User’s Guide

Welcome to our online Arabic language program! We hope your learning experience would be positive and inspirational!

To enhance your study experience, we have prepared this study guide for you. It will take you step by step through the program. Read it before you start and refer back to it online whenever you come across something new.
 

Part I:  Logging On

1. Go to homepage: www.arabacademy.com
2. Click on "School & University Login". You will get to the Log in page.
3. Enter your username and password, then press Go.  Do not enter your name; enter your username.  A username is usually the first name of the student followed by an automatically generated three-digit number.
4. After you press Go, you are taken into the classroom of the course that you are registered in. If you are registered in more than one course (university students only), then you go to a page that lists all courses and highlights the ones that you are currently registered in. Click on the course you wish to visit. You are taken to its classroom.

If you have forgotten your username and password, enter your E-mail in the “I forgot my password” box and press submit.  Your username and password will be sent to you by E-mail.

Note:
If you are registered in courses at different language levels, only the first level courses are highlighted. You may only access the lower level courses. Upon completion of the lower level courses, you need to notify the system and activate your passes for the courses at the next level. To know all the courses you paid for go to: www.arabacademy.com --- Online Registrar --- Control Panel).

Part II: Classroom

When you log on, the first thing that you reach is the CLASSROOM.  From there you will find icons on the white background and icons on the right side. Those on the white background are related to the course work itself. Those on the right side provide you with further useful links. Below is a brief explanation of where you may branch to.

1. Icons on the White Background:

- Online Sessions: this is where the lessons are.  More information is given in a separate section below.
From right to left on the white background:
- Examination Center: at the end of every session, take the test from here.
- Composition: this link takes you to a page that displays all the compositions you have written along with their corrections.
- Arabic Board: this board allows you to communicate with teachers and colleagues in Arabic.
- Public Interaction: you are given boards to interact with Arab Academy's community of teachers and students. Those boards are:

All the above icons are graded and they relate to the course work. Each one takes you into one of the course requirements. Below each of those icons you have a 'key' icon that lets you get in, and a 'check mark' icon that lets you check on your scores on the particular requirement. Underneath those there is the following icon:
- Your Overall Scores: at any moment you may know how well you are doing by checking on your performance.  A detailed report is automatically generated.

- Private Interaction: if you prefer to communicate with your teacher on a one to one basis, you can do that from here:

To the far left of the screen, on the white background, you have the following icon:
- Technical Support: use this board to report any technical problems you come across. Also use it to report any data errors you encounter as data management is part of the support team.

2. Icons on the right Side (Gray background):

a) Information on Course: you may get information on one or all of the following:

b) Schedule: when you register for a course, a schedule is automatically is generated for you. You can control your pace (which would affect your schedule) from the personal profile. (Students registering through institutions have a fixed schedule that is set by their respective schools).

c) Personal Profile: Your personal profile allows you to modify your personal information, pace and learning style. Visit this link and make sure that your personal information is correct and that the default settings match your needs. It is very important to check your E-mail address and make sure that it is correct.

d) References: this link takes you to a page with useful references related to the study of Arabic

e) Certificates: this link takes you to the registrar, to request transcripts and/or certificates of courses you have completed.

f) Completing a unit/part/course/level: this link lets you alert the system that you have completed the course. Your scores are calculated and then you are able to request a certificate from the registrar.

g) Student Tracking: this feature is only active in teachers' accounts. Teachers are provided with detailed reports on their students activities.

The parts below do not apply to the "Speaking" courses.

Part Three: Online Sessions

To enter the course and start working, this is what you should do:
Click on Online Sessions.  You will get to the Selection of Sessions (or units and then sessions). Click on one of the sessions.

Part IV:  Main Menu

You are now on the main menu of a particular session.  The main menu is composed of one or more links for the learning part of the lesson, and one link for the activities. We would like to draw your attention to the links that are by the activities icon.
- Bookmark (jump to last activity): this let you jump directly to the last activity you were working on in this session. This makes it possible for you to work on the games then log out. Then later when you get back, you do not have to redo the activities you did before. You can jump to where you stopped.
- Control Panel:  this allows students to activate or deactivate games (if they wish to get more practice on particular skills).
- List box with activities: this allows you to jump to a particular game or activity.

At the bottom of the page, you have access to the following links:
On the first row (bottom of page):
- Test: you should take a test at the end of every session from here (or from the external link at the classroom)
- Composition: you are expected to submit a composition at the end of every session
On the second row (bottom of page):
- Sound Problems: this link tells you what to do if you have a sound problem.
- Printing: this provides you with pages that you can print in order to practice writing.  Print the words and the sentences and practice handwriting. Children are encouraged to color the drawings too.
- What you will learn in this session: this is a check list that gives all the words, sentences and grammar items that you are expected to learn at each session.
- Calculation of Scores: this explains how scores are calculated
- Report on Activities: this provides you with a detailed report on all the questions you have answered at this session.

More links may be given

Part V: Main Text (or Story)

(all school years except for KG)

If you click on Main Text (or Story) from the main menu you will come to this page. This is considered as the core of the session. The page displays the text along with a slide (picture). Some courses display just one line per slide, and others display more.

In addition, you have the following features on the page:
- Backward and Forward: this allows you to go to the next line or the previous one

- Show/Hide Translation: it is recommended that you deactivate the translation and only revert to it when you need it.
Warning:
Keeping the translation on makes you learn at a slower pace!
** the translation feature is not available for courses for native speakers.

- Automatic Play: this makes the system play the whole text or story automatically

- Speed Control: this leaves more or less time between the sentences, when you select automatic play
** the speed control featuer is not available for courses for native speakers.

- Go to line: you may select a line and jump directly to it

After you listen to the story a number of times, you should click on 'Return' on the bar in order to return to the Main Menu.

Part VI: Activities

The main menu provides you with a list of activities. Activities may be divided into groups. Each group aims at enhancing a particular skill such as listening, speaking, writing, etc. The title explains the skill that the game you are at is related to, then the instructions for the activity.

Do not delay the fun! Start working on the activities as soon as you have listened to the learning part (or story) of the session. The more you listen to the stories the better prepared you are for the activities.

You will get two or more questions per activity.  If you want to have more or less, then change this from the Control panel, which is just by the activities icon. However, keep in mind that the test covers all activies, so you need to prepare for that.

The bar of the activities pages has the following:
- Timer: the bar shows you the time you have spent on the session until now
- Log Out: when you finish with the session, you have to LOG OUT.  Otherwise, the time you spend on the session is not stored.
- Score        out of    : the bar displays to you the score you got and the total.  It gives you an idea as to how well you are doing.  When you are doing well, then you would know that you are ready to take the test.
- Return to Main Menu: this takes you back to the main menu.
- Arrows (Next Activity & Previous Activity): this lets you move to the next or previous activity, even if you have not taken all the questions. (as set by the settings)
- Next Question: this lets you go to the next question.  The default settings give you two questions per activity.  If you have already taken the two questions, it will take you to the next game.  It is possible to change the default settings to more or less questions per activity.

- Back to Homepage: if you click on Arab Academy on the bar, it takes you back to the homepage.  Do NOT use it.  If you do, your time is not saved.

At the end of a session:   DO NOT FORGET TO LOG OUT (from the bar at the top left of the page). If you log out in any other way, such as by closing window or by clicking on back to homepage, then your time is not saved.  This affects your grade.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact your teacher through the Arab Academy boards.
We hope you find your learning experience at the Academy fruitful and exciting.