Troubleshooting Tips

When You Get Stuck

Technical problems are not fun! Sometimes, the problem is on your end such as when your hardware fails. But often, getting stuck is caused by circumstances beyond your control, such as buggy software or slow internet connections. These things are not your fault!

Things to Try on Your Own

It's good idea to have a checklist of steps you can follow if you're having trouble. Here are some steps we recommend trying:

  • For choppy video or slow loading times, close as many other programs on your computer as you can. Usually, some other program is using lots of bandwidth or memory on your computer so closing other applications helps.

  • If you're having trouble with a specific program, quit it, then re-open it.

  • Try searching for troubleshooting help using Google search (Google it).

  • For web problems, clear your browser's cache. Here are the instructions for Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.

  • Try using a different web browser. We like Chrome and Firefox.

  • Restarting your computer is also a good step to try.

  • Remember, it's important to check regularly for software updates. Software updates are often released to fix bugs, so we recommend updating to the latest version whenever possible.

Getting More Help

It can be very frustrating when you've spent a lot of time trying to get something to work. You will not always be able to solve issues on your own so please, don't hesitate to ask us for help! That's why we're here.

Here are some resources:

  • If you have questions about a resource that is used for your class, e-mail your instructor or classmates or post to the discussion board; or ask them in person.

  • If you have any questions about the course Canvas site, VoiceThread, or other technologies that are not directly related to the content, e-mail olt@uw.edu.

  • Friends and family members can also be good resources.