Life @ Otis

O-Space FAQ


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What is O-Space?
O-Space is Otis' Learning Management System. Through it, a web space is automatically created for every class offered. Students and faculty will automatically be able to view their classes. Features include: discussion boards, assignment posting and uploads, email communication, and e-portfolios. Committees, clubs, and communities may also create space. Faculty may create their own. Students must find a faculty sponsor to create the group for them.

How do I Login?
UPDATED: As of August 17, 2009, use your regular username and password. The new log in page is available here. You no longer need to use your Xnumber and PIN to access O-Space. If you have forgotten your email password, you will need to go in person to Academic Computing (students) or Information Systems (faculty and staff) to reset it.

Change can be scary. We hope that this new process will make it easier for everyone to access Otis’ online resources by making the usernames and passwords more consistent and secure. The 6-character PIN will be used exclusively for accessing Self Service.

I'm an alumnus/a and I am having trouble logging in. What do I do?
UPDATED: November 2, 2009:  Please visit the new O-Space Login Page for Alumni and enter your Xnumber and PIN. If you need help with these credentials, please contact the Alumni Office. If you have any questions about O-Space or e-Portfolios, please contact Heather Cleary at (310) 665-6926 or hcleary@otis.edu.

Why can't I get ALL my course readings through O-Space?
It is the policy of Otis College of Art & Design to follow the US Copyright Law. Course Readers should be used when possible. In no case should more than 20% of required course content be made available through O-Space. Your login acknowledges your acceptance of this policy.

How do I learn O-Space?
O-Space software is actually very intuitive. However, if you need assistance, there is help available through the Library, the SRC, and (for faculty) the TLC. See also O-Space FAQ: Settings for Faculty.

What are the System Requirements? O-Space works on the following browsers and operating systems:

  • Windows 98 and up: Internet Explorer 7.0 +, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 +
  • Mac OSX and up: Safari 1.0 +, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 +
  • Have Flash Player v.10 plug-in for the browser.
  • Have javascript enabled

Every time you log into the site, O-Space will check whether your browser and settings are compatible. If you receive an error message, please update the browser, plugin and settings as necessary. If you cannot do the updates at that time, click on the Continue Anyway link to access O-Space.

Do not use Internet Explorer 6.x! The page layout is wrong and you will not be able to download attachments within the discussions.

When I log in, I keep getting a Flash failure message. To use O-Space effectively, you should have the Adobe Flash Player version 10 plug-in installed in your browser.

  • Find out what version of the Player you have installed.
  • Install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player.

If you have Flash Player 10 installed and you still get the error message, chances are that you logged in so quickly that O-Space didn't have time to verify the Flash player. Simply click on the Continue Anyway button. If that is not the case, please contact Heather Cleary or Kathleen Forrest.

When I log in, I keep getting a browser failure message. O-Space works best on these browsers:

O-Space does not play well with Internet Explorer 8.

What do I do if I need more Help?
Staff in the Library, SRC, and the Teaching/Learning Center are happy to answer questions. There are also workshops available for Faculty who wish to learn advanced features.

How do I report a bug? or have a suggestion?
Please tell us! The easiest way is to add it to the Report O-Space Bugs and Issues page.

What is Digication?
Digication is the company that created the software which we call O-Space at Otis. The company is owned by people who are on faculty at RISD and it was created first for them.

What is https://ospacelogin.otis.edu?
This is the new login page for O-Space. The e-portfolios and the links within O-Space will still be accessed directly with http://ospace.otis.edu/

I am having trouble logging in. Why?
On August 17, 2009, we changed the login credentials from Xnumber & PIN to the Email Username and Password.

Enter your regular username and password, the same credentials as logging into Webmail or onto an ACS computer. For students, it is the Xnumber; for faculty and staff, it is the jdoe portion of jdoe@otis.edu. For more information, please refer to the Usernames and Passwords FAQ.

What is a Discussion?
In the new user interface, posts are now called discussions. Creating a discussion is the most widely used tool on O-Space. To "post" something on O-Space is to add information to the course. This can mean submitting a syllabus for the class to review, responding to a point someone else made in a discussion making class announcements etc... In many cases a post will be automatically emailed to everyone in the class unless the author specifies otherwise.

How do I Attach Files to Topics or Replies?
File Attachments can be a great way to share resources with students and peers. Some teachers may require students to submit assignments as file attachments.

File attachments that are less than 12 MB including text files, image files, small sound files, small movie files, animations, and presentations can be uploaded by students and faculty in Topics and Replies.

There are no constraints on the file types that can be submitted. However, some file types will display inline with the post, while others will display as a link to the file so that it can be downloaded to a user's computer for viewing. (.jpgs, and .gifs are displayed inline with text.)

To add a file attachment, click on the Attachment Tab when Submitting a Reply or creating a Topic. Click the Browse button to locate the file on your local computer. Select the file in the File Upload window, and click "Open".

When you have chosen a file from the File Upload dialog box, click the Upload Files button to add the file to your Topic or Reply.

Note: If you do not click the Upload Files button to add the file before saving your Topic or Reply, the attachment will not be saved.

When a file has been added to a Topic or Reply, the file name will be listed below your Message. You have the option to remove the file from your Topic or Reply by clicking the Delete button.

If you wish, you may also add a short note for each file, such as Acrobat Reader is Required to View PDFs.

When all files have been added to the Topic or Reply, click the Back to Content button to return to editing.


How do Attachments Display?
Certain attachments display in line with the Topic or Reply message. (Attachments will display inline if they are .jpgs, .gifs, or .pdfs- other formats will display as links only).

The name of the file displays as a link. Clicking on this link will open or download the file onto your local computer.

The Short Note, if entered, can give the user a little more information about the file.

How can I find someone in O-Space?
Every member of an O-Space course is provided with a profile which will display some general information about the user. To access user profiles click on the "People" link at the top of the page and select the desired user by clicking on his/her name.

To quickly see the profiles (and e-Portfolios) of the students within a class, click on the People tab.

Can I be notified via txt messaging?
O-Space uses your Otis email address only. You may add a mobile phone number for text messaging and an URL to a personal website.

How can I add a picture to my profile?
Every member of O-Space may upload a picture to their profile. It will appear in the directory and next to any posts/replies that you make. Even though the ID photos of students are automatically uploaded into O-Space, they can be changed by following the instructions below.

The picture must be a JPEG, 100 x 100 pxiels, and no bigger than 500 KB.

Log into O-Space. Click on your name in the top right corner (between Welcome and Logout). Scroll to the bottom of the page to the My School Profile section. Click on the Browse... button and choose the image. Finally, click on the Save button.
 

What's the deal about subscriptions?
Users can "subscribe" to topics in courses and communities as well as to e-Portfolios. Once a user has "subscribed", they will be automatically emailed every time new content is added to that topic, that topic is modified, or new replies to the topic are posted.

To Subscribe simply click on the Subscribe link.

To Unsubscribe click on the Unscribe link.

To manage all of your subscriptions, click on the Subscriptions link in the top menu.

How do I see my courses?
O-Space provides the user with the capability to be involved in more than one course at a time. Each course runs independently of the other ones with different users and customizable capabilities. To select a course click the "home" button at the top of the page and then select the desired course in the courses column by clicking on the course title.

Where's my course? I am scheduled to teach or be in it but it doesn't appear in My Courses.
Courses are automatically created from information from Registration and Records. At least one student must be registered for a course for its info to be sent to O-Space. It updates every night. Please be patient.

How do I create a new Course or Community?
Only teachers and administrators can creating a new Course or Community. To create a new Course or Community, click the "create new" button in the Home page after login. From the "Create New" page you will be asked to fill out a simple form with some relevant information pertaining to the Course or Community. Students who wish to create communities for clubs or other groups may do so with the assistance of their faculty advisor.

How do I view courses from previous terms?
Click on the Past Courses tab. The courses will display in alphabetical order by title. The same can be done for viewing old or expired communities.

How do I view my courses for the next term?
Future courses will appear in the Current Courses tab with a note.

I can’t attach files to a post. It keeps erroring out at 98% complete. This happens whether the file is 600KB or 11.1 MB. This problem may be related to Adobe Flash. Try upgrading the plug-in for your browser (see links above.) If that doesn’t work, click on the paperclip icon. It will take you through the old file process.