Technical Support

Canvas

• A Pentium-class or Mac computer with at least 1 GB RAM
• Broadband (DSL, Cable, FIOS) is highly recommended
• An Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• Your PGCC student email address
• The recommended browser is Firefox.
• Word processing software (Microsoft Word is the College standard)
• Multimedia is required in some courses
• Click here for supported browser information.
• Click here for a quick browser check.

Canvas app for Students

The Canvas app is designed especially for students to view content and participate in courses. The app is available on iOS and Android mobile devices. Click here for more details.

Zoom in Canvas

Zoom will be used as the virtual classroom in Canvas. You will see a course menu link in your course that says ‘Virtual Classroom.’ Click on ‘Virtual Classroom’ and you will see a Recording Release and a link to Zoom meetings. Click on the Zoom meeting link and you will see all course meetings your instructor has scheduled. At the scheduled meeting time, click the ‘Join’ button to attend the meeting. Any meetings that your instructor has recorded will be available in the Panopto Video course link.

For Technical Support click the question mark in Canvas and make sure to scroll down to see phone, chat and email options.

Canvas is a secure website. Unsecure content such as videos, images, and other media pulled from an unsecure website will not be displayed when using Firefox or Chrome without the user 'allowing' it to be displayed. 

BROWSER RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that either Firefox or Chrome is used with Canvas. There may be times where something does not work in one browser, but may work in the other. Because of this inconsistency, eLearning does not recommend one of these browsers over the other.

Note: Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge have inconsistent issues with Canvas and are not recommended browsers. We strongly advise against using these browsers unless you cannot get something to work in either Firefox or Chrome.

To login to your Canvas course, please follow these steps:

• Go to the Prince George's Community College (PGCC) portal myPGCC https://my.pgcc.edu 
• Login using their Owl Link username and password
• Click the Canvas icon to log in to Canvas 
• Click on the dashboard in the left-side menu and the name of your course to access your online course.
• Howard Community College (HCC) students will receive an email with login instructions. Your instructor will also be able to give you login information. Please check your HCC student email account.

Canvas Email

The student email address in Canvas is the Owl Mail for students email address (YourOwlLinkUsername@students.pgcc.edu). All email sent from within Canvas will be delivered to your Owl Mail for students email address. 

Trouble logging in?

Before calling for help, consider the following:

• Are you using your Owl Link username and password? You must use your Owl Link Username and password to login to Canvas. 
• Can you login to Owl Link? If you can’t log in to Owl Link, contact the Technology Service Desk at ServiceDesk@pgcc.edu or 301-546-0637.

Can you login to Owl Link but not Canvas?

• Did you register today? It can take up to eight hours from the time you register for you to be able to login to Canvas.
• When does your class begin? Students can access their courses four days (fall/summer) or five days (spring) prior to the start date. Click here to view the online course schedule and check the start date of your course.
• Are you registered for a credit course? Most noncredit courses use a different system. Click here for the noncredit information.
• Have you received an NA grade for non-participation? Check your grades in Owl Link. If you have received an NA grade, contact your instructor.

If none of these applies to your situation, contact eLearning Services.

Students can take ed2go courses from either a Mac or PC. If a course is not Mac (iOS) compatible, it will be stated on the course's Requirements tab under the course details.

Requirements:

• Internet access
• Email
• Any web browser like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome
• Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader - These free plug-ins can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/downloads toward the bottom of the page.

Browser Plugins and Downloads

Adobe Reader 

File type: .pdf
You will need this application to read Portable Document Format (PDF) files created by Adobe Acrobat.

• Windows
• Macintosh

Microsoft Office Download Center

Add-ins and Services Pack downloads for Microsoft Office Products

• Windows
• Macintosh

If your browser is slow or having problems loading pages, you may need to clear the cache for it to function more efficiently. 

How to clear cache and cookies.

Successfully complete online assessments.

Assessments are usually configured to allow each student one attempt. When a link is clicked to take an assessment the next screen will prompt "Click Ok to begin ... Click Cancel to return." If you are not ready to take the assessment then click on Cancel. If you click on Ok, the assessment will begin and must be completed in this session. You will not be able to stop or ancel at this point.

Do your work offline and save often.

Internet service can be disrupted without warning. Do your work offline when possible and save your files to your computer or a flash drive frequently to avoid frustration, lost time, and missing deadlines.

Double check submitted assignments.

Once you have completed, saved, and submitted an assignment, check that it has been noted as received in Canvas. Internet service, closing your computer quickly, etc. can interrupt the file being sent and received. Instructors cannot grade work they've never received. How to be successful in an online course.

How to be successful in an online course.

Have questions on how much time or work is required for an online course? Click here to find what you should expect to be successful in an online course.