Online Orientation

The purpose of this Online Orientation is to help you learn how to use Blackboard and the other online skills that you'll need in this course.  Your success--and the amount of time you must spend on this course--depends on your ability to use Blackboard's tools efficiently.  Students who do poorly in this course or who end up dropping are frequently those who don't learn the Blackboard tools right at the beginning and then fall behind.

Complete the orientation below during the first "week" of the course, which ends on the last day of this "week," Tuesday, May 22, at midnight.  Here are some resources to help you:

• View short tutorials on how to use various Blackboard tools.  These tutorials are located on the Distance Learning website:
  http://www.cnm.edu/depts/dl/StudentTutorials.php
• OR attend one of the drop-in "Introduction to Blackboard" sessions offered between May 14-19 on different CNM campuses by the Distance Learning Department. 

Complete the orientation below during the first "week" of the course, which ends on the last day of this "week," Tuesday, May 22, at midnight. If you are unable to complete these orientation tasks by then, you must meet with me in person on or before Friday, May 25, so that I can help you learn these Blackboard tools and other online skills here at the start of the course.  Call or email me no later than the last day of the first "week" to make an appointment to meet with me by May 25.

This orientation is made up of 9 tasks that will develop your Blackboard skills and demonstrate to me your ability to accomplish the essential online tasks and assignments that will be required of you in this course.  It will also demonstrate your ability to follow step-by-step instructions.

I recommend that you complete these tasks in the order in which they're listed because the later tasks build on skills developed in earlier tasks.  The more comfortable and skilled you are with computers and Windows software in general, the easier these tasks will be for you.

►Keep in mind that you can call Embanet for help with Blackboard and its tools 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The toll-free phone number is 1-888-560-4927.

Orientation Tasks Checklist
Before you begin, PRINT OUT THIS DOCUMENT so that you can read the step-by-step instructions as you complete them.  As you complete each task, check it off in the blank provided.

1. ___ Create a folder on your computer that will hold all your files for this course
2. ___ Create your Blackboard username (ID) and password
3. ___ Add our course to your Blackboard page
4. ___ Log onto Blackboard
5. ___ Create a Word file of a writing sample and upload it in Blackboard Assignments
6. ___ Complete the Syllabus quiz in Blackboard
7. ___ Use the My Progress in Blackboard to find out how many messages you posted for the week
8. ___ Fill out the weekly Learning and Points Assessments in Blackboard
9. ___ Send me an email message in Blackboard Mail to let me know that you successfully completed all of the above tasks--or if you weren't able to complete all of these tasks, email me to make an appointment to get help with those tasks you are unable to complete on your own.  This needs to happen right away so that you don't fall behind.

1.  Create a folder on your computer that will hold all your files for this course. 

Many students have trouble managing their files--they create and save files but later on can't figure out where they saved them, and sometimes they end up doing work over again because they can't find the files they created earlier.  To get yourself organized and avoid losing files, make a folder on your computer that will hold all the files you create for this class.  Here's how. 

Note: these instructions are for computers that use the Windows operating system.  If you use another operating system and don't know how to make a folder or subdirectory on your computer, use your HELP to find out how.

• RIGHT-click (click on the right button of your mouse) on START in the lower left-hand corner of your computer screen.
• Click on EXPLORE from the pop-up menu that appears.
• This will open up Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer, which is an internet browser).
• Locate the MY DOCUMENTS folder in the left-hand pane of the Windows Explorer window and click on the folder icon to select it.
• Then, from the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on FILE | NEW | FOLDER.
• This will create a new folder--visible in the right pane.  Now you must name the folder.  Windows Explorer will try to give the folder a default name, such as "New Folder 1," but don't accept this default name.  Instead, name your folder ENG100  by typing it over the default name.  Then press the ENTER key to create the new folder name.
• Once you've created and named your folder, you will save all of your files for this class in it.  That way, you'll always know where to find them, and you'll never lose them.
• As you complete Task #5, below, you'll save your Writing Sample file to your newly created folder.

2.  Create your Blackboard username (ID) and password.  Watch this tutorial entitled "Creating a username" on the Distance Learning website and then follow the directions.  If you want to print the instructions, open and print the PDF file.  

3.  Adding this English 100 Section 51 Course [or for those in Hybrid English 100-118, add that course]

When you complete Task 2, above, you can add this course to your course list.  If you are in the Distance Leaning course, be careful to add English 100 Section 51 and not Section 52!  Or if you are in the Hybrid English 100 course, be sure to add section 118. To add this course, first watch the tutorial entitled "Adding a course in Blackboard" on the Distance Learning website and then follow the directions.  If you want to print the instructions, open and print the PDF file.  

4.  Log onto Blackboard.

When you complete Task 3, above, you can log onto Blackboard and log onto English 100.51 [or English 100.118 Hybrid].    Before you log on, be sure to allow pop ups for this site.  You can click on the Check Browser button on the Blackboard log in page to make sure your computer is compatible with Blackboard.  Blackboard won't work well if you are using an incompatible web browser.

5.  Create a Word file and upload it to Assignments in Blackboard.

During the first week, you must submit a writing sample in Blackboard's Assignments area where your drafts of all major assignments will be "published" during the term.  (See the Week 1 Map for full instructions on how to write your sample essay.) 

After you have written your sample essay in MS Word and saved the file as sample.doc in your ENG100 folder, you must submit it to the Assignments area in Blackboard so that I can review it.  All of the essays written in this class will be "published" in Assignments and will be visible to me and to your fellow students--and you'll be able to view all of their essays as well.

To submit an assignment in Blackboard.  Here's how:

1. From the Blackboard Course Tools located on the left-hand side of the screen, click on Assignments.
2. Locate and click on the Writing Sample assignment. 
3. Open up the two attachments.  One is the reading "Time to Look and Listen" and the other one has the prompts for the reading (prompts are guided questions for the essays you write in this class).
4. Write your essay by choosing one of the prompts.  Don't spend more than one hour writing this sample.  
5. To submit your assignment, click on the Add Attachments button in the Writing Sample assignment.
6. You will get a confirmation message that it was submitted successfully.

6.  Complete the Syllabus quiz. 

The course syllabus contains important information about this course. 

After you've printed and read the syllabus carefully, you're ready to take the quiz in Blackboard.  Here's how:

1. From the Blackboard Course Tools located on the left-hand side of the screen, click on Assessments.
2. Locate and click on the Syllabus Quiz. 
3. Carefully read the instructions so that you'll know how the Blackboard Quiz tool works.
4. Then click on the BEGIN QUIZ button.  You will have 15 minutes to complete the quiz.   Good luck!
5. When you've answered all the questions, click on the FINISH button.
6. You can take it 2 times, and your highest grade will be recorded.  

7.  Use the My Progress under Course Tools in Blackboard to find out how many messages you posted for the week.   Here's how to do this for the Week 1 Discussions :

1. From the Blackboard Course Tools located on the left-hand side of the screen, click on My Progress under My Tools.
2. You will see the number of discussion postings you have posted.  You will check My Progress each week before completing your weekly Points Assessment (see below).

8.  Fill out the weekly Learning and Points Assessments.   Here's how to complete them for Week 1:

1. From the Blackboard Course Tools located on the left-hand side of the screen, click on Assessments.
2. Locate "Wk1LearnAssess."   Click on the title, which will open it up.
3. Read the Instructions and Troubleshooting before completing Blackboard assessments and surveys. 
4. Complete the Learning Assessment and then click the FINISH button.  (You will receive 10 points once I have read your responses to the questions in this Learning Assessment.)
5. Locate "Wk1PtsAssess."  Click on the title, which will open it up. 
6. Complete the Points Assessment and then click the FINISH button.  When you're done, you'll be able to view your Points Assessment score in My Grades.

9.  Send me an email message in Blackboard Internal Mail to let me know that you completed all of the above tasks.  Here's how:

• From the Blackboard Course Tools located on the left-hand side of the screen, click on MAIL.
• Click on Create Message located near the top of the Blackboard screen.
• Click on the Browse for Recipients button and then click on the "To" box and then click on the box next to my name--Nancy King.  You can deselect "CC" and "BCC".  Then click on the Save button.  This will put my name in the SEND TO field.
• In the SUBJECT line, give your message the following subject:  "Completed Online Orientation."
• Then in the body of the message, tell me what a fantastic job you did in completing the orientation tasks.  Go ahead--give yourself the praise you so richly deserve for this accomplishment.
• When you've finished writing the message, click on the SEND button near the bottom on the left side of the message window.

If you are NOT able to complete all of these tasks by Tuesday, May 22, email me to make an appointment to get help with those tasks you are unable to complete on your own.  The deadline for meeting with me is Friday, May 25.