Frequently Asked Questions

This list, while not exhaustive, covers 90% of the questions I receive each semester


  • I do not have a username or password. What should I do?

    • For a username and password, please contact me at my school email account. Usually, I will usually reply to your request within 24 hours. However, sometimes there may be a delay in issuing this information as I need to confirm which course you are enrolled in with the Registrar if you do not appear on my most recent class list.

  • My e-mails keep getting bounced back or they seem to not be getting through to you. How can I contact you?

    • The most common reason students are unable to reach me is that they misspell my name. It is cheesman, not cheeseman or chessman, or in one horrific student-inspired example chesseman. If you repeatedly try to contact me at my school email address that you found on the syllabus on our school website, then you may contact me at: 978 912 7415. When you do so, if you have to leave a message, please speak slowly and clearly, spelling your full name and email address. If you do not hear back from me within 24 hours, please call again, although I am usually very good about getting back with people promptly.

  • I am having trouble accessing my course even though I have been issued a username and password? What's wrong?

    • Each student username and password has been tested on Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. On Windows, I have tested random accounts on Vista as well as Windows 7. I would recommend that you make sure you use the latest version of whatever web browser you prefer and make sure your Windows undates are all current. All this is to say that if you can't login, the problem is almost certainly on your end. As professionals, I expect you to be able to work out most problems on your own.

    If you are having trouble logging into your class webpage after being assigned a username and password, please remember that they are case sensitive. On some browser editions, you may need to retype your password.

    It is possible you have some browser corruption. If your are using Internet Explorer, you may have to flush the browser cache (Temporary Internet Files). In Internet Explorer, go to Tools, then Internet Options and then Delete Browser History. You may also want to set your cache to a standard size like 8 to 64 Megabytes -- small cache for broadband and big cache for dial-up.

    For really serious cases of browser corruption, you may need to delete the file: Documents and Settings/<username>/Local Settings/Temporary Internet Files/Content.IE5/index.dat as this file can get bloated and corrupt. If you remove it, Windows will re-build a nice, small, clean file on the next reboot or login. There are no other side-effects that I know of to doing this, and there are privacy and performance advantages to doing so. However, the currently-logged in user cannot see his/her own Content Internet Explorer directory or the index.dat file in it (because it is in-use and hidden by Windows), so deleting it usually requires logging in as an admin to clean up user files. On WinXP, the easiest way to remove this file is to boot to DOS and delete it manually. I recommend cleaining up this file at least once a year -- Just this one step can often 'rejuvenate' a computer that seems to be booting up more and more slowly as time passes.

    If the above doesn't help (or you can't do it), then you may want to consider downloading and running Ad-Aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy malware removers (both free and reputable). You might have malware on your machine.

    If you continue to have problems after trying all of these fixes, you may email me and I will try to help you problem-solve. Please bear in mind that I am a lawyer, not a lab tech. I cannot troubleshoot your tech issues throughout the semster. I expect you to problem solve yourselves. I sometimes have upwards of 20 students per class and this semester I am teaching three classes. Troubleshooting every tech issue that pops up is simply impossible.

    When you contact me, please remember to include as much information as possible, including: your Browser type and version (e.g., Internet Explorer 8), your Operating System (e.g., Vista) as well as any fixes or attempts you have made to solve the problem. This will save time and increase the likelihood of my providing you with a solution to the problem. Please be as specific as possible about what the problem is (e.g., unable to play Week 3 Cybercrime Lecture - Part II. Instead I am directed to page with error 404). This is much better than telling me "What's wrong with the audio."

    If you encounter a problem, you may wish to pose the question on our Westlaw TWEN forum (if we are using TWEN in your class this semester; otherwise, whatever other community venues I have provided) and see if anyone else has encountered the problem and worked out a solution. I will be checking this page and may have a suggestion for some issues.

     

  • I am having trouble accessing Westlaw. What's wrong.

    Possibly nothing. I may have decided not to use Westlaw for your class this semester. This is becoming more common as I add more features to this website, but sometimes it is nice not to have to "reinvent the wheel." I will let you know on your course home page or on your Week 1 assignment page what media we will be employing this semester.

    If the semester has started, and the TWEN page is active and if you have a Westlaw account, you can access it. It is there, although because of the strange way Westlaw organizes courses, you may have to look for the course name for a while (sometimes it is listed under "Upper Level Courses" and/or "Other"). Do not email me that you can't find it. For other Westlaw issues including getting a Westlaw password, you may contact:

    • Shukla Biswas, Technical Services Librarian
    Phone: 978.681.0800 ext. 137
    Email: biswas@mslaw.edu

     

  • What should I know about submitting assignments?

    • When submitting documents (assignments, exams) to my school e-mail account, please observe the following format for your document titles: Class Name_Name_Assignment #. So, for example, your document name might look something like: Cybercrime_John Smith_Week 1.doc

    Also, when sending me emails, please start a new subject line every time you have a new subject. For example, if you intend to submit your Week 2 assignment, do not simply hit the reply button to the last email you received from me. If you do this, I may misfile your assignment with the Week 1 assignment. Therefore, it is in your best interest to follow this guideline.

    Finally, when sending emails of any kind, it is helpful (and therefore requested) that you identify who you are (Full Name) and what class you are in each time you email me. Please do this within the body of the email (as opposed to the subject line). If you do not, you may not receive a reply to your email and your email could conceivably be misfiled or lost.

     

  • What is the most important thing I need to know?

    • Professionalism. This means being on time with your assignments and exams. It also means solving your own tech issues, or giving them your level- headed best efforts before contacting me. If you really can't solve a problem, that is one thing, but if you are just getting too easily frustrated and not giving the solution your best efforts, that is unacceptable. As stated in your syllabus, I am not your tech person, nor can I be for the other upwards of 40-60 students I may be teaching in any given semester. This aspect of professionalism is respecting one another's time/value. Therefore, at least when contacting me, please make sure you have explored every option on our webpage and that you follow instructions properly. But I find it quite unprofessional for a student to email me a question that he or she should know the answer to if s/he had just read the material posted on this website more carefully.

    Something else that may not be obvious is that emails and forum posts are dangerous in their nature because they are both permanent and do not allow the individual to express the nuances of the spoken word. It is easy to misinterpret them. Also, it is easy to send an email written in haste that you later wish you could retract. You cannot. Every email you send should be proofread to ensure it is well-written and that it could not be misinterpreted to your detriment.

    Remember, your professors expect you to be professionals in everything you do. Use complete sentences. Do not call me "Prof" or "Todd;" "Professor" or "Professor Cheesman" is the appropriate way to address me in all email. Also, proofread your emails before you send them. In this way, you are representing yourself as a professional worthy to practice law.

    A special note to returning students: I often find when I have students who have taken a course with me before that when they begin a second or third course with me that sometimes there is a tendancy to assume a more casual work ethic. This is the opposite of what I expect. Also, please do not assume that because you earned an "A" or "B" in your previous class with me or because you are an "A" or "B" student in other law classes that you will necessarily receive that grade in this class. Each student is tabula rasa in each class, every semester. I have had students who earned a "C" in one class but who were dedicated to improvement earn an "A" in a subsequent class. I have also seen the reverse happen in one or two extreme instances. Please do not allow yourself to fall into that category.

     

  • How am I to be graded?

    • To receive an "A" in your course, you must submit all assignments on time and participate in a timely and qualitative fashion on our dscussion forum if our class is using one; otherwise, weekly homeworks. Do your best consistently throughout the semester.

    For the final exam, if you submit your answers late - EVEN ONE MINUTE LATE - you will receive at a minimum one full grade deduction. Your exam is not considered received until you receive my replay email indicating I have received it. You MUST ALLOW EXTRA TIME at the end of the exam to submit your exam. I will accept NO EXCUSES. Every semester I have at least one student who sends in an exam after the three hour window and is shocked to learn they failed my course. While this is unfortunate, rules are rules for a reason - to ensure than everyone knows their expectations and that they may be treated fairly.

    Please also refer to this page for more tips on achieving the highest grade possible and to see examples of quality student writing.

  • My question is not listed here. Where should I turn?

    • Most of the other questions generated by students in previous semesters about problems accessing this website's materials have been addressed. If you do not see an answer here, please email me at my G-Mail account. Otherwise, you may post your question to our Westlaw Help Forum.

    Finally, I encourage you to explore this webpage and our Westlaw site as fully as time permits so that you can learn as much as possible. I may have provided a web page that fully explains an answer to one of your questions, or one of your fellow students may have posted a comment or link that is well-worth your time.