Using the Science Web Site This help page provides information regarding the organization of our Science web site and how to navigate it. You will also find a brief review of web browsers as well as tips on making the time you spend online more productive and trouble-free.
The Science Site Organization
As you see from the buttons to the left this site is organized so that you can find information about the people who work and teach in Science, the various departments in the Science Division, the courses that are offered, programs to which those courses can be applied, and degrees offered by GRCC which require Science courses.
You will find that there is more than one route to the same information, with many cross-links provided. We encourage you to explore as you desire, for there is no one right way to use this site.
Navigating the Science Web Site
Navigation Sidebar
On each screen you will find a navigation sidebar running down the left side, which you see to the left and above this paragraph. It consists of five buttons (graphics), one for each of the main topics in the site. They are also the links (See the information on links below.) to other pages.
When you move to one of these pages the graphic in the sidebar will be dimmed, indicating that it is no longer active as a link. The original graphic should now appear at the very top of the page.
Bottom Navigation Bar
The navigation sidebar allows you to move directly to any other topic on the site simply by clicking on the button, without having to return to the home page. However, when you move down a long page, the sidebar will sometimes scroll off the top. For that reason we have included another navigation bar at the bottom (See the bottom of this page.) which contains the same main topics of the sidebar. Clicking on a topic will take you directly to that page, just as is the case with the sidebar.
Other Links.
Below the bottom navigation bar you will find a line with a link to the Science Home Page so that you can always return there should you wish. You will also find a link there to Green River's Home Page.
Using Your Web Browser
Your web browser contains a number of features which will help you to navigate our W/WW site and ease your work. What follows is a brief description of items which you are more likely to use. The descriptions are based on Netscape Navigator; Microsoft's Explorer has very parallel features.
Buttons
Browser buttons make it easy to complete tasks without having to use commands in the menus. The ones you will want to be familiar with are:
Back.
Clicking on the "Back" button, pictured to the left, will return you to the last web page you were viewing, or to the last section of the current page if you linked to your current location. The button can be used more than once to retrace your path through several pages.
Forward.
Once you have retraced a step using the "Back" button you can move forward to a previously viewed page using this button. You may find this button is unavailable (See Dimmed Buttons below.) when you reach the last page you viewed while moving forward along your path.
Reload.
If you have experienced difficulty getting a page to load correctly, for example a graphic may be missing, you can use this button to retry.
Print.
This button will do just as it says, which is to print a copy of the page you are viewing. This will include all parts of the page, including those which are above or below the screen viewing area.
Stop.
Should you start to access a link, and then decide you don't wish to, you can use this button to stop the search. This is particularly useful if your computer seems to be hanging, that is, not bringing up the web page you had tried to access.
Dimmed Buttons.
Just as menu commands may be dimmed when they are unavailable or inappropriate, browser buttons may be dimmed. For example, when you have reached the
end of your forward progress through several web pages the "Forward" button will be dimmed. Two examples of dimmed buttons appear to the left.
Browser Icon
To the right of all these browser buttons there is a browser icon, near the right side of the window. This is how it normally appears in Netscape.
When you access a new web page the browser icon is animated to show that your browser is looking for, and uploading, the desired page. In Netscape there are comets flying across the icon, as you see to the left.
What Page Are You On?
If you are uncertain about which page you are on there are two quick ways for you to determine that.
At the very top of your browser window is the title bar. (A sample is pictured above.) We have named each page on our web site so that you will see that name right at the top, and can decide if that is the page where you want to be.
Just below the row of browser buttons, described in the previous section, you will find the location field (sample above) which contains the Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the page you are viewing. This will give you the complete pathname for that page, and can likewise help you decide if you are where you want to be.
Of course, don't overlook the obvious! Perhaps the best way to determine where you are is to scroll up and review the title for the page you are on.
Bookmarks
Browsers generally display these links in the text with underlines and different colors depending on whether the link has been used or not. While generally new links are displayed in blue, and followed links in a shade of purple, we have set the colors to blue and rust-brown respectively. However, your browser may display them differently, particularly if your preferences are set differently. Graphics can also be used as links, although that may not be obvious from the display. While at other web sites you can experiment to see if a graphic is a link.
In the "Bookmarks" menu you will find the "Add Bookmark" command. This will add the name of the page you are viewing to the Bookmarks menu. From that time on you can always return to that web page simply by choosing it from the Bookmarks menu. This will be particularly helpful when you are working on a class, need to stop working for a while, and want to be able to return to the same page when you continue.
