Students getting unexpected results accessing MyOTC, Canvas, and course materials (such as e-books, e-texts, and other third-party study aids) should follow these steps to try to resolve the issue.
Use Chrome or Firefox Web-Browsers
The preferred web-browsers that are tested as most compatible with MyOTC, Canvas, and our third-party book providers are Chrome and Firefox. Internet Explorer is no longer supported by Microsoft, and various issues have been encountered with Safari. Chromium Edge is relatively new and not yet included in preferred web browsers.
Disable Pop-Up Blockers
Any course material or e-book that opens in a new window will need pop-up blockers disabled to open in that new window.
Clear Cache & Cookies
Cookies and stale site-data can cause loading issues, wrongful redirects, and expired login tokens to be utilized loading a website that can cause issues accessing your materials or causing website graphics or other elements not to load correctly.
Clear Cache & Cookies in Chrome
Clear Cache & Cookies in Firefox
Make sure your Operating System is Up to Date
Pending updates and operating systems that are out of date can cause a wide variety of issues, such as with websites and networking. Please make sure your OS is up to date.
Canvas App
If you are using the Canvas App and having issues, make sure your default web browser on your device is set to Chrome or Firefox.
Set default web browser in iOS or Android
Alternately, Access the materials from Canvas via the website directly at https://otc.instructure.com or via the link in MyOTC.
Change Networks
To rule out an issue from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), try another network. If you are connected to wifi, disconnect and try it on your cellular data, or connect to a different wifi network. If you are at home connected to a network cable, power cycle your network equipment. Instructions on this vary widely depending on ISP and the network equipment provided, but generally entail removing your network equipment from power for 60 seconds then plugging them in one at a time in order from the wall to the PC/ mobile device. Also restart the PC/mobile device to refresh your connection.
Further Support Options
A vast array of causes can result in pages failing to load, unexpected redirects, or elements that fail. This can include viruses, malware, system corruption, and hardware failures. In situations where the above troubleshooting has failed, OTC offers the use of our Open Computer Labs for students to utilize for seated course homework or online classes. You can find our locations and hours here.
In addition, if you think there may be something wrong with your personal device, OTC provides a PC Repair Clinic. Information about this service can be found here.
If these options are not applicable to your situation and the resource you’re trying to access is provided by a third party, you can contact them directly for further support:
Canvas and Publisher Site Status and Support Page
You may also want to contact your instructor to let them know about your difficulties.
The Help Desk contact information is here.