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Tips for a Successful Online
or Hybrid Course
Technology Preparation
Depending on your course, you will be using a
variety of websites, media players, and multimedia. You should plan to download
the Firefox browser as a backup (or as your main browser) in case your primary
browser does not work for you.
Here is a list of the most common browsers,
plug-ins, and media players used within online courses:
- Start with the Browser Check in WebCT by
going to
WebCT.dvc.edu and
clicking on Browser Check in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Consider using Mozilla's
Firefox browser when viewing your online course if your primary
browser causes problems (i.e., Internet Explorer or Safari).
- Media Player Update/download: go to
www.microsoft.com and search for Windows Media Player Update.
- Flip 4 Mac - Windows Media Player plug-in
for the Mac: go to
www.flip4mac.com.
- Media Player Update/download: go to Apple's
Quicktime Player
page.
- Video Player Download:
Flash Player
- Video Player Download:
Shockwave
Player
- Free Office Suites: If you do not have or do not want to
buy the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), consider the
following free office suites for a Windows' pc (Open
Office) or a Mac (Neo
Office).
- DVC/SRC student labs have the
Microsoft Office installed. Consider this resource as well as purchasing
a usb flash drive so that you can save your documents while on campus.
-
Tips for Online Student Success Video
Before the Course Begins
-
Go to www.dvc.edu/online
and click on Fall, Spring, or Summer to find current courses. Review the
list available and once you find your course, click on "Click Here to Access Your Online Classroom."
Most courses will be in WebCT, but some may not and these often have access
codes that are purchased in the school bookstore. Note as well if there are
orientation meetings.
-
Login to your course website once from campus. Do the same when at home; if
different, update your browser
as directed above.
-
When taking tests, using chat, and the whiteboard, know that these features in WebCT are
Java-based and can be blocked by high security screening settings on personal/work
firewalls and/or pop-up blocking software. If you are unable to access
these WebCT-based features, it is likely that these settings are in place and need to be
adjusted/disabled (look for the browser menu heading of Tools or File and
click on the preference option). If this is still a problem and you are
unable to resolve this, then download the Firefox browser.
Time Management and Online or Hybrid
Considerations
-
Review all course content the instructor has available for you.
- Be
sure to attend any
required on-campus sessions for orientation, discussion, and
examinations. Many classes require a few on-campus sessions. Check
the printed or online schedule for any required class meetings.
- Take
a moment to bookmark your
online classroom the first time you access
it. This will help you locate your online
classroom quickly every time.
- Allocate the same amount of time each
week for an online course as you would for a campus course.
- Make
sure you cover all of the written material from the instructor as well as
the textbook and study guide.
- Make
contacts among your fellow students, forming study groups if possible or
preferable.
- Look
at your lesson the first day it is available, then print it out. That
way if there is a problem with your connection when you get home, you can
still work on it.
Read through the lesson and see if you have any questions. If you do, contact
your instructor or post a message to your class discussion board
immediately.
-
Many online courses require work completed every week and
it is necessary to review the course syllabus or calendar to have these dates
firmly in place.
- Asking
questions
-
Read the course introduction/syllabus to your online class carefully to find
out how you should ask questions. Some instructors will ask you to post all questions
to the class discussion board whereas others will ask you to email them
directly.
-
In a traditional class, everyone gets the
benefit of hearing the question and answer. Therefore the instructor
may require
you to post all questions to the class discussion board so that the entire
class can view all questions and answers.
-
Some questions may already be answered by the
instructor in his/her F.A.Q. or Formatting section.
-
Identify how or when you can contact your
instructor for office hour appointments.
- Log
on to your online classroom several times a week so that you can take part
in online discussions and read all messages in a timely manner if required.
Mail, Email, and Chat
-
WebCt has an internal system of Mail, meaning that you must log into WebCT to
use it. But, you can have Mail messages forwarded to an email address if
you would like to be alerted--this setting is under Manage settings once you
click on Mail in WebCT.
-
WebCT mail contains an inbox and outbox so that all of your mail is backed
up for you and available throughout the semester.
- Netiquette
in e-mail messaging
and
discussion board posting:
-
Be
aware that e-mail messaging is a different medium. Choose your words
carefully in a message. It is easy to sound brusque or even nasty
when all the other person sees is a typed message. Humor is more
difficult to get across in a message.
-
Proofread
your e-mail messages and discussion board postings before sending or
posting them. The more accurate your messages, the more likely they’ll
be understood.
Typical Features/Tools
in an Online or Hybrid Course
- Messaging
- E-mail,
chat,
and
class discussion boards
are
the primary forms
of communication between the instructor and students and
among students.
- Transferring,
Uploading, Downloading files
- You
may be
asked to Mail files in WebCT through browsing/attaching these files
or e-mailing
them to the instructor.
- You
may be
asked to mail or fax documents to the instructor.
-
You may be asked to use the Save-as command
(under file in any text editor) to save a document in Rich Text Format if
you do not have Microsoft Word.
-
The instructor may have you download or upload files.
- Quizzes
and Tests
-
Tests may be presented as take home tests that could be time-specific and
can be sent to you through
an
e-mail message.
-
More commonly, quizzes in WebCT are handled
through the Quiz tool. Please reference the information above (under
Technology Preparation) about possible browser-related problems and the
solutions provided. These quizzes have a set of directions for how to
take the test automatically generated each time the student clicks on a
quiz.
- Multimedia Development
-
Podcasts,
profcasts, and web-based tutorials are used in some courses to
illustrate elements of a course. By updating your Windows Media Player,
Flash and Shockwave players, browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari), and Quicktime player, you
will be able to access this material.
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