About this site

About the Interactive Learning Program
The online learning program is designed to be engaging, flexible, and easy to navigate. When questions or exercises are presented, the correct answer is only a mouse click away.

Although the information builds from one section to another, you can start with any section. And because every screen in the program includes the navigation bar on the left side, you can jump to another section at any time.

Also, the organization of individual sections allows you to decide how much of the information you want to review, based on your level of interest. Some of the screens provide opportunities to dig deeper into a topic before continuing. Some additional content is presented in pop-up windows, which are accessed by clicking on icons (see the icon symbols at the top right of this page). The icons are designed to let you know what type of information will be presented. Also, clicking on the More on This Topic button takes you to a screen that provides more technical information.

An estimate of the time it will take you to review the program is on the first screen of each section. This estimate does not include the time you will need to navigate through the More on This Topic screens.

Technical Requirements
For best results, access this online learning program with hardware and software that meets the following minimum technical requirements:

Technical Troubleshooting

Web site pages won’t load properly
Minimum technical requirements for using this Web site call for a personal computer with at least a 200-MHz processor and 32 Mb of installed RAM (such as a Pentium-class computer). Another technical requirement is that you have what is now considered a standard modem (56kps) or faster connection to the Internet. If your home computer does not meet these technical requirements, your local library may have publically available computer equipment that does.

Also, interactions in this learning program require that you access the Web site with a version 4 or higher Web browser (such as Netscape 4.08 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0. Note also that some interactions will not operate as intended when accessing the site with Netscape 6.0).

There are so many navigation buttons–where do I click?
There are essentially two navigation schemes on this Web site. The buttons on the left-hand side of the screen are for navigating your way around the main pages of this site and the sequence of screens in the online learning program.

Note that in the learning program, the left-hand navigation is specific to the different sections of the program, and navigation for the main pages of the site appears in the upper right (below the Web site’s header). This navigation element is bound by two gray arrows for moving to the next or previous screen. Navigation for moving to the next or previous screen also is provided at the bottom of each screen of the online learning program.

The four buttons at the very top right of each page are not for navigating this specific Web site. Because this Web site was developed and is maintained by ATSDR, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), links in the top portion of the site’s header (also called a banner) are related to ATSDR’s main Web site. For example, the Home link in the header takes you to the ATSDR Home page. Both of the logos in the header are also links, to ATSDR and HHS. Additionally, a variety of ATSDR-related links are included in the footer of each page.

Exercises that involve dragging text across the screen won’t work
Interactions in this learning program require that you access the Web site with a version 4 or higher Web browser (such as Netscape 4.08 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0). Also, drag-and-drop activities included on some screens will not operate as anticipated using Netscape 6.0. As an alternative to using the onscreen interactions to access information, text-only versions of individual screens are available throughout the learning program from links at the bottom of the page.

Pop-up windows won’t launch when I click on an icon
A new pop-up window won’t launch if one is already open. Therefore, you must always close a pop-up window after you have finished reading or reviewing its contents. You can close a pop-up window either by clicking on the Close Window button at the bottom of the window or by clicking on the X in the upper-righthand corner of the window. If using Windows, be sure to check your taskbar for pop-up windows that are still open but have been minimized.

Page won’t print
If you are having difficulty printing a page from the online learning program using your browser’s print function, print from the print-friendly version of the page. A link to a print-friendly version is located at the bottom of each page. If you are using a Netscape browser, text on some screens cannot be printed except from the print-friendly version of the page.

Files marked PDF won’t open
If you click on an icon with a notation for a PDF, a portable document format file should automatically open. (The PDF notation also specifies the size of the file.) To open a PDF file, you need to have the free Adobe PDF reader installed on your computer. If you do not have this free software, you can download if from the Adobe site provided below. Also, even if you have the reader installed, you may want to update it with the current version: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Hyperlinked text jumps me to another page–how do I get back?
Some screens in the learning program include links to other sections of the program. If you click on one of these links, you can return to the page you started from using the Back button in your browser toolbar.

Some links on this Web site will take you to an entirely different site that is not part of this program. If clicking on a link will take you to a location beyond the domain of this Web site and ATSDR, the link is flagged with an “Exit” icon. Again, you can return to the originating page using the browser Back button.

Accessibility for People with Disabilities
ATSDR has made a good faith effort to make all of the information in this interactive online learning program accessible to site visitors who use screen readers and nongraphical browsers. This effort was guided by the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by 29 U.S.C. §§794(d). This learning program complies with the spirit of the regulation’s mandate that information provided by federal agencies on Web sites (and through other types of electronic and information technology) be accessible to people with disabilities.

People who use screen readers and nongraphical browsers will find all information in the interactive learning program available in a text-only format that does not require interaction to access the material. Alternative pages have been created to provide the information from the interactive program in a format that can be read by screen readers. These alternative pages may still mention computer mouse actions for accessing additional information, but the pages are complete without the need to interact with objects on screen. It is hoped that the language regarding mouse actions will convey some sense of the learning program as an interactive experience.

A Note to Public Health Professionals
This online learning program only provides an overview of the process for conducting a public health assessment. Although the program was originally developed to provide an overview of the process for community members, it has been updated to reflect the new 2005 public health assessment guidance, and covers considerable detail about the steps involved. Public health professionals can maximaze their learning by checking out all of the links, icons, and exercises offered.

ATSDR encourages this use of the online learning program. Nonetheless, public health professionals should be aware that this program is not intended to serve as a substitute for more intensive training or to replace ATSDR’s Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual.