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Additional Resources

For more information, please see:

Getting Started

Take a Tour

Training

Online help is also available from within your MyMathLab course.

Instructor Support

Many of the most common questions are described below. If you don't find what you're looking for, our Math Media Educator Support Team is ready to help.

Are you an instructor using MyMathLab?

Please take a 5-minute online survey to give us your feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips on using the installation wizard

Your computer needs to be properly configured to run your MyMathLab course.

Where do I find the Installation Wizard?

It's best to access the Installation Wizard from inside your MyMathLab course. When you log into your course, you should see a link to the Installation Wizard on the Announcements page.

For convenience, you can also run the Installation Wizard from this Support site.

  1. Go the installation wizard
  2. Select the textbook for your course from the drop-down menu
  3. Click Submit

Note: Before running the installation wizard, you should review the information below. You must have administrator rights to install software on your computer. You will also need to confirm pop-up blocker and cookie settings. If you are unfamiliar with these topics, the information below will give you guidance.

Changing your QuickTime settings if videos won’t play

If you are having trouble playing the videos in your MyMathLab course, you may need to adjust your QuickTime settings. Click the links below for instructions:

Administrator Rights

Administrator rights allow you to install software on a computer. Before running the Installation Wizard to install plug-ins and players on your personal computer, make sure you have full administrator rights on your machine. If you are on a lab computer or a computer at your institution or place of business, you probably do not have full administrator rights, and you will not be able to install players and plug-ins from the Installation Wizard. In this case, you need to contact your lab administrator, network administrator, or the owner of the computer so that person can run the Installation Wizard for you.

On Windows 2000 and XP systems, you can check to see whether you have administrator rights by right-clicking on the "Start" button. If you see the text "Explore All Users", you have administrator rights. If you do not see this text, you do not have administrator rights. (If you try to run the Installation Wizard without having administrator rights, you will probably see a message saying that you are missing a key component, but when you click the link to install the component, nothing will happen.) Contact your lab administrator, network administrator, or the owner of the computer for assistance.

Enabling ActiveX for your browser

The Installation Wizard for most MyMathLab courses requires you to download the MathXL Player, which uses an "ActiveX control" to display homework, tests, and practice exercises. If your Internet Options are set to block ActiveX, you will not be able to install the MathXL Player. In this case, you should see a warning message alerting you that you have ActiveX disabled. For Windows XP Service Pack 2 users, a message like this appears along top of the Installation Wizard screen:

For Windows XP and Windows 2000 XP1 users, a message like this appears:

In either case, follow these instructions to enable the ActiveX control so you can install the MathXL Player:

  1. From the Internet Explorer Tools menu, select Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click the Internet icon on this tab; then click the Default Level button.
  4. Under "Security Settings for this zone", adjust the slider to Medium.
  5. Click OK to save your settings and close the window.

Now you can return to the Installation Wizard and proceed with installing the MathXL Player.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Tips for Windows XP Service Pack 2 users

Windows XP SP2 users: When you go to the Installation Wizard to install the required players, you will see a yellow/beige information bar located just below the title bar that looks like this:

You need to click this information bar and accept the installation of the required player (or assistant or plug-in) each time you install a new item from the Installation Wizard. If you do not do this, the required players for your course will not be installed.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Managing pop-up blockers

Pop-up blockers or anti-adware programs may interfere with installing plug-ins and players and accessing parts of your course. You should configure these programs to allow pop-ups from mathxl.com and coursecompass.com before running the Installation Wizard or trying to use any part of your course.

Commonly used pop-up blockers:

  • Internet Explorer 6 includes a pop-up blocker with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.
  • MSN offers the MSN Toolbar, which includes a pop-up blocker.
  • AOL offers a pop-up blocker in its browser. Note that to access MyMathLab using AOL as your Internet service provider, you must minimize the AOL browser and then launch Internet Explorer separately.
  • Netscape 7.1 offers a pop-up blocker feature that can be turned off by selecting Preferences from the Edit menu and then selecting Popup Windows under Privacy and Security.
  • EarthLink offers a pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer.
  • Google offers a toolbar with a feature to block pop-up windows.
  • Yahoo offers a toolbar with features to block pop-up windows.

How to allow pop-ups from specific locations:

With most popular pop-up blockers, you can allow pop-ups from specific locations. This setting is generally found in the Settings, Preferences, or Options portion of your pop-up blocker. For specific instructions, please refer to the online help for your pop-up blocker.

Tips for managing pop-up blockers:

  • Most popular pop-up blockers produce an audio alert when they block a pop-up window. If you have speakers installed, raise your volume so you can hear whether a pop-up blocker is being used.
  • Many pop-up blockers let you use the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard to allow an individual pop-up window. If you are unsure how to configure your pop-up blocker, hold down the "Ctrl" key when clicking the "Install" or "Detect" buttons on the Installation Wizard.
  • It is common to have multiple pop-up blockers installed, so you will need to configure each pop-up blocker. For example, you may have Internet Explorer 6.0 (with Service Pack 2), the Google Toolbar, and Norton Internet Security. Each has its own, independent pop-up blocker.

How to disable pop-up blockers:

If configuring your pop-up software doesn't resolve the problem, we recommend temporarily disabling your pop-up blockers. You can temporarily disable many pop-up blockers by clicking the program's icon in either the Windows System Tray or in the browser itself. You can re-enable the software later if you wish.

In extreme cases, you may need to uninstall the pop-up blocker completely. You can remove most pop-up blockers using the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool, as follows:

  • From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel, and then Add or Remove Programs.
  • Look for the name of the program installed (for example, AdFilter).
  • Select the program name and click Remove.
  • Follow any on-screen instructions, and then close the Control Panel.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

Configuring your browser's cookie settings

Cookies must be allowed from mathxl.com in order to log in and use your course. To enable cookies for Internet Explorer, follow these directions:

  1. For Internet Explorer, select Internet Options from the Tools menu.
  2. Click the Privacy tab.
  3. Click the Default Level button.
  4. Set the privacy level slider to Medium High.
  5. Click OK to save your settings.

If you still need help, contact Product Support. (Contact information is at the top of this page)

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How do I create a new course in MyMathLab?

See the Getting Started section for instructions.

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How do I give students access to my course? Where can I find my course ID?

When you are ready to give your students access to your course:

  1. Log into CourseCompass.
  2. Next to your course title, click the Adopt button. Any changes you made to your course in Preview mode will be preserved.
  3. Distribute the Course ID to your students, which they will need to enroll in your MyMathLab course. You can always find your Course ID by logging into CourseCompass and clicking the Courses tab. Your Course ID is also emailed to you when you create your course.
  4. Make sure each student can purchase a MyMathLab Student Access Kit with his or her textbook. Students can also purchase access directly online using a credit card.

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How do I Create My Own Exercises Using the MathXL Exercise Builder?

The best way for you to begin learning about the features available in the MathXL Exercise Builder is to log into CourseCompass, access your MyMathLab course, and click the Control Panel button from the left navigation bar. From the MyMathLab area of the Control Panel, click the Instructor Help link. Then click the Online Instructor Help link to open the Help system. The Help system provides detailed information about how to use this new feature.

If you need additional guidance, you can sign up for a training session with our MathXL/MyMathLab trainers.

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