To Temple College Class logo R. Craig Collins > ITSE 1294 > Traditional, Hybrid, and On-Line Course Orientation

1294 Course Orientation © R. Craig Collins, 2005/6

First, read my General Orientation here.

This document will explain how Temple College's Web Based ITSE 1294, CIS for Health Care, works.

You should be an independent learner to be successful in this class, or at least have the discipline to take responsibility for getting tasks done on time, as you do not receive the same kind of attention as a traditional classroom provides. You may wish to click here to see some tips on how to be a good online student (opens in a separate window).

TO DO: Preview (details below)

  1. Verify you can use the school email, as well as send and receive attachments
    IMPORTANT: When using TC Webmail, some 'real' mail gets sorted to your Quarantine Folder... please check this folder frequently, release legitimate mail, and delete and purge the junk mail.

    IMPORTANT: When emailing from D2L, in the past there has been a bug that puts the wrong 'reply to' email address in your mail, meaning people cannot reply to your emails.
    To fix: on the first page you see after logging in to D2L, choose My Preferences, then the e-mail tab. Verify your reply to email address ends with
    templejc.edu
    NOT templejc.desire2learn.com
  2. Make sure you have access to a computer that can run the software to be covered, and has Internet access
  3. Log in to our Electronic Campus, by Desire2Learn (D2L)
  4. Read over the Terms/Big Picture web page
  5. Get the books, Practical PC
    (and some Office reference, such as Absolute Beginners Guide to Microsoft Office)
  6. Download and save the test review sheets
  7. Know when assignments are due.

TO DO: Detail Version
Note: the following may look overwhelming, but just take it a bit at a time... just as you approach any new task. Also, just because you may be enrolled in an on-line class, you are always welcome to come by during my office or lab hours (Schedule here).

  1. In order for two way communication to occur, I need to see that you can send and receive email. Please note, you must use your school email account. The first lab is to send me an email including: Send this email to craig.collins@templejc.edu, subject line 1294 Orientation/Lab 1
    You may do this now, or wait until the first week of class.

    ALL future emails for ITSC 1294 class purposes need to go to craig.collins@templejc.edu and the Subject line MUST include 1294 in the subject line, as well as include your name in the body of the email.

    For questions, please include 1294 Question as the subject line, and again, include your name.

    I should respond within 48 hours to any email... but it is your responsibility to follow up.

    * Be sure that you know how to open and send email attachments with your school email account, as I may be sending additional instructions and information to you over the semester, and attachments are a backup method of how you turn in assignments.

    (See Using TC Web Mail for instructions on e-mailing attachments from your school account.)
    If you often use Microsoft Outlook® as your email software, most of the concepts in the TC Web Mail still apply. You can use the Absolute Beginners© book to learn how to deal with documents and attachments, as well information in the Practical PC© textbook (chapter 9).

    The Temple College Open lab in the Watson Technical Center can provide assistance using the school's web based email system.

  2. Make sure you have access to a computer to do the assignments on. While the course covers Microsoft Windows ® and Microsoft Office ® tools, the basic concepts apply to many other software tools; however, it will be up to you to deal with any differences if you are not using these particular products. (Chapter 4 in the Practical PC book discusses this to an extent.)

    As a student of Temple College, you may receive Windows XP® and Sun's Star Office® for a minimal cost ($1).

    If you have access to high speed internet, you may download OpenOffice® free, at http://www.openoffice.org

    To save a file in the Microsoft file format, see this animation.

    The Temple College Open lab in the Watson Technical Center has both Microsoft Windows XP® and Office 2003® for you to use if you don't have access to an appropriate computer.

    As a student, you may also purchase Office 2003 for $179, from Academic Superstore, or other similar retailers.

  3. Make sure you have access to, and can log into Desire2Learn (D2L). Log in here (opens in a separate window).
    NOTE: You will receive a separate email from the campus with additional information once your account has been created... normally this does not occur until just before the class is scheduled to begin.

    Tips on using D2L are available here.

    Once you are added to the class roster, access to D2L, and update your profile...
    Choose Classlist, on the Gray tool bar, and select the Student Tab, as needed.
    To edit your profile, click the ? beside your name.

    Each time you are asked to use D2L, whether for participation discussions, to turn in homework, etc., you will receive instructions on how to accomplish this as part of the instructions. You may also read over a primer on D2L.

  4. Read and understand the Terms Reference (opens in a separate window), so you can deal with the 'language' of computers, this is the sole basis of the first test.

  5. Get the books.
    Optional: some reference on Office,
    such as Absolute Beginners Guide– Microsoft Office 2003, Boyce,   0-78972967-9.
    If you can't find this book, almost any book on Office XP or 2003 (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) should do    .
       Fairly detailed notes are included in each week's materials, so a few of you may not need the Microsoft Office book to do the labs.

    Required: Practical Series –Practical PC, 4rd Edition, Parson and Oja,    0-619-26799-2

    The Practical PC book comes with a CD, which you will use ONLY to view simulations.
    Part of you lab grades are based on taking quizzes over the book reading and simulations.

    You will take these end of chapter quizzes that cover the tutorial simulations and book material using D2L. These D2L quizzes are identical to the Quick Check A, Quick Check B, and Get It! quizzes at the end of each chapter of the book, and on the CD.
    Note: I no longer accept quizzes taken using the CD quiz system because:
    1) the D2L quizzes are identical to the quiz on the CD...
    2) the troublesome files that result from using the CD tracking system and floppy disks.

    Since you will not use the CD quizzes, choose cancel when prompted to create a tracking disk, and choose continue if warned about tracking

    Additional information about taking quizzes is available in each lab.

  6. Download and save the review sheets that become available, by 'right' clicking the links, and choose Save Target As.... As you do your reading, fill in the reviews, and the send the completed review back to me by the assignment due date. These reviews count as part of your participation grade.

    Test are given on-line, using D2L quizzes, but you may opt to take the computerized test at the TC Testing Center (opens in a separate window), in One College Center (Phone 254-298-8586).

  7. Know when assignments are due. Typically assignments are due 11:59 PM Friday of the week assigned, except for the captstone project, which is due at the end of the week before finals. Look at the Class Announcements page for the week events occur, or school calendar to calculate the exact dates.

    (You may work ahead, if you like. However, you will be required to participate with the class as a group, during the appropriate weeks, using Discussion in D2L.)