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UEL Plus - Frequently Asked Questions

  1. I cannot access UEL Direct
  2. I can access UEL Direct, but not UEL Plus
  3. I don’t have access to the right UEL Plus modules
  4. I expect there to be documents/material on a UEL Plus site, but its not there
  5. There is a blank space at the top of my course list, where some of my modules should be
  6. When I click on Discussions, Quizzes or Email, nothing happens
  7. Opening Audio/Video Content
  8. I cannot download a document to save it to my computer/Memory Stick
  9. How do I upload/re-upload my assignment to Turnitin?


I cannot access UEL Direct

There are a number of different systems you have access to and it is important to understand where the access issue lies. There can be some confusion between UEL Direct and UEL Plus. UEL Direct is the university portal which links to UEL Plus, the universities Virtual Learning Environment.

You can log into UEL Direct by navigating to www.uel.ac.uk and selecting ‘UEL Direct’ from the top left of the screen and logging in using your Network ID. The network ID is your student number, preceded by a ‘u’ and your password (if you’ve not changed it) will be your date of birth e.g.

  • Username: u0899999
  • Password: 28-sep-87

UEL Direct Question Resolution

Contact IT Helpdesk

If you are unable to access UEL Direct, you need to contact the IT Helpdesk and explain the access issue. You will be asked to quote your student number.

IT Helpdesk Contact Details

The IT Helpdesk can be contacted in person, via email or on the telephone.

Opening Times:

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I can access UEL Direct, but not UEL Plus

UEL Plus is accessed from the ‘Learning Systems’ widget in UEL Direct.


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If the widget does not appear on your UEL Direct page, you can apply the widget using the “Customise your homepage” link at the bottom of your UEL Direct page.



This shows the list of items you can add to, or remove from your UEL Direct page.  Select the ‘Learning Systems’ widget by clicking on the relevant tick-box, and then click ‘Save’, on the right-hand side.

uelplus_homepage_full.jpg

UEL Plus should open in a new window, retaining the UEL Direct screen in the background.

Stage 1: Recently registered students should wait 24 hrs

If you have recently registered with the university, you may have not yet been enrolled onto UEL Plus. Whilst Network ID is immediate, UEL Plus IDs are created twice a day. Wait for 24 hrs and check whether access is available.

Stage 2: Contact IT Helpdesk

If after 24 hrs, or you are not a recent registrant, contact the IT Helpdesk. You will be asked to quote your student number and detail your access issue.

The IT Helpdesk can be contacted in person, via email or on the telephone.

Opening Times:

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I dont have access to the right UEL Plus modules

The ‘Course List’ within UEL Plus should display all of the modules that the student is registered for.

The module is usually displayed with the module code and year of study.

highlight_course_list.jpg

Please note, there are some programmes which do not use individual module sites. If there is not a module site, there may be a programme site available.

UEL Plus module question resolution

If you are unable to access a specific module, there is likely to be an enrolment issue on the Student Records System (DELTA). You should contact your School Student counter or helpdesk.

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I expect there to be documents/material on a UEL Plus site, but its not there

You may have been informed that certain documents or resources are available on UEL Plus, but you cannot locate the information.

If all students cannot locate the material, it is likely the lecturer has not uploaded the content or has hidden it from student view. If only you are having access issues, it is likely to be an issue with the internet browser you are using.

Specific Course Materials Resolution

Stage 1: Check whether other students can access the Materials

To ensure you are navigating to the correct location, check with others on your module as to whether they can access the document. If only you are having access issues, you can:

  • Move to a different computer and re-attempt to locate the information
  • Attempt to access the information from another browser. Further details on compatible browsers are available from www.uel.ac.uk/uelplus/technical.
  • Contact the IT helpdesk explaining the access issue.

IT Helpdesk Contact Details

The IT Helpdesk can be contacted in person, via email or on the telephone.

Opening Times:

Stage 2: Check with module leader

If no students on a module can access the document, check with the module leader to ensure the content is available and visible to the students.

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There is a blank space at the top of my course list, where some of my modules should be.

In UEL Plus, the browser occasionally will display blank spaces at the top of the Course List in the My UEL Plus Screen. In order to rectify this, the Browser screen needs to be maximised and the content refreshed.

blank_course_list.jpg

Blank Space Question Resolution

This is caused by a problem with some versions of Internet Explorer. To get around the problem, it is necessary to maximise the Internet Explorer window and force the browser to reload the page from the server, bypassing the web cache:

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When I click on Discussions, Quizzes or Email, nothing happens

UEL Plus can be used to enable you to communicate and collaborate with others via discussion areas and module mail. Quizzes and Self Assessment tests can also be made available to students via UEL Plus.

You can experience problems with accessing these resources. This is usually because a Pop-up blocker is enabled for the UEL domain.

Discussions/Mail Access Resolution

Enable Pop-Ups

The most likely reason for being unable to access discussion areas, module mail or quizzes is that Pop-ups have been blocked on the students browser. In order for UEL Plus to work effectively, Pop-Ups need to be allowed for the UEL Web domain. Details on enabling pop-ups are available below:

The guidance linked below will be ensure pop-ups always show in UEL Plus.

Enabling Pop-ups on Internet Explorer / Mozilla Firefox & Safari

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Opening Audio/Video Content

Data files that are created by commercial software often need that same software, or a compatible piece of software that is often called a called a viewer, to access the file. Usually, the viewer is available for download from the website of the software vendor.

Please note, there are a number of plug-in viewers installed onto the university computers. If you are being asked to access content which is not supported on the University network, inform the Module Leader and request information in another form.

Audio/ Video Question Resolution]

Many types of media file require a player, either stand-alone or as a "plug-in" in a computers web browser.

If the student is accessing information from home, the below contains links to common software viewing tools.

  1. Office Online: Downloads (for Office viewers) by Microsoft
  2. Adobe Reader for viewing PDF files; by Adobe
  3. Flash Player by Adobe
  4. Quicktime Player by Apple
  5. Real Player by Real Networks
  6. Windows Media Player by Microsoft

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I cannot download a document to save it to my computer/Memory Stick.

Tutors upload information in a variety of formats to UEL Plus (e.g. Word Documents, PowerPoint’s, PDFs etc). Each of these can be saved locally, but in slightly different ways, guidance is provided as to how to download and save resources in the following file formats:

Downloading Files / Resources Resolution

When you click on a link to a file, how it opens will vary depending on what format the file is in, your Internet browser and the settings on your computer. For example, a Word document (files ending in .doc) may open differently from a file saved in HTML format (i.e. .htm).

Information on how to open and print the following file formats using an Internet Explorer version 6 browser are provided on the UEL Plus guidance pages:

Student guide to printing from UEL Plus

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How do I upload/re-upload my assignment to Turnitin?

Turnitin is a plagiarism tool available to all students to submit your work (prior to submitting work officially to the university) to enable you to check whether your work is similar to other pieces of work / internet sources.

The majority of students are required to submit their work to Turnitin, and the Turnitin link will be provided for students, by the Module Leader, into a UEL Plus module site.

Submitting work to Turnitin

Stage 1: Is the Turnitin Link present

If you cannot find the Turnitin link with a module site, you should check with other students as to its location, then check with the Module Leader that the Turnitin link has been created and made available.

Stage 2: Submitting work to Turnitin

You submit your work via individual links within module sites. Documentation on submitting work to Turnitin is available from the links below:

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Navigation menus:

Site-wide menu

Information for screenreader users:

For a general description of these pages and an explanation of how they should work with screenreading equipment please follow this link: Link to general description

For further information on this web site’s accessibility features please follow this link: Link to accessibility information