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Distance Learning

Getting Started

In order for an instructor to add you to the course Angel site, you must set up your PIN #, login password, and e-mail address in the Student Information System.

Any student desiring to take an online course at ICC must take the Orientation to Online Learning course. The orientation course must be completed by the end of the first week of classes.

By taking the Orientation to Online Learning Course, you will be able take any number of online courses provided meeting the prerequisites for that course. Once you have completed your online orientation and passed the exam, your instructor(s) will be notified. If you have not passed this online orientation course by the deadline, you will be dropped from all online courses in which you are enrolled. You must still complete the orientation prior to completing future online courses.

PLEASE NOTE your online classes will NOT be available until the day the class is scheduled to begin.

Please view the link below for information pertinent to the effectiveness of your experience with an on-line course at Independence Community College.

 

Orientation to Online Learning Course Completion Guide

The following information excerpted from the Orientation to Online Learning class.

How does an online class work?

1. The student must first be admitted to ICC.

2. The student must be enrolled in the online class.

3. The student must have their books purchased and course packet obtained (if provided by the instructor) from the ICC Bookstore.

4. The student must set up their PIN#, password, and e-mail address in the  Student Information System before any instructor can add them to Angel.

5. Students enrolled in an online course are to contact their instructor prior to the end of the first week of classes.

6. This initial point of contact will assist in the communication process of beginning the course.

7. The instructor will guide the student from there. If the instructor has a course packet in the ICC Bookstore, this will likely serve as the starting guide.

How do I communicate with my online instructor?

It depends on your instructor. Most means of communication will come from e-mail messages and discussion boards. There may be times where students are required to participate in a chat room (Virtual Classroom in Angel) or instant messaging session. Your instructor will provide instructions and guidance in participating in discussion boards, chat rooms, or instant messaging sessions. Popular instant messaging programs include:

Windows Messenger (http://messenger.msn.com)

Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com/)

AOL Instant Messenger (http://www.aim.com/)

How do I communicate with other students in my online course?

It depends on what your instructor prefers. Most courses utilize the message boards in Angel for general student-to-student communication. Projects that require group participation and file sharing may necessitate the use of e-mail. Your instructor will provide additional details.

How is my progress in an online course evaluated?

Your progress is evaluated the same way a traditional class is evaluated. Your assignments, projects, quizzes, and exams will be graded and then recorded on the Angel grade book. Grades are also posted to the Web Information System (http://myacount.indycc.edu) after the 5^th, 10^th, and Finals week.

Do I have to come to campus for exams?

          Maybe. While we are working toward 100% online courses, not all instructors are there yet. You may have to visit campus for supervised exams. An example on-campus exam may involve science lab materials, etc. that cannot be performed at home. Ask your instructor for additional details.

Some exams may require proctoring. Exam proctoring is the process of having someone serving in an official education capacity to administer an exam to you. Typical proctoring sites can include public schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, and testing centers. Testing via a proctor requires a proctor application form to be completed by the prospective proctor and the student. The ICC Proctor Application form and the Exam Proctoring form is available for download at www.indycc.edu/icconline. Your instructor must approve the proctor prior to any exams being administered.

Communicating Online

Communication! Communication is such an important issue in online courses. Fortunately in today’s world, there are many forms of communication.

While telephone communication is useful in communicating directly with individuals, voice mail tag is not necessarily productive in an educational setting. All online instructors have e-mail. E-mail is a common form of initial communication with your instructor. Once your course begins, however, a common avenue for communication is the Discussion Board in Angel.

Discussion Forums serve many functions. Each instructor may utilize Angel differently from another instructor. One instructor might use the Discussion Board to address attendance by requiring each participant to post comments a specific number of times per week. Another instructor might use the discussion boards for Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions where students ask the instructor and other student’s questions about the course and its curricula. Yet another instructor might use the discussion board to allow students working on a group project to communication with each other and attach files. Some instructors, however, may use a combination of the above to engage students.

While the discussion boards are good for general course comments and discussions, matters of a private nature might be better communicated via e-mail. For example if a student is unsure why they received a 75% on their research paper, it probably is not appropriate to air this disappointment in the discussion board.

Important ICC Websites

ICC Library (www.indycc.edu/library)

The ICC Library is located on the 2^nd floor of the Academic Building. The online card catalog allows you to search the library holdings by keyword, author, series, category, title, subject, or call number. The InterLibrary Loan agreement allows students and employees to access books from other libraries through the ICC library. The InterLibrary Loan page has additional details.

Buccaneer Newspaper (www.indycc.edu/buccaneer)

The Buccaneer newspaper is a great source of campus news written by ICC students and sometimes employees.

Academic Calendar (www.indycc.edu/academiccalendar.htm)

          The Academic Calendar is extremely important to students during the course of a year. The Academic Calendar identifies when classes begin, when the last dates of enrollment are, holidays, breaks, advisement day information, Final Exam information, graduation information and much more

Faculty and Staff Directory (http://www.indycc.edu/facultystaff/StaffDir.htm)

          Whether you need to be admitted, enrolled, advised, or counseled, the Faculty and Staff Directory can help you find the person you need to visit with.

icc

Distance Learning Contacts   Travis Githens, Director of Evening and Outreach Programs E-mail: tgithens@indycc.edu    Phone: 620.332.5420 FAX: 620.331.6821 Location: Academic Building, Lower Level

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