempt, you can simply continue on from where you left off (it's not necessary to repost your earlier work). Please remember that when you re-register, you must pay the current enrollment fee for that class. The current fee may be higher or lower, depending on the course pricing in effect at the time.

KSurf.net is a user-supported community. We receive no government funding and rely entirely on enrollment fees and the generosity of our users to keep this site online. Yet, we are committed to keeping the cost of classes affordable for our loyal supporters, friends, and lifelong learners. Courses are priced as low as ^US$10.00. Most classes don't require textbooks. Enrollment fees can be conveniently billed to your Visa, Mastercard, or Discover card. We also accept Paypal. Or you can land mail a cheque or money order.

If you live outside the U.S. and don't use credit cards, there are several convenient payment alternatives, depending on where you reside:

• Canada – You can remit by Paypal, or land-mail a personal cheque or money order. If mailing a cheque, please write "US Dollars" after the amount and our bank will handle the foreign currency conversion.


• Europe – Remit by Paypal, or land-mail a cheque, bank draft, or money order payable either in Pounds or Euros.


• Japan and Canada – Remit by Paypal or land-mail an International Postal Money Order.


• Worldwide – Paypal is available in many countries of the world. If this is not available in your area, you can purchase a Western Union International Money Order and send it to us via land-mail. Western Union charges a lower fee for a money order than a wire transfer, so this option will probably save you some money (locate a Western Union office near you). Alternately, cash (US dollars) can be sent by Registered Mail, although this is not recommended. Wrap the currency between several sheets of paper so it is not visible through the envelope. Cash is sent at your own risk and we are not responsible for lost mail. We will email you a courtesy confirmation when we receive your cash payment.

Please remember that registration fees are nonrefundable. We keep our fees as low as possible and the small fees we do charge defray the cost of processing your enrollment and offset bank and credit card fees which we must pay when we process a transaction. For this reason, registration fees will not be refunded if you change your mind, forget to attend classes, can't connect to the Internet, or personal issues interfere with your studies. This policy is consistent with nearly all other online learning institutions which do not offer refunds on registration or processing fees.

If you are unable to complete a class by the Course Ends date, you may retake the class at your convenience. No negative grade will be recorded in your eTranscript as long as you do not take the final exam for a course. When you re-enroll, you will have another eight weeks to finish the course. If you already have done some of the coursework from a previous attempt, you can continue on from where you left off (it's not necessary to repost your earlier work). When you re-enroll, you must pay the current enrollment fee for that class, which may be higher or lower, depending on the course pricing in effect at the time.

If you are dissatisfied with your learning experience at KSurf and wish to terminate your membership, you may request a one-time courtesy refund (use this form to expedite your request.) When a refund is granted, your membership will be terminated and you will not be eligible to apply for a new desk or enroll in future classes. In consideration of this unconditional refund guarantee, you agree not to initiate credit card chargebacks or stop payments on checks. Our bank charges us substantial penalties for chargebacks. If you do initiate a chargeback or stop payment order rather than requesting a refund, a ^US$50.00 handling fee will be assessed to your account. In addition, your desk will be locked and your membership privileges will be suspended until this charge is paid.

Most of our courses are "open enrollment," meaning anyone can attend. Some classes may have prerequisites which must be met before you can enroll. Prerequisites, if any, will be listed in the course description on our calendar for the current semester.

To access your online classrooms, you must have reliable access to the Web and a compatible browser. All recent versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera are supported. The Safari browser is not supported on our site to the as mentioned earlier.

Most courses do not require textbooks. We understand that many students are on fixed incomes or have limited funds and cannot afford to buy pricey textbooks or materials. Instead, we make use of the vast resources readily available on the World Wide Web whenever possible. If a course does require a textbook, it will be clearly stated in the course description. Textbooks may be purchased at the KSurf Bookstore by clicking on the book title (displayed in green, so it's a clickable link) in the course description.

You must be logged in to your desk to access your online classroom, where you can browse course materials, post homework, and take quizzes or exams. Links to your classrooms will be displayed on the Course Manager widget described earlier (see screen shot at right). Simply click the title of a course to enter that classroom.

You don't have to be online at any certain time to attend classes. You can study and learn 24/7 at your convenience. This flexibility allows students who have jobs and families to broaden their knowledge and pursue lifelong learning goals. Still, it is a good idea to set aside a certain day and time each week for course work, just as you would if you were taking a class at a traditional campus. This will encourage you to develop the self-discipline that is necessary to succeed in online learning and complete your course.

Most courses are comprised of five or six curriculum units or lessons, and each lesson may be divided into several parts. If you have taken classes with us before, you are probably used to a lesson being posted each week during the semester. We have received many requests to change this — it has been pointed out, for example, that students might have free time to devote to a course the first few weeks after they enroll but then things come up (work schedule changes, family or health issues, etc.) and they won't be able to finish the remaining lessons.

In our new Webversity 2.0 learning platform, all course materials will be available to you on your first visit to the classroom. This means you can truly learn at your own pace! You can complete homework and required tests as your time permits and move through the curriculum as quickly as you wish. This new format builds upon the paradigm of "learning on demand" made possible by the rapid evolution of the World Wide Web.

How much time will it take to finish a course? As a rule of thumb, you should plan to spend 3-4 hours per week on reading, homework, and independent study for each course you take. The more time and effort you put into a course, the more you will learn. Students who diligently follow the curriculum will realize the greatest opportunity for knowledge and personal growth.

As mentioned earlier, courses will remain on your desk until you remove them. When you finish a class or if a class has expired and you don't wish to renew it, you can drop the course with a few mouse clicks. We do not automatically remove expired classes because it would create confusion for some students who might think that their classes had simply disappeared.

To drop a class from your schedule, locate the My Classes widget on your desk (see graphic at right). Click the Drop A Class link.

A "Reminder" notice will display, advising that when you drop a class, it cannot be restored unless you re-enroll and pay the course fee. Be sure that you really do want to drop the course before submitting this request!

From the Reminder screen, you can either continue on to the Drop Request menu or cancel the request, by clicking the appropriate link, as shown on the right.

The Drop Request menu will display a list of your classes, with a checkbox in front of each course. Mouse over the box for the course that you want to drop and click once. A checkmark will appear in the box, indicating that the class has been flagged for removal. If you click the wrong box or change your mind, click a second time to remove the checkmark from the box.

To process your request, click the Drop Selected Classes link and those courses will be removed from your schedule. Or you can click Cancel & Exit to close the Drop Request menu and exit to your desk.

In the early days of the Web, class discussion boards were a very important ingredient in the recipe for online learning. They provided a social medium and gathering place where users from around the world could interact and strike up new friendships. Today, Web users have many competing interests and demands on their time, and many students do not actively participate in online discussions. In response to these changing metrics, discussion forums are still a part of every online classroom in the Webversity 2.0 learning platform; however, most students use forums to merely to post homework assignments or ask an occasional question of the instructor.

One new feature that we have added to discussion forums is a social networking ingredient. When you post a message or comment, your username will be displayed as the author (remember, your username is not your real name but rather the nickname you choose when you created your KSurf account.) Usernames will be displayed as hyperlinks. Clicking on the name will bring up that user's KSurf profile, blog, and photo gallery. By navigating these links, you can get to know the people who are posting messages on classroom discussion boards and other forums.

Another new social networking feature of the discussion forums is a "Message Me!" capability. Besides replying to a post on the public forum, each user's profile and blog will have a "Contact Me" link which you can use to send private email to that person.

Note that when you post a message on a discussion forum, your email address will not be displayed unless you choose to reveal it. This deters unwanted spam, which is a major problem today because of "spiders" (small software programs that are written to search millions of web pages looking for email addresses which are added to spam mailing lists). For this reason, most students do not divulge their email address on public forums, and we suggest that you likewise refrain from doing so. If you do post your email address on a class board or other forum, we are not responsible for spam you subsequently receive or other consequences arising from your action. A better way to contact a user privately is to browse their profile or blog and use the "Contact Me" option; or if the person has turned off private messaging, post a message asking the person to browse your profile or blog and click the "Contact Me" button to reach you.

Never reveal your home address, work address, telephone number, credit card details, or other confidential information on a discussion forum — or any other public board on the Internet! A good rule of thumb to follow is do not post anything on the Internet that you would not post for strangers to see on the bulletin board at your office or local supermarket.

It is important to understand that discussion forums on the KSurf website are not "free speech zones" ruled by a "Wild West" mentality, but rather, they are an extension of the virtual learning environment. Forums are subject to moderation just as you would expect the blackboard in a traditional classroom to be moderated by the instructor. Profanity, insults, complaints, provocative remarks, advertising, and messages deemed offensive or off-topic may be edited or deleted by KSurf staff. In addition, breach of discussion forum rules may result in suspension or termination of membership privileges.

Do not post copyrighted materials of any kind on classroom boards or other forums. Copyrighted material includes but is not limited to newspaper and magazine articles, book excerpts, music, software, photos, or graphic images produced by individuals other than yourself. If you wish to share a resource with others, the appropriate way to do so is post the URL or web address where the material can be viewed and invite others to visit that URL.

Homework or extra credit projects may be assigned in some classes to further your learning experience. In some classes, homework may be required; in others, it is optional but recommended. Details will be provided in each curriculum unit containing homework assignments. These class projects typically will involve additional reading or research using resources freely accessible over the Internet. Such projects encourage you to delve beyond the material presented in the course and provide enhanced opportunities for hands-on learning.

Homework should be posted on the class discussion forum unless directed otherwise. There are no particular due dates, other than the requirement that all homework must be completed and posted before the "Course Ends" date, and before you take the final exam. As a general rule, in most classes, homework projects are self-evaluated and usually will not be graded or critiqued by instructors.

Some instructors may suggest that you post homework papers on your own website. For example, a web page for a HTML course cannot be properly displayed on the class discussion board, which is mainly intended for text messaging. Your instructor or the course curriculum will indicate whether off-site posting is appropriate for your class.

By posting homework or comments on class boards or other KSurf forums, you are agreeing that these works may be showcased on the KSurf website, used in future courses, and otherwise shared with students and visitors as provided in our Terms of Use. In any case, you own the copyright to homework and all other original content that you post on our discussion forums. You are only granting us a nonexclusive right to use this material and only in the limited manner described in this paragraph. You are free to edit, revise, repost, or publish your work on your own website or any other website, and in any other form or venue you desire as you see fit.

In some courses, you will have the option of completing "Extra Credit" work. This may consist of one or more homework papers assigned during the course or a special project assigned at the end of the class. Extra Credit work is optional — you are not required to do it — but it is highly recommended in order to maximize your learning experience. In addition, if you plan to take the final exam for a class, you can earn up to 20 "bonus points" by satisfactorily completing the Extra Credit project. These points are added to your final exam score. For example, if you score 80 points on the exam and earn 20 points for Extra Credit work, your overall grade (80 + 20) will be 100 or an "A" (see Grading Policies below for a table of numeric and letter equivalencies.)

Important: Extra Credit work must be posted before you take the final exam for that course. In fairness to students who follow instructions and hand in their work on time, projects submitted after the deadline will not earn credit. Please do not ask for exceptions, as none will be granted. You will usually be asked to post Extra Credit work on the class discussion forum, just as you would post regular homework. However, in some classes, you may be directed to post your Extra Credit work on your own website. In this case, you should upload your work to your website and then post a message on the class board stating the URL where your work can be viewed. On the Subject line of your message, type Extra Credit Project for convenient identification.

If you post your Extra Credit work on your own website, it must remain online and viewable for at least 90 days beyond the Course Ends date to be eligible for extra credit points. If your instructor or the Registrar's staff audits your coursework, a URL will be visited only once: if your work is not viewable, extra credit points will be disallowed and your grade will be reduced accordingly.

Every course has a final exam. A working hyperlink to the final exam will be available on the first day of the class, but you should avoid the temptation to take the exam until after you have completed all of the course readings and homework assignments for your class. You can take the final exam only once! Exams must be completed before the "Course Ends" date shown on your Web Desk. In fairness to students who complete their class work on time, no extensions or makeup exams will be allowed, and no exceptions to this rule will be granted!

As a general rule, a final exam will consist of from 20 to 150 multiple choice questions selected at random from an online database. This means no two exams will ever be the same. Each correct answer is worth an equal number of points. No points are deducted for wrong answers.

When taking the final exam, if you have completed an Extra Credit project for your class, you must either: (1) check the box at the bottom of the exam form to indicate that your work has been posted on the class forum; or (2) type the URL on your website where your work can be viewed in the space provided for this purpose at the bottom of the exam page. If you overlook this step, you will not receive extra credit for your work.

After you finish the exam, click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the form. Your exam will be scored instantly, and you will be able to view the test questions and correct answers. If you wish to save a hard copy of your test, you must print the page now while viewing it. Once you leave the page, you will not be able to return and view your test results.

The highest possible score that you can earn on a final exam is 100 points. If your score is less than 100, Extra Credit points which you have earned, if any, will be added to your test score, up to a maximum of 100 points and subject to the conditions mentioned above. This table illustrates the grading scale and numeric-letter grade equivalencies:

Numeric Grade    Grade Point   Letter Grade

    100              4.0            A
  97-99              3.9            A
  94-96              3.8            A
  92-93              3.7            A-
  90-91              3.6            A-

  88-89              3.5            B+
  86-87              3.2            B
  84-85              3.0            B
  82-83              2.7            B-
  80-81              2.6            B-

  78-79              2.5            C+
  76-77              2.2            C
  74-75              2.0            C
  72-73              1.7            C-
  70-71              1.6            C-

  68-69              1.5            Incomplete
  66-67              1.2            Incomplete
  64-65              1.0            Incomplete
  62-63              0.7            Incomplete
  60-61              0.6            Incomplete
   0-59              0.0            Incomplete

If you are dissatisfied with a grade that you earn in a course, you can repeat the class at your convenience. You must re-enroll in the class and pay the current registration fee. Once you have completed the course work, you can retake the final exam. If you earn a higher grade on this test, the lower grade that you earned previously will be purged from your eTranscript and the new, higher grade will be recorded. The Registrar provides this updating service free of charge.

Grades earned for courses which you complete are recorded in an electronic transcript. Your eTranscript will list the courses that you have taken, your numeric and letter grade earned for each course, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) awarded, and your overall Grade Point Average. A brief summary of each course is also displayed. Your eTranscript may be used to compile a portfolio of life experience credits, to help an employer evaluate promotions or wage upgrades, and for other continuing education purposes.

A record of your completed courses and earned grades during the past six years will be maintained in your eTranscript. Courses taken over six years ago are considered obsolete by most employers and schools which recognize CEUs (Continuing Education Units) and will be purged from your eTranscript. If you want to keep a record of these older classes, you should print out your eTranscript before obsolete credits are purged.

To view your eTranscript, log in to your Web Desk and click the link to Your eTranscript. To print a hard copy of your transcript, simply click the "Print" button.

As mentioned earlier, if you are dissatisfied with a grade that you earn, you may repeat a course at your convenience. You will need to re-enroll and pay the current registration fee for the course. If you earn a higher grade on a repeated class, the lower grade will be purged from your eTranscript and the higher grade will be recorded. If you earn a lower grade on the second attempt, your higher grade from the first class will be retained.

If you believe that your eTranscript contains errors, please contact us. Provide pertinent details (full name, username, Student ID, course title, semester, and grade received) so we can research your question. Please allow seven days for investigations and transcript updates to be completed.

The Registrar will authenticate your eTranscript at the request of a school or employer. This courtesy service is provided free of charge to the requesting agency. To comply with our privacy policy, requests must be faxed to us on the agency's official letterhead, and signed by an authorized representative. Only the data in your eTranscript as it appears in your browser (name, course list, and grades), will be disclosed; other personal data such as your home address and telephone number will not be divulged with your transcript. Transcript verification is only available to schools and employers; we do not authenticate eTranscripts for individual students. We are not responsible for any loss or damages which you might incur as a result of your providing false or inaccurate information to any school, employer or any other third party and which we subsequently are unable to verify based on your eTranscript.

A passing grade of "70" or better in a course (including Extra Credit points earned) entitles you to earn Continuing Education Units for the class. CEUs are a globally recognized unit of measure for recording participation in continuing education activities. One CEU represents ten hours of participation in an organized learning experience. You can earn two (2) CEU credits for most of the courses we offer.

CEU credits may be used for developing or documenting new job skills, wage upgrades and promotions, recertification, community service training, and personal development. CEUs are not college credits and cannot be applied toward an academic degree. Some colleges and other schools do accept CEUs as evidence of learning outside the classroom and may grant academic credit for non-traditional learning experiences documented in your portfolio. Likewise, some employers and credentialing agencies may accept CEUs to satisfy continuing education requirements.

Because CEU acceptance policies vary widely from one school or employer to the next, we cannot answer whether a particular organization will accept our CEUs. Consult your academic advisor, employer, or credentialing agency to determine their policies on CEUs and ensure that they will recognize the CEU credits you earn before you undertake a non-traditional course of study at KSurf or elsewhere.

Courses provided at KSurf are offered for personal enjoyment and enrichment. We are not a "regionally accredited" university, and we do not grant college credits, academic degrees, or licenses. If you wish to earn a college degree, you must enroll at an accredited college, pay tuition, buy textbooks, and meet all the other traditional requirements of earning a degree. Avoid so- called "diploma mills" — there is no such thing as a "quick" or "cheap" college degree.

Occasionally, a user may have trouble logging in to their desk or accessing classrooms and discussion forums. Every computer has its own unique hardware and software configuration, and myriad PC security products exist today (firewalls, popup blockers, etc.) so, unfortunately, we cannot provide technical support or assistance beyond the basic pointers outlined below. These quick and easy troubleshooting steps will resolve most problems and restore access to your desk and classrooms.

When you log in, if you are repeatedly taken to an error page that asks you to log in again — and if you are certain that you are typing your username and password correctly, — it usually means that the browser "cookie" that stores the details of your desk configuration is being rejected by your browser. This is by far the most common login problem reported and it is typically is caused by: (1) your browser is blocking cookies, (2) your computer's security configuration is blocking cookies, or (3) a third-party product such as a firewall or browser extension is blocking cookies.

You can troubleshoot cookie-related issues and determine whether your browser is accepting server cookies by using this quick test. If your browser is rejecting cookies, a detailed FAQ is available for Firefox users, as well as a help file covering other browsers including Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, and Opera.

Some businesses, both on the Web and "brick and mortar" stores, offer academic discounts to students on software, books, music, electronics, and other products. If you are currently enrolled in classes at KSurf Webversity, you may be eligible for these educational discounts. To receive academic discounts, you will usually be required to provide proof of enrollment, either a student body card, a copy of their registration paperwork, or a letter from your school. To generate a letter confirming your academic status, click this link and print out the resulting confirmation letter. You must have a Web Desk, be logged in, and be currently enrolled in classes to use this service.

We take Netiquette seriously! It sets the tone for courteous interaction between users. We all have bad days. Job pressures, health worries, money pressures, arguments with family, friends or co-workers, and disappointments are part of daily living. Sometimes computers don't work as they should; or maybe we get frustrated because we are having trouble understanding course material. Regardless of the reason, please check bad moods at the door and treat fellow students and staff courteously. Think before you post a comment and make sure that what you say on a discussion board is really what you mean to say. Once you've posted a message, you can't "unring the bell."

Help keep this online community a warm and friendly place where learning is enjoyable and people from around the world can interact in a positive and caring environment. Diligent adherence to the common sense rules of Netiquette benefits everyone!

All text, graphics, software, sounds, music, and video files on the KSurf website are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, and/or other intellectual property rights and laws. This content may not be reposted on any other website (including personal web sites) or otherwise published, rebroadcast, or distributed in any manner without our express knowledge and written consent. Address copyright inquires and related correspondence to our Legal Department.

Users currently enrolled in KSurf courses may download class materials for viewing in a Web browser and may make a single archival copy of this content on magnetic medium (i.e., floppy diskette, hard disk, CD- ROM, or DVD) and/or a single "hard copy" printout for their own personal, non-commercial use provided that all copyright notices are kept intact and the content is not altered in any manner. Lessons and other course materials may not be reposted on any other website, including a student's personal website. Please remember that all web sites, including a personal site that you think is private, can be viewed by others, indexed by search engines, or otherwise accessed by the public. For this reason, copyright laws will be strictly enforced.

When taking an online course at KSurf (or elsewhere), keep in mind that this modern learning medium has unique benefits and drawbacks. Virtual learning is convenient — you can work from home, day or night, do homework in your spare time, and study at your own pace. Yet, this style of learning requires self-discipline and a desire to succeed. Job pressures, health and family concerns, and other distractions of daily living may tempt you to put things off. "I'll catch up next week!" is a frequently heard mantra in virtual classrooms.

To derive maximize benefit from your classes, try to establish a routine at the beginning of the term. Set aside a certain day and time each week for class work. Try to adhere to that schedule just as you would for a traditional class where you are expected to show up at set times in a physical classroom. Also, complete homework assignments, even when they are optional. The more effort you put into a course, the more knowledge and enjoyment you will derive from it.

We hope your experience at KSurf will fan the flame of lifelong learning and enrich you as you journey through this amazing wired universe. Once you appreciate the limitless possibilities of this digital medium, you will become a participant, a contributor, and an active voice in deciding how the Internet will be used, how it will change your life today, and how it will shape our world of the 21st century.