Pre-Semester Preparations
Use your browser to go to the CSC home page at www.sandburg.edu
- If you haven’t already done so, view the online CSC “New Student Orientation."
- From the home page, click on “Admissions and Registration.
- “Click on “Orientation.”
- Watch the video.
Accessing your CSC “mySANDBURG” student portal, CSC e-mail and online course links…
- Go to the CSC home page. Click on the “mySANDBURG” link in the upper right corner.
- Scroll down and click on “mySANDBURG Tutorial” to get oriented to your “mySANDBURG” portal.
- Login to your “mySANDBURG” portal as directed in the tutorial and on the portal login page.
- Once logged in, on the left side of the portal, click on the “My
Courses” tab, where links to your online courses and Blackboard, the
course management system, are located.
- Complete the Blackboard system orientation by clicking on the links.
- Regularly check your CSC e-mail, located mid-center of the “mySANDBURG” portal.
If you experience navigation problems… Submit a Help Desk ticket
- Go to the CSC home page. www.sandburg. edu
- Click on the “Quick Links” menu.
- Click on “Help Desk.”
- Click on “Submit a Help Desk Ticket.”
- Select “mySANDBURG Issues.”
- Click on “Next.” Complete all fields. Include a phone number and any error messages received.
- If you have trouble submitting a ticket you can call the Help Desk at 1-877-236-1862, ext. 5446 or (309) 341-5446
Check for browser and plug-in updates…
Log in to
www2.blackboard.com/tuneup.
Read the “Online Learning FAQ” page and con¬firm the “Hardware and Software” requirement
- On the CSC home page, click on the “Academics” tab.
- Click on the “Online Learning” link on the left.
- Click the “Online Learning FAQ” link.
- Confirm that you meet the minimum technology requirements and that your computer and Internet connections are working well.
Basic skills for online courses
- Online instructors do not teach technology.
- Technology skills are a pre-requisite for online learning.
- You must know how to: send e-mails and attachments, search the
Internet, insert delivery and read receipts when sending e-mails
through Microsoft Outlook, format Microsoft Word documents, and send
PDF and RTF files.
Planning and Organizing
- Online courses are available for access at midnight, the night before the semester officially begins.
- Sign in and start your coursework the first day of class, just as if you were attending a lecture course.
- Read the course syllabus through its entirety. Note assignment, quiz,
and test location and times. Some exams may need to be proctored.
- Create a calendar of important deadlines.
- Print a copy of the course syllabus and note the instructor’s phone number and e-mail for future reference.
- Schedule your time. Keeping up with assignments is critical.
Procrastination and falling behind on assignments is one of the
biggest reasons for failure in an online learning environment.
- In an online course, plan for 3-4 hours of study time per credit hour,
per week. For a 3 credit hour online course – plan for 9-12 hours a
week for reading and assignments. Some weeks may require more time
depending on the course expectations and tests required during any
given week. Plan accordingly.
- If you are having difficulty, ask for help immediately. Communication is vital to success.
BCT Lab Courses
- BCT lab courses are delivered in a blended environment, have proctored exams and require an orientation that must be completed the first week of class.
- Orientation times are posted in the Galesburg, Carthage and Bushnell business labs.
- Assignment completion deadlines are every two weeks throughout the semester. Late work may not be accepted.
- Assignments may be completed at home if you have the specific course software.
Technology and Assignment
- Plan for glitches in technology. You never know when tech problems will occur.
- Avoid missing deadlines by not waiting until the last minute to hand in
assignments. CSC, as well as public libraries, have computers available
for student use.
- If you have computer problems, contact your instructor immediately.
- Student assignments have been known to get “lost in cyberspace,” either
as a result of student or instructor technology issues. As a
precaution, when you get a confirmation message that your work has been
submitted, print this message for your records.
- If using the CSC e-mail system through mySANDBURG to send e-mails and
assignments, insert delivery and read receipts and print the receipts
for your records. This will leave no question as to whether assignments
were sent or received.