CDL Student Orientation First Time Online Student? Returning Student?

Your FIRST online course with CDL? W elcome to the Center for Distance Learning (CDL) Student Orientation information kit. Instructions: You are strongly encouraged to review the information provided in this presentation. To navigate through it, please use the arrow menu located at the bottom center of each page.

CDL Overview CDL is one of the leading providers of distance learning courses in the nation, and is committed to fulfilling the educational goals inherent in distance education. CDL is the central coordinating unit for all distance learning courses available through the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). It is housed at Kennedy King College (KKC). The center’s combined enrollment from the seven colleges is over 15, 000 students annually. Online courses have the same curriculum and standards as traditional CCC courses and are transferable as well. Currently, CDL offers over 90 courses in a wide range of disciplines.

Distance Learning Distance/online learning is education via internet. It’s formalized teaching and learning that take place in cyberspace with the help of a course management system. You will appreciate how flexible online study is. You can access the course materials at anytime of the day and wherever you find yourself. All you need is access to a computer that has an internet connection.

Ready for Distance Learning? Before you enroll in any distance learning course, assess yourself to find out if you will be a successful online learner. To evaluate yourself, start by taking this quiz. The feedback from the quiz should provide you with more information about your readiness.quiz To be a successful distance learner, you must: possess basic writing skills have ready access to a computer (personal, family owned, library) be motivated, self-disciplined, and avoid procrastination. be an independent learner. be able to log into your course daily or at least spend 8 to 10 hours a week actively participating in the course through discussion board and assignment submissions.

Center for Distance Leaning Courses The Center for Distance Learning (CDL) offers two types of courses. These are: Teleweb / Video Courses (TW) – TW coursework is conducted online via the Course Management System (Blackboard) but also has video components which are broadcast on WYCC-TV - Channel 20. The broadcast schedules for these courses are available on the CDL website and in your course at the start of the semester. Also, some TW courses have streaming videos online and students can view them at anytime and anywhere. Web-based Courses (WW) - All coursework is done online via blackboard. The course content, assignments, discussions and exams are all conducted online.

Once you register for an online course, you must go to this site: log in page.log in page to retrieve your students Username and Password. You'll need this information to be able to log into Blackboard and into your CCC account. To retrieve your information, carefully read and follow the instructions on the site. Getting Started

Are you a Returning Student? Welcome back and I hope you had a great experience and enjoyed your previous online course(s) with CDL. Take a few minutes to review CDL online course procedures. Instructions: You are strongly encouraged to review all of the information provided in this presentation. To navigate through it, please use the arrow menu located at the bottom center of each page.

Course Textbooks Getting your textbooks in time for your CDL courses is imperative for the success of your learning. CDL recommends that you purchase your textbooks online through the efollet.com website at distancelearning.bkstr.comhttp:// distancelearning.bkstr.com Students who wish to purchase their textbooks at their campus bookstore should first visit the above mentioned site. PRINT A COPY of your course material list, and bring the list to the bookstore. NOTE: Financial aid book vouchers can be used to buy textbooks from efollet.

Course Pursuit As a registered CDL student, you are required to log into your course(s) at least ONCE on 2 different days during the first 8 days of the semester (Fall and Spring) and 5 days in Summer. Failure to comply with this requirement means that you will be issued a NSW (No Show Withdrawal) and be dropped from the class. When this happens, you will not get your tuition refunded and your financial aid may also be endangered. Also, during the semester, if you fail to actively participate in class discussion and turn in assignments by midterm, you will receive an ADW (Administrative Withdrawal) as your midterm grade.

Examinations Instructors assess your performance through class projects, assignments and examinations that you will take in class. Some instructors prefer to have open-book exams and others use proctored exams to evaluate you. In order to take a proctored exam, you will need to request an appointment at any of the seven City Colleges of Chicago using a system called Timetrade.Timetrade Timetrade is a web-based system that allows students the convenience of scheduling their exam/test appointments online. Information about proctored exams will clearly be specified in your course syllabus.

Blackboard Blackboard is an online course management tool that helps organize course materials online and promote student-to- instructor interactions.

CDL Blackboard Course Menu All CDL courses are hosted on Blackboard. Below are the course menus you’ll see once you log into your course. Announcement – All course announcements are posted in this section. Syllabus - Contains the course syllabus Faculty/Staff – Instructor and help desk information is posted here. Course Resources – Contains course textbooks and course materials Assignments – Contains course reading and written assignments Tests & Quizzes – Hosts all quizzes and final exams External Links – Contains additional resources and links

Check List At the end of this presentation, ensure that you have understood these processes: What online learning means Course Pursuit Textbook purchase and book vouchers procedures Proctored Exams Blackboard Tutorials

CDL Help Desk Location/Contact The Center for Distance Learning Kennedy-King College 6343 S. Halsted Street Room W240 Chicago, IL Main line: (Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm) Technical Support: (Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm) After Hour Technical Support: (Mon-Fri 7:00pm-9:00pm) (Sat 9:30am-1:30pm ONLY) (Sun 4:00pm-7:00pm ONLY) Website: Fax number: Copyright- CDL – Created & Designed by Selom Assignon – Thanks to: Howard and Angel for the tutorials