Handbook For Online Classes
General Information
Welcome
Welcome to Lakeland Community College's Online Courses. We created this handbook to help you get started understanding the world of distance learning.
Are Online Courses For Me?
Distance Learning requires an additional set of skills in order to succeed. The skills you mastered in the classroom are just one portion of the abilities you need to master the online course environment. Important skills include: independence, self motivation, self discipline, good at time management, and have a keen interest in the course. If you are not sure if distance learning is for you, we encourage you to take the Distance Learning and Online Learning Assessments, available at http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/DL4me.htm.
Policies and Procedures
As with on-campus classes, online classes have policies and procedures regarding attendance, grading, withdrawing from the class, and so forth. Most policies are described in the current college catalog (http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/catalog/), the current student handbook (http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/handbook/), or in your instructor's syllabus. All these documents are important to your success at Lakeland Community College. Please make sure you read over each document, and refer to them as needed.
College - A Major Time Commitment
A stumbling block that students in both online and traditional courses face is an unrealistic expectation about the amount of time required to take a college course. The rule of thumb is that students should spend two hours (more for classes with labs) outside the classroom for every hour in it. A three credit course would therefore require at least nine hours per week - three hours of class time plus six hours outside. Students sometimes underestimate this time commitment and become overwhelmed. To avoid the stress, frustration, and potentially poor grades resulting from overextending themselves, students should carefully choose an appropriate course load.
The Myth that Online Courses are Easy
A serious misconception students have about online classes is that they are "easier" than their traditional counterparts. In most cases, this is far from true. Indeed, in many cases the online version is more difficult and time-consuming. This is not because your instructors have a policy of making online students do more work; online students in any course must achieve the same goals as students in the traditional, bricks and mortar version of the course. However, achieving those goals online is often more challenging. The additional challenges in online classes arise from equipment issues, student skill level, and the very nature of the virtual environment.
Keep up with your course work. Try not to get behind - if you do, it is important you contact your instructor right away to try and catch up. Don't wait until it is too late!
The Virtual Environment
Consider class discussions. Discussion of a particular concept, story, or essay is often completed during one class meeting. Within that single class period or portion of class period, you can test and modify your own ideas, consider the ideas of your classmates, and hear the instructor's reaction to student comments. In an online class, the topic is often discussed on the Discussion Board for an entire week, with students and the instructor adding comments each day. You need to check the Discussion Board several times during that period to follow the discussion. Therefore, you actually spend more time covering the same material. And to complicate matters further, in some courses there are multiple discussion topics per week. And class discussions are just one requirement of several that you need to fulfill.
Assignments involving group work are also more time-consuming in an online course than in the traditional course. In the traditional classroom, the group members are physically in the same place at the same time, simplifying the exchange of ideas, planning, delegation of responsibilities, and other tasks. While it is possible to "meet" with group members in real time (with everyone signed on to a chat at the same time, for example, the same schedule constraints that motivate a person to take an online course may complicate a group meeting. So the group must communicate via email, discussion boards, or other ways. Such communication can be considerably more time-consuming than face-to-face meetings.
A further element of the learning experience that takes more time online than in the traditional classroom is the clarification of difficult concepts. In the traditional classroom, if you don't quite understand the material presented by the instructor, you can simply ask for clarification and get it immediately. In the online "classroom," you ask for help through an email or discussion board, and then you wait for the response, which could come in an hour, a day, or a couple of days.
Computer Skills, Software, and Hardware
All distance learning courses require that you have access to a computer that is connected to the Internet and are comfortable with using that computer.
Equipment Issues
Students, instructors, and Help Desk staff waste a good deal of time dealing with assignments submitted, via email or Blackboard, in a format not compatible with Lakeland's system. Please review the equipment requirements at: http://www.lakelandcc.edu/dl/DL4me1.htm . (Information Technology & Computer Science (IT & CS, previously known as ISYS) students should review the additional requirements available at: http://itcs.lakelandcc.edu/DistanceLearning/index.htm) Complying with these requirements will minimize the number of "lost in space" and/or unreadable assignments and save time: yours and the instructor's.
Internet Connection
- A stable internet connection is required
- An e-mail account that you can access and check on a regular basis is
required. You should be able to send and receive mail and attachments from
this account. The lakelandcc.edu domain should not be blocked or deemed
junk mail or spam
- We strongly recommend you set up and use your LCC student email account. This will help both you and your instructor. Most email will be send to your mail.lakelandcc.edu account.
- Please make sure you have this account set up. You can access your email account at http://mail.lakelandcc.edu:8080/
- A 56Kbs or faster internet connection. For some courses, a high speed
connection (DSL, Cable modem or LAN) may be needed for larger files.
- Internet Service Provider (ISP) Note: If your ISP provides a customized
browser (for example: AOL), you should download a new, non-customized
version for your online course work.
- We have found that customized browsers can cause many problems in the online course environment, including properly submitting exams & assignments.
- We have found that browsers other than the current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (7.x), Firefox (2.x), and Netscape (7.x OR 8.x) do not always work correctly in the online course environment
- Internet Service Provider (ISP) Note: If your ISP provides a customized
browser (for example: AOL), you should download a new, non-customized
version for your online course work.
- Anti-virus software and a personal firewall.
- It is strongly recommended that you install and maintain this software on your home computer to avoid infecting yourself and others with computer viruses and worms.
- Please install updates for your virus definitions and firewall protection often.
- As before, make sure you are not blocking any lakelandcc.edu site.
Student Skill Level
Students often underestimate the computer skills necessary to take an online class--or overestimate their own skills. At the very least, students taking online classes must be proficient in using email, including attachments; downloading material from the web; and creating, opening, saving, closing, and renaming computer files. Many classes require additional skills. If you doubt you have the computer skills for a particular class, check with the instructor.
Computer Literacy
Students are expected to have some degree of computer literacy to succeed in an online course. These tasks include (but are not limited to)
- Keyboarding and word processing
- a sound knowledge of the procedures for sending/receiving e-mail, including e-mail with attached files
- a sound knowledge of navigating and conducting information searches within the World Wide Web
- a fundamental awareness of common computing terms
- general familiarity with their own hardware, software, and operating system environment
- general familiarity with creating files and folders/directories
Each course may have specific software you are required to use. Please check with your instructor for additional information.
You may wish to review Blackboard specific tutorials at: http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/bt.htm
Before the Course Starts
After you register for an online course, your information is automatically placed in the Blackboard system. As the start date for your class nears, your instructor will insure that your class is available and ready for you to start. Depending on the instructor, the class site may be available a few days before classes officially start - or not ready until the day classes begin. If you do not have access to your class the day classes start at Lakeland, double check your schedule to make sure you are registered, then call or email your instructor. Please make sure to double check the scheduled start date of your course. If you are taking courses that do not start until the 5th, 8th, or 10th week of the term, your class information make not be posted.
At this point, you should also check your Lakeland email account. Many instructors will send "pre-course" materials to your Lakeland email address. This information is provided to help you have a successful start to any online course. You should get in the habit of checking your Lakeland email account on a regular basis (two or more times a week), starting the week before classes begin. If you have a personal email account you would rather use, it is very important you take a few minutes to log in to your Lakeland email account and follow the instructions to forward (automatically re-address) all Lakeland email to your personal account. You should make certain the forwarding works correctly (for example, you did not make any mistakes when typing in your new address) by sending an email to your Lakeland email address and ensuring you receive that email at your personal email account. You will find instructions for using your Lakeland email at the end of this document.
We recommend you use your Lakeland email address (or forward your email) as all official Lakeland email correspondence will be sent to your Lakeland email address. If you choose not to forward your email and you do not access your Lakeland email account on a regular basis, you will miss messages that are important to your success.
You should now prepare for the course. The first item is the course orientation. If you have not used Blackboard at all, or have not used the system in two or more semesters, you should view the general Blackboard orientation, available at http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/on_how.htm. Many classes have online, virtual orientations that you can view any time. (Go to http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/dlvir.htm to view information on virtual orientations.) Some instructors will email important orientation material to your Lakeland email account. Other classes will have in-person orientations. The date and time of these orientations should be on your schedule, or available from your instructor. Many in-person orientations are mandatory - check with your instructor. Some instructors have requested you do not bring family members with you to the orientations. If you must miss a mandatory orientation, contact your instructor before classes start.
Now, you are ready to log in to Blackboard. After you are connected to the Internet, you need to open a web browser and go to http://bb.lakelandcc.edu/ Click on "Login". On the next page, enter your username and password. Your username is obtained from your Lakeland email account. For example, John Smith's email is jsmith12@mail.lakelandcc.edu so his username is jsmith12. Your password is your Lakeland Identification Number (LID). This 8 digit number can be found on your course schedule, grade report, or your Lakeland invoice.
If you can not log in, please double check that you are typing everything in correctly. If you still can not log in, please call the help desk for assistance.
Once you have successfully accessed the course site, begin exploring and reading so you are aware of your instructor's expectations before any due dates.
During the Course
Once you have started the course, now the "real work" begins. In addition to mastering the new material you are being taught, you will need to master the virtual environment of Blackboard. Spend some time - before any due dates - exploring your class site. Find and carefully read the syllabus, lecture notes, assignments, quizzes/exams, and the discussion forum. Learn how to contact your instructor if you need help. You may wish to make a list of important emails, phone numbers, and web addresses so you have a quick, ready, reference.
It is important to remember that some online classes require on-campus testing and/or participation. Check with your instructor.
Many instructors would like you to log in to their class sites three or more times per week. It is up to you (as the online student) to make certain you are following all the rules for your classes.
Contacting your Instructor
In general, there are three ways to contact your instructor for an online course. You may use the phone, use email, or use the discussion forum. Each instructor has a preferred method - you should discover what it is before you need help on an assignment. Keep in mind, please, that instructors generally do not sit near their computer waiting for your message. You should expect an instructor to return your electronic message within a day or two (longer on weekends and holidays), and your phone message the next time they are in their office. But - as before - each instructor has their own response time policy - you need to ask what that is.
Using the Discussion Board
The discussion board is an excellent area to post questions about the course, to answer questions or discussion items from your instructor, and - depending on the course - talk about other items as well. For a tutorial on using the discussion board, please see http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/bt.htm
Turning in Assignments
Your instructor will specify the method of submitting assignments. Be sure you know how to do this before any due dates. You may wish to ask your instructor if you can "experiment" with submitting an example to insure you can follow their procedures. For a tutorial on the Assignment Submission Feature and the Digital Drop Box, please see http:/lakelandcc.edu/dl/bt.htm
Special Instructions
Some courses require special access or PIN codes to view the course material. If this applies to your course, it is very important you understand the proper use of these codes well before any assignment due dates. You should consult your textbook publisher's Web site for information on how to use your code. If you are still having troubles, you should then contact your instructor via email for additional assistant in accessing the online course material.
There are also some courses that require you to view material on external web sites to prepare you for exams or even to take these exams. As before, work with your instructor by carefully reading any instructions they may send you so you can access this material well before any due dates.
Some courses require on-campus or in-person proctored testing at an authorized testing center such as a college, university or public library. Please check with your instructor to see if the course requires you to participate in proctored testing, particularly if this would be difficult or impossible for you. You are encouraged to work with your instructor on these arrangements.
Frequently Asked Questions
In addition to the information above, you may have other questions. Here are the answers to a few of them.
Accessing the System/Logging In
How do I change my username and/or password?
I can't remember my password? I changed my password and can't remember
what I changed it to... how do I reset it back?
You can not change your username. You will need to contact the help desk to have your password reset. If a student has a name change (say, due to marriage/divorce) they need to contact the Registrar. A name change will usually result in a new email address and a new Blackboard username. A change before the semester begins will usually be reflected on Blackboard within two business days.
If a student changes their username mid-semester, they need to continue using the old username for the duration of the semester.
Students can change password by accessing the Personal Information link in the Tools area of a course.
My class isn't showing or the incorrect classes are showing
Your instructor may not have made your class available to you yet. Alternately,
your instructor from last term may have not turned off the previous class
site. Contact your instructor.
Please make sure to double check the scheduled start date of your course. If you are taking courses that do not start until the 5th, 8th, or 10th week of the term, your class information make not be posted.
I registered late... how/when can I access Blackboard?
Contact your instructor for exact availabilities.
Blackboard is running slow or not working at all
Please contact the help desk immediately.
After you get in...
This online class doesn't look the same as my last one! Is that OK?
Yes. Every instructor designs their own class. It is important you read the
site carefully before any due dates.
Some items in the class site don't display
You may need to contact your instructor.
How do I download files from Blackboard?
You can download only some types of files from Blackboard. If you are not
sure, contact your instructor. Once you are sure the file you want is downloadable,
you can right-click (using the right mouse button - click once on the file
name (using blue and underlined, like a link in a web page) and select "Save
As..." from the menu that pops up.
Quizzes/Exams/Homework
Resetting/retaking exams and quizzes
Only your instructor can let you re-take an exam or quiz. You may wish to
take quizzes/exams well before they are due as your instructor may not
always be available evenings and weekends to reset quizzes/exams if you
have a problem. The help desk will refer you to your instructor.
The dreaded 'lock' symbol
This symbol occurs when something goes wrong. Several things could have occured
(a) Your internet connection stopped working, (b) your browser or computer
crashed, (c) you pressed the back button on your browser (rather than the
'previous' button for one-question-at-a-time exams), or (d) you pressed
'Save' instead of 'Submit'. After you take a quiz or exam, or submit an
assignment using the assigment feature, you should always check the gradebook
to ensure your work was submitted properly.
Quiz/assignment not displaying
You need to contact your instructor to find out why.
A quiz needs a password! How do I get that information?
This information must be obtained from your instructor.
Can I delete files from the drop box? How do I submit an updated version
of my assignment?
You can not delete files from the drop box. You should submit the new version
of your assignment with a message in the "comments" area informing
your instructor that you have submitted a new version. You may also wish
to email your instructor to inform them you have re-submitted your assignment.
Be sure and check your instructor's policies on re-submitting work.
Getting Course Information
How do I access/run/play audio or video files?
You will need a tool to play these types of files. Tools include Real Media
Player (http://www.real.com/),
Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads),
or QuickTime (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html).
Your instructor may provide additional information in your class site.
The font is too small! How do I change that?
If you have Internet Explorer, find the View menu (usually on the top of
the browser page), and select Text Size, from the sub-menu, select the
font size you would like. Please note this only works for web pages. If
the font is too small in a different document, you will need to read the
help files or other documentation that came with the computer program.
How do I zip files? How do I unzip files?
For a tutorial on zipping and unzipping files, please see http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/bt.htm.
How do I turn on/off popup blocker on my browser?
If you have Internet Explorer, find the Tools menu (usually on the top of
the browser page), and select Pop-up Blocker, from the sub-menu, select
Turn Off Pop-up Blocker. You may also be given the option to turn off the
pop-up blocker for a specific site. If that is so, you may wish to turn
it off (or on) for all pages coming from bb.lakelandcc.edu If you have
the Google Toolbar, click the Settings button, then Options to add bb.lakelandcc.edu
to your list of trusted sites.
I can't open PowerPoint files
You need to have either Microsoft PowerPoint loaded on your computer, or
you can download and install the Microsoft PowerPoint file viewer. This
product lets you view (but not change) PowerPoint files. It is available
from the Microsoft web site http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f24-90b7-a94784af71a4&DisplayLang=en URL
verified February 2006.
Why does my Microsoft Office file have a file extension that ends in 'x'?
These files were created by Microsoft Office 2007. Please check with your
instructor - they may not be able to open these. In that case, you should
"Save As..." a Microsoft Office 2003 file before submitting your work.
Help!
I'm lost. What do I do next?
If you are still not certain about something, you should call or email the Lakeland Helpdesk.
Phone: 440-525-7570
Email: helpdesk1@mail.lakelandcc.edu or LCCHelpDesk@lakelandcc.edu
It will help if you can describe exactly what you are trying to do, what you have done so far, how you are attempting to access your email (using a dial-up modem, DSL, cable modem, satellite), if you are at home, at work, or on campus, your name (including spelling it if necessary), how to reach you (phone number or email address), and what type and version of browser you have. Please allow time for the Helpdesk personal to research your problem and get back to you. It may be 24 hours (or longer) during the week, and longer on the weekends. It is important you plan ahead.
Using your Lakeland Student Email Account
It is very important you access your student email account on a regular basis. Most instructors will use this account to send you information about your class that is critical to your success.
Complete directions for using email are located at http://lakelandcc.edu/pdf/studentemailinstructions.pdf (PDF) and http://mail.lakelandcc.edu:8080/StudentEMail_Instructions_Text_Only.htm (Plain Text)
Once you are connected to the Internet, open your favorite browser. We have found that our mail service does not reliably work with browsers that have been modified by Internet Service Providers such as America Online (AOL), Yahoo!, MSN, and others. You may wish to download a "clean" version of Netscape or Internet Explorer for your use while at Lakeland.
Once your browser is open, type http://mail.lakelandcc.edu:8080/ in the location (or address) area. This will take you directly to the email page.
A few comments:
You can, in the Preferences section, forward your LCC email to any other email address you may have. Keep in mind that most instructors will send important class information to your LCC Account.
- When sending emails:
- Use a clear, meaningful subject (for classes, you may wish to include the full course number and section)
- Be as specific as you can in your email, and don't forget to sign your name. Instructors can have several different classes, and you want to make sure your instructor is able to help you as quickly as possible.
- Spell check your email before sending it.
- Virus check any files before sending them
Clean out the junk and spam mails from your email box on a regular basis. If your inbox is full, you will not receive messages that are critical to your success.
Logging Off
When you are finished reading, writing, or managing your email, it is very important you log off. This will protect your user id/password information, and keep others from sending email with your name attached.Email Policies
On a regular basis, please check the official college policies regarding the use of email.
Additional Information
Important Web Addresses (URLs) All URLs will open in a new window
- This Document (and additional current information!): http://itcs.lakelandcc.edu/DistanceLearning/studentHandbook.htm
- Additional Distance Learning Tutorials & Information: http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/
- Blackboard specific tutorials at: http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/bt.htm
- myLakeland (Registration, Pay Bills, Check Grades, and more): http://my.lakelandcc.edu
- Blackboard (Main page for logging in to your online class): http://bb.lakelandcc.edu/
- Blackboard general orientation: http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/on_how.htm.
- Online, virtual orientations for many classes: http://lakelandcc.edu/dl/dlvir.htm
- Main Lakeland Community College Web Site: http://www.lakelandcc.edu/
- Lakeland Library (Books, Magazine, Journals, CDs, Computers, and More!) http://library.lakelandcc.edu
- Need Help? Email helpdesk@lakelandcc.edu or Call (440) 525 - 7570
- Current college catalog: http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/catalog/
- Current student handbook: http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/handbook/
- Information Technology & Computer Science (IT & CS, formally ISYS) students should review the additional requirements available at: http://itcs.lakelandcc.edu/DistanceLearning/index.htm
- Student email account at http://mail.lakelandcc.edu:8080/
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This file last updated: Monday, April 14, 2008 16:43
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