CS-119 Online Orientation

Overview

This semester, your CS-119 class will be entirely online. This orientation will help you get up to speed on the layout of the class web pages as well as things you will need to know and do in order to succeed in this class. Please take your time and read this orientation page along with the syllabus, course outline and lab standards pages. 

Can I Survive as an Online Student?

An online class offers the benefit of being able to attend class at your convenience rather than being required to come to class at a set time.  Obviously, this is a real advantage if your work schedule changes frequently, you find yourself having to travel periodically for work, or you frequently need to take care of family members.  In spite of the flexibility, online classes require substantially more time and effort than the same class in a conventional classroom format.  To see if an online class is a good fit for your learning needs, answer the following questions either yes or no:
  1. I think this class will be much easier online.
  2. I have reliable access to a computer with high speed (i.e. cable or DSL) Internet access.
  3. I am comfortable using a web browser, navigating the Web and book marking pages.
  4. I am comfortable with computer operations such as installing software, copying & pasting text, grabbing screen shots, compressing/decompressing files using software such as WinZip,  and uploading/downloading files.
  5. I enjoy doing lots of reading.
  6. I enjoy doing lots of typing.
  7. I enjoy spending lots of time at my computer.
  8. I am comfortable using chat, email and discussion boards to communicate with my classmates and instructor.
  9. I am self-disciplined, able to work independently and able to complete assignments without being in a classroom environment.
  10. I don't enjoy fighting my way to class in rush hour traffic, gas has gotten really expensive, and being able to come to class in my pajamas with a favorite beverage in hand sounds really fun.

If you answered yes to question No. 1, please review that first paragraph before the questions again.  For questions 2 - 10, if you answered yes to most or all of them, an online class will probably work out well for you.  On the other hand, if you found yourself with a number of no answers, a conventional classroom format would be a better fit for your learning needs.

Other Orientation Items

For starters, please make sure you have paid class fees and that you are officially enrolled in the course by or before the last day to add a semester length course.  See the Course Outline for the specific date though sooner would be better so we can get a Blackboard account set up for you.

The following activities and questions are to make sure you that you can locate/use essential class resources.

Review the Course Syllabus, Outline, and Lab Standards pages and make sure you can answer the following questions:

What textbook(s) do I need for this course?

What other class materials do I need?

What is the instructor's email address and chat screen name?

What software do I need, where do I get it and how do I install it?

How do I paste a screen shot into a document?

How do I get help if I get really stuck on an assignment?

Where do I find assignment instructions and due dates?

What browser settings are needed so I can properly access all the class pages?

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