Generic Course Procedures and Content
A. Sample Welcome Letter
B.
Welcome Page
Welcome
pages are made available to prospective students
on the Distance Learning web site. Faculty teaching
online courses are responsible for keeping these
welcome pages up-to-date in order to provide accurate
information for students interested in taking
an online course. Welcome pages can be modified
within Blackboard.
Instructions for creating a Welcome Page in Blackboard CE (now called a Course Preview Page)
- Save the attached document on your computer.
Don't double-click on the file to open it. Instead, open it in Word so it can be edited. If you are using Word 2003 choose “convert from HTML.” The file will open directly in Word 2007.
- Create a Welcome Page file for each online course you teach.
Open the file and add your course information. Save the file on your computer as a filtered webpage; give it a name that is specific to the course for which it is created.
- Link each Welcome Page with its corresponding CE6 course.
Log onto CE6 and go to the course for which you created the Welcome Page file.
In Build –
- go to Manage Course then scroll down and click on Course Preview Page Setup.
- click on Browse for Course Preview Page.
- click on My Computer, locate and select the Welcome Page file you created for the course and then click on OPEN.
- to view the Welcome Page as students would, click on the file’s Actionlinks menu and choose Preview.
Note: you can edit/save the Welcome Page in CE6. Go to Build, to the File Manager, to the Public Files folder and click on the Actionlinks menu for the Welcome Page file. Click on edit, enable the HTML creator, make changes and SAVE.
You're done! The Welcome Page is automatically saved in the Public Files folder for the course. Note: if you click on the small red arrow next to the filename the file will no longer be selected as the preview page.
| Information that should be included on the
Welcome Page: |
Sample Welcome Page: |
- Course
Title
Include the course title as it appears
in the Westchester Community College Course
Catalog and Schedule of Instruction. (e.g.
"CHEM162 Topics in Science")
- Current
Semester
Remember to update the semester listed
to reflect the semester currently in progress
or the upcoming semester before registration
begins.
- Instructor
Include the instructor's name and
contact information.
- Required
Textbook(s)
Include detailed information about
required textbook(s) for the course, including
authors, titles, editions, ISBN numbers,
year, any information regarding texts/software
packaged together, etc... Students should
also be directed to the Westchester Community
College Bookstore and can be linked to
http://www.sunywcc.bkstr.com to purchase
books online through E-Follet.
- Recommended
Textbook(s)
Include the same information as above
for recommended textbooks that students
are not required to have.
- Required
Software
Include detailed information regarding
software required for the course. If this
software includes free browser plug-ins
(e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader, media players,
Java plug-ins, etc...), links to websites
where the plug-ins can be downloaded should
be included. If publisher software is
to be purchased, include the same kind
of information and in the same detail
as above for Required Textbook(s).
Also include any information about required
operating systems (e.g. Windows XP, 98,
etc...) and any necessary word processing
or productivity software required (e.g.
MS Word, Excel, etc...).
- Required
Access Code
If you are using a Blackboard e-pack provided
by a publisher, include information about
necessary access codes, including how
to obtain them (a simple "yes"
is not enough).
- On-campus
requirements
Give specific details about any requirements
that the students appear in-person on
campus for exams or other proctored course
content. Be sure to give dates, times,
schedule options, and information about
obtaining remote proctoring services for
out-of-the-area students.
- Additional
Information
Include any additional information you
feel is important for students to make
a decision to enroll in your online course.
This may include a brief description of
the course content, a note on expected
outcomes for the class, description of
the type and amount of work expected from
students, or any other information that
will help students make an informed decision.
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C.
Policy Statements
- Attendance
- Plagiarism
- Copyright
- Netiquette
- Privacy
- Student
Responsibilities, e.g.,
- completion
of mandatory orientation
- setup
and test any off-campus computers that will
be used to access online courses
- access
course frequently; read directions carefully;
submit assignments/complete activities in
a timely manner
- adhere
to posted due dates
D.
Course Contents
- Course
Policies
- Instructor
Contact Information
- On-campus
requirements: midterm and/or final exams. If
applicable, students should be aware of alternate
proctoring services available and the lead time
needed to arrange for them.
- Response
time to emails and other student-initiated contacts
- Course
Syllabus and Evaluation
- WCC
Calendar
- Semester
Calendar of events during the course
- Course
outline, content, assignments, and activities
- Expectations
(from the instructor's and students' perspectives)
- Library
Resources
- Academic
Support Resources
- Who
to contact for support -- instructors for content,
DL office for technical
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