FRED F.A.Q.s

Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions as posed to us by our users, and our answers. Contained on this page is all you need to know to get "up and running" with FRED in a hurry.

1. What is FRED?

• FRED stands for FirstClass Remote Education Delivery, and is Mohawk College's system for collaborative online program and course delivery based on the FirstClass suite of integrated communications and collaborative applications.

2. Do I need to download FRED to access it, and if so, where can I find it?

• Although you can access FRED through a web browser at http://fred.mohawkcollege.ca/login, we recommend that you connect to the system via the Client software.
• To download the latest Client, point your browser to http://fred.mohawkcollege.ca
• Click on the ‘clients’ button to download the latest version
• Once the file has been downloaded, run the file to install it.

3. Where can I get help?

• For all course related issues, contact your instructor directly
• For help using FRED, you should first review the help files under the Help menu of the client or in the News & Support Conference on your FRED desktop, or call the e-Learning Help Desk at (905) 575- 2125 or 1-877-226-6609, or e-mail at helpdesk@fred.mohawkcollege.ca or on FRED at user name Help Desk.

4. How do I log in to FRED?

• Ensure that your computer has a live connection to the Internet
• After installing the Client software (step 2 above), launch FirstClass (Start button- Programs- FRED(FirstClass)- FRED(FirstClass)) or by clicking the FRED shortcut on your Windows Desktop.
• Type your UserID in the UserID field. (UserIDs are usually last name + first initial, e.g. brownt for user Tom Brown)
• Enter your password (most new student accounts use the student number as the password; some older accounts may use the default 'mohawk'. Click Login.

5. What are the items on my FRED Desktop?

Private Areas
• MailBox- the storage place for all your private incoming and outgoing email
• File Storage– a private folder for you to store personal files
• Documents- a private place for Document creation and storage
• Calendar- your private server-based events and tasks calendar
• Contacts- the place to store your email lists and external email addresses
• Web Publishing(or My Website)- documents and html files contained here are published to the web at http://fred.mohawkcollege.ca/~FirstnameLastname

Public Areas
• Course Conferences- where you participate in your on-line courses
• Message Boards- where you can join in many discussions with other FRED users
• Software- where you can download software
• Service Areas- where you can connect to other College departments
• News & Support- FirstClass and FRED Help, Announcements, F.A.Q.s, and information

6. Why can't I see my Calendar, Contacts, or Web Publishing Folder?

• These items are not on the Desktop of a new account; they must first be opened
• Go to the File menu - Open, and open each of these items. They will now be available each time you log in.

7. What is a FirstClass conference?

• It is a multipurpose ‘container’ on FRED. In its simplest form it is like an electronic bulletin board, where items can be posted and messages sent for all to view and respond to. In its more complex form, a conference can contain all content and learning activities for an entire course.

8. How do I read a message?

• In your MailBox or in a messaging conference, double-click the message you wish to open.

9. How do I reply to a message?

• With the message you wish to reply to open, click on the Reply button on the Toolbar
• Type your reply in the body area of the new message form
• Double check that the proper return address is in the To: field and add other recipients if needed.
• Click the Send button on the Toolbar.

10. How do I send a personal message?

• Click the New button on the Toolbar
• In the To: field, type the name of a FRED user, or the full e-mail address of a person not on the FRED system, and press Enter. The name is entered when you see the small icon appear to the left of the name.
e.g. To: Tom Brown
To: Sarah.Smith@hotmail.com
• Type your message on the form
• Click the Send button from the Toolbar

11. How do I post a message to a public conference?

• Be sure that the conference you wish to send the message to is open and is the active window (on top of all others)
• Click the New button on the Toolbar
• Type your message, confirm the address in the To: field and click the Send button

12. How can I put content (files etc.) into Documents?

• From your Windows Explorer drag the file(s) into the Documents folder and release.

13. How do I send an attachment file?

• With a message form open, click File- Attach File, and browse your system to locate the file
• Double-click the file to attach the file
• Send the message

14. What do the red and white flags mean?

• A red flag indicates that you have a new unread message or a message that you have marked as unread
• A white flag indicates a message that has not yet been sent

15. How do I chat (instant message) to other FRED users?

• To initiate a private instant messaging session (person to person) click Collaborate – Instant Message
• Click the Invite button to find out who is on-line
• Double-click the name of the person with whom you would like to chat
• To enter a course Chat Room, go to your course area and click on its icon
• Do not change any of the chat room settings, as this can cause problems for other participants
• In either type of chat, type your comments and click Send to add them to the "conversation"
• You may also format your text before sending, or add voice messages, files or items from the clipboard

16. How do I change my password?

• From the Menu bar select Collaborate - Change Password
• Fill in the fields, and click Okay.

17. Can I use FRED without using the Client software?

• Yes. To access your account with a web browser, visit FRED's web site, and click Login. Enter your User ID and Password, and click Login.
• You can participate in most of your course activity through your browser, however we recommend using the Client whenever possible.

18. I was logged out of FRED with a message about my daily connection limit. What does this mean?

• All users have a daily connection time of a maximum of 5 hours. If you use up your daily limit, you will have to wait until after midnight to access FRED again. If 5 hours is insufficient for you, contact the e-Learning Help Desk.

19. When logged into FRED, I get a message saying that my Mailbox is Full. What should I do?

• Delete files and/or transfer files from your Mailbox, FRED desktop, Web Publishing, and Documents folders to a home computer
• If your studies require you to have an increased storage limit, contact the e-Learning Help Desk.