University of Wisconsin - Stout

Checklist - Preparing for Your Online Class

Welcome to UW-Stout.  For this online course, you will be using Learn@UW-Stout, a course management tool.

___ Activate your university email account.

Point your browser to https://webmail.uwstout.edu and follow the login prompts. Reading your mail through the web is the preferred method, please note that your mail stays on the server. Frequently asked questions about using university e-mail.

If you need assistance resetting your email password, you may call the Ask5000 Help Desk at (715) 232-5000 or use https://password.uwstout.edu.


Set up spam protection in your UW-Stout E-mail account. Spam protection is an email filtering program that will reduce the amount of unwanted email that you receive. Review how the program works and how you can enable or disable it for your UW-Stout email account.

Frequently asked questions about using university email.

___ Check your system and Web browser.

Complete the system checkup on this website, https://uwstout.courses.wisconsin.edu/
by clicking on the link that says: Check your system.

Review the list of compatible/recommended browsers and software programs for Learn@UWStout at the Online Help Desk.

If you have any questions about these preferences, please call one of the numbers listed below and indicate that you are a UW-Stout student needing help with Learn@UW-Stout . Help is available 7 days a week.

___ Check the resolution of your computer screen to see if it is set at 1024x768 or higher.

If you are using an older computer and monitor, it may display things in a 'larger' format. This causes you to run out of room as you scroll left to right in Learn@UWStout. Try this: On your computer's desktop screen, right click Properties --> then click on Settings. Increase the screen resolution to 1024x768.

How can students purchase course software packages at a discount?

How important is anti-virus software?

___ Complete the online orientation to Learn@UWStout.

STEP 1: Watch the animated tutorial. This will provide a brief overview of Learn@UW-Stout. 

STEP 2: After watching the tutorial, find and browse your course Web site.

  1. Open your Web browser and go to the UW-Stout home page: http://www.uwstout.edu
  2. From the UW-Stout home page, click on the “ Learn@UW-Stout ” link (the second Quick Link under the picture).
  3. On the next screen, click on the Log in to Learn@UW-Stout.
    For additional assistance view the Login Tutorial
  4. This will bring up the course welcome screen. Enter your Username and Password.

    Your Username is your UW-Stout username (the same username as your campus email), without the “@uwstout.edu” part.

    Do not hit Enter after you have typed in your username. Either use the Tab key on your keyboard, or use the mouse to click in the box next to enter your Password. Your Password is your UW-Stout email password.

    If you have problems with your login (e.g., you forgot your username or password), you may do one of the following:

  5. After you have typed in your password, then click on Login.
  6. You should then see the My Home screen. In the middle of the screen, a list of My Stout Courses appears.

    Click on the + sign in front of the semester listed (for example, 2009 Summer), under "My Stout Courses." Your course title is underlined in blue. That is a hot link; click on it and you will enter the first page of your course.

If you have any difficulty getting on the course web site, please close down your Web browser completely and open it up again, then try logging on again using the instructions above.

View the classlist.

  • Click on classlist (located near the upper right-hand corner)
  • Click on ‘students' (middle tab between ‘staff' and ‘all')
  • Check to see that you are listed as a student.

NOTE: Your instructor will email you when your course website is available, and you can complete the remainder of the orientation activities.

STEP 3: The Discussion Board is an asynchronous tool which enables you to communicate from anywhere, any place at any time. You may read, respond and review postings at your convenience. Discussion Board Forums limit access to students enrolled in the online course.

The D2L Handouts and Tutorial page explains the difference between forums and topics, and includes animated tutorials for how to read a discussion posting, how to submit a discussion posting, how to reply to a discussion posting, how to add an attachment to a discussion posting, and how to print a discussion posting

You have successfully completed the orientation!

___ Review answers to your technical questions.

Learning Technology Services provides a number of resources for students.

___ Check your virus protection.

This is a very basic precaution participants should take for your own systems and to help protect other members of the class.

Make sure virus detection software is operating on ALL of the computers you use during this class. If you do not have current virus software on your systems, you owe it to yourself and your classmates to act now. Anti-virus software is available for a free trial period from most of the major companies in the field. Please make sure you have installed anti-virus software on the computer or computers that you intend to use this semester.