Things You MUST Do Prior to the
Start of Your Online Class
Summer 2008 starts on Tuesday, June 17 and ends on Thursday, August 14 . Starting June 3 , registered students for summer 2008 may be able to view your course site with online orientation, help information, and some course content. Per the professor, some summer online courses may not be visible until June 17.
Fall 2008 starts on Monday, August 25 and ends December 20. Starting August 11, registered students for fall 2008 may be able to view your course site with online orientation, help information, and some course content. Per the professor, some fall online courses may not be visible until August 25.
Starting Summer 2008, WebCT Vista will be upgraded to version 4, called Blackboard Vista. Although with a new name, many basic tools (Announcements, Calendar, Mail, Discussions, Learning Module, Assignments, Assessments, etc.) are the same. Instructions on how to use WebCT Vista are mainly the same as Blackboard Vista.
All registered online students MUST follow the step-by-step instruction below to get yourself ready as early as possible before June 17 for Summer 2008 online classes and before August 25 for Fall 2008 online classes.
The most updated information at an online course site will be available the FIRST day of a semester. Before the first day of a semester, do not complete any assignments, print, download, save any files from the course site.
1. Take the Survey
The first thing you should do is to take the survey to make sure an
on-line class would be something you would be successful at.
Go to this web address:
http://www.ctdlc.org/Student/assessment.html
Fill out the assessment.
Then read the section on Scoring and Explanations. This will let you know if you are well suited for taking an on-line
class.
2. Log on to your Online Class
Two weeks prior to the beginning of a semester , you might be able to view your online
course site including online orientation, help information, and some course content. Per the professor, some courses may not be visible until the first day of a semester. We encourage you to go through the orientation prior to the start of the semester to test your computer and learn how to use Blackboard tools. However, please do not complete any course-related activities or print any documents; all course information is considered in progress until the first day of courses: Summer 2008 - June 17 and Fall 2008 - August 25.
- Open a web browser.
- Go to my.commnet.edu
- Enter your NetID and password, click Login.
- NetID : BannerID@student.commet.edu
- Password: The same password to log on to a campus computer at any of 12 Connecticut community colleges.
- If you have never logged on to a campus computer, the initial password is combination of your first 3 letters of birth month (capitalize the first letter) and last four digit of your social security number.
- For example, if you are born in April and the last four digits of your social security number are 4575, then your initial password is Apr&4575 (case sensitive).
- After you logon with the initial password, you will be prompted to change to a new password. The new password MUST have 8 or more characters and satisfy 3 of the 4 rules as follows:
- Upper case
- Lower case
- Numbers
- Special characters
- One example of a new password is Flower07 (case sensitive). Remember; do not use your name or birthday in the new password.
- Click here for more information about NetID and password
- If you are not able to log in to the site, click here to for additional information.
- Once you are in myCommNet, click WebCT Vista icon
at upper right corner. Click a semester link (such as Summer 2008). Click your course name. To go to another course, click MyBlackboard (upper right) and click the course name.
- If you have logged on to myCommNet but could not get to a Blackboard Vista course, click here for help information under Problem 1.
Disable all pop-up blockers to ensure myCommNet function correctly.
3. Enter an Active Email to Banner
Providing an active external email account is crucial for all online students. This is to ensure that you receive important information about online learning. It is also a way of communicating with your instructor in case the Blackboard Vista system is down.
- Go to my.commnet.edu
- Enter your NetID (BannerID@student.commnet.edu) and password, click Login.
- Once you are in myCommNet, click Student tab. Click link under Student Self-Service.
- Click Personal Information.
- Click Update E-mail Address. Select Personal Email in Types of Email to Insert drop down menu. Click Submit button.
- Enter your valid email address twice and click Submit button.
4. Prepare for your Computer, Internet Connection, and Browser
Prior to the first day of class, you need to make sure your computer, Internet connection, and browser are ready for taking an online course with WebC via myCommNet. You need to have regular access to a recent-model computer which MUST have a high-speed (DSL, cable modem, etc.) Internet connection.Your computer also needs to have JAVA 1.5.04 installed. All pop-up blockers need to be turned off, and additional firewalls need to be disabled. Internet Explore 7 might cause problem in Blackboard Vista, so we recommend you to have a backup browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Netscape installed on your computer. For downloading correct version of JAVA, Mozilla Firefox, and others, go to MxCC Distance Learning Home page, click the according link under Download Center (lower left).
a. Click here for more information about the system requirements for myCommNet.
b.Click here for more information about the system requirements and common technical problems with Blackboard Vista.
Computer
Pentium III 700 MHZ (minimum);
Pentium IV 1.5GHz (recommended)
Networking
High speed Internet connection (DSL, cable modem)
Port 2304 must be open for Chat/Whiteboard access.
|
Windows Operating System
Windows 98 SE up to Windows XP*
Browsers:
Internet Explorer* 5.5 SP2; 6 SP1&SP2
Netscape Communicator 7.0-7.2
AOL 8.0 & 9.0
Mozilla 1.5, 1.6, & 1.7.x
Firefox 1.0.x, 1.5.x
|
Mac Operating System
OS 10.1.x & 10.2.x
Browsers:
Internet Explorer 5.1 (OS 10.1 Only)
Netscape 7.0, 7.1, & 7.2
AOL OS X
Mozilla 1.5, 1.7
Firefox 1.0
Safari 1.2, 1.3.1, & 2.0.1 or higher |
Once your computer and Internet connection are ready, conduct a browser test with the following steps:
1. Open a web browser such as Internet Explorer.
2.
Go to my.commnet.edu. Log on with your NetID and password. Click WebCT Vista icon at upper right . Click a semester link such as Summer 2008 (or Fall 2008). Click a course name that can open the Blackboard page. Click MyBlackboard (upper right) link. If you do not see the course you registered list in MyBlackboard page after 2 working days of registration, contact the Registrar's Office at (860-343-5724). Click Check Browser (upper right corner). Click here for graphic-based detailed instruction. It will tell you what items you need to download (if any) and give
you a place to download them from.
3.
To download additional plug-ins necessary to support your online classes, go to http://www.ctdlc.org/Help/Vista/index.html, with necessary items listed in Download Center (right column). The trouble shooting tips and frequently asked technical questions can also be found from this site.
*Note - each individual course may also require an additional browse
test. This test here is the bare minimum just to get into
Blackboard .
6. Double-check the Cousre CRN and Payment Information
1. When you are in MyBlackboard page, double-check the course four-digit CRN (
) to make sure that it is the course that you meant to register. To check the correct CRN for all online courses, go to Online Classes page and select the appropriate semester link. The CRN is listed next to the online course. If the CRN from the semester class list does not match the CRN shown in MyBlackboard page, contact the Registrar's Office (860-343-5724) immediately.
2. Upon time of registering an online class, payment needs to be in place or arranged. If payment is not done, you will be dropped off the class. If you are on Financial Aid from MxCC or other institutions, you MUST ensure that your financial aid paper work processed prior to beginning of a semester. Click here for more detailed information about applying to your Financial Aid to online courses. If your class was taken of MyBlackboard Page, please contact the Registrar's Office (860-343-5724) immediately.
7. Learn Basic Features in Blackboard Vista.
Prior to the first day of a semester, all online learners are REQUIRED to go through the online orientation at http://www.mxcc.commnet.edu/distance/start.shtml. First time online students in need of personal assistance in learning Blackboard Vista basic features can attend an on-campus orientation offered during the first week of a semester. Click here for the orientation schedule.
The Blackboard Multimedia Tutorial will help you learn basic Blackboard features used in online learning.
8. Purchase your Textbooks
As soon as you register to an online class, visit the
MxCC bookstore or call (860-346-4490) to obtain information about what textbook will be used
for this
course. You may purchase the textbook online from the MxCC bookstore web site. At this site, click Go under Books and then click Go under Textbooks. Select the Online, Department, and CRN. Proceed to purchase the textbook. Please be aware that it might take a full week to receive your textbooks odered online or via phone.
Some of our
online courses may require
textbooks with a special access code, and purchasing your textbook
with the access
code through the bookstore is the only way to assure that you will receive
the
correct textbook and access code. Go to the Online Class page at www.mxcc.commnet.edu/distance/classes.shtml and select the class list for the semester of the online classes (upper left), such as Summer 2008 or Fall 2008 to find out which course has special requirement or needs special codes that require you purchase the textbook from the MxCC bookstore.
Once again, the only way to guarantee that
you receive the correct textbook and/or access code for your course is
to
purchase it through the MxCC bookstore.
9. Technical Help
a. Should you encounter technical difficulty in working with Blackboard , contact the Technical Help Line:
Email: support@ctdlc.org
Toll Free Voice: (866) - 462 - 8352
www.ctdlc.org/Help/index.cfm
(Mon.-Thu., 8:00 am-10:00 pm)
(Fri., 8:00 am - 8:00 pm)
(Sat., 8:00 am - 4:00 pm)
(Sun., 10:00 am - 8:00 pm)
b. Should the technical problem persist, report this to the MxCC Distance Learning department using one of the following methods:
Call (860) 343-5756.
Email to mxccedtech@gmail.com
Stop by the Distance Learning offices in Chapman 632/633, Middletown Campus Office hours: M-F, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm