Socccd.blackboard.com

Orientation for Online Courses – Physical Geography

Instructor: Anne Saxe, Saddleback College

Welcome to online education!!! For many of you, online instruction is a convenient way to pursue your

education due to the flexibility this type of learning provides. Distance education classes, however, are

NOT easier or less intensive than traditional instruction. That’s a fact worth noting: Students should expect

to allow for the usual three hours of class time and three hours of homework per week that accompany a 3-

unit course (it may be slightly more, slightly less depending on the type of student you are).

To login to the class, you will need to access Blackboard at http://socccd.blackboard.com. If for some

reason you cannot login or you don’t know your username and password, please visit

http://www.saddleback.edu/de/student-technical-support/ for help.

The default page on Blackboard is the class announcements. Please check the announcements and your

email at least once a week! If you prefer to use an email address that is different from your Saddleback

email, then you will need to change your personal settings in MySite to have your email forwarded to

whatever account you prefer to use. I send emails to students and post announcements on Blackboard

frequently, so it is VERY important that you check your email and Blackboard regularly and that your email

address is correct.

Please take some time to become familiar with the course syllabus. Page 4 of your syllabus is the course

calendar. This is your guide to all the required readings, lectures, assignments and exams for the

class. The course runs on a weekly cycle starting each Tuesday morning and ending each Monday at 11:59

p.m. Students are strongly encouraged to complete assignments well in advance of the Monday 11:59 p.m.

deadline to ensure that their work is received on time. You will notice on the syllabus that I do not accept

late work unless a student’s inability to complete the coursework can be documented. Because students

have a week to complete the weekly assignments, technical problems, sudden illnesses and travel are not

valid excuses for missing deadlines! Therefore, please cover your bases and give yourself plenty of time.

The course calendar shows that during week 1 you are responsible for reading the course syllabus. It is

extremely important that you read the syllabus thoroughly as it includes all the course requirements,

expectations and proper “net”iquette. The syllabus also includes information regarding communicating with

me, how/when your grades are posted, how to properly submit assignments (very important so you don’t

lose points!) and how to navigate through Blackboard.

Now back to page 4, the course calendar, and your first week’s assignments. In addition to reading the

course syllabus, you are also assigned to read chapters 1 and 2 in the textbook this week. I know it’s a lot of

reading, but we have to move quickly in a short summer class! After reading these materials, you are

responsible for completing a syllabus quiz and the chapter 1 and 2 review. To access the syllabus quiz,

click on the “Exams/Assignments” button in Blackboard. Follow the link to the syllabus quiz folder, and

then click on the quiz. Immediately after you complete the syllabus quiz, you should see a grade recorded

in Blackboard. If you do NOT see a numeric score in the gradebook immediately after you submit the

quiz, then it is very important that you notify me right away. Follow the same steps to access the

chapter 1 and 2 review.

Once you have completed the syllabus quiz and the chapter 1 and 2 review, you are finished with week 1!

You are welcome to email me with any questions you may have, unless the questions may be answered with

the information included in the syllabus. You should hear back from me within 24-48 hours.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your online learning experience. Have a great summer session!

http://socccd.blackboard.com/
http://www.saddleback.edu/de/student-technical-support/