Question: How do I log on to Blackboard?

• Your Blackboard log on is your student ID number with no dashes.  
• The default password is student

Question: How do I change my password and make sure my email address is listed correctly?

• Once you have logged on you must immediately edit your personal information, changing your password and checking to see that the email address listed for you is correct.  It's essential that your email address is correct, so please don't skip this step.
• When you first log on to Blackboard (before you click on our class), on the left side of the page you will see a menu like the one below to the left:

Tools   Announcements Calendar Tasks View Grades Send E-mail User Directory Address Book Personal Information

First, (in Blackboard) on the menu that looks like the one on the left, click on Personal Information.  This will take you to another menu with several items, but you will only need the following two:        Edit Personal Information        Change personal information associated with your account.        Change Password        Choose a new password for access to your account.         To check/change email address, click on Edit Personal Information            and if you need to change password, click on Change Password

Question: Is English 1B Online the same as a self-paced class?
Answer: No. English 1B Online is not a self-paced class. The due dates for documents and class participation reflect those of a "regular" class. Documents, class participation, and drafts all must be completed by preset dates and times. Sometimes, all your work will be due at the end of the week; at other times, you'll have checkpoints during that week by which to complete smaller projects.

Question: Where do we meet for class?
Answer: You don't really "meet" in a physical face-to-face sense. Instead, you'll interact regularly through the Internet. You'll communicate with each other using several web-based bulletin boards and email; your instructor will distribute information about assignments and so forth using web pages and a class email list to which you'll also have access through Blackboard.

I will be easily available to you through email.

Question: Is English 1B Online easier than a "regular" class?
Answer: No. Some may think it's even more demanding than a regular face-to-face class in that you have to stay motivated and stay on top of your work for the class. The workload that you face in these online English 1B classes remains identical to that of my regular English 1B class.

We have found that the most successful online students tend to share the following characteristics:

• self-motivation/self-starter
• good organization and time-management skills
• somewhat familiar with computers and the Internet
• resourceful--they actively seek answers and solutions to questions and problems

Question: Do I have to have a computer to enroll in English 1B Online?
Answer: While having easy access to a computer remains an essential part of success in an online class, that easy access does not have to be at your house. Students can access computers on the Sierra College campus in several locations (the LRC, for example).  

Please note that all students will be held to the same standards whether they access from home, from campus, or from a relative's or friend's house.  It is wise to have a back up computer as well.  Think of it this way:  if your method of transportation to on-campus classes becomes unavailable, you find an alternate method to get to campus or you drop your classes--your electronic access to this course is like transportation; therefore, you should have a ready backup plan if your "transportation" fails. 

Question: What Internet skills would be helpful in English 1B Online?
Answer: The most successful students in English 1B Online have had the following Internet skills:

• Experience in successful Internet database searches using a variety of search engines
• Knowledge in copying, pasting, and cutting documents from email to Word Processors and back again
• Know how to make and organize bookmarks in your browser software.
• Familiar with their word processor
• Some familiarity with web-based interactions--bulletin boards, email (including attaching documents), and online research (including Sierra College library databases) will also be useful.

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Adapted from Amanda Corcoran's Online Course FAQ page.

If you have any questions about this page, please contact Jeanne Guerin