DISTANCE LEARNING FAQ FOR STUDENTS

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning?
2. What are the characteristics of a successful online student?
3. What is Blackboard? How do I know if my class is using Blackboard?
4. What equipment must I have for an online course?
5. What level of computer/Internet knowledge must I have?
6. How do online courses work? What are my responsibilities?
7. How do I interact with my instructor and fellow classmates?
8. How often do I need to be online?
9. How do I login to Blackboard?
10. Can the instructor tell how often I login to the Blackboard course?
11. I have forgotten my password
12. My email address has changed
13. How do I check my grades?
14. Links to browsers, plug-ins, players and viewers.
15. Who do I contact if I need help with Blackboard?
16. What is compressed video?
17. Links to internet resources

Advantages
• Flexibility – Distance learning courses can be completed at various times and locations other than Lake City Community College’s main campus and at various times.
• Cost - Students save money by not having to commute to class thus saving time, gasoline, childcare, and travel expenses.
• Technology - Distance learning takes advantage of new technologies and encourages students to be resourceful.
• Time - Students who are motivated and/or quick learners may be permitted to move ahead at a faster rate than in a traditional classroom. Students taking an online course can set a study schedule to fit their needs. Always check with your instructor for specific dates and deadlines that must be met.
• Communication - Because most contact with instructors and other students will be done via email, especially in online courses, messages can be sent at any time day or night. 

Disadvantages
• Structure - Students must be motivated, structured, and organized if they want to successfully complete a distance learning course.
• Technology - Not all students are computer or technology savvy and may need to develop these skills prior to taking distance learning courses.   Students may not have the necessary equipment or software to complete the course. Equipment may malfunction during the semester.
• Communication - Because most contact within an online course is done via email, you may not receive an immediate response from your instructor.

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• Goal-oriented
• Knows how to navigate the internet using a browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape
• Has the required computer hardware and the necessary software
• Knows how to work independently
• Begins course activities within the first week of the course and does not fall behind
• Sets aside a specific time on a routine basis for study
• Keeps up with assignments
• Contacts the instructor promptly with questions about any aspect of the course and stays in touch
• Has college level reading skills
• Consistently logs into the classroom, working on the internet curriculum at least once a week
• Checks email messages daily for important announcements or information from the instructor
• Familiar with uploading and downloading materials

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Blackboard is a web-based “course management system” that can be used as a tool to supplement on-campus courses or to deliver a course completely online.  Common uses of Blackboard include posting online announcements and course content (e.g., syllabi, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations), facilitating online discussions about content or course-related topics, collecting and grading student assignments/assessments, managing grades and making them available for students to view online.  Blackboard does not require any special software, only a web-browser such as Internet Explorer.  In addition, Blackboard has a user-friendly interface and is available for faculty and students to access their courses online anytime, anywhere.

Any class used in conjunction with Blackboard, and for which you are registered, will appear on your welcome screen after login. Some classes may use other systems such as Course Compass. Each instructor may use Blackboard in a different manner. It is important that you check with your online instructor to find out how your course uses Blackboard.

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You must have a computer, an internet service provider, an email account, and course-related software (if required) such as Microsoft Office Professional. Check with your instructor for any special hardware or software that might be needed. Some students find it helpful to have an email address for their personal use and one for their internet coursework.

Platform: PC - Windows 98 or above (Windows 98, 2000, NT, XP, or ME);
                Mac -  MacOS 9 or MacOS X
Hardware: 128 MB of RAM (512 recommended) , 1 GB of free disk space
Browser: Internet Explorer (5.5 or 6.0) or Netscape (7.1), Javascript and Cookies enabled
                Java plugin of 1.4.2 or above is required.
Modem: 56 K or faster (Broadband or Cable recommended)

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• Basic knowledge of the Internet, Web browsers, and search engines is necessary
• The ability to download and install software may be required
• Familiarity with the procedures for sending and receiving e-mail with attachments
• The ability to save files in .doc or .rtf formats, if Microsoft Word is not installed on your computer

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Online courses give students access to their classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once logged in, students are able to view their syllabus, course documents, assignments and materials. Assignments are turned in electronically. The majority of tests are taken online. Some instructors, however, require that tests be taken on campus or at a designated testing center with the student providing a picture identification prior to taking the exams.
Student responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
1 Reading the assigned materials
2 Being prepared to discuss course work and assignments in an online discussion forum
3 Completing assigned lab exercises
4 Completion of all reading assignments and exercises
5 Having a good working computer and a valid email address
6 Paying attention to due dates for assignments, tests, and discussion board postings
7 Login to the course regularly to receive course updates and announcements

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As online courses do not have the physical interaction of traditional in-class courses, much of the communication is done via technology. You may find yourself using any or all of the following: the telephone, fax, email, online chat rooms, bulletin boards / forums, discussion boards and traditional mail to communicate with your instructor and classmates. Each course will have specific procedures and technologies which best accomplish the goals of the course. These procedures are left to the discretion of the course instructor and will be described in the course syllabus.

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A good rule of thumb is to log on at least daily to check announcements and review online materials. How long you need to remain online depends on the activities for that session. It is important to check your email daily.
Check each course schedule to see when certain assignments are due, when discussions are held, and when projects begin and end. Each course has its own due dates and schedule of events. Attendance in the course will be apparent when you participate in discussions and complete assignments.

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1. Login to Blackboard at:  http://blackboard.lakecitycc.edu (all lowercase, no www before blackboard).
2. Enter your username and password.
3. Student Username = SID (Student number that begins with 100 or 101)
4. Password = 4 digit year of birth, last 4 digits of SSN (Social Security Number)
5. Select the course you want to view

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Yes, instructors are able to view the course statistics of individual users. They can determine the date and time of your last login and whether or not you address individual components within the classroom. Your instructor will be able to determine the date and time you submitted assignments, if the Digital Dropbox or an assignment linked to the gradebook is used.

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If you are taking an online class via Blackboard, you can check your grades easily. Once you login to Blackboard, access your course, and select Student Tools from the course menu. From the tools area, select “My Grades.”

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If your email address has changed contact your instructor immediately. This will prevent you from missing important messages from your instructor. If you have problems locating your instructor contact Patty Anderson, andersonp@lakecitycc.edu. You may also login to Blackboard, on the My Institution page select Personal Information in the tools box and update your email address.

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Go to the Blackboard login page and type in your username. Select the link Forgot Password? and fill in the information for Option 1 or 2. You will receive an email giving you the option to change your password. Change your password to something that will be easy for you to remember

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To take full advantage of all the features in an online course, be sure you have the right technology. This includes an up-to-date web browser and appropriate plug-ins. Click the link to the appropriate web sites. Then follow the steps given on the web sites to download the program.

Browsers
Internet Explorer works most fluidly with Blackboard and the documents provided by your instructors. If you are using an older version of a browser that cannot handle advanced features of HTML, then some portions of a course may not work for you. We recommend that you use the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer for ease of access to your Blackboard course.
AOL may not work with Blackboard. Connect to the internet using AOL. Minimize the AOL browser. Find Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on your desktop or in your programs menu and start the browser. You should now be able to log on to Blackboard and interact with your Blackboard pages without any problems.

Plug-ins and Players
Browsers also use plug-ins and other helper applications to help them display web documents. If you encounter an element (such as video or animation) that requires one of these helpers, you may see a message that your browser isn't equipped for that content type. The following are common plug-ins, players, and viewers that are used on the Web in general, and that may also be used in your online course.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free, and freely distributable, software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
Apple QuickTime Player is for viewing video in Apple's QuickTime format. It works with over 30 audio, video and image formats.
Macromedia Shockwave and Flash is free and is for viewing interactive content in various Macromedia formats.
Real Player is free and is for streaming audio and video content.

Viewers
Microsoft Office may be required to view and transfer files to and from your instructor. If you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, you will need to download one, or more, of the following viewers.
Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2003 is for viewing and printing PowerPoint presentations. Download this if you do not already have PowerPoint installed on your computer.
Microsoft Word Viewer 2003 is for viewing and printing Word documents. Download this if you do not already have Microsoft Word installed on your computer.
Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003 is for viewing and printing Excel spreadsheets. Download this if you do not already have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.

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Course-specific questions such as those related to course content, assignments, grading and policies should be directed to the course instructor.

If you still need assistance contact Patty Anderson, 386-754-4227 or andersonp@lakecitycc.edu

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Compressed digital video (CDV) is a powerful new telecommunication tool which transmits live video and audio simultaneously over special telephone lines called Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). A computer compresses the television signal allowing it to be transmitted via telephone lines. Compression technology makes videoconferencing easy and affordable -- no special production studios, equipment or satellites are required. Communication between sites is two-way and interactive. Lake City Community College has the following sites where students can meet for class.

Baker County Center
Baker County High School
Dixie County Center
Dixie County High School
Gilchrist Center
National Guard
Northeast Florida State Hospital
Olustee
Trenton
Union County

Compressed video courses are usually taught in a specially equipped conference room. The instructor and students are usually located in two different places and communicate through interactive video and audio equipment. The instructor and students can be located in the same place. The course is similar to a face-to-face course except that you will see your instructor through TV instead of face-to-face.

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The following list of useful links was provided by the Florida Distance Learning Consortium

Internet Searching Resources

• Dogpile.com
Dogpile uses innovative metasearch technology to search the Internet's top search engines. With one single click, Dogpile fetches the best results from the combined pool of the best search engines.
• Google.Com
In addition to providing easy access to more than 4 billion web pages, Google has many special features to help you to find exactly what you're looking for.
• Merlot.Org
MERLOT is a free and open resource with links to online learning materials, along with annotations such as peer reviews and assignments.
• Askjeeves is now Ask.com
This search engine allows the user to type in keywords or questions.

Math Help

• Professor Freedman's Math Help - http://www.mathpower.com/
This site provides information about basic math, algebra, study skills, math anxiety and learning styles and specifically addresses the needs of the community college adult learner.

Reading Help

• Improving Reading Comprehension - http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/%7Edon/Study/7read.html
Help improve your reading and comprehension skills from the tutorials found on this website.

Study Skills

• Using Study Groups to Increase Learning - http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/studygr.html
Some students find that using study groups helps to increase learning. This website contains guidelines that you can use to help you obtain the most from your study groups.

Writing Help

• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers handouts, materials, and resources for students and teachers to assist them with there writing needs.
• Understanding Plagiarism - http://education.indiana.edu/%7Efrick/plagiarism/
Visit this website to find out more about plagiarism and also find some tips and suggestions on what you can do to protect yourself. Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own and is a serious offense.
• Grammar Girl - http://grammar.qdnow.com/

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