Virtual Field Trip: Online Learning Kimberly A. Yuretich

Objectives to better understand online learning as a general concept to become familiar with one example of an online learning delivery system, and some of its main components, including discussion boards, chat rooms, and exams THIS IS BY NO MEANS A COMPLETE TUTORIAL ON BLACKBOARD – JUST A STARTING POINT!

What is online learning? online learning has the same goal as classroom learning – to learn topics, ideas, or concepts. online learning is different in the mode of delivery of the lessons

What is online learning? an online class is taken primarily on your own time, with little to no face-to-face interaction with an instructor exchange of ideas, assignments, questions, and answers takes place via the internet

There are many variations of online learning you can use just a portion of an online class to supplement a “regular” class –discussion board –chat room –online exams –assignment posting

There are many variations of online learning a class can be a hybrid of online and traditional instruction, such as meeting face-to-face on Tuesdays and Fridays, and communicating online in- between a class can be primarily online, with very little face-to-face contact

A Virtual Tour of Blackboard.com

The initial screen after login contains announcements.

The left panel of the screen is the toolbar for navigating to the various areas of blackboard.

The “Communication” button will bring you to a sub-menu containing links to announcements, discussion board, messages, , and more.

The “Discussion Board” button will bring you to a list of all of the available discussion forums. Clicking on the Discussion Board’s Title will open that discussion board and show all messages posted there.

Within a discussion board, all messages are shown on the screen. Unread messages are denoted as NEW.Each message shows the author as well as the date and time the message was posted. Indented Messages denote replies to an original message. Note: you can have replies to replies, which are indented accordingly.

Click on an assignment to view its instructions, due date, and other details. The “Assignments” tab will show all assignments ready for completion.

The “Staff Information” button brings you to information about your instructor(s) The staff information should include Name, , phone number, website (if available), and any other comments that instructor wishes to add.

Additional tips for taking an online class Time management is important – know when things are due, and stay on top of things! don’t forget you still have a teacher – out of sight can mean out of mind…don’t forget to ask questions when you need to!