2. IN THIS OVERVIEW, YOU WILL
LEARN:
How to read class announcements
How to find the syllabus
How to contact the instructor through Blackboard
How to access each week’s readings and assignment and know what
is due
How to complete:
An assignment in Blackboard
A Mindtap assignment
A Discussion Board assignment
How to view your grades
3. WHERE WILL I FIND IMPORTANT
ANNOUNCEMENTS?
Each week you will be able to view
an announcement for the class. To
view these announcements, click on
“Announcements” on the left
navigation bar
4. WHERE CAN I REVIEW THE SYLLABUS?
You can access the syllabus by
clicking on the “Syllabus” tab on
the left. You are encouraged to
PRINT a copy of this syllabus so
you can reference it at any time.
5. HOW TO CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR
You can send an email to me by clicking on “Email
in the menu and then “All Instructor Users”. Please
be aware that Maria Galyon, the Coordinator of the
FYE courses, is copied on these message. This is a
requirement of on-line courses. This will send an
email to my KCTCS email account from your KCTCS
email account. I will respond only to KCTCS email
accounts.
Never hesitate to ask me a question! I am always
here to help! To ensure I provide you with a
response within 24 hours, please email me
Monday- Friday. While I do check email on the
6. WHERE CAN I REVIEW EACH WEEK’S
ASSIGNMENT?
Each Monday, around 8am, I will open
up the link for the week. I have
labeled each of these links with the
number of the week so you can easily
identify them (i.e. “Wk 1: Class
Introduction”). Once we are done with
the week, I will hide the link so that
the navigation bar doesn’t get too
cluttered.
7. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT ASSIGNMENTS ARE
DUE EACH WEEK?
At the top of each page, you will always see a summary of the
required readings and activities. I will always indicate the due date
and the points assigned for each. You will notice that I will also list
any required readings. While these readings do not have points
associated with it, you are required to complete the readings.
With the exception of the last week, assignments are due each
Sunday at 11:59 PM eastern standard time. Below this first content
area, you will see all of the links you will need to complete these
items. Do not wait until the end of the week to open up the link.
8. HOW DO I COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT?
Assignments will include the due date and clear directions on how to
complete the assignment. To get started, click on the bold face title of
the assignment. In this case, you would click on “Student Information
Email Assignment.” For some assignments, you may be instructed to
send an email from your KCTCS account. But for most assignments, you
will be required to submit them directly from Blackboard.
9. To submit directly from Blackboard,
you will click on the assignment. You
will see the due date, possible points,
and directions for submission.
Scroll down and you will notice that you can either
click “Write a Submission” and write the response
directly in the text box OR you can write your answer
in a word document and attach it to your
submission.
For this class, you will write your assignments in a
word document and attach the document to your
Blackboard submission. To do this:
1. Click on “Browse My Computer”
2. Find the document and click on it. Then select
“Open”
3. You will see the attachment on Blackboard and
10. When you submit an
assignment, you will
see your submission
in this format. This
is also how I will
view it when I review
and grade your
assignment.
11. HOW DO I COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT IN
MINDTAP?
You will know an assignment is
linked to Mindtap because of this
blue symbol. To start the
assignment, click on the bold face
title next to the symbol. If you click on the title and
Mindtap doesn’t open up, it is
likely that you have your popup
blocker on. Go to “Wk 1” on your
FYE class menu to print the
directions to remove the popup
12. HOW DO I COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT IN
MINDTAP?
To open up the assignment, scroll until you
see the assignment in blue face bold print. I
have linked directly to the page for each
assignment so you shouldn’t have to scroll
very much to locate the assignment. To the
right of the assignment, you will see a lightly
shaded down arrow. Click on this arrow and
wait for the assignment to load.
13. Once the assignment
loads, click on “Start
Assignment Now”. Be
patient…sometimes it
takes a while to load.
Once you have completed
the assignment in Mindtap,
click on “submit assignment
for grading”
14. HOW DO I A DISCUSSION BOARD
ASSIGNMENT?
To complete a discussion board
assignment, click on the bold
face title
15. HOW TO RESPOND TO A DISCUSSION
BOARD?
Read the description and
then click the title of the
Discussion Board to post
your message.
16. HOW TO RESPOND TO A DISCUSSION
BOARD?
Click on “Create Thread” to begin your post. I have set each
Discussion Board so that you can not see your classmates’
postings until AFTER you have made your post.
You are encouraged to check back throughout the week to view
your classmates’ comments. Feel free to post comments – just
make sure your comments are respectful and supportive!
17. WHERE CAN I REVIEW MY GRADES?
You can keep track of your
progress in the course by
selecting “My Grades”. My
expectation is that you will
check your grades each week.
Notify me immediately if you
have any questions.
18. You will see how many points you
received for each assignment. If I have
commented on your assignment, you
can click the conversation bubble to
open the comments. I will make every
attempt to provide comments for each
assignment. If you don’t understand my
comments, please contact me within a
week of the grade being posted.
