SPANISH 1411 ONLINECOURSE ORIENTATION

CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

¡BIENVENIDOS!

Name: Wendi Casillas Email*: wendi.casillas@ctcd.edu Website: ctcd.blackboard.com

Office Hours: TBA or by appointment, via Blackboard Collaborate. Go to ctcd.blackboard.com/Tools/Blackboard Collaborate.

*Per CTC policy, student-teacher email must be conducted in the Blackboard Messages area. Please use the MESSAGES tool in Blackboard to send email to me; do not use my ctcd account until after the course has ended. ¡Gracias!

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

TEXTBOOK WITH ACCESS CODE (CTC Custom Version / Bundled Package):Hershberger, Robert; Navey-Davis, Susan; Borrás A., Guiomar. Plazas: Lugar de encuentros. This is a loose-leaf CTC custom version with iLrn Heinle Learning Center 3-Semester Printed Online Access Card. Thomson-Heinle / Cengage Custom Publishing. Copyright: 2012. Edition: 4th. ISBN: 9781111698713.

Note: Before you purchase anything, please verify your materials at the CTC Instructional Materials page:

http://www.ctcd.edu/im/im_main.asp

MICROPHONE to use with your COMPUTER (Recommended: Microphone/Headphones Set)

COURSE MATERIALS

+

iLrn

Access

Code

Order from

MBS Direct at http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/ctc.htm

or the CTC Bookstore at http://www.ctcbookstore.com/.

If you purchase books elsewhere, BE SURE your package includes the same all-in-one access to the iLrn™ Heinle Learning Center for Plazas: lugar de encuentros. (more to follow)

To Purchase the Custom CTC Plazas Textbook Bundle (Package) online:

Find your student book key (sometimes called access code or passkey).

The book key is located inside your CTC bundled Plazas package. It is a 16-19 character code (no hyphens) included in a white envelope or printed on the inside of a cardboard bi-fold that may be shrink-wrapped in plastic. Your book key will not be printed on any part of your textbook.

The book key is a one-time-use access code. Once you have entered the book key, you will not need to enter it again. To access your Plazas course, you will log into your account by entering a username and password.

Setting Up Your iLrn™ Heinle Account

If you purchased a used book, or are sharing a book, you MUST purchase the iLrn™ Heinle Learning Center Instant Access Code for Plazas 4th edition in order to submit assignments and take tests for our course.

Go to http://www.cengagebrain.com; enter 1111299463 into the search field.

The Access Code alone (make sure to purchase the “all-in-one companion to Plazas” that includes Textbook and eSAM (Student Activities Manual, or Workbook/Lab Manual) and Video activities and is not just the eBook) costs about $127.

ISBN: 978-1-111-29946-0

What if I don’t have a book key?

iLrn Heinle Instant Access Code

Please verify price; as of 05/2014, $127

ENROLLING IN YOUR iLrn™ PLAZAS COURSE (for SPANISH 1411, 1412 or 2311 at CTC):

STUDENT BOOK KEY

(ACCESS CODE FOR ILRN; INCLUDED IN PURCHASE OF COURSE MATERIALS)

COURSE CODE(FOR SPECIFIC CTC SECTION; PROVIDED BY INSTRUCTOR, although it can also be retrieved at hlc.quia.com/books.)

STUDENT BOOK KEY (iLrn™ Heinle Access Code)

Find student passkey and go to http://hlc.quia.com/books

Enter book key in First Time User? area or click Create account button and fill in required information.

You now have access to all iLrn™ Heinle Learning Center features, BUT you must also enroll in the CTC course with your instructor’s specific COURSE CODE (see right)

COURSE CODE (iLrn™ Heinle Course Code unique to your instructor and section)

Log on to Blackboard (http://ctc.blackboard.com/)

Look in Start Here/Course Info/Course Materials (or in the iLrn Heinle menu area) to find Course Code

Enter Course Code on http://hlc.quia.com/books to enroll in this CTC iLrn course. (You should see instructor’s name and section number).

Log in to your iLrn account.

At the top right area of your workstation, under the Profile, FAQ, etc. links, there is a field for you to enter a book key or course code.

Enter the course code for this course and click go.

Once you have purchased the book key, it is good for 18 months (the textbook materials are valid for SPAN 1411, 1412 and 2311 at CTC), but if for some reason you cannot use your book key, please contact the instructor about obtaining an extension.

Already have an iLrn™ Heinle Plazas account from a previous course?

RETURNING STUDENTS

New users: enter your BOOK KEY (included with your purchase) or create an account and enter our COURSE CODE (see below) if you don’t yet

have your book key.

Returning users: Log in to your Heinle account and enter the new COURSE CODE. (provided by instructor; see

Blackboard/Start Here!/Course Info)

• Find Start Here!• Read Course Information

and Syllabus Pages 1 & 2• Under Course Information /

Course Materials, locate Course Code.

• Read all instructions carefully.

• Read Instructor Information and make sure to understand how to communicate with him/her.

• Review all menu areas on Blackboard and familiarize yourself with Course Orientation Activities.

• Review Course Evaluation in Syllabus to understand requirements and grade breakdown.

Login to Blackboard for

Course Information

• Purchase CTC custom bundle that includes the iLrn Access Code (be sure to do this ASAP so the package arrives in time.)

• Purchase directly from hlc bookstore to receive instant access code or if you have a used book.

• Using your student book key (access code) WITH course code, enroll on iLrn.

• Familiarize yourself with the Plazas iLrn workstation, especially the Self-Tests area, Textbook Assignments, and eSAM (Workbook / Lab Manual) Assignments (Activities, Assignment Calendar)

Purchase Materials, Register with iLrn Heinle, Enroll in

Instructor’s Course

• Introduce yourself on Discussion Board.

• Introduce yourself on Voice Board.

• Complete Orientation Quiz and Accentuation Quiz in the ¡Vamos! (Orientation) folder (in Start Here!)

• Review Lessons Folders to understand what is required for each chapter.

• Complete Self-Test Pre-Test for Chapter 1 and review study plan.

Return to Blackboard. Begin

Course Orientation:

¡Vamos!

GETTING STARTED WITH THE COURSE

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

On iLrn Plazas:

SELF-TESTS: Take one Pre-Test and one Post-Test per Chapter.

TEXTBOOK ACTIVITIES: Assigned activities are marked with an A.

eSAM ACTIVITIVES (eStudent Activities Manual = Workbook/Lab Manual): Assigned activities are marked with an A.

SPEAKING TEST: one per chapter

EXAM: one per chapter

On Blackboard:

Orientation Quiz (in Lessons / ¡Vamos! [Orientation])

Accentuation Quiz (in Lessons / ¡Vamos! [Orientation])

Regular attendance: Log in at least every 3 or 4 days.

Two Discussion Board assignments (DB 1, DB 2)

Two Voice Board assignments (VB 1, VB 2)

Final Exam (Ch 1 – 5), in Exams menu area

Some Notes On Course Requirements…

No, you don’t have to do work that isn’t assigned. (Assigned work is marked with an A and/or a due date.) But it’s great practice to do as many activities as you can.

Grading: Some activities are set to be graded on performance and some are set to give credit for completion of the work, regardless of score. ALL activities are set for multiple attempts (except exams), and ALL activities are set to display correct answers upon submission, so you may RESUBMIT your graded assignments as often as you want until you are satisfied with your score.

For speaking activities, you may work with a willing partner (spouse, roommate, etc.) if you cannot locate a classmate online using the chat area on Plazas. You may also complete both/all roles yourself (but please pause between each role if you do this).

¡¿?!

More Notes on Course Requirements: Plazas NavigationFinding Your Assignments in Plazas:

Remember that you are assigned Textbook Activities and Workbook / Lab Manual (eSAM) Activities. You can find a list of all assignments required for a chapter by clicking the Assignment Calendar button on the right hand menu and selecting the View by Chapter tab. You can also access assignments by clicking the Activities button (above Self-Tests) and clicking/expanding the appropriate chapter on the left-hand table of contents.

Speaking Tests and Chapter Exams are also located in the Assignment Calendar / View by Chapter or in the Activities area. They will generally be listed below all other chapter activities but are included in your cumulative Textbook Activities total until I update Blackboard grades (where each Speaking Test and Exam is separately weighted).

Plazas 4e Navigation

Click Plazas book or Class Name to Open iLrn Course

Plazas Navigation: Activities

Expand each chapter and sub-section to access assigned activities: Textbook, Workbook, Lab Manual. At the end of the expanded chapter list are the Exam and Speaking Test.

Plazas Navigation: Assignment Calendar

EXAM and SPEAKING TEST are located at the end of the Assignment Calendar, View by Chapter list of activities.

Use the View by CHAPTER option for complete list of required assignments.

View by date option – not recommended for daily reference.

Plazas Navigation: Assignment Calendar

Your scores on the Assignment Calendar don’t display completion-based (credit) scores (see Results page, next)

eSAM (workbook/lab manual)

Plazas Navigation: ResultsRESULTS (click here for your progress & scores – or to see what else you need to complete .)

Choose either Textbook or eSAM from the upper drop-down menu.

Once I have entered your totals for the Exam and Self-Test for each chapter, I will ‘unassign’ them so that they will not be included in the Textbook Activities cumulative total. (The green A may disappear.)

A check mark = complete (100% for a credit activity); whereas a graded assignment will be displayed as number of points out of total.

Plazas Navigation: Voiceboard?

iLrn Voiceboard is simply a tool for students to connect with classmates in order to complete assigned paired speaking activities in Plazas…

PLEASE NOTE: The iLrn Plazas Voiceboard is NOT the same as the required audio Voice Board on Blackboard.

…but if you have difficulty locating an online partner, remember that you may complete the speaking activities alone or with a physical partner.

Plazas Navigation: Practice

Click the Practice button for various student resources, such as grammar tutorials and other reference materials.

Plazas Navigation: Practice

Plazas Navigation: Practice

Blackboard Course Requirements: Discussion Board & Voice Board Assignments

Discussion Board Assignment

Voice Board Assignment

Chapter Due Dates

Technical SupportPlease, please do NOT contact your instructor to say you could not finish your work due to technical issues UNLESS: you have first contacted the CTC Online Support Center (if it is a Blackboard, Wimba, System Requirements, etc. issue), and/or

you have first contacted the iLrn Heinle Technical Support team (if it is a Plazas Textbook, Student Activities Manual (eSAM:Workbook/Lab Manual), Video or Audio, Microphone, Login, etc. issue)

Please contact these Technical Specialists first and be sure to save/copy your communications with them to me. Please include your ticket number or any other pertinent information. I understand that technical issues do often occur, but you must take responsibility for resolving the situation and having a back-up computer plan. I am quite flexible and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but as you can imagine some students tend to abuse the “technical issues” excuse.

On Blackboard, click the last gray tab along the top of the screen that says Technical Support. It will take you to the CTC Tech Support Center, where you may browse FAQs, submit a help request ticket, or use Live Chat for help. You can also phone: 866-350-4729

On the iLrn Heinle Learning Center (Plazas), look at the top right-hand side of your student workstation. To the left of the Log out link is a link for Technical Support.

http://hlc.quia.com/support.html

Where to find Technical Support

EXAMS (Best 4 of 5 Chapter Exams, 60 pts each) 240 ptsLocated in Plazas Textbook Activities.

FINAL EXAM (comprehensive, Chapters 1 – 5) 60 ptsLocated on Blackboard / Exams

SELF-TESTS (5 chapters, 10 pts each) 50 ptsOne Pre-Test (5 pts) and one Post-Test (5 pts) per chapter Located on iLrn Plazas.

SPEAKING TESTS (5 Speaking Tests, 20 pts each) 100 ptsLocated in Plazas Textbook Activities.

PLAZAS TEXTBOOK ACTIVITIES 200 pts5 lessons, 40 pts per lesson

PLAZAS WORKBOOK/LAB MANUAL ACTIVITIES 200 pts5 lessons, 40 pts per lesson (aka Student Activities Manual)

DISCUSSION BOARDS (DB 1 & 2, 25 pts each) 50 ptsLocated in Blackboard/Discussion Board

VOICE BOARDS (VB 1 & 2, 25 pts each) 50 ptsLocated in Blackboard/Voice Board

ORIENTATION QUIZ (Blackboard / Lessons / ¡Vamos!) 25 pts

ACCENTUATION QUIZ (Blackboard / Lessons / ¡Vamos!) 25 pts

Total Points 1000 pts

COURSE EVALUATION

A=900-1000 pts

B=800-899 pts

C=700-799 pts

D=600-699 pts

F= Below 600 pts

Please check your email account to ensure that it is correct and the one you want to use for your

courses.  You can do this by going to WebAdvisor at http://www.ctcd.edu/webadvisor/webadvisor_intro.htm .  The email address that is listed for you in WebAdvisor is the one that is pulled into Blackboard.

If you need to change your email of record, please submit an Email Address Change Form at http://online.ctcd.edu/change_email.cfm.  notify your instructor that you have submitted this form and provide him/her with the proper email

address.  (Be sure to include your name in your communication with your instructor.)

NOTE:  In general, instructors respond to student email within 48 hours.  If you do not receive a response within a reasonable period of time or have not heard from your instructor by the second day of class, it’s possible that either you or your instructor is experiencing email problems.  Please follow these steps to attempt to establish contact: 

Contact your instructor via Blackboard messaging. Contact your instructor by email. Post a statement at the Discussion Board. Check the Instructor Info for a phone number and call, if possible. If you still get no response, please contact online.mentors@ctcd.edu or call 1-800-792-3348

extension 1296 (526-1296 in the Killeen area).  Be prepared to provide your name, the instructor's name, the course name and number, course start date, etc.

 

STUDENT EMAIL ACCURACY – IMPORTANT!