JOAN
CANTY’S ENGLISH 1A AND ENGLISH 1B ONLINE COURSE ORIENTATION
revised 4/08
English 1A and English 1B online are fully online courses; that
means there are no face-to-face class meetings. These online courses
include all of the assignments, quizzes, discussions, requirements, and
evaluations that I feature in my face-to-face classroom courses. What
makes an online course different is that an online course places on students
more responsibility, including effective time-management skills, for their own
learning experience.
Students who take an online class need a certain level of skill in
how to use a computer and the Internet. An online class such as English 1A or
English 1B is not the place to learn about your computer or the Internet. I,
Joan Canty, expect you to be computer literate BEFORE you begin the
class. I do not offer much personally in the way of technical support,
but there are resources that you may use.
Computer Literacy
At a minimum, you must be:
* competent with a word processing program
* proficient in the use of email including attaching
files
* knowledgeable about file management and opening
or downloading attached files
* able to use search engines to research
information on the Internet, and able to disable pop-up blockers in your
browser
* able to participate in online discussions
* able to participate in online chat sessions
Skills and Attitude
Having the following skills and attitudes will help bring about
success:
* a positive attitude toward technology
* an open mind when learning
* critical thinking skills when you are stuck
on a problem
* the willingness to explore, troubleshoot and
take risks, i.e. click on links, explore Blackboard, and ask questions
* motivation and effective time-management
skills
An online class is much like a traditional class. There are
scheduled beginning and end dates, and there are assignments with due dates. In
an online class you have some flexibility about when you show up in the virtual
classroom. The software that runs the online classroom is called
Blackboard (formerly Blackboard). I
expect you to check into the class at least three times per week.
Technology Requirements
The following are needed to fully participate in this course.
* A computer with an Internet connection.
A 56k connection or better is optimal although participation with a slower
connection is possible. Some files may take a long time to download with
a slow connection. You will also need to check whether your Internet
browser and Javascript are compatible with Blackboard; you may do so on the
Blackboard Login page under Browser
Check.
* A word processing program capable of saving
word, .wps, or .doc files as Rich Text Format (rtf). Please note: I cannot open and read word
files with the extension .docx or .wps.
Technical Assistance
Technical problems can occur with your computer or with your
knowledge about using the computer, the Internet, or Blackboard . There are
ways to get help, but PLEASE NOTE: I will not answer technical questions. Use
these resources.
Blackboard Support:
If you have never taken a class in Blackboard, it may take you a
little while to get comfortable in this "virtual" classroom.
Here are some things you can do to speed the process:
* explore the classroom--click into the
different "places" listed on the course tools menu or on the home
page
http://www.yosemite.edu/helpdesk/
As of this
writing, you may also go to the Blackboard login page
http://webct.yosemite.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
and click on
Ready for online courses? Link to get to the online orientation above. There are also links to the Help Desk and
other valuable information.
TECH
TIP: If you try to click on a link in this document and get a window asking for
a password, click on Cancel in the window and then the link should open.
Tech Forum:
I have set up a Tech Forum in the Discussion area. Please
post technical questions there. I invite anyone who knows the answer to
respond. Very often students are a better resource than I. Also, by posting
questions and answers in a central forum, everyone learns.
If you are a computer whiz, please make a point of checking into
this forum and answering questions.
College Class:
Consider taking CMPSC 101, “How to Succeed as an Online Student.”
Check the college class schedule to enroll. This is a late-start class that
begins several weeks after the start of the semester. Many students who
have taken my online classes say that after the first two weeks, which are the
hardest, it gets easier to navigate in the English online classes. If you
still find yourself overwhelmed by Blackboard , do yourself a favor and take
CMPSC 101.
Computer Experts:
·
Most people have a friend or family member who is a computer whiz.
Consult your expert about your questions and concerns.
Assignment Information:
The list and due dates of assignments, quizzes, discussions, etc.,
are in the Weekly Learning Modules of the Blackboard online course. They
are also found, in draft form, on the specific syllabus for whichever online
English class you wish to take. The syllabus can be found, a few weeks
before the semester begins, on Joan Canty’s
http://columbia.yosemite.edu/cantyj/default.htm
Enrolling in or Adding the Online Class
When you sign up for the online class through
However, some students who are either on the official class roster
or on the wait list will decide that they do not want to be in the class after
all. If they don’t notify me, I will not know that there are extra spaces
available in the class. Therefore, I will email, using Blackboard, every
student who is enrolled in the course to get a confirmation that she or he
still wishes to be in the class. Also, I will try to email each student
on the wait list, using their email address that is on file at Admissions and
Records, to see whether he or she is still interested in adding. If I get
a response from the student, I will add or retain on the class roster that
student if he or she wishes. If I do not hear from the student two days
after I have emailed him or her, I will assume that student is no longer
interested in taking the class and will add other students in order from the
wait list.
If you are neither on the class roster nor on the wait list, and
wish to add the class, use the email option available through Admissions and
Records to notify me, and I will see what my enrollment size is before giving
you my response.
Logging Into Blackboard
Once you have been officially added to the online class,
your name will appear on the Blackboard online class roster a few days before
the semester begins (or right after you have been officially added if the
semester has started). To get to Blackboard, go to the Columbia College Home
page and click on Blackboard icon.
This brings you to the Blackboard login page
http://webct.yosemite.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
From this page you can log in, check your browser or Java version,
and get other information about online classes. The login page gives you
instructions about user ID and password if this is your initial login ever to
Blackboard. Otherwise, if you have been in an online course before at
If
you cannot log into Blackboard, please contact the Help Desk (see above); they
can reset your ID and password if necessary.
Navigating the Online Class
Once you have logged into Blackboard, a page called My Blackboard
appears. The class name and course number is listed on this page, as well
as announcements, the Help icon in the upper right-hand corner, and other
information and icons. You can get to the course in one of two ways:
*by clicking on the course name/number, or
*by clicking on one of the little icons just under the course
name/number.
The little icons represent particular portions of the course, such
as email, announcements, discussion, assignments, assessments (quizzes),
calendar, etc.
Once you get to the course, your screen will be divided in
two. The left side contains icons for the course tools (weekly learning
modules, assignments, assessments, etc.) that you may click on; on the
same side is the My Tools menu that contains My Grades and other
information. You can minimize or maximize vertically the course tools
menu descriptions by clicking on the two arrows joined by two lines.
The top icon on the course tools menu is the Home page for the
class, which has some but not all of the icons or information from the course
menu. The Home page is displayed on the right side of your class screen
unless you have accessed the class using a different icon, for example, email
or announcements. The Home page also has links and other information that
are not on the course tools menu. The course syllabus is available on my
college home page, on the course tools menu, and also on the home page; I suggest
you print out a copy for general policies and guidelines as well as the
preliminary schedule of assignments.
The Syllabus provides a general overview of course policies,
assignments, and due dates, but the weekly Learning Modules are the complete and
updated source for everything.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION:
The weekly Learning Modules provide detailed information and links
to assignments, quizzes, discussions, Internet sites, etc. The Learning
Modules contain all the up-to-date information and links you will need, in one
place, to complete your assignments. I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU PRINT OUT
THE INFORMATION FROM EACH WEEKLY LEARNING MODULE TO
For fun, you may upload a photo of yourself in the Blackboard Class
Roster for the course. Having a photo of yourself allows other students
to get acquainted with you. I cannot
offer you technical assistance in this matter, but there are other resources
(see above), and the roster itself has some instructions.
Tips for Success
Log in to the course at least 3 times a week. Sometimes I
need information from you, or need to change a due date, and I will communicate
with you either by Blackboard email or by announcement; thus, checking in
frequently to the course helps you stay current. I log into the course
twice a day and also check my college email twice a day Monday through Friday,
and once a day on holidays and weekends unless I notify you otherwise. I
will respond to your inquiries within 24 hours under normal circumstances.
The main guidelines to assignments, etc., are the weekly Learning
Modules that you can find on either the course tools menu or on the Home page.
The syllabus contains class policies and an overview of assignments. It
helps to print out the syllabus and each weekly learning module so you can
check off each assignment, quiz, discussion, etc., as you submit it.
You can also go to My Tools and view assignments due. The
views available for the Assignments page, for instance, include Inbox,
Submitted, Graded, and Published (which I don’t use). Be sure that you
have checked the appropriate view. The Assignments icon does not include
Assessments (quizzes) due, nor does it include Discussions due, nor does it
include email messages or announcements.
Contacting the Instructor
EMERGENCY
CONTACT: Sometimes your computer, or mine, will crash, or a browser may fail,
or you may lose electrical power. On rare occasions the mainframe that
supports the class software, Blackboard, will fail, or the college Home Page
will have difficulties, or you will not be able to log into Blackboard.
Leave a voice mail for me, or an email message to my college email address if
you can, detailing the problems you have encountered. I will respond to
you within 24 hours. If this is a systemwide problem that I cannot solve,
I will notify the folks who can. You may also contact the Help Desk if
the problem lies with your computer.
UNDER
You may reach me, Joan Canty, in several ways. My college
email is:
My college home page is: http://columbia.yosemite.edu/cantyj/default.htm
Check the course syllabus for my virtual office hour
schedule. For either scheduled or unscheduled virtual office hours, you
may click on the Who’s Online icon and issue a chat invitation to me if you see
that I am logged into the course too. If you contact me during
unscheduled times, I may not be able to participate in chat, but I will let you
know if I see your chat invitation. Check that your browser and operating
system and other software allow you to participate in chat. It’s not a
requirement that you be able to chat, but it’s a convenient feature.
Otherwise, you can contact me in the alternative ways I have listed.
In Conclusion
Some of the information I provide for my online courses can be
found in several places: my college home page, the course menu, the Home page,
the syllabus, this orientation. I have an Introduction component on the
Home page that contains this orientation and other information to get you
started.
I have been teaching online for four years now and enjoy it very
much, but I do miss getting to know my students face to face. Through my
experience I have found that online learners need to be independent,
well-organized, and NOT inclined to procrastinate. You need to read the
assignments carefully and think about what they ask you to do or write.
Be prepared, be active, engaged, and curious, and ask questions. Please network
with other students in the class to form a sense of community.
I care about your success in this class; I am willing to help you.
I do have high standards and expectations: the same ones that I have for my
face-to-face classes. I expect your best work on assignments; this is no
longer high school, and an essay written two hours before it’s due will not
reflect the quality or standards of competent college-level writing. You
can be successful by being involved with and responsible for what you learn,
and by not waiting until the last minute to complete assignments or ask for
help.
I enjoy teaching, and teaching online, and I look forward to
getting to know you through your writing and email and chat. Please do
not hesitate to ask me questions or give feedback. Many students who have
taken English 1A online with me have chosen to take English 1B online also; for
those who choose English 1C, Rick Rivera offers an online version.