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We have included here answers to common questions. These questions cover
registration, enrollment, browser setup to run courses, viewing courses,
obtaining a certificate, completing an evaluation, and other topics. You
can print this entire list of questions and answers, or select a major
topic area from the pull-down list below. drop us a line at customer care. Registering an account
Registering an account How to change your username You can change your username
by navigating to the
My Information
screen in the My Account area. On this screen you will see a number of fields
that can be changed. If your existing username is an e-mail address, just change the
e-mail address field. This will become your new username the next time you login.
Check your typing carefully before clicking the SAVE + UPDATE button near the bottom
of the page. If you are notified that that email address is already in use, it is likely
that you have duplicate accounts. Contact customer care for assistance.
If your username is not an e-mail address, then you may change it to your email address by checking the box under the Username field. Once you do this, however, you must use an e-mail address as your username. Alternatively, you can change your username by editing the Username field. Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into the Cognistar site before you can reach the My Information screen. How to change your password You can change your password by
navigating to the
Change Password
screen in the My Account area. On this screen you will see two password fields
and a password hint field. Since the password field is covered for privacy, you
must enter your new password twice. You may also change your password hint before clicking the SAVE + UPDATE button.
Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into
the Cognistar site before you can reach the Change Password screen.
How to change your billing information You can change any or all
parts of the billing information by navigating to the Billing Information
screen in the My Account area. On this screen, you will see a number of
fields that can be changed, including the billing information.
Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into
the Cognistar site before you can reach the Information screen.
How to change your firm and contact information You can change any or all
parts of your firm and personal contact information by navigating to the
My Information
screen in the My Account area. On this screen you will see a number of fields
that may be changed, including the contact information.
Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into
the Cognistar site before you can reach the Information screen.
What is a purchase code? A purchase code is a sequence of numbers and letters
that act as a discount coupon or charge card when purchasing courses. If
your firm has obtained a purchase code, the person responsible for continuing
education will provide it to you. If you have entered via a special portal,
a purchase code may be automatically entered for you.
What is my organiztion’s purchase code? Contact your firm’s,
organization’s, or company’s director of training to obtain
a purchase code. Contact customer care
to determine if your firm, organization, or company has a Cognistar purchase
code.
How to change your purchase code You can change your purchase code by navigating
to the
Billing Information
screen in the My Account area. At this screen you will see a number of fields
that can be changed, including the purchase code. Changing the purchase
code may change the prices shown in the catalog. It may also change the
selection of courses appearing in the catalog. A changed purchase code applies
to courses in which you subsequently enroll. It does not affect courses
in which you have already enrolled.
Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into
the Cognistar site before you can reach the Information screen.
How to access an “Archived” course From the time of enrollment,
you have a limited period to complete each course. In most cases, this is
3 months, but it can vary with your purchase code. Once this period has
elapsed, the course will be archived, whether or not you have completed
it. You can view and print additional certificates, but you will no longer
be able to view the course itself or the associated notes. Should you require
access to a course that has been archived, please contact customer care.
Problem: I have forgotten my password If you have forgotten your password,
but remember your username, enter your username or e-mail address in the Login form and then
click the LOGIN button, leaving the password blank. If you entered a password hint when you registered,
this hint will be displayed. If you did not provide a hint or the hint isn’t
sufficient to bring the password to mind, contact customer care
for further instructions.
Please be aware that if you incorrectly enter EITHER the password or the username, the error message will indicate that the account cannot be found. For security reasons, no distinction is made between an incorrect username or incorrect password. What is a password hint? A password hint is a short phrase that will remind
you, and no one else, what your password is. It might be, for example, the
name of a childhood pet, a favorite food, or a favorite music title. This
phrase will be stored on our Web site and displayed when you enter your
username, but not your password. Do not choose something that could be publicly
known, or that has an obvious answer, such as a hint of “favorite
color” when the answer is red. A favorite color of “Olive Drab”
would be acceptable, albeit unlikely.
Problem: I have forgotten
my username If you have forgotten your username but do have an account with
Cognistar, first try to enter your e-mail address in the password field.
If this does not allow you to login, please contact customer care
for further instructions. Do not register many times, as this will
fragment your records. If you have enrolled in courses, you will not be able
to access them by registering again with the same name.
Please be aware that if you incorrectly enter EITHER the password or the username, the error message will indicate that the account cannot be found. For security reasons, no distinction is made between an incorrect username or incorrect password.
Problem: I have multiple accounts If you have registered more than once,
you may have several accounts. This is undesirable because your enrollment
records will not be collected in one place. If you suspect that this is
the case, please contact customer care.
We can easily consolidate the accounts for you.
Setting up your browser to run coursesWhat are the minimum system requirements for viewing courses? Cognistar
courses require a computer that supports one or more of the following
browsers:
See the next question for the required Internet connection speeds. In addition to the appropriate browser, several other free add-ons are required. These so-called &#;plug-ins,” aid in delivering the course material. These plug-ins can be obtained free of charge at the following Web sites:
In order to view Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files within courses on a Macintosh it is necessary to obtain a different plug-in from www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/. (At the bottom of that page there is a link to a special plug-in for Internet Explorer 5 on the Macintosh, though it is not recommended to use IE on the Macintosh.) If your computer does not have the required plug-ins, use the links above to obtain the free software updates. A convenient way to check your plug-ins and obtain the missing ones is the Browser Test on the Verify Setup page in the Help area. If you wish to listen to the audio portion of courses, your computer must be equipped with a separate or integrated sound “card”. You will also need speakers or headphones. Your ability to use video or audio will also depend upon the speed of your Internet connection. See the next question. What speed connection is required to view courses? The computer you use
must be connected to the Internet by at least a 56K bps modem dial-up line
in order to view the video portion of the course. Better response can be
obtained by connecting at higher speeds. Your phone line may not allow the
connection to operate at full speed. However the closer your connection
is to 56K bps (thousand bits per second), the better courses will
perform. The courses will also work if your computer is connected
via a Local Area Network (LAN) in your office, or DSL or cable modem,
provided that the ultimate
connection to the Internet can support at least 40K bps to your computer.
At connection speeds below 40K bps there may be brief interruptions
in delivery of some multimedia material. If your connection is too slow,
select the LISTEN or READ mode in the course window. Listen will operate
well as speeds as slow as 20K bps, and READ will work nicely even at
much lower speeds.
(Please be aware, however, that READ mode is unacceptable for Virginia credit.)
What browsers can be used? Cognistar courses require a computer
that supports one or more of the following browsers:
What additional software is required? In addition to the appropriate browser,
several other free add-ons are required. These so-called “plug-ins”
aid in delivering the course material. These plug-ins can be obtained for
free at the following Web sites:
In order to view Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files within courses on a Macintosh it is necessary to obtain a different plug-in from www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/. (At the bottom of that page there is a link to a special plug-in for Internet Explorer 5 on the Macintosh, though it is not recommended to use IE on the Macintosh.) If your computer does not have the required plug-ins, use the links above to obtain the free software updates. A convenient way to check your plug-ins and obtain the missing ones is Verify Setup on the Verify Setup page in the Help area. How to check that courses can operate on your computer You can check
that your system can support Cognistar course operation by navigating to the Verifiy Setup
page in the Help area and running the Verify Setup tool. This will check
that your system is capable of running courses.
Problem: I am unable to download a “plug-in” If you experience
trouble downloading a “plug-in” or add-on software (i.e., the
Flash Player or Adobe Acrobat Reader), it may be the result of one
of the following:
In all cases, if you have IT support within your organization, contact them to have the necessary plug-ins installed or to obtain the administrative rights to do it yourself. For further information, contact customer care. The Cognistar course experienceHow does a course feel?
The Cognistar course experience is designed to put you,
the learner, in complete command of the presentation. This creates a flexible
and convenient interface, and more importantly, provides adaption to your
individual learning style.
Not only do you choose the time and place of the sessions, but also the mode (WATCH, LISTEN, READ), the order of subjects treated, and the pace of the presentation. In addition, you may replay any part of the course, stop to examine other material, and then resume. You can quickly skim topics already understood or that are of less interest. On the other hand, for topics of importance to you, the oral presentation can be paused while you study the enrichment exhibits. You can exit the course at will and return at a later time to the segment you last viewed. You may choose to watch the video or just listen, while following the transcript. Alternatively, some learners prefer to simply read the textbook. (Please be aware, however, that READ mode is unacceptable for Virginia credit.) Most courses provide additional reference material in the form of exhibits that enhance the learning opportunity. Exhibits can be simple “bullet point” pages similar to overhead transparencies, diagrams, forms to be reprinted and used, statutes, case law, interactive “virtual laboratory” experiments, interactive spreadsheets, animations, special purpose calculators, Web links, and even dramatic video presentations. In short, you are able to actively drive the presentation, at every step controlling the course to optimize your learning time. You will find this to be engaging in ways no video, or even live lecture, can match. How is a course organized?
Courses are built around a video of the instructor(s)
presenting the material. The presentation is divided into segments lasting
3-5 minutes each. The original order of the segments is maintained although
the breaks are choosen to keep related material together to the greatest
extent possible.
Each segment has a transcript of the speaker as well as related exhibits. Exhibits can be material presented during the original class as well as additional information obtained by our editors. In some cases special exhibits are produced by Cognistar to enhance the original material. See “How does a course feel?” For the convenience of learners who prefer not to listen to the audio, a complete text/transcript is provided in every course. How does a Cognistar course differ from video, live broadcast, or streaming?
Other formats are passive and do not usually engage the learner. The material
can be viewed only in the original sequence.
Other formats, generally, provide few or no additional exhibits, nor transcripts. There is seldom any search capability. In broadcast or Webcast presentations, the learner must be available at the time of the presentation, for the duration of the program. Moreover, the learner has no control over the pace of the presentation. With broadcast or streamed material, it is not possible to repeat selected parts of the program, to fast forward or to rewind to find selections. There is no ability to view items out of sequence. The use of these formats for reference is difficult or impossible. See “How can a course be used for reference?” Cognistar's formats, however, allow segments to be conveniently viewed in any sequence, at the pace controlled by you, at your convenience. Programs can be stopped at any time and resumed at the same segment hours, days, or weeks later. Segments can be rapidly scrolled forward or back to find specific material. Transcripts, textbooks, and exhibits can be searched for keywords or phrases. How can a course be used for reference?
You can return to the course at any time while the course is current or
the subscription is in force.
The search feature allows you to rapidly locate information about
any specific subject.
In addition, you can create, save, and print personal notes about each course. These can be used to recall information relevant to your own interests. Segments can be rapidly scrolled forward or back to locate specific passages. How can I ask questions of the instructor? Each course has an AfterWordsSM
segment that allows learners to submit questions. These will be answered
by the course editor, or, where necessary, directed to the instructor. Questions
and answers of general interest are posted in this segment and are available
to users.
Viewing courses
How to begin a course
To begin a course:
You may now advance through the course by clicking the right arrow as you complete each segment. Your choice of video player will be stored and used the next time you begin the course. If you leave a course before finishing, when you start the course again, it will resume at the beginning of the segment you were viewing when you left the course. If the course screen fails to appear, it may be blocked by a popup or advertising blocker installed on your computer. You will have to disable this before you can continue. How to move from one course segment to another
Courses are composed of segments,
self-contained topics within courses. A segment contains video, audio, transcript/text,
and associated exhibits related to the material. You may move sequentially
through a course by clicking on the right arrow in the audio/video area
in the upper left of your screen. This will advance the course to the next
segment in the original sequence. You may also “back up” to a
previous segment by clicking on the left arrow in the audio/video area.
This moves the presentation to the previous segment.
Alternatively, you may use the outline (below the audio/video area) to navigate through the course in any order. Clicking on an entry in the outline will move the presentation to that segment and begin the video and/or audio portion of the segment. Note that a pointer will always indicate the current segment of the course, and check marks will denote segments already viewed. How to change modes (e.g., from Watch to Listen)
Courses can operate in
one of three modes to suit your particular preference. You may WATCH (video
and audio), LISTEN (just audio), or READ (text only). Select the mode for
the course by clicking one of the tabs at the top of the audio/video area
in the upper left portion of the screen.
(Please be aware, however, that READ mode is unacceptable for Virginia credit.)
In some courses, in addition to the verbatim transcript of the presentation, a “textbook” is available. This textbook is in more formal written language intended for reading. You can select either version, when both are available, by clicking the desired tab at the top of the center pane of the course window. Placing a course into Read mode will automatically display the textbook version, if it is available. How to change video quality/connection speed
In many courses video is provided at two different quality levels,
where the higher quality video requires a higher speed connection
to the Internet. In these courses, you may choose which speed
connection (and therefore which quality video) to use
when you enter the course for the first time. (Make the selection
on the right-hand side of the screen before clicking on the flashing
right arrow in the audio/video area in the upper left-hand corner
of thescreen.)
Once you have begun a course, you still may change the video quality/connection speed in use by choosing the OPTIONS button (located toward the top right of the screen). Clicking OPTIONS displays a panel that allows you to choose which speed connection you would like to use for the course you are viewing, in addition to other Personal Preferences.
How to remove (or display) highlighting in the text
The textual materials in a course—transcript, textbook,
exhibits—may have been highlighted to call attention to
certain key points. You may choose to turn the highlighting on
(or off) by clicking the OPTIONS button (located toward the top right of
the screen). Clicking OPTIONS displays a panel that allows you
to control the highlighting (if any), as well as other Personal Preferences.
How to print the course materials
You may obtain a complete copy of the text of a course by clicking
the “Complete Text” link at the beginning of the outline.
This link has an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) icon. Clicking this link will
open a large window containing the entire text document. Since these
texts are often large, there can be a considerable wait while the
contents are transmitted over the network. You can subsequently print
or save the text from this window. To print the text, click the
printer icon within the Acrobat Reader’s tool bar on Windows
computers, or the small downward-pointing arrow at the top of the
right-hand scroll bar on Macintosh computers (a part of the Schubert
it PDF Browser Plugin).
In addition, you can print most exhibits and any individual transcript or textbook segment by right-clicking (or Control-clicking on a Macintosh) on the item you wish to print and selecting Print from the pop-up menu.
How to print an exhibit
You may print most exhibits. In some cases copyright restrictions do
not allow either printing or saving of the material, or in other
cases the exhibit may be an animation that cannot be printed. For
exhibits that can be printed, position your mouse cursor in the
exhibit area (over the exhibit to be printed) and right-click (the
other button for lefties, or Control-click the mouse button on the
Macintosh). Choose “Print” from among the items in the
pop-up menu. If the exhibit is an animation or was created using
Flash, you may not be able to print it. If the exhibit is an Acrobat
document (PDF), depending upon copyright restrictions you may or may
not be able to print it. To print a PDF, click on the printer icon in
the tool bar at the top of the Acrobat Reader screen on Windows
computers, or the small downward-pointing arrow at the top of the
right-hand scroll bar on Macintosh computers (a part of the Schubert
it PDF Browser Plugin).
How to use AfterWordsSM to ask questions AfterWordsSM provides a
way to ask questions concerning the course content as well as to view answers
to questions previously posed by others. AfterWords appears as the last
segment of every course.
NOTE Cognistar will ensure that your question receives a prompt response via e-mail. Where questions or comments are of general interest, Cognistar will edit and post both the question or comment and the response as part of an updated AfterWords segment for that course. You are not required to review the AfterWords segment to receive a certificate.
How to gauge your progress
You can determine your progress through a course
by viewing the “progress bar” at the bottom of course screens.
The “progress bar” indicates how many minutes are left to go,
if any, to complete the course and which segments have been viewed. If
all the segments have been viewed, all boxes will be filled in. If you have
spent enough time in the course to earn full credit, there will be no notation
about number of minutes to go. (“Minutes to go” is the view
time needed before obtaining full credit. This is not a limit on the time
you may view the course.) Full credit also requires that you view every
instructional segment. The AfterWords and Certificate segments are not instructional
segments. You do not have to view them to obtain full course credit. Clicking
on any of the boxes in the progress bar will take you to that segment of
the course.
How to change the size of the Transcript or Exhibit space
You can change
the size of the Transcript or Exhibit space by using your mouse to drag
the bar separating them either to the left (to enlarge the Exhibit space)
or to the right (to shrink it). Position the mouse over the lines separating
the two areas, finding the spot where the cursor changes. Then, while holding
the mouse button down, move either left or right to adjust the sizes. (Depending
upon the browser, the cursor will change to vertical parallel bars or a
double-headed arrow.) The dividing rule between the Outline and Transcript panels
operates in a similar fashion.
How to search for a
word or phrase in a course
To find a word, phrase, or a logical combination of words and phrases
within a course, click on the SEARCH tab at the top of the Outline area
on the left-hand side of your screen. Clicking on this tab will replace
the outline with a search form. Further help can be obtained by clicking
the “?” in the search form.
Generally, the search capability is similar to that available from other data retrieval services. You may search for a phrase, word, a phrase that excludes a word, words near other words, and so on. To search for a word, phrase, etc., enter it into the search form box and click the FIND button. The results will be presented from the most frequently occurring to the least frequently occurring. The transcript, textbook, and exhibits are all searched. Clicking on a resulting segment title will take you to that segment of the course. Clicking on any of the exhibit titles listed will display the corresponding exhibit in the Exhibit area of the course window. Problem: I cannot hear the presentation
If you cannot hear the course, there are a number of things to check:
Note: Even if you are able to listen to music CDs from your computer (by connecting headphones directly into your CD ROM player), you may still be missing a sound card and therefore not be able to hear the course. If your system lacks audio capability, you can still take the course by reviewing the transcript or the text versions of the course (in Read mode). Problem: Blank where audio/video should be
If the video (and audio) area is blank, check if the Flash player is at version 6 (MX) or later.
If not, go to www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer/ to install
the latest version of the Flash player. You can check the Flash player installation by going
to http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/welcome/.
Problem: I need to restart the video because it stops suddenly
If you need to restart the video because it stops suddenly, your current
connection to the Internet may not be fast enough to adequately download
the audio or video. This could be caused by too slow a connection (e.g.,
a 56K bps modem that has only connected at, for example, 24K bps)
or by overall slowdowns across the Internet (e.g., heavy use of the Internet
from your office associates at the same time you are connecting to the
Internet). One solution is to use Listen or Read mode to view the course.
Another solution is to try again later; that is, disconnect from the course
and reconnect later. If the problem persists and if your connection appears
to be at least 40K bps, please contact customer care.
Problem: “Broken” Internet link
If you experience a “broken” Internet link, in other words,
clicking on the link results in an error message indicating the document
could not be found, please contact us at customer care.
Often, these are the result of linking to content external to the Cognistar
site. The external site may be temporarily unavailable, may be permanently
unavailable, or may have moved the content. In any case, please let us
know and we will update the course appropriately. We do our best to
ensure that the links we use are never broken, however, there may be rare
occasions when a link does not work properly.
Problem: I cannot run courses remotely
You may find that you can run Cognistar’s courses successfully
from your office but have trouble running remotely from another office
or from your home, even when using the same computer (e.g., a laptop).
Some firms use remote login software that allows secure login to the firm,
which in turn provides Internet access. So, rather than use AOL or some
other ISP to connect to the Internet from home or another office, you
access your firm’s network remotely by connecting in a special way
(perhaps using a special telephone number).
Some remote login software may need to be reconfigured in order to support running Cognistar courses. A typical symptom might be that the laptop has an audio/video player configured, but when logging in remotely to the firm and trying to run courses, the result is an error message indicating that the audio/video player (or Flash player or Adobe Acrobat Reader) has not been installed. To correct this, contact your IT personnel who handle remote access. You may also contact customer care for further information. Certificates and course evaluations How to get a certificate Navigate to the
My Courses
page in the My Account area. Click on the certificate icon below the course
for which you would like a certificate issued. Click on the name of the
authority (state) for which you would like a certificate. You may be asked
to enter your license (bar) number at this point. If so, do that, then continue.
A copy of the certificate should appear on your screen. To obtain a paper
copy, you must print this using the print button or the Print item in the
File menu of your browser. Be sure to sign the certificate and fill in any
blanks before submitting it to your CLE authority.
Since we cannot identify you until you login, you must be logged into
the Cognistar site before you can reach the Certificates page.
Cognistar works with many accrediting authorities, each having their own rules for issuing certificates. Some purchase codes are linked to a particular accrediting authority. Some of these restrict certificates to a single accrediting authority. In other cases, your credit is reported to the accrediting authority electronically and no certificate is issued. Finally, in some cases you must contact the accrediting authority to obtain the certificate. How to get a certificate for a second jurisdiction
In most cases, you may
print as many certificates for as many jurisdictions as you need. Repeat
the process in “How to get a certificate”
as many times as necessary. If your purchase code allows credit in only
a single jurisdiction, then you may be able to obtain many certificates,
but only for that accrediting authority.
How to get a certificate for an “Archived” course
If you are entitled
to a certificate for a course, you will still be able to obtain certificates
even after the course is archived. However, if you fail to complete a course
before it is archived, you will not be able to complete it. In this case,
contact customer care
for assistance.
Problem: System won’t issue certificate, says course not complete
There
are two criteria for course completion: (1) you must have viewed every instructional
segment and (2) you must have viewed the course for a sufficient length
of time, which varies from course to course. View time includes the time
you spend examining exhibits. See also How
to gauge your progress.
Problem: System won’t issue certificate, says purchase code disallows it
Some purchase codes do not allow certificates to be issued because:
How to contact customer care
You may contact customer care
at Cognistar for technical support in a number of ways. See the Assistance page in
the Help area. Before contacting customer care, be sure you have reviewed
the various questions and answers here. If your firm or company provides
IT support, you should contact them for technical issues before calling Cognistar.
Course number scheme
A course number consists of four digits that may be followed by a letter
and possibly a trailing number. Course numbers show which courses are
subsets of other courses. For example, the course number 4576 is made
up of three parts: 4576A, 4576B, and 4576C. Credit can be awarded only
for distinct portions of courses taken. So, if you take 4576, you can
receive credit for the entire course, but you cannot receive credit for
4576A, 4576B, or 4576C, since you would be getting credit twice for the
same material. Similarly, if you take 4576B, you will not be able to receive
credit for 4576, as you will have already studied a portion of its content.
You could, however, enroll in 4576A and 4576C to complete the content
and receive credit.
Note that not all courses are partitioned in this way. The synopsis of each course provides more detail as to the content of the course and how it may overlap with other courses. Courses are also periodically revised. In such a case, the course number may appear with a suffix. For example, 6390-1 is the first revision of course 6390 and replaces the older course. CLE requirements in my jurisdiction
The rules for Mandatory
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) are summarized for various jurisdictions
when viewing course descriptions from the catalog.
There is also an interactive map giving MCLE rules on the Catalog page.
IT/MIS technical issuesFirewall issues
If your firm or company uses a firewall or firewall software,
this may cause problems when running Cognistar software, unless the firewall
is properly configured. A firewall is a protective mechanism that prevents
malicious users (either outside or inside a company) from causing technical
problems by disrupting the proper functioning of the company’s network.
Cognistar sends its course content using HTTP port 80. The content includes
HTML, Acrobat (PDF), and Flash (SWV) files. If the firewall filters these out,
the user will not be able to see (or hear) the course. Further guidance can be provided by customer care
Caching issues (with Caching or Proxy servers)
Most pages from the Cognistar site are created dynamically.
For this reason, this site must not be cached by a proxy server.
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