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Frequently Asked Questions for teachers/lecturers, technicians and administrators

Click on a question below to view the answer. Click the 'back to top' link next to the answer to return to the list.

Questions about technical issues and system administration

Q. Why does my username have some strange letters after it?
A. We add a unique four character school/college code to your username to identify what school/college account you log into.
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Q. I am a Teacher/Technician. What if I forget my username or password?
A. Your Head of Biology or IT department manager should be able to log-in to SNAB online as an Administrator. They will be able to look up or reset your password. Please remember to add your four character school/college code to the end of your username.
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Q. What do I do if one of my students has forgotten their username or password?
A. Please log-in to SNAB online as a Teacher or Administrator. You will be able to find the student's username using 'Manage groups' (if logged in as a Teacher) or 'Manage users' (if logged in as an Administrator). You will also be able to reset the student's password.
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Q. I am an Administrator. What if I forget my username or password?
A. You may have set up other Administrators on SNAB online. Please ask them to log-in to SNAB and reset your password. When your school/college subscribed to SNAB online, an email was sent that contained your original Administrator username and password.

If you are the original Administrator that was originally set up by the Subscription System for your school/college, your details cannot be changed because your account is our main contact for your subscription to this product, and the details need to match our records. If you are unable to locate the original Subscription email or wish to amend these details, please contact our ICT Support team using the contact details at the end of this FAQ.
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Q. How can I change the browser text size?
A. Click the View menu and select 'Text Size' to increase or decrease the text size.
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Q. Is it possible to get my computer to remember my password?
A. Your computer should be able to remember your password, but it will be done through your browser rather than being part of the SNAB system. If you are not prompted and asked if you wish to save your password for future visit to the site, contact your system administrator as some schools may have this function turned off for security.
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Q. Can I use the SNAB online site from home as well as school/college?
A. You should be able to access the SNAB site from most computers connected to the World Wide Web provided you have the correct minimum computer requirements and the correct web browser.
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Q. Can I use an Apple® Macintosh®?
A. Yes. SNAB online has been designed so that an Apple Mac using the Mozilla™ Firefox™ 3* or Safari® 3* browsers can view the site. You will need the free Adobe® Reader® 7* for Macintosh and the free Macromedia® Flash® 9* plug-in.
*or higher
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Q. I don't want to use Internet Explorer. Can I use a different browser?
A. Yes. For Windows computers, SNAB online has been designed to be used with Mozilla Firefox 3* as well as Internet Explorer 7*. Apple Macintosh users can use Mozilla Firefox 3* and Safari 3*. If you access the site using a different browser such as AOL® or Opera® we cannot guarantee that all of the features will work properly.
*or higher
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Q. I access the Internet through a firewall. Will I be able to view SNAB online?
A. Yes. You will need to check that your browser can open Active Content. In Internet Explorer, you may wish to add www.snabonline.com to your Trusted Sites list.
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Q. Will I be able to use the online version at home through a telephone line without broadband?
A. We strongly recommend you access this site using a broadband connection. You should be able to access most of the features and activities on the site with a dial-up connection. However, the site and activities will take longer to load. Most of the animations on the SNAB site are downloadable using a 56K dial-up modem, although this will be slower than using a 'broadband' connection. Each interactive animation has a loading screen with a progress bar to give you a guide to how long it will take to load.

Topic introductions are provided with and without voiceover. If you are using a dial-up connection, we recommend selecting the version without voiceover.

There are videos in a few animations that will prevent dial-up users from accessing the animation as loading will be very slow.
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Q. How accessible is your site?
A. Wherever possible we have built the site according to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C®) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) and aim to achieve Conformance Level A. However, JavaScript™ and Flash® must be enabled in your browser for all animation and navigation features to be available.
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Q. My data is stored on your web server. How secure is it?
A. The servers on which we store your data are protected by firewalls and the latest security and anti-virus measures. In addition, all personal data is encrypted and would be difficult to decipher in the unlikely case that it became available to those of malicious intent.
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Questions about the SNAB system

Q. Can I move students between groups?
A. Yes. You can move students between groups in the 'manage groups' screen. Note that work already set for the group will not be automatically set for the student you move into the group, they will only be able to access work you set for the group after you have moved them in.
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Q. Will marks transfer across from my mark book from AS to A2?
A. Yes, the archive will be retained from AS until the end of A2. You also have the option of exporting marks to CSV file, so you can do this whenever you please.
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Q. Can I export the information from my markbook?
A. There is an 'export mark book' function available to do this - please refer to the information on the Course management page.
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Q. How much information can be entered in the custom field on a student details?
A. You can fit around 100 words into each custom field, but it is advisable to keep the headings as short as possible for ease of use.
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Q. Can the information entered in the custom field for student details be exported?
A. Any details you enter in the custom field will be exported when you use the 'export mark book' function (see the Course management page).
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Q. Some of the animations and worksheets don't open. What am I doing wrong?
A. Please make sure that your computer hardware meets the minimum requirements. Also, that you are using one of the recommended web browsers and have an up-to-date version.

Your computer will need the free Macromedia Flash Plug-in in order to view animations.

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view worksheets.

Some files are provided in Microsoft Word and Excel format. You will need to have a program capable of opening these types of file in order to view them.
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Q. I can't see the interactive activities without having to scroll. What can I do about this?
A. Setting your monitor resolution to 1024×768 will increase the available space on your monitor. If your monitor resolution is set to 800×600 and you can't change it, you can maximise space on your monitor by auto hiding your Windows taskbar. This can be done by right clicking on the taskbar and selecting 'Properties', then select the 'Auto-hide the taskbar' tick box and click 'OK'.

You can also hide your browser's address and navigation toolbars. Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox allow you to quickly maximise your monitor space by pressing F11 on your keyboard or selecting 'View - Full Screen' from the browser's menu. Press F11 again to restore.
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Q. If two teachers are sharing a group can they start on different topics or split a topic?
A. The course is really designed to start with Topic 1 and then move through the topics in order. But if two teachers are sharing a group it is possible to split the teaching of each topic between two members of staff. Details on how to split the materials are provided in the introduction to each teaching scheme. It is possible for one teacher to start on Topic 1 and the other to start on Topic 2, however the teacher on Topic 2 needs to be aware that there may be some ideas that are introduced in Topic 1 and then built on in early in Topic 2 before they have met the information in Topic 1. For example, Topic 1 includes detail of carbohydrates and lipids, and Topic 2 looks in detail at phospholipids. The teacher of Topic 2 may have to cover the Topic 1 detail at this point. The concept map that accompanies the teaching schemes indicates where concepts are introduced and then revisited.
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Questions about SNAB content

Q. How do I get help if I am having a problem with one of the activities?
A. Posting the question on the forum may provide an answer from other SNAB teachers/lecturers if they have already encountered the problem. You can also contact the York project office on 01904 432601 for help in answering any queries.<Back to top>

Q. Why is Easyprint not available for students?
A. After consultation with teachers in pilot centres it was decided that the Easyprint facility would only be available for teachers/lecturers. Teachers/lecturers need to make a selection of the activities available so it is unlikely that every student will need all sheets.
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Q. Is there a list that details the resources available for each topic on the software?
A. When you select 'Topic resources' and then a particular topic you will see the resources available for that topic. When you are setting work you are also provided with the list of resources you can choose from to set for your students.

Students do not have access to the teacher resources, e.g. mark schemes, teaching scheme, staff development materials, answers to checkpoint questions, however teachers can access all the resources available to their students.
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Questions about the course

Q. How do I set up my biology groups on the management system?
A. Refer to the 'Help' facility on the website.
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Q. Where can I get past papers from?
A. Past papers are available from Edexcel as are mark schemes and examiners' reports. Details are available on the Edexcel website; there is a link to 'Edexcel' from the side navigation on the software.
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Q. How do I get hold of the specification?
A. The specification can be downloaded from the Edexcel website.
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Q. How can I give feedback about the course content to the SNAB team?
A. You can contact the SNAB project team through the York project office:
The Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology Project
Science Education Group
University of York
Alcuin D
Heslington
York YO10 5DD
Tel: 01904 432601
Email: uyseg-snab@york.ac.uk
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Q. Who do I contact if I have a question about assessment?
A. The answer to your question may be found on the Edexcel website, if not, questions can be submitted via the Edexcel Ask the Expert service or by phoning Edexcel. Full contact details can be found on the Edexcel website. The Assessment leader for GCE biology can also be contacted.
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Q. Are there any CPD training courses for the course?
A. Each year the project team organise training courses for SNAB teachers/lecturers. Full details of courses are sent to SNAB centres each autumn and are posted on the project website www.advancedbiology.org
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Questions about purchasing and support

Q. Where can I find the full listing with prices and ISBNs for resources that I can purchase for SNAB?
A. In the Pearson catalogue or from www.pearsonschools.co.uk/SNABOnline.
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Q. How can I get more help about technical problems?
A. Please read these FAQs and the online help in the first instance. For course content related issues please contact the York project office (details above).

If you require further technical assistance, please contact our Online Support Team on:
Email:
online.enquiries@pearson.com
Phone:
0845 223 8824

Our Online Support Team phone lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm (UK time) Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
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