Training Procedure: Troubleshooting MainCourse Functionality
Revised: January 23, 2018
Issue:
How do I troubleshoot issues concerning playback for MainCourse?
Solution:
This procedure has been created to troubleshoot playback issues with MainCourse content when using various browsers including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. It also includes helpful information about mobile device compatibility.
Steps to Determine the Issue
- Find out whether the learner is viewing the course while logged in to MainCourse, CrunchTime’s online learning center, or whether they are viewing the course on their company’s LMS.
- If it’s on MainCourse, then we know it isn’t because they are viewing an older version of the course.
- If it’s on their own LMS, we may need to engage with their ‘ScormGrabber’ to determine whether they are running the latest version of the course.
- Find out what device they are using. Is it a mobile device? A desktop computer or laptop? What operating system. A quick way to find out is to have them visit here and send you a screenshot of the results:
https://supportdetails.com/ - Find out what browser they are using. We currently support the top four browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. We currently do NOT support Edge due to their slow adoption of the HTML5 specifications. Learners with Edge should alternatively use Internet Explorer. They can launch it by doing the following:
If it is determined that the learner is not playing the latest version of the course, see the section entitled “Pre-2018 Course Content Troubleshooting”.
Troubleshooting Mobile Devices is next:
Troubleshooting Courses Viewed on Mobile Devices
Our MainCourse online lessons are interactive; learners can simulate using our software, take quizzes, etc., and that REALLY aids learning. But taking them on mobile devices has been getting tougher, due to changing standards for the way mobile browsers support interactivity.
The good news? As of 1/1/18 we've updated all of our lessons to a new tablet-friendly format! The Fine Print: a PC and Google's Chrome browser are still the gold standard, as some older tablets and phones won't have enough RAM to process the interactivity.
Mobile Compatibility
Although not optimized for mobile phone viewing due to the small screen size, these courses are compatible with recently released iOS and Android tablets and phones provided they have sufficient RAM to process the interactive content in the browser. Based on our testing, these devices typically require at least 2GB of RAM.
Here is an example of recent iOS devices and the RAM amount for each:
Pre-2018 Course Content Troubleshooting
We have heard reports of problems playing pre-2018 MainCourse content when learners are attempting to view courses using a browser that does not support Adobe Flash. Even if it supports Flash, it is sometimes necessary to enable it.
For this content, we recommend avoiding the use of non-flash browers such as Firefox, Edge, and mobile device browsers on iOS and Android devices. While these browsers support HTML5, which our courses are published to operate on, their levels of support vary…and performance issues are common.
Using Google's Chrome Browser (v. 63.0.3239.132 and higher)
This is the recommended browser for use with MainCourse. There are 2 things we need check:
- That Chrome is updated and running the latest version
- That Adobe Flash is enabled
To update Chrome to the latest version, launch Chrome access Help > About Google Chrome as shown:
On the About page, check to make sure you're running the latest version of Chrome. If not, update it until it says "Google Chrome is up to date":
Now that it's up to date, we need to make sure Flash is enabled. To do that, navigate to the website (LMS) on which the learner is viewing the courses, then click the lock icon and select Site settings as shown:
On the Site Settings page, scroll to the setting for Flash and set it to Allow:
That's it! The interactive MainCourse courses should now run fine.
To troubleshoot Internet Explorer for pre-2018 courses, see the following page.
Using Internet Explorer
Because our Learning System tracks quiz scores and course completions to award students points and badges, it is sometimes necessary to make sure that the MainCourse website is 'Trusted' within Internet Explorer. Finally, even though Flash may be installed, Internet Explorer may still be blocking it from running because ActiveX Filtering is turned on. This document will walk you thru the processes to fix it.
Set Internet Explorer to 'Trust' the MainCourse site
1. Open Internet Explorer and navigate to your Company's unique MainCourse URL. (This is typically in the following format: https://yourcompany-crunchtime.talentlms.com/ )
2. Click the 'gear' in the upper right corner of the page (1) and select 'Internet Options' (2) as shown:
3. In the 'Internet Options' Window, please click the 'Security' tab (1), set the Security level from High (2) to Medium-high (3) and then click 'Apply' (4) as shown:
(NOTE: If your Company would prefer the security level to remain 'High', please skip to step 5 below)
4. Restart Internet Explorer and you should be able to view lessons on MainCourse!
5. Alternatively, you can click on the 'Security' tab (1), then the 'Trusted Sites' tab (2), and click 'Add' (4) to add your Company's unique MainCourse URL to the Trusted sites list.
6. Once you have confirmed it is on your list, click 'close' (5), if not grayed out click 'Apply' (6), and then close the Internet Options window (7).
7. Restart Internet Explorer and you should be able to view lessons on MainCourse!
Enable Flash in Internet Explorer
1. Click the Tools icon in the upper-right corner of Internet Explorer. (The icon looks like a cogwheel.)
The Tools icon is in the upper-right corner.
2. In the pop-up menu that appears, click Manage Add-ins.
Choose Manage Add-ons from Tools menu.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select Toolbars and Extensions.
Select Tools and Extensions as the Add-on Types from Manage Add-ons dialog box.
4. In the list of Add-ons, look for “Shockwave Flash Object” (another name for Flash Player).
In the Status column, check to see whether Shockwave Flash Object is Disabled. If it is disabled, click the row for Shockwave Flash Object to highlight it.
Shockwave Flash Object as the Add-on Type. The Flash is in Disabled status.
5. In the lower-right corner of the Manage Add-ons dialog box, click Enable.
Click Enable in the lower-right corner.
6. Close the Manage Add-ons dialog box.
7. Note: If you continue to encounter problems viewing rich media content after completing these steps, see the FAQ on ActiveX filtering.
Disable ActiveX Filtering for all websites
1. Open Internet Explorer and click on the gears icon in the upper right corner of the window.
2. Select the Safety Menu, and then uncheck the ActiveX Filtering menu item.
If you don't have flash installed, you can go here to get it installed: https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Other Considerations
In some cases, ‘slow internet speed’ may cause leaners to have difficulty with the interactive sessions in the courses.
Note that when a learner clicks an answer, they have to wait for the next event to load before the ‘Correct’ or ‘Incorrect’ shows up. Usually, this happens quickly, however, if the internet speed is unusually slow, this might take a little time…especially if it’s loading a short video. Any clicks placed during this wait will result in an ‘Incorrect’ even though the system correctly recorded that the learner got it right.
This is a great place to check internet speed: http://www.speedtest.net/
If none of these fixes the problem, please instruct the learner to go to the following links:
Have them take a screenshot of their settings and send it to us for review.
Thank you.
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