Online Orientation

As you read through the orientation information below, you will find the answers to these 10 questions. Please send me an e-mail with your 10 answers before the end of the second day of the class. My e-mail is duffym@crc.losrios.edu.

Are you enrolled or wait listed, and for which of my classes?
In every e-mail, what information should you include ?
Can you confirm that you have activated iMail and set Preferences to forward to any other e-mail you use?
Have you worked with Desire2Learn before? – If so, what did you like best or find most useful about it? If not, do you have any concerns?
What four things must you have to be successful in this online class?
How much time will you plan to spend on this class each week?
When and where is your final exam for this class? Confirm that you can attend.
What are your two (total) quiz scores for Student Skills, and Technical Skills (links below)?
What are the four main points of the CRC Honor Code (link on home page)?
What do you hope to learn in this class, and is there anything else I should know that will help me in teaching you?

Communication

Every e-mail should contain your name and the name of the class you are taking with me, as well as your detailed question. Place the class information in the subject line, and please specify whether it is online or on ground, and the term (for example: CISA315 OL 1st 8 or, CISC308 1^st 5 on ground). In the body include your full name as it appears on the roster. Also, when you e-mail a question, be as specific as possible, for example, “On page EX 205, step 6, what does it mean…” I teach multiple classes, both online and on ground, and it will help our communication a lot to have you be very specific in your e-mail so your questions can get answered easily.

Activate iMail: Campus iMail is assigned for every enrolled student, and I require it to be activated. If you wish, you may forward from iMail to a different, preferred e-mail, by changing Preferences once you are in iMail, but iMail offers some student benefits such as quick access to your grades, eServices, and faculty contact information. It does not allow very large attachments, but it is a good, secure e-mail address to use and will do well at filtering spam. In addition, it is the default e-mail in Desire2Learn. Make sure you check your e-mail regularly throughout the course.

If you are new to Desire2Learn (D2L), you can sign up for a sample class and see an overview of the components from the log on page. Go to https://d2l.losrios.edu/ and Student Information. We will be using D2L as the course management software for our class. Students must be enrolled to access the course itself.

Enrolled, Adding, and Dropping a Class

As you may be aware, the budget situation in California has caused reduced funding for Community Colleges, making us unable to offer as many courses as there is demand. In addition, with unemployment quite high, many individuals wish to enroll to get new skills for job training. Please be sincere in your interest and commit to doing the work if you take a seat in the class. There are students getting turned away because there is no room, and I want everyone who enrolls to finish the class successfully.

Wait-Listed Students: I am usually willing to over-enroll a class by a few students. I will select from the waiting list first from those students who have completed the orientation. I will not enroll anyone who does not complete the orientation, and I will drop enrolled students who do not complete the orientation to make room for more wait listed students.

It is the student's responsibility to understand and abide by drop, or withdraw dates for the term in which they are enrolled. See Calendar for Los Rios for specific dates. CRC’s Catalog states that a student may be dropped if they miss more than 6% of the class time. If I find you have stopped submitting work, I will do my best to drop you from the class. However, it is really your responsibility to drop yourself if you decide for any reason that you do not wish to complete the course. You may do so through E-Services or Admissions.

Required for Success!

Each class has specific software requirements. Our labs are currently using the Windows 7 operating system, the Microsoft Office Professional 2010 office software (with Access), and Internet Explorer as a browser. Currently Microsoft is offering a Free 60 day trial of Office 2010. On my home page is a link to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. You will need this software as well as the correct software for your course, since most course materials on Desire2Learn are .pdf files.

All of my classes also use a required textbook. The CRC Hawks Nest bookstore should have copies, but you may also find them available online. Since my classes are short term classes, you will need the book from the beginning of the class. Our computer labs generally have a single copy of the text which you may use in the lab, as well as the correct software installed. Please check for lab hours.

In addition to the correct software and the textbook, you will need access to the Internet, and Time! Students who take an online class are expected to be able to navigate the web and work with technology. Most of my classes are skills based classes, so you need to practice with the software. A general rule is that for every hour in class, you should plan to spend 2 hours outside of class on the work. This applies even for online classes, though the class hours are on your own time. For a 1 unit course, plan on spending 45 – 54 hours on reading, assignments, quizzes and the final, and for a 2 unit class, plan on 90 – 108 hours. If you divide the class hours by the number of weeks of the class (usually 5, 8, 11, or 16), you will know how many hours you will need available each week to be successful in my class.

Online students must be available to attend an on ground final exam. You will find the final exam date, time, and room in the CRC class schedule. On rare occasions a student and I can set up a proctor for the final exam, if they are unable to attend the final at CRC. This must be arranged well in advance.

Online Readiness and the Honor Code

Online students are self-motivated; learn well by reading; and are good at managing their time. Test yourself to find out: Are You Ready for an Online Course? Take the two quizzes offered online (bottom of the page when you click the link in this paragraph) and confirm that this is the best environment for you. Send me your total scores (do not send a copy of the entire quiz please).

On my home page there is also a link to the CRC Honor Code. Please read through it. As a faculty member I agree to abide by the tenets of this code, and expect all students to do so as well.

More information will be found in our syllabus in D2L, as well as a schedule of assignments and due dates. D2L will be activated on the start date of the class. At that time, please be sure to log on and begin the work.

Thank you, and Welcome to our Class! I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks.

~Professor Duffy