ONLINE COURSE MANUAL FOR STUDENT USE Using Blackboard

ONLINE COURSE MANUAL FOR STUDENT USE
Using Blackboard
To take an online course at OTC, you must have an established
OTC ee-mail account.
Finding the correct website
You must go to http://gvtc6.blackboard.com to access your Blackboard course.
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Username & Password
Every student at OTC is assigned a unique username. The username is created by using your first
and middle initials and your last name along with your month and day of your birthday. The initial
password is set to your birthday in MMDDYY format.
Example: For a student named Roger J. King whose birthday is May 1, 1978, Username would be
rjking0501
Initial password would be
Note:
Note If a student does not have a middle name or initial, then the username will be set to use first
initial, last name, and birthday.
rking0501
The password would be the same as above.
Enter your username and password
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Accessing Course Materials
Now that you are logged in, you are at the "My GVTC" screen. Choose your course from "My
Courses" Tab at the top or the Courses Quick View. If you are taking more than 1 online course,
each course should show-up in this list.
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Opening your online class
Course design will vary from course to course, but the overall usage is still the same. Instructors
customize their online classrooms to suit their needs. You must realize that other online classes will
be somewhat different from this example. If you are an online student you should, of course, follow
the instructions of your online Instructor.
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Moving around the online class site
You will use the navigation buttons to move around your online class. You might notice some
instructors using buttons for navigations while others will use text links.
Buttons
Text
The buttons or text will be located on the left side of your screen.
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Common areas in Blackboard
Note: Instructors have the capability to hide, disable, or rename certain areas and features, so all of
these options may not be available to students or titled as shown below.
Area
Description
Announcements
Announcements post timely information critical to course success. Announcements
occupy the Main Frame upon entry to a course Web site and can also appear on the
My Institution and Courses area depending on system configuration.
Click Announcements from the course Web site tool bar to view course
announcements.
Course Information Course Information displays descriptive materials about the course. Materials
usually posted here include syllabus and course objectives.
Staff Information
Staff Information provides background and contact information on course
instructors and teaching assistants.
Course Documents
Course Documents contains learning materials and lesson aids, such as lecture
notes.
Assignments
Assignments lists the due date and description for class work. The instructor posts
assignments and can modify the task and due date.
Communication
Course users communicate through the Communication Center. The
Communication Center allow users to
Send and receive email
Read and post messages to discussion boards
Enter Virtual Classroom
View student roster
View group pages.
External Links
External Links connects course users to outside learning materials. Instructors may
select outside materials and post a hyperlink and brief description for each external
source.
Tools
Tools that can be used in the course Web site. The tools include Digital Drop box,
Edit Home Page, Personal Information, Course Calendar, Check Grade, Manual,
Tasks, and Electric Blackboard.
Resources
Accesses to the Blackboard 6 Resource Center. The Resource Center is a
customizable Web site of educational resources. For more information about the
Resource Center please refer to the Blackboard 6 Resource Center Manual.
Course Map
Allows easier course Web site navigation. The Course Map connects to an
expandable and collapsible bookmark.
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Changing Password & EE-mail Address
You may need to change your password and/or e-mail address. This is where you change that
information. Click on "Tools," "Personal Information," and then choose to "Change Password." You
can also change your e-mail address by clicking on "Edit Personal Information."
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Using OTC Student Email Accounts
Student e-mail accounts will be: studentID@student.ogeecheetech.edu.
(example: 910012345@student.ogeecheetech.edu)
Passwords are social security numbers without the dashes (example: 123456789). Students will not be
allowed to change their passwords for their student email accounts.
1. Any student using BB for the first time winter 2006 will have BB accounts
created using their new OTC student email account. They should not change
their email address in BB after they log in.
2. Any student who has previously used BB will need to change their email
address in BB from their old email account to their new OTC student email
account.
Directions to change email address in BB
•
•
•
•
•
Log in to BB
Click “Tools” option.
Click “Edit Personal Information”.
Enter new OTC student email address in the “email” field.
Scroll down and click “Submit”.
(example:
910012345@student.ogeecheetech.edu)
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Using Announcements
Within each Blackboard course, the default opening page is normally the Announcement page. This
means this is the first page viewed each time you login to your course. The Announcements page
can be viewed in four ways....view today, view announcements from the last 7 days, view last 30
days or view all announcements by selecting the appropriate tab. For all courses the default,
displayed first, is "View Last 7 Days." You should review the announcements section each day.
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Using Faculty/Staff
Faculty/Staff Information
The Faculty/Staff Information section is used to present contact information for your instructor,
support staff, or any other relevant associate for the online class. Please use this information to
contact our instructor.
You may see a
picture of your
instructor here.
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Textbook
Textbook Information
Your instructor may use a section to give you information about the textbook and supplies that you
will need for the online class. If this section is not used, you can find this information in the course
syllabus.
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Using Course Information
Information
Normally, the Course Information section holds general information concerning the course such as
syllabus, course description and any other information about the course. In the case below, the
instructor has “ACC 103 Syllabus” in one of the textboxes. Each course may be a little different.
Once you find your syllabus, it is a good idea to print it.
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Due Dates
Yes, you will have due dates in online courses!!! Each instructor will let you know how they handle
work submitted after the due date. You should find your due dates and print them.
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Using Course Documents
Normally, the Course Documents section holds specific information for the course. Instructors
customize and organize their Course Documents to suit their needs. Each course may be a little
different. Please get familiar with how your instructor has your online course organized. The
example below is organized by Chapter folders. Inside each folder, individual documents can be
found.
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Opening the Discussion Board
The Discussion Board is the area where classroom interaction takes place.
To get to the Discussion Board in Blackboard, you must click on "Discussion Board or
Communication" on the Blackboard menu on the left side of the screen. Find the discussion forum
in which you want to post and read the topic. Once you are ready to take part in the discussion,
click the name of the discussion board.
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Posting a Thread to the Discussion Board
After you read the question, click the link to open the discussion. Click add a new thread,
Type your discussion answers here.
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Sending Files using the Digital Drop Box
Your instructor may require you submit files using the digital drop box.
In Blackboard, you are presented with two buttons in the Digital Drop Box.
When you use the digital drop box to send files, it is important to recognize that the file is only sent
if you use “Send File”.
“Add File” only puts the file in your part of the digital drop box, from which you can select the file
to be sent. This is useful if you need to upload a number of files and then send those files to a
number of different users. Normally this is the way a teacher wants to use the Digital Drop Box.
To send the file, you must use “Send File” and select the file and the recipient. You can bypass the
“Add File” step entirely and use Send File both to upload and send the file.
Your instructor may give you special instructions for file names or may require that you use the
comment line to specify the work that you are submitting.
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Checking
Checking Your Grades
To check grades, click the Tools button and then My Grades.
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Grade book Icons
!
?
*
In Progress
No Information
Needs Grading
Grading Error
Completed
Denotes an unavailable item
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Contacting Your Instructor
You need to e-mail your instructor as soon as you log in. Each instructor will have different class
policies, so you need to make sure you contact the instructor of the course within the first 3 days of
the quarter.
If you have trouble contacting your instructor, please call or e-mail one of the following contacts,
based upon the online course you are taking.
Business & Personal Services
Accounting
Banking & Finance
Business & Manufacturing
Business Office Technology
Computer Information Systems
Cosmetology
Deaf Studies
Early Childhood Care & Education
Geographic Information Systems
Human Resource/Management & Supervisory Dev
Marketing Management
Contact: Peggy BowenBowen- Secretary to Business & Personal Services
E-mail: pbowen@ogeecheetech.edu
Phone: 912912-871871-1618
Health Science
Science & Industrial Technology
Air Conditioning Technology
Automotive Technology
Commercial Truck Driving
Construction
Drafting Technology
Electrical Construction & Maintenance
Electronics Technology
Forensic Science Technology
Funeral Service Education
Industrial Systems Technology
Opticianry
Pharmacy Technology
Welding & Joining Technology
Contact: Queen HodgesHodges- Secretary to Health Sciences & Technology
E-mail: qhodges@ogeecheetech.edu
Phone: 912912-486486-7654
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Hospitality, Environment & General Education
Culinary Arts
Employability
English
Hotel Restaurant & Tourism
Mathematics
Psychology
Contact: Betty RobbinsRobbins- Secretary to Hospitality, Environment & General Education
E-mail: brobbins@ogeecheetech.edu
Phone: 912912-871871-1617
Medical/Clinical Education
Dental Assisting
Emergency Medical Technician
Health Information
Imaging Sciences
Medical Assisting
Paramedic
Pharmacy Technology
Phlebotomy
Practical Nursing
Radiologic Technology
Sonography
Surgical Technology
Tumor Registry Specialist
Veterinary Technology
Contact: Connie HendrixHendrix- Secretary to Health Sciences
E-mail: chendrix@ogeecheetech.edu
Phone: 912912-486486-7610
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