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Important Links
Online Orientations
BOT Online Instructors
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Welcome to BOT Online!
Thirteen BOT classes are available online. The first semester that BOT offered some of its
classes online was Fall 2004. As of Spring 2006, 75% of the
BOT degree can be earned via online classes. More information can be found
on the Online BOT Degrees & Certificates
page.
Online BOT course offerings:
BOT 101A/B Keyboarding & Document Processing
BOT 102A/B Intermediate Keyboarding & Document Processing
BOT 104 Filing & Records Management
BOT 118 Integrated Office Projects
BOT 120-122 Comprehensive Word Levels I, II, III
BOT 123-125
Comprehensive Excel Levels I, II & III
BOT 126 Comprehensive Access Level I
(No online BOT classes in Summer)
Welcome to BOT Online
How does an online course work?
How is a BOT online class different from a Flex Lab
class?
You mean I don't have to come to class?
Do I need to attend an orientation?
What do I need to be an online student?
What textbook will I need?
Course management and communication
Advice from BOT online students
What students like & didn't like about online classes
How does an online course work?
The short answer is that it's like a correspondence course, but with
Internet communication. The online class follows virtually the same syllabus as the
Flex Lab class on campus, but you can do the work any time during the week
from home or on any computer where you can access the class website and
Office 2007 software. Instead of attending classes, online students use the
class notes, textbooks, and assignments to learn. You will access the
course website by logging in to Blackboard (an online course management
system). Blackboard is used for the
syllabus, course schedule, assignment instructions and resources, announcements, discussion, submitting assignments,
exams,
e-mail, and checking grades. Students are responsible for reading the
textbooks and completing all class learning assignments on their own, but
help is available by phone, Blackboard discussion, e-mail, or in person in
the BOT Flex Lab, room
E-120,
during lab hours.
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How is a BOT Online class different from a Flex Lab class?
Students enrolled in an Online section must follow the schedule for the
online classes. The schedule for the Online classes will have specific start and end
dates (see
Cuyamaca
class schedule for dates), and assignments and exams will be due at assigned times.
You may work ahead and complete assignments early, as long as you turn
them in no later than the due date. See the course syllabus and
assignments sections in Blackboard for assignment and exam due dates.
Students enrolled in a Flex Lab
section may begin at any time during the first 11 weeks of the semester
and work at your own pace. If you want to take an online class be sure you
are enrolled in the correct section number by the add deadline. No late
adds!
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You mean I don't have to come to class?
That's right. You can set your own work
hours and do everything wherever the course software is installed. Just
be sure not to fall behind as that is the number one reason students end
up dropping an online class. Of course, you may attend the BOT Flex Lab
in room E-120 for in-person help whenever the lab is open, if necessary.
If you go to the Flex Lab, see an instructor or aide to receive individual help.
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Do I need to do an
Orientation for the online class(es)?
Yes, you
MUST complete
an orientation for the online classes. You do not need to come to
campus for the orientation, as they are all available online. Even if you have taken the orientation for the BOT Flex Lab classes, you
must still complete an online orientation because the Online classes are very
different from Flex Lab classes. Locate the appropriate
online
orientation for you class and complete them by the deadline listed in
the class schedule.
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So what do I need to be an online student?
Here's what you need to be able to succeed in a BOT online class:
- Access to a PC/Windows computer with the following requirements:
- Computer/Processor: 500-MHz or higher
- Memory: 256 MB of RAM or higher
- Hard disk: 2 GB of available hard-disk space
- Monitor: 800 x 600 minimum monitor
resolution; 1024 x 768 recommended
- DVD drive
- Operating system: Windows XP with
Service Pack 2 or later
- Internet access:
Internet Explorer 6.0
or higher
- Sorry, no Macintosh as the Office 2007 program is very different on a
Mac.
-
Word, Excel, or Access
2007 software
(depending which class you are taking). Word, Excel and Access are part of Office 2007.
You can get academic pricing,
which is significantly lower than retail, at several places.
-
Microsoft no longer sells Office 2007. However, you can
still purchase a downloadable copy of Office 2007 (no media)
at an educational discount for $79.95:
We have not used Office 2010 for all of the exercises in
the Word and Excel books, but 2010 should work. Keep in mind
that there are some new features in 2010 software, so some
of the screen shots in the book may not match the software.
The main software features and file types are the same in
2007 and 2010. If you are taking a keyboarding class (BOT
101A/B or 102A/B you should use either Office 2007 or 2003.
Microsoft offers a free 60-day trial for Office 2010 on their
website:
Here are some great offers to purchase Office 2010 at an educational
discount:
-
$80 Direct Download
(no media) - See
http://www.theultimatesteal.com/ for more
information.
Direct download and license, no CD.
-
$80 Purchase with media
- Purchase Microsoft software through this online store
at
www.journeyed.com/fccc/. Credit card
purchases only.
This software comes packaged as a CD and license only.
This software can be purchased by students, faculty and
staff from schools participating in the Microsoft
Student Select program only.
- Keyboarding software if you are enrolled in a
keyboarding class. The software is bundled with your textbook.
- Textbook (see next
question below)
The textbooks are available in the
Cuyamaca
College Bookstore.
- Ability and willingness to work independently.
- Solid experience with
Internet and with Windows. (Can you troubleshoot problems? Could you
e-mail an attached file?)
- Working knowledge of zipping files using Winzip or
similar program.
- Excellent reading and writing skills.
- TIME! Successful
students schedule 5-10 hours a week to work on the class.
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What textbook will I need?
The textbooks are available in
Cuyamaca
College Bookstore or online at
www.whywaitforbooks.com.
You
can also rent textbooks at
www.chegg.com/.
BOT 101A & 101B (same kit for both classes):
- College Keyboarding & Document Processing,
Lessons 1-60, 10th edition
by
Scott Ober, Jack E. Johnson, & Arlene Zimmerly, with GDP10 software.
ISBN-13: 978-0-077-260-538 (Kit)
- Also requires MS Word 2007 (available separately).
NOTE:
Older versions of Word will not work with the GDP keyboarding
software. (software
purchasing information)
BOT 102A & 102B (same kit for both classes):
- College Keyboarding & Document Processing,
Lessons 61-120, 10th edition
by
Scott Ober, Jack E. Johnson, & Arlene Zimmerly, with GDP10 software.
ISBN-13: 978-0-077-212-551 (Kit)
- Also requires MS Word 2007 (available separately).
NOTE:
Older versions of Word will not work with the GDP keyboarding
software. (software
purchasing information)
BOT 104:
- Filing A Course in
Modern Methods for the Business Office 4th edition
by Cogswell, ISBN-13: 978-0-88294-834-8
- Gregg Quick Filing Practice, 4th edition
by Jeffrey, ISBN-13: 978-0-07322-288-2
BOT 118:
- Integrated Computer Projects,
by Brooks, ISBN-13: 978-0-76381-899-9
BOT 120, 121, 122 (same book for all 3 Word classes):
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Required:
1) Textbook:
Signature Word 2007 by Nita Rutkosky;
ISBN 978-0-76383-026-7
2) Software: Word 2007 (software
purchasing information)
- Purchasing Options:
The textbook available in
Cuyamaca
College Bookstore includes a CD
containing the student data files ISBN-13: 978-0-76383-2575
You
can buy the book directly from the publisher at ParadigmCollege.com
for $81.35 which includes S&H.
BOT 123, 124, 125 (same book for all 3 Excel classes):
-
Required:
1) Textbook:
Benchmark Excel 2007 by Nita Rutkosky:
ISBN 978-0-76383-007-6
2) Software: Excel 2007 (software
purchasing information)
- Purchasing Options:
The
textbook available in the
Cuyamaca College Bookstore
includes a CD containing the student data files, ISBN-13:
978-0-76383-2438
You can buy the book directly from the publisher at
ParadigmCollege.com for $70.35
which includes S&H.
BOT 126:
-
Required:
1) Textbook:
Benchmark Access 2007 by Nita Rutkosky;
ISBN 978-0-76383-004-5
2) Software: Access 2007 (software
purchasing information)
- Purchasing Options:
The
textbook available in the
Cuyamaca College Bookstore
includes a CD containing the student data files, ISBN-13:
978-0-76383-2490
You can buy the book directly from the publisher at
ParadigmCollege.com
for $70.35 which includes S&H.
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Course Management and Communication
- Blackboard is a course management tool used to communicate
(discussion forum and e-mail), submit assignments, take
exams, and check grades. Plan to check Blackboard twice a week or more. Course
announcements will be posted to the Blackboard announcements section.
- Occasionally your instructor will contact you by e-mail. You need to e-mail
your instructor before each class begins. Let the instructor know if your e-mail address changes
during the class.
- Assignments are posted in Blackboard with due dates and instructions
for turning in the work.
- Post your questions at the Blackboard discussion forum. You should
get an answer by the next business day. Other students may post an
answer to your question. E-mail the instructor if your question is urgent or
personal.
- You may also go to the BOT Flex Lab in room F505/606 for individual
help from an instructor. See lab staff to enroll in the free supervised
tutoring section, which is required in order to work in the lab. See the
BOT Flex Lab website for hours.
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Advice from BOT online students
- Can you work independently?
If you can pretty
much figure things out on your own and don't need the teacher to
explain everything, and if you can get by without face-to-face
interaction with the other students, you can succeed. We can always get
help and other viewpoints through the discussion board, though it
won't be immediate.
- Can you manage your time effectively? This is
by far the most important consideration for an online student. This
class takes more time than I had anticipated, and I bet others feel
the same way. Unexpected things seem to always happen, so you
need to be prepared. Make a game of it - pretend that assignments are
due earlier than they really are, and challenge yourself to complete
them early. That way you won't have a problem trying to get things
done at the last minute, and you'll have more time for other classes
or activities.
- Treat online courses the same as face-to-face classes
- Keep up with assignments
- Maintain an active role in the course. (Check
the discussion boards, ask questions, etc..)
- Give yourself plenty of time for coursework
- If something is unclear be sure to clarify
- Keep up with the class. The biggest problem online students
have is gradually falling behind. You lose points when assignments are
late, and you may be dropped from the class if you get behind. These
classes are only 5-8 weeks in length and all work must be completed by
the class end date.
- Schedule enough time (from 5-10 hours per week) to focus on the class.
Some students may need more or less time, so you can make adjustments
based on your skill level in Word.
- Don't wait until the last minute to start an assignment. If you run
into a problem, it may take time to get help.
- Contact your instructor
as soon as you begin to have problems
or if you decide to drop. Links to the online instructors' emails are
found at the top left of this web page.
- Attend the
BOT Flex Lab
for in-person help whenever the lab is open, if necessary.
See lab staff to get started.
- Check e-mail and online discussion several times a week.
- Have a
back-up plan in case your computer crashes. You can
always use the
BOT Flex Lab during
open hours.
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What students like about online learning:
- Having the time to work at home at my own convenience.
- Online interaction with other classmates.
- Freedom of not having to come to class.
- Not being held down to a class time allowed me to attend class
online during my most creative/productive times.
What students didn't like:
- It is harder to stay motivated and put the time in.
- Some things are hard to explain by e-mail or phone.
- It's harder for your teacher to get to know you.
Good luck and let's have fun!!!
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