If you don't, there is a chance that other users will be able to gain access to your files. The gray bar helps you get around once you are logged in. You will see it at the top of most of the critical pages. MAIN Takes you back to the top-level course work page. This button takes you to the threaded class discussion forums.
All students are free to post in any forum.
You should get into the habit of selecting this button each time you log in to the class. The small Java applet on the chat page automatically logs you into the chat session limited to this course. All students who access the page simultaneously can see each other's names and are able to write to each other in real time. There is also a scheduling grid on this page which helps in the selection of days and times at which other students will be online. The progress report gives you a complete breakdown of your current progress and grade in this course.