Creating Course Web Pages
Using Middlebury’s Course Templates
Windows version - Using Claris Homepage 3.0	
Information Technology Services	
Last Revised January 2000  

Overview
Middlebury’s Course Template files provide a quick and straightforward way for you to set up world wide web pages for your courses. By following the instructions in this document, you will be able to create web pages which offer the following features to your students and to anyone else interested in your course:
• General information about the course and the instructor(s).
• Assignments, course scheduling, and other information from your syllabus.
• An electronic conferencing area where members of the class may exchange questions and discuss course-related topics.
• A list of links to web pages around the world with information relevant to the course.
This document is designed for users of Microsoft Windows-based computers. If your computer is a Macintosh, please see the Macintosh version of this file.
Getting Started
Before you begin creating your web page, you need to install Claris Homepage software on your PC. You must also transfer the Course Template files onto your hard drive. These files are stored on the Serval file server, so follow the steps below to log on to the server.
Connecting to Serval 
1. Double-click on the icon for My Computer on your desktop.
2. Check to see if an icon already exists for Vol1 on Serval and for Vol2 on Serval. If both of these exist, you are already connected and can skip to the next section, “Installing Claris Homepage.” If you do not see one or both of these icons, continue to step 3.
3. Right-click on the icon for My Computer and select Map Network Drive from the menu that appears.
4. In the box that appears, type \\Serval\Vol1\ as the Path.
5. Click OK. Windows will assign Volume 1 of the Serval file server to the next available drive letter.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for Serval Vol2, if necessary.
You are now ready to install Claris Homepage. If your computer is already equipped with Claris Homepage, you can skip the next set of steps and move directly to the steps labeled “Installing the Course Templates folder.”
Installing Claris Homepage
1. Insert Claris Homepage CD-ROM (provided by ITS) in your CD drive.
2. Click on the Windows Start button. Then click on Run.
3. Click on Browse, and navigate to your CD-ROM drive. Click on the Setup icon, then click Open, then OK.
4. The Claris Homepage setup program will now be launched. Click Install when asked whether you would like to install Claris Homepage to your computer. 
5. Follow the directions provided by the Setup program. Supply the serial number for the CD when prompted to do so. (The serial number will be written inside the case of the CD-ROM).
After your computer is equipped with the Claris Homepage program, you can copy the course template files to your hard drive. Follow the steps below to do so.
Installing the Course Template Files
1. Double-click on the icon for My Computer on your desktop.
2. Double-click on the drive marked Vol2 on Serval.
2. Double-click on the Curricular_Resources folder, then on the folder labeled course_templates.
4. You will see a folder named windows_template. Click it and select Copy from the Edit menu.
5. Double-click on My Computer again and double-click your C: drive.
6. Find a location where you would like to place the course template files and select Paste from the Edit menu.
7. A copy of windows_template will appear. This is the folder you will edit to create your course web page.
Once you have installed both Claris Homepage and the course template files, you are ready to begin customizing the pages.
A First Look at the Course Templates
You can use Claris Homepage to familiarize yourself with the basic features of the course templates. Follow the steps below to view the opening page.
1. From the Start menu, select Claris Homepage to run the program.
2. Choose Open from the File menu. In the Open dialog box, locate the windows_template folder that you installed earlier.
3. Double-click the windows_template folder to view its contents.
4. Locate the file index.html. This is the opening page of the templates. Double-click its name to view it.
Notice the row of buttons on the left-hand side of the window. Each button represents a different page of the course templates. The intended function of each page is described below:
• Home is the opening page, providing an introduction to the course as well as contact information for students who need to get in touch with you.
• Professor is designed to introduce you and any other instructors. If you have a personal home page, you may wish to place a link to it here.
• Requirements explains the expectations of the course and the grading scheme.
• Readings/Texts provides a list of required and optional books for the course, including reserve books and recommended readings.
• Schedule lays out the weekly schedule of the course, as well as the semester calendar.
• Assignments lists and describes major course assignments.
• Handouts allows you to make documents available electronically. The documents are stored on the server and can be downloaded and printed by students at any time. For instructions on making handouts available for downloading, read the file !Handouts Readme! in the folder Handouts in windows_templates.
• Electronic Reserves is designed to improve accessibility to course reserve articles and documents. When this feature is implemented, students will be able to download reserve items over the web. This feature is scheduled for implementation during the 1998-99 school year.
• Discussion provides a gateway to Middlebury’s Motet conferencing system, which allows students and instructors to exchange electronic messages and ask questions about course-related topics. To enable this feature, you must make a special request to ITS.
• Links gives a directory of world wide web resources which can provide students with more information about the topics studied in the course.
To open any of these pages, choose Open from the File menu and select the desired file as you earlier selected index.html. As you examine the course templates, you will note that the basic structure of each page has been laid out for you. You are free to add content to any or all of the pages, using material from your course syllabus and from other resources. You may also choose not to use one or more of the features listed above. The next section describes how to use Claris Homepage to edit the template pages.
Editing Pages with Claris Homepage
The following instructions will explain how to perform the basic tasks to get your web page up and running. If you would like to learn more about using Claris Homepage, more detailed documentation is available from ITS. 
Edit Modes
Edit Page mode displays the contents of your Web page in a format that allows you to perform all of the editing tasks involved in creating your Web page, such as typing and formatting text, inserting images, creating links, and so forth. By default, when you first open a file or create a new document, Claris Home Page displays the document in Edit Page mode. 
To switch to Edit Page mode, choose Edit Page from the View menu (Windows) or click the Edit Page button  on the toolbar. The Document window displays the current document approximately as it will appear in a web browser. There are a few commonly used tools in Claris Homepage that make it much easier to use. They are located as buttons at the top of the document. 
•	Basic and Style toolbars
The Basic toolbar provides access to many of the commonly used features in Claris Home Page such as Edit Page, Preview Page, and Preview in Browser modes. Click a button to activate your choice. When you click a button to insert an element, the element is inserted at the insertion point in the page.
Some of the useful buttons are: (Top L-R) New Page, Open, Save, Print, Edit, Preview, Edit HTML, Preview in Browser, Object Editor, Link Editor, and Document Options. There are some more buttons to the left but they are not relevant at this stage.
The Style toolbar has buttons you can use to format text. The buttons look similar to those on a word processor like MS-Word. Select the text and click a button to activate your choice, or choose an option from the pop-up menu. The Basic and Style toolbars appear by default. Other toolbars are also provided for more advanced functions.
Changing the Page’s Title
Your first step should be to change the title of the page. Claris Home Page prompts you to give your Web page a title the first time you save the document. Later you may wish to change it. The title of a Web page appears in the title bar at the top of most browser windows. To change the title of your Web page: From the Tools menu choose Document Options. Click the Parameters tab. Enter the title in the Document Title text box. Click OK. The new title appears in the title bar in Preview Page mode. The title of your page should be Course Number - Course Name.
Editing Text on the Page
Much of the text on the main part of the page is generic and needs to be customized to represent your course. Edit it just as you would edit a word-processing document. For instance, use the mouse to select the words Course Number at the top of the page. Type in the actual number of your course, e.g. SA105. Fill in your name, office location, and contact information in a similar manner. Be sure to change the white-on-blue text which reads Course Name and Number at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Use the style toolbar to format text to your liking.
Editing Links
Note that the text E-mail address here is blue and underlined. This denotes a link. When someone is browsing your web page, they can send e-mail to you by clicking on this link. Links can be edited using the Link Editor. To open the Link Editor and edit a particular link: select the link (highlight it with your mouse) in Edit Page mode and choose Link Editor from the View menu. The Link Editor is displayed in an expandable window. You will note some text: "mailto:nobody@panther.middlebury.edu.” in the link editor window. Replace that text with mailto:youraddress@middlebury.edu  Now students and others will be able to e-mail you by clicking this link.
On a web page, links can point not only to e-mail addresses but also to other web pages. When you edit other links, you can type a web address (for example, “http://www.middlebury.edu/”) in the Link window of the property inspector. This technique will be especially useful for editing your Links page.
Saving and Editing Other Pages
From the File menu choose Save. The Enter Title dialog box appears the first time you save a new page. Enter a title and click OK. You can change the title later if you want. (For more information, see Changing Page's Title above). The Save dialog box appears. Choose HTML File from the Save as type or File type pop-up menu. In the File name or Save file as text box, type the filename for your Web page followed by the extension .htm or .html. In order for your files to be seen as Web pages in Claris Home Page and in Web browsers, they must have the .htm or .html extension. The text box provides a default name as "title" with the proper extension. Click Save.
You can move on to the next page by going to the File menu, and opening another file. Use the same editing process to change the text on this page. In this manner, you can proceed through the entire set of pages.
Previewing Pages in Claris Homepage or in a Browser
To switch to Preview Page mode, click the Preview Page button  on the Basic toolbar or from the View menu choose Preview Page. When you switch to Preview Page mode, Claris Home Page displays your Web page the way it might appear in a browser. Keep in mind, however, that the appearance of your Web page may vary when displayed in different kinds of browsers. In Preview Page mode, you can test interactive elements of your Web page, such as links and you can see how elements such as numbered lists will look in a browser. Note: In Preview Page mode, all of the editing capabilities and some of the menu options are disabled. 
You may preview your page in a web browser. Sometimes, the page may look slightly different in Claris Homepage and a browser. To preview your Web page in a browser, do one of the following: From the View menu, choose Preview in Browser and then choose a browser from the submenu. OR, Click the Preview in Browser button on the toolbar and choose a browser from the pop-up menu. A browser will open up in a new window, and you can see what your final content will look like on the web.
Putting Your Web Page Online
When you have finished customizing your web pages, you must copy them to the server to make them available over the world wide web. The following steps will accomplish this task.
1. From My Computer, double-click on your hard drive and open the folder windows_template to display the files you have just edited.
2. Choose Select All from the Edit menu to highlight all the files in windows_template. Then choose Copy from the Edit menu.
3. If you are not already connected to the Serval file server, connect to it by following the instructions listed under Getting Started above.
4. In My Computer, double-click on the icon for Vol2 on Serval.
5. Double-click the folder Classes, then double-click the folder representing the semester in which your course is being taught. Double-click on the folder with the number of your course. Finally, double-click on the folder public_html.
6. Choose Paste from the Edit menu. Your computer will copy the entire contents of your windows_template folder onto the server.
As soon as the files are copied, you can view them using your world wide web browser. Launch Netscape or Internet Explorer, and open the following address:
http://cweb.middlebury.edu/courses/AB101A/    [where AB101A is the course number]
Explore the contents of your web site and verify that all pages appear properly. To allow others to view your course web site, inform them of the above address.
Making Further Changes to Your Page
After your site has been copied to the server, you may wish to make additional updates and changes. Whenever you need to make a modification, use Claris Homepage to edit the files in the windows_template folder on your hard drive, as described in the section “Editing Pages with Claris Homepage” above.
Once you have completed a round of changes on your hard drive, you need to update the server by copying the new pages back onto the server. Simply follow the steps listed in the section “Putting Your Web Site Online” above. When your computer asks if you would like to replace files with the same name, click Yes.
More Fun with Claris Homepage
Claris Homepage is an extremely versatile, user-friendly program. As you use it more frequently, you will discover useful features that you may wish to incorporate in your course web site. The directions given above are for basic editing and maintenance of your web site, and are by no means exhaustive. The Help menu in Claris Homepage is extremely useful and may answer many of your questions.
For Additional Assistance
If you encounter any problems as you create and edit your course web pages, or if you would like more information about features that are not explained in this document, feel free to contact Information Technology Services staff. Most questions can be answered by the Help Desk (call extension 2200 or e-mail helpdesk@middlebury.edu). Further assistance is available from Shel Sax, Director of Instructional Technology (call extension 5679 or e-mail sax@middlebury.edu).