Frequently Asked Questions

West Valley College uses ANGEL, a course management system, to deliver most eLearning courses. ANGEL provides a safe, pass-word protected, virtual environment for students and instructors.

The following are the most frequently asked questions about ANGEL and the technology and support you'll need in order to succeed in your class.

Click links below to show answers, or click here to Show All answers.

General Questions

What is ANGEL?

• ANGEL is our web-based classroom. If you have internet connection and a web browser you can access ANGEL from anywhere in the world. Instructors can easily distribute course content such as documents and syllabi and also use features such as discussion forums, assessments, and drop box.

How do I learn more about using the ANGEL learning management system?

• Bookmark this link to the ANGEL 7.4 Student Quickstart Guide

• Review the video tutorials about ANGEL in this website.

How do I login to ANGEL?

• Make sure that you're using the correct browser ( Firefox or Internet Explorer).

• Click on the WVC webpage and then click on the ANGEL link.

• Or, go directly to the ANGEL website at this URL: http :// wvmccd . angellearning .com/default.asp

• Bookmark the above ANGEL website in case the WVC website is not responding.

• Login to ANGEL by using your seven-digit college ID username, and your six-digit birthdate password.

• For example, your college ID could be 1234567, and if you were born June 5, 1990, your password would be 060590.

• Remember that your online profile in ANGEL is not active until the first official day of the class.

What is my ANGEL login and password?

• Your ANGEL login is your seven-digit college ID

• Your password is your six-digit birthdate

• For example, your college ID could be 1234567, and if you were born June 5, 1990, your password would be 060590.

• Remember that your online profile in ANGEL is not active until the first official day of the class.

How do I change my ANGEL password?

• In ANGEL, click on Preferences>Change Password

What do I do if I am having trouble taking an exam?

• If you are locked out of your test, contact your instructor immediately by e-mail or telephone. Most instructors have a policy about this in their course syllabus.

• Close all other browsers and tabs. Movies and music use bandwidth that may disrupt your ANGEL exam.

Why can't my instructor open my documents?

• It may be that you're not formatting the document as required. Please contact your instructor to find out what format he/she prefers.

Why can't I open my instructor's documents?

• It may be that you don't have the supporting software. Please ask your instructor what software formats they are using.

What is course mail?

• ANGEL has its own internal mail system which allows instructors and students to communicate without using external mail accounts. Unlike personal e-mail accounts, faculty and students can communicate without exchanging their e-mail addresses.

Is there a way I can forward my ANGEL mail to my personal e-mail?

• Click the Preferences button on the toolbar located on the left side of your screen.

• Click System Settings, and under Forwarding Address, enter the e-mail addresses where you want your mail to be forwarded.

• Under "Forwarding Mode" select the method you would like to use:

• "Do not forward my mail" will keep your messages in ANGEL and will not forward to your external account.

• "Forward my mail and mark as read" will mark your message as read in ANGEL but forward it to your external e-mail account.

• "Forward my mail and keep as new" will keep your message marked as new in ANGEL, and forward it to your external e-mail account.

• "Forward my mail and delete" will forward it to your external account and delete it from ANGEL.  We do not recommend this. 

I’m registered for the class; why can’t I access my ANGEL account?

• After the first day of the semester, ANGEL accounts are created automatically within 24-48 hours after registering. 

Why is a course I’m taking not listed on my Home Page?

• There are multiple reasons why a course may not appear on your profile.

• Disabled Courses

• ANGEL courses are disabled by default. A disabled course is visible to instructors, but not to students. Courses are enabled the day classes start.

• Some instructors choose not to use ANGEL.

• If a course does not appear on your ANGEL My Home Page, please check your Online Registration to verify you are enrolled in the course.

• If the Online Registration indicates that the course should be available to you but you do not see it, please contact Max Gault at max. gault @ westvalley . edu or Lisa Kaaz at lisa . kaaz @ westvalley . edu . Make sure that you include

• Your name

• Your college ID numbers

• The course department and number (e.g., MATH 001)

• The course section number as listed in the schedule of classes.

• Registration Issues

• To check your enrollment status, please log in to the WVC Portal. If one or more courses are missing, check with Admissions to make sure there is not a problem needing your attention.

• ANGEL does not synchronize with the Registrar’s database in real time; it may take up to 24-48 hours for registration changes to be reflected on your ANGEL My Home Page.

Still having problems logging on to ANGEL?

• If you are still having problems logging on to ANGEL for a West Valley College online course, please be aware that it is probably a problem with the seven digit number you are using as part of your username or the birthdate we have on record. Be sure to use only your student ID number that is generated by the computer at the college and is included with all of the paperwork you may have received from the college. Do not try to use your social security number or any other number you use for passwords elsewhere.

• If you absolutely can't find any paperwork with your student ID number on it or you never received any paperwork in the first place, please contact the college Admissions and Records office (408-741-2001) or the instructor of your course. Each online instructor has access to the student ID numbers for the individual students in their course.

  If the Online Registration indicates that the course should be available to you but you do not see it, please contact Max Gault at max. gault @ westvalley . edu or Lisa Kaaz at lisa . kaaz @ westvalley . edu . Make sure that you include

• Your name

• Your college ID numbers

• The course department and number (e.g., MATH 001)

• The course section number as listed in the schedule of classes.

 

Computer Questions

What are the minimum system requirements for ANGEL?

• For a PC

• Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems

• Microsoft Internet Explorer (Version 7 or higher) or MozillaFirefox (Version 7 or higher)

• Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or higher

• JavaScript and AJAX enabled

• Pop-Up blocking disabled

• An Internet Service Provider - e.g. MSN, AT&T, Pacbell, Comcast, etc.

• For a MacMacintosh OS 10.X

• Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 7 or higher) or MozillaFirefox (Version 7 or higher)

• At this time Safari or Chrome is not compatible with Angel LMS.

• Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or higher

• JavaScript and AJAX enabled (located in your browser)

• Pop-Up blocking disabled (located in your browser)

• An Internet Service Provider - e.g. MSN, AT&T, Pacbell , Comcast , etc.

My browser will not display the necessary pop-up windows even after I have disabled the pop-up blocker.

• Be sure to check any third party utility applications for pop-up blocking. For example, Norton Internet Security, ZoneAlarm firewalls, and others have pop-up blocking set by default.

How do I know if I meet the system requirements?

• System Check verifies if your system has all the plug-ins required to run ANGEL.

• If one of the plug-ins shows an "X" before it, please see the attached document .