Confirm Access Code

If you do not have an access code and have not already done so, you need to immediately go to Request Access Code and submit the completed form.

Enter Your Name:

First Name

Last Name

Enter your VCCS email address. You is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.

Please insert any message you wish to share with the instructor at this point:

Copy the document below into your word processor or text editor. Complete each task, and respond as indicated:

Task: `q001. You have completed the Introductory QA. Please explain the question-answer-self critique process as you understand it at this point.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

Students are given a question or problem to work out and are asked to provide details about how they came to their solution as part of their answer. After they have answered the question as thoroughly as they can, they are to do a “self-critique”. First, you rate yourself on a scale of 1-3 on how confident you are that you answered the question correctly and as thoroughly as needed to explain the process you used to answer the question (1 being least confident, 3 being most confident). The next step is the actual critique where you add comments about what you aren’t sure about or things you know you could or should have done better or been more detailed about. If you feel like you answered the question correctly and provided sufficient information about your solution, you can simply type “OK”. The last step allows you to rate your critique on a scale of 1-3. A 1 would be appropriate if you felt like you could have done a better job critiquing your answer but weren’t sure how due to lack of understanding or insufficient information. 2 would mean that you feel pretty good about your critique and knowing why you couldn’t provide the correct answer or important parts of the process but know there may be parts that you don’t fully understand or you simply failed to include them in your critique. A 3 would be given if you feel very sure that your critique explains why you did not provide the correct answer or sufficient information.

#$&* (Note that your response was to go into 'the next line'; your response will therefore be inserted before this line, not after. This is obvious when you're looking at the form, but if you've copied the form into a text editor it might be less obvious. Hence this note.)

Task: `q002. Any question you pose in your responses should be preceded and followed by a series of at least three question marks. This is so the instructor can quickly identify your questions, and also so the instructor doesn't inadvertently overlook your question.

If you have a question about anything you see in the Orientation, please mark in in the indicated manner and include it in your response.

Please describe how you should annotate questions in your responses, and why it is important to do so:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blankd and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

Any question you pose in your responses should be preceded and followed by a series of at least three question marks. This is so the instructor can quickly identify your questions, and also so the instructor doesn't inadvertently overlook your question. Example: How should questions be annotated in the form??? Note the three question marks at the end of the question.

#$&* (Note that your response was to go into 'the next line'; your response will therefore be inserted before this line, not after. This is obvious when you're looking at the form, but if you've copied the form into a text editor it might be less obvious. Hence this note.)

Task: `q003. If at any point of the Orientation you have trouble following instructions, let your instructor know the specifics:

• Using the Question Form, submit a copy of every instruction related to your question.

• Describe what you do at each step, and what happens as a result. Include a copy of the Address box of your Internet

browser, as it appears at every step.

• Include a copy of the Address box of your Internet browser, as it appears at every step.

If you are going astray in the process, this will give your instructor the information necessary to quickly get you back on track.

You should send this information using the Question Form.

• It is important to use this form for questions, because the form is set up to help you structure your question, prompting you to provide essential information. This helps avoid time-wasting delays in which the instructor has to ask you for details you haven't provided. It also helps you understand how to communicate questions, which in addition to being important in this course is a valuable life skill.

Having submitted the form it's also acceptable to send a copy of the Form Confirmation (this is the page that appears after you click on the Submit button) using email. Don't be concerned that the form confirmation is jumbled. It comes through correctly when the form is submitted, and your instructor can read the jumbled form confirmation you send through email.

You probably won't need them, but the URL's for these forms are respectively http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/forms/question_form.htm and http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/submit_work.htm.

The Question Form is not only for questions about these instructions. It is to be used throughout the course when you need to ask a question.

Please describe what to do if you have trouble following any of the instructions:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

If there are questions concerning anything during orientation or at any other time in the future, a question form should be used to ask these questions to the instructor so that he can provide an answer in the best way possible.

#$&* (Note that your response was to go into 'the next line'; your response will therefore be inserted before this line, not after. This is obvious when you're looking at the form, but if you've copied the form into a text editor it might be less obvious. Hence this note.)

Task: `q004. Go to the home page for your course, at

• Principles of Physics I Homepage (the URL is http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/ph1fall9/homepage_121_menu_driven.htm) for Physics 121

• Principles of Physics II Homepage (the URL is http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/ph2spring99/homepage_122_menu_driven.htm) for Physics 122

Bookmark this page (i.e., add it to Favorites on your Internet browser).

Describe what you see at this page.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line):

The heading on the page reads “Physics 121 Homepage”

Explanatory Note

There are instructions to copy and paste the URL http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/ph1fall9/homepage_121_menu_driven.htm and open that in another window. It is also recommended that when you do so, you bookmark the page. There is a table with a brief overview of the nature of the documents to which the links in the contents menu at left will lead you.

#$&* (Note that your response was to go into 'the next line'; your response will therefore be inserted before this line, not after. This is obvious when you're looking at the form, but if you've copied the form into a text editor it might be less obvious. Hence this note.)

Task: `q005. On the homepage for your course, click Brief Assignments Page for an overview of your assignments. You can scroll down the page and see your assignments, numbered 1 - 28.

You will also see the Due Dates link.

Depending on when you are completing this document the Due Dates might be for the preceding semester. Due dates for a term are updated prior to the first day of classes for that term.

Please respond with a statement detailing your understanding of the Due Dates page:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

On this page there is a table of assignments to be completed during this course. The assignments are in order and the table contains links to external files and documents; however, it does not contain all of the links that are contained on the full assignments list. The Brief Assignments Page is designed to give a quick overview of assigned material for the convince of the student.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q006. Return to the Brief Assignments Page, take a quick look down the page, and describe what you see. It is recommended that you bookmark this page in your browser (e.g., add it to Favorites) so you can access it easily and quickly.

Be sure you locate and take a quick look at the instructions for completing assignments. You won't fully understand the instructions at this point, but be sure you see where they are.

There are probably additional things you don't understand right now about the Assignments page. You will get more specific and detailed information in subsequent Orientation assignments, and once you start actually using the page you will easily become accustomed to the routine.

Now return to the homepage for your course (which you bookmarked according to an instruction earlier in this document), and click on the link entitled 'Table of Assignments, Topics and Specific Objectives'. This page is a greatly expanded version of the Brief Assignments Page which includes a great deal of detail on topics and specific objectives. For everyday use the Brief Assignments Page will suffice, but you may also find it useful to review content and objectives on the expanded version provided on the homepage for your course.

Briefly describe what you have seen:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

There are 10 columns on the table. Each column contains a different piece of information relevant to a specific assignment. The column is set up so that the assignments are in order from top to bottom with the first assignment to be completed at the top and the last at the bottom.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q007. From the homepage for your course click on Course of Study. Read it and acknowledge below that you have been able to find the syllabus and know how to locate it: Note that you should re-read the syllabus or course of study on or shortly after the first day of class, to be sure you have read the document that will apply to the term in which you are taking the course.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

I have found the syllabus.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q007. From your course homepage click on the link 'Course of Study'.

Read it and acknowledge below that you have been able to find the Course of Study, also referred to as the Syllabus, and know how to locate it.

Note that you should re-read the Syllabus/Course of Study after completing the Initial Activities, as it will have more meaning after you have gotten your feet wet in the course.

If you complete the Initial Activities prior to the first day of class (this is not required), you should also reread it shortly after the first day of class, as modifications can be made prior to that time.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

I have found the Course of Study Link and know how to view the syllabus.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q008. Return to the your course homepage and once more click on link to the Brief Assignments Pages. Add this page to your bookmarks (e.g., in Internet Explorer, add to Favorites), and acknowledge in your response that you have done so.

Also click on the 'Course Materials' link and acknowledge that you know what materials are required for the course and where to find this information.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

I have bookmarked the Brief Assignments Page and understand the required materials for this course.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q009. On the VHCC homepage at www.vhcc.edu click on MyVHCC and sign in using the same username and password you use to access the registration system. Select Blackboard. When the Blackboard screen comes up you should find at least one 'course' entitled 'Supervised Study ... ', where ... stands for the term (Fall, Spring or Summer) and year (e.g., 2017). If the page for your specific course has been activated, you will also find it listed in Blackboard.

Click on the Supervised Study ... site and give a brief description of what you see. You need not read all the information that appears, just take a quick look and give a line or two of description.

• It is possible that you will be doing the Orientation prior to the beginning of the term, or shortly after registration; if so this Blackboard 'course' might not yet be available. You might also be doing this before your Blackboard enrollment is run. If either is the case, be sure to make a note to yourself to do check this page out on the first actual day of classes. You won't need it before then.

Note that enrollment in Blackboard and enrollment in your course at VHCC are two separate things. Blackboard is 'unofficial' and always needs to be regarded as such.

Please respond with a statement detailing your understanding of the Blackboard Supervised Study 'course', and the unofficial nature of Blackboard.

One reason for the unofficial nature of Blackboard is that the Blackboard course for this semester will disappear in about a year. In contrast, everything posted to your access site will persist for the foreseeable future.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

I understand the Supervised Study ‘course’ on Blackboard.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q010. We might use various features of this Blackboard page, but the course is not delivered using Blackboard. Blackboard has a number of very good features, but it is of necessity a 'closed' system and not sufficiently flexible or efficient to be the primary vehicle.

• As one example, in this Orientation you are introduced in an orderly manner to the Syllabus/Course of Study, the Assignments Page, and other aspects of your course homepage. Without this introduction it would be nearly impossible for you to navigate your course. Blackboard does not make it possible to delay linking you to these pages until you have completed this introduction.

• Blackboard has other limitations that make it an inappropriate vehicle for the delivery of this course.

• Blackboard does have some potentially useful feature that might be used later in your course.

The one BLACKBOARD feature we are sure to be using is the Grade Center, where you can check your grades on tests and my comments.

At the Supervised Study ... site note the 'Check Grades' link. Your grades will be posted at the Supervised Study... site, not at the site for your specific course.

Describe what you see at the Grade Center.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

This is where grades will be posted.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q011. You need not look at any more of the Blackboard page, but you are welcome to do so if you choose, and you may ask any questions you wish in your response. If you have no questions, or do not feel the need to further explore this page (there is no compelling reason right now to do so but if you're curious, by all means go ahead), just respond with 'ok' or something of that nature.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):

OK

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

*#&!

&#Your work looks good. Let me know if you have any questions. &#

The email address you include should be your VCCS email address. It is very important that your email address be

correct. Spammers occasionally find this form. If you do not give a correct address, then it is possible that your

submission will be automatically deleted along with invalid submissions.

Please indicate these requirements in your own words:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line):

I will copy and past the access code and my email address to insure that it is correct each time.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q002. It is rare that a valid submission gets deleted or overlooked. However it can happen. If you do not

include the information necessary to identify you (most importantly your access code and email address), your

submission will probably also go astray (an exception being Orientation assignments, which if submitted through the

appropriate form require only your email address).

The important point here is the following:

You should retain your original copy of every document you submit.

These are not typically large documents, and they are easy to handle. You should also therefore consider emailing

yourself a copy of each submitted document.

Restate the above in your own words,

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

I should retain a copy of all of my work.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q003. Other than the name and email address you enter when requested by the form, you should not include

any other identifying information on the form. This will ensure that, even in the unlikely event that someone

stumbles on your access page, there will be nothing on that page to identify you.

Please indicate this in your own words.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Do not enter any other information for identification.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q004. If you wish to maintain your privacy, then after accessing your information you should delete the

history of your browser and close the browser in order to maintain the security of your access page. In Internet

Explorer you do this by clicking on Tools > Internet Options > General and choosing to Clear History and Delete

Temporary Internet Files.

You should safeguard your code. However if despite your best efforts you have reason to believe your access code

has been compromised you may email the instructor from your VCCS account and request a new access code.

Please indicate your understanding of this advice in the box below:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Always close the browser and to further safe guard the information I may click on tools>internet opetions>general

and choose to clear history and delete temporary internet files. If I feel that my access code has been compromised

I email the instructor.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q005. Everything you submit should be submitted through a form. If your work is formatted (e.g., for a

lab report, because it contains graphs, or for some other reason) you may also 'back it up' by emailing the

formatted document, but the document should first be copied and pasted into the Submit Work form and submitted. If

everything has been done according to instructions, it is seldom necessary for the instructor to look at your

formatted file.

Please state this in your own words:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

I must use the submit form in order for my work to be accepted.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q006. Keep the Thread: When sending messages don't assume that your instructor remembers the last message

you sent. If your present message is related to the previous message, or answers a question posed by the instructor

in a previous message, be sure you don't remove all that information when you send your new message. Your instructor

will have less time to spend on your work if it is often necessary to go back and research previous correspondence

to figure out what you are talking about. It is your responsibility to give the instructor everything required for a

useful response in one message.

For example if the instructor poses the question 'now what do you get when you divide $400 by $10 / hour', don't

send back a message that reads

Dear Instructor,

the answer is 40

Your student.

with nothing more in the message. Include the question, include your original work on the problem, and state your

answer in a format that makes it clear you understand what you are doing.

State this in your own words.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

I must save threads of conversations to refer back to and also give the instructor as much information as possible

in order for you to help me.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

STUDENT QUESTION REGARDING PREVIOUS:

Is it ok if we use the reply feature on emails? Or should we just submit a new form with previous correspondence

copied in.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

The 'reply' function is probably the easier alternative, and unless you remove it the thread will be maintained. So

that's the preferred choice.

Task: `q007. Make it Self-Contained: When submitting any documents or question:

Make your message self-contained, so that it isn't necessary for the instructor to delay responses to other

students by searching out additional documents. (For example, answer a question posed in a previous communication

from the instructor by inserting it into a copy of that document. Other students are waiting for responses, so

don't expect your instructor to go back and look up the document.)

Be sure your document can be read efficiently by scrolling down the page, with no need to scroll right or left

(this will not generally be an issue, since almost all your work will be submitted through text forms where this is

not a problem)..

Explain your understanding of these requirements.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Be sure to include my question in the docuement that is being referred to.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q008. Please understand that to make it possible to work individually with a large number of students, your

instructor works with you mainly by responding to your assignments and questions. Your instructor will generally not

initiate contact with you. It is your responsibility to initiate contact with the instructor by submitting

assignments and questions, and you can generally expect a reply to be posted by the end of the day after it is sent,

seven days a week.

An exception is when the instructor is out of town for a conference or on personal business; this typically happens

a handful of times during a term. There would also be an exception should in the event of injury or illness

(neither has interfered with the instructor's schedule in well over a decade of distance offerings but either

remains possible). In the event of a planned absence (usually not lasting more than three days) you should be

notified by email in advance so you can plan accordingly. In the event of an unplanned absence you would be

notified as promptly as possible.

If a reply is not posted within this time you should resubmit your work.

However if you do resubmit, be sure to indicate at the beginning that the work has already been submitted.

Please restate this in your own words.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

There will be no communication with the instructor unless he receives some type of communication from me such as

work assignments, etc..

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q009. You will normally use web forms (e.g., the Submit Work form) to communicate information. However

some documents are formatted in such a way that the text-only format available on the form is not sufficient. In

this case you should still submit a text version of the document using the form, but you may also send a backup copy

using your VCCS student email.

Any email you send should contain access information in the precise format prescribed in the message you received

with your Access Code. This syntax should be copied and pasted, as indicated in that message, rather than being

typed in.

Any email should also identify your course (e.g., Mth 173 or Phy 121, etc). in its subject line.

Emails must be sent from your VCCS email account. Messages sent from other accounts may or may not receive

responses, but it will not be possible for the instructor to search such messages, and information sent from other

accounts risks being screened out by our network's SPAM filter.

Please indicate how you will include your course and access information when and if you send email messages:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Identify instructor DSC then my first three letters of my mailing address and then the number of the course 164.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q010. Any document you submit to the instructor must be a word-processed document. It is not possible for

the instructor to efficiently insert comments into Excel documents, scanned documents or documents submitted on

paper or by fax.

Don't spread things over multiple documents (e.g., a word processed document with an explanation and a spreadsheet

document with some tables and graphs) but copy and paste everything into one document so the reader doesn't waste

time flipping from one document to the other.

Tables and graphs from Excel and other programs can be copied and pasted into word-processed documents.

Note that for most purposes graphs need to be described in words. the important skill is not the use of a

computer program to construct a graph, but your understanding of the essential properties and the meaning of the

graph.

The only exception to this policy is tests, which are completed in an approved proctoring situation, and are done on

paper and in your handwriting (see also instructions previously provided regarding testing).

Please summarize your understanding of this policy.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Use a word-processed document to send all work. Do not use excel or any other programs.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q011. It is usually much more efficient and effective for the instructor to work with you through forms and

your Access Page than face-to-face.

The instructor enjoys working face-to-face with students, but this is not feasible in an asynchronous course.

It is not possible to respond meaningfully to your submitted work, and at the same time to accommodate the desire of

a class full of asynchronous distance students for individual face-to-face meetings.

For this reason the instructor's office hours are conducted by responding to information received through forms,

and face-to-face meetings are normally restricted to matters that have already been addressed to the fullest

possible extent via electronic communication (e.g., access page and forms) and have proven impossible to resolve

efficiently by this means.

This policy makes it possible for the instructor to respond fully to your submitted work and to do so in a timely

manner. It also ensures that all students, local as well as non-local, get equal attention from the instructor.

Please explain this briefly in your own words.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

It is better to communicate through the forms given than face to face. Although face to face meetings can be

scheduled it is not feasible to have these unless in need.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q012. When you take a test you must submit the Test Taken Form (at the General Information page, just below

the Submit Work Form) to alert the instructor to be on the lookout for your test. If a test has gone astray (rare

but tests can be misrouted) we can more easily trace it if we know promptly that it's missing.

Please state this in your own words:

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

I cannot find the Test Taken Form. ???Can you tell me what section it would be in under the Part 2: General

Infromation tab???

@&

I'm glad you pointed this out. The General Information Page is mostly obsolete, not really on your roadmap.

A direct link is

http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/forms/Test%20Taken.htm

You can locate this on your homepage menu by clicking on "Commonly Used Forms" under the heading "Useful Links".

*@

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q013. Save all communications from the instructor; you're responsible for doing so. You are also

responsible for keeping track of what you have sent the instructor, who can provide more timely and more complete

responses if time isn't wasted rereading something re-sent by a student who wasn't weren't sure whether it was sent

in the first place. Once your work appears at your Access site (explained when you get your access code), however,

you may assume that it is safely stored in at least two places.

State this in your own words.

**** our response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

I am to save all comunication from the instructor. I need to also be attentive to the material that I have sent in

order for no duplications be sent to the instructor.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

Task: `q014.

If you submit a document and get a form confirmation, then the document has been received.

It might happen that you submit a document then realize you didn't submit your identifying information. If this

happens, then submit it once more, and be sure to carefully include your information. However, do your best to get

it right the first time.

Please respond with a statement detailing your understanding of the process of submitting a document.

**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the

#$... prompt):

Try to make sure that all the identifying infromation is correct on the form before it has been sent.

#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)

&#This looks good. See my notes. Let me know if you have any questions. &#