Our Virtual Campus Web courses get a lot of positive feedback, but one common complaint is that it's difficult to manage multiple open windows when working through course exercises. There can be a lot of switching back and forth between the Web browser window that contains the exercise instructions and the ESRI software windows used to perform the exercise steps.

For example, sometimes both ArcMap and ArcCatalog are used in the same exercise, which means there are at least three open windows including the browser. If you have other applications open as well (e-mail, etc.), the switching back and forth can make it easy to lose your place in the instructions and forget which window you're supposed to be working in. As one student put it:

No doubt about it, switching between windows can be inconvenient. But exercises, which provide hands-on practice with ESRI software, are the meat of a Web course training experience. A vast majority of users tell us that they prefer to learn by doing—that is, they learn better by applying the tools themselves as opposed to just reading about how to perform a particular set of GIS tasks. Makes sense.

So here are some tips that may help you minimize some of the window confusion when working through a Web course exercise.

Print the Exercise 

This may seem counterintuitive since we're talking about a Web course, but printing out the exercise means you don't have to worry about scrolling and finding your place in an open browser window to follow the instructions. A print button is located at the top of every Virtual Campus course exercise. Be aware, however, that the exercise result graphics (which display in popup windows) do not print automatically with the instructions. You may still want to have the browser open (but minimized) so you can check result graphics as needed.

Side-By-Side Windows

If you prefer to have your browser window open and follow the exercise instructions online, it helps to narrow the browser window as much as possible so you have room on your screen to position it beside the open ArcGIS window. Collapse the course table of contents to maximize the window real estate for the exercise instructions before narrowing the browser window.

To collapse the table of contents, click the orange arrow between the table of contents and the exercise instructions. You can also drag the orange arrow to narrow the table of contents pane. After collapsing or narrowing the table of contents, you can expand it by clicking or dragging the orange arrow again.

Use Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Of course, you can use the taskbar at the bottom of your screen to click and switch between active windows, but the keyboard shortcuts below are useful navigation aids. 

• Alt+Tab displays icons for all your open windows. While holding down the Alt key, press Tab until the desired window is selected, then release the Alt key. The item you selected is the active window. 
• Shift+F11 maximizes the active window (makes it full screen). Press Shift+F11 again to return the window to its previous size.
• Ctrl+Esc displays your Start menu. Use the arrow keys to navigate around the Start menu. After selecting a program, press Enter to start it. You can also add programs that you use frequently to the top of your Start menu (Click Start > All Programs. Drag the desired program to the top of the Start menu.)
• Learn about other Microsoft Windows keyboard shortcuts
• Note: The linked article was written for Windows XP but is also applicable to Vista.

We are trying to design a solution to the multi-window Web exercise issue (as we call it). The Getting Started with GIS course includes a couple of software simulations that allow you to practice with ArcGIS software without actually opening it yourself. This is a solution we want to continue to explore and improve.

If you have a technique for dealing with the multi-window Web exercise issue, share your solution by leaving a comment below.