📖 Course Orientation - BCIS

Overview

Please complete this entire Orientation even if you have seen one in another course. Expect to spend about 1 to 2 hours on the Orientation - about the same amount of time you would spend on the first day or two getting oriented in a traditional classroom course.

Before you begin your journey through Blackboard, I highly recommend you review “Getting Ready for Online Learning”. This is a great resource that offers practical suggestions to help manage many of the challenges students face in online learning and attending college.

If for any reason you believe this on-line course is NOT right for you, and you wish to drop the class, please visit Dropping a Course or Withdrawing from College for more information.

Orientation

To begin, you may want to print this document. As you proceed through your Orientation, you will be navigating away from this page, and - especially if you are new to on-line classes - you may lose your place. By printing, you can keep this next to you and check off the numbered steps with a pencil or pen as you go along. This on-line course will present many items for you to do in list form, and it will always be suggested that you "Print and Check off" to help keep track of where you are - especially since you will often be leaving the instructions screen to go elsewhere - into your book, other software or even to another website. Printing helps provide you with an "anchor" to guide you along.  That's especially useful if you get interrupted or take a break while working. If you're an on-line pro, and you have a great memory, you can skip printing - just be extra careful not to miss anything.

  1. Have you taken an on-line course before?

-If not, please take a few moments to learn what being in a course like this entails. Scroll down the page and read the section Should I Take This Course Online?

  1. Click the Syllabus link. Carefully read and get familiar with the Syllabus, but don't memorize it You can always look something up later if you want to and there is a lot in there.
  2. Your Syllabus lists the book you will need for this course. Please get it or order it as soon as possible to avoid delays in getting started with your coursework.

About this Course

The Syllabus told you a lot of general course information, but not how the course itself "works". So, you will now take a brief tour to learn about that.

The syllabus
The syllabus lists the course competencies which include one or more course assignments. The assignments are located at Cengage Learning using their MindTap system. This system contains a variety of activities including text book readings, video recordings and simulated practice activities. You should plan on each assignment taking about 30-45 minutes to complete. You will access assignments through the Cengage portal that is identified as 'Cengage MindTap' in the Blackboard course menu.
Course Objectives
There are several objectives in each course, and you are to complete them in order of the dates shown in the syllabus. Each objective will have one or more assignments.
Cengage MindTap
You can work directly on the assignments from the links provided in MindTap. You will visit Cengage Learning often to find details about the assignments including activities to support your learning.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Your assignments have completion dates. You are strongly advised to stay current with the due dates. Falling behind in the course can be difficult to overcome. Course extensions are rarely approved. If you feel like you deserve a course (time) extension, please contact me with documented evidence of the reason for your request. I will forward it to the college administration for consideration. Poor time management or common life events does not qualify for an extension. You will be expected to get your work done on time. 
Unit Contents
Textbook readings - what information to read in the book.
SAM training - skill development exercises.
Capstone projects to simulate real world experiences.
Assessments and Exams to measure your knowledge.
Be sure to complete all required activities for each unit.
How to get help when you need it.
Each assignment is linked to a textbook section and the system is designed to support independent learning.
I maintain and monitor a class Help forum in the Discussion Board area for students to post questions about the course. I encourage you to subscribe to this forum to keep up to date with your classmates' questions.
I am available for questions and tutoring as needed. Students are welcome to visit me during my office hours. I hold virtual office hours daily using the Teams app. Visit Teams to request joining the group.
I am available by email if the above doesn't work for you.
How to ask for help when you need it.
Each time you reach out for help to your classmates or your instructor, you need to tell them what you're working on.
If you are posting in the class Help forum, please tell us what assignment and question (if applicable) you are working on.
If you email me, please include your name and the class name/number (BCIS 1305-####) along with the assignment and question. It helps me respond better if I know who you are and what we're talking about.

Course Interface Tour

Let's continue with our brief tour. Have a look at the location of items in the Blackboard Course Menu.

The Announcements button
Important announcements from your Instructor or Blackboard Administrators. These announcements will often show when you enter the course, but you may need to see them again after surfing around within the course website. Always be sure to check the Announcements when you enter the course. Also, I often set these announcements to be emailed to students. You will only receive these messages if you are checking the email account you have listed in your user preferences. It's a good idea to check your Personal Information settings in Blackboard to make sure you are using an email account that you check often.
The Syllabus button
This links to the Course Syllabus with all relevant course information. You should look first at the syllabus to see if your general course questions are addressed. You should find a list of the course units with due dates, the course grading policy, my office hours and contact information. You should think of it as the hub of the course.
The Cengage MindTap button
This links to the Course Assignments with links to submit completed assignments and tests. Once you have completed an assignment, your grade should be immediately available. 
The Ask the Class a Question button
You are encouraged to post your questions about problems you are having in the assignments in this forum before you start emailing me. I monitor this forum and will respond as quickly as I do to email and others may have the same question. Also, be aware that you can subscribe to the discussions and get notified if anyone posts. This is a great way to stay tuned to what’s happening in the course.
The My Grades button
This is where you can check on your grades. It is your responsibility to keep track of your grades and make sure they are accurately posted. If you believe there is a discrepancy, contact your instructor. When a grade is posted, the numeric grade you received is a link to my comments for your assignment. There are times when you can make corrections and resubmit if you do it within the course policy limits. You should be active in monitoring your grades throughout the semester. It's generally easier to fix something early than wait until it is too late.
The Email button
This is where you can send email to classmates or your instructor.
The Blackboard Help button
This is a link to the Blackboard Student Help online. 

There are several other important course features related to the Blackboard interface you need to know about, as well as instructions for how to perform certain tasks and general information about the workings of this course. This is all accessed using the course Help link. It contains a lot of information but as with the Syllabus you just need to know it's there for future reference. Learn generally what's in there, don't even try to commit it to memory. Read it on-screen or feel free to print it and read the hard copy. It is meant to be a reference when needed. To find it, click on the Help link on the left in the course menu. 

You need to keep up with accounts on different servers.

Dallas College eCampus (Blackboard)
The first server account is the Dallas College eCampus (Blackboard) server where you will find all the official course information and your grades. This is the official grade book. You should check your grades regularly and report any errors to your instructor.
Cengage Learning (MindTap)
The second server account is the Cengage Learning (Mindtap) server where you will find all the course content, textbook and related assignments, quizzes and tests. You will complete assignments, take your tests and find your grades. The grades for the Cengage content should be reflected in the Blackboard graade book.

There may or may not be exams in your class (each class is different). If you have exams, they will be listed in the course units. 

Assignments are available immediately. All assignments are embedded within the course units. Course units are listed in the syllabus with their due dates. If you do not see an assignment in Cengage Learning that is listed in the grade book, please send me an email and I will check on it.

You're almost done with the Orientation. Take a break if you wish, then you will finish with a little work of your own. Click the Course Assignments button to get started with the course. No need to return here as you are finished with this part.

 

Should I Take this Course On-Line?

On-line means that you take the entire course via a computer connected to the Internet and do not have to attend scheduled class meetings or visit the campus during the semester. You may study wherever and whenever you like as long as all your required work is completed by the dates shown in the Course Schedule. Fall and Spring semester students should plan to spend 7-10 hours a week on this course, Summer semester students should plan to work on it every day.

Students should be aware of just how different on-lines and regular classroom courses are. There are no scheduled class meetings, and you will most probably go the entire semester without ever seeing or perhaps even speaking to others in this class - or your Instructor. Working outside of a classroom has its conveniences, but some people miss the degree of human interaction you would get otherwise.

This takes a little getting used to. Always remember, though, that your Instructor is only an email away. Also keep in mind that as you go through this course that you do not have anyone looking over your shoulder prodding you to get your work done. You must have the self-discipline to sit down and do what you have to do when you have to do it. You have the freedom to work on this course during times that are convenient for you - even 3AM, if you like.

In other words, this course…

  • Has no face-to-face contact with a teacher.
  • Has no face-to-face contact with other students.
  • Doesn’t require you to drive to campus.
  • Lets you work any time of the day or night.
  • Has due dates and penalties for turning in work late.
  • Requires you to keep up without any "prodding" from your teacher.
  • Works well for students that are able to learn by reading.
  • Provides a number of ways to communicate with others, but you must be comfortable with email, typed discussions and phone calls.
  • Isn't better or worse than being in a classroom, it's just different!

Some common concerns that students have about on-line course are…

"I don't even know where to begin"
-Each course you take has an Orientation, which will get you started with clear, step-by-step directions.
"I don't know how to use the On-Line System"
-Basic navigation and use of Blackboard is quite simple, and if you don't pick it up on your own there are resources within a course that will help you learn how to use all the features. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are often provided.
"There are so many things to remember - I can't keep track of it all"
-We don't expect you to memorize all the rules. We'll show you where the important documents are, and you can always look at them if you don't recall something - either on-line or on a copy you can print.
"It's overwhelming!"
-Relax - it may take you a little time to get used to an on-line but know that many thousands of students have done very well in these types of courses. Give it a chance for yourself.
"It's easy to lose my place in an on-line course"
-Some students have great memories, some don't. If you think you might have trouble keeping track of where you are, here is a simple strategy - whenever you get a list of something to do, in a lesson or assignment, print it. Then, keep it by your side and check off the steps with a pencil as you go along.
"I don't understand if this course is self-paced or not"
-Very often students think that an on-line course is self-paced just because there are no lectures in a classroom. That's not true. The definition of self-paced simply means that there are no due dates for work done within the course - only one deadline at the very end of the semester. You turn items in working at your pace - so the course has a sequence of items to do, but no schedule.  While some on-line courses are indeed self-paced, this is NOT one of them. Much of the work you have to do has to be in by a certain date or you will incur late penalties.

Finally

Information pages that can help you decide if an on-line course is right for you. If you have any doubts, have a look at…

Dallas College – Getting Ready for Online Learning.

If for any reason you believe this on-line course is NOT right for you, and you wish to drop the class, you probably should visit with an academic advisor. Information about dropping/withdrawing from a class is on their web page.