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It’s the first day of the semester, and you’re ready to log into your first online college course. Once you type in your username and password, your home page appears and…you suddenly feel lost. There are tabs and course listing and words you don’t know the meanings of. Before you log into your first course, it’s helpful to get an understanding of the definitions online students need to know before they begin:
Adobe Reader Software – This is a free software program that you may be asked to download so you can read PDF files. Because students use different word processing programs, they may be unable to read documents that the professor uploads to the course shell if their program is not compatible to his. Adobe Reader Software allows everyone to view the same files, regardless of their word processing program.
Course Shell – The course shell is a term that describes the layout of your online course. The instructor has the ultimate control over what you see and is able to open tests and discussion boards, as well as lock them from student entry. The look and layout of the course shell varies by college. Desire2Learn (D2L), WebCT, and Blackboard are popular course shell formats.
Discussions – Most instructors want their online courses to be interactive, so they’ll post topics in an area called a discussion board. This is an area where students can respond to the instructor’s question, as well as respond to other students who post comments. The availability of the discussion board is subject to the instructor’s discretion. He may open the board for discussion or lock it when the discussion is no longer relevant. Participation in discussion boards is often a graded activity.
Dropbox – The Dropbox is an area where you can upload your work. Saved files such as essays and tests are normally uploaded to a Dropbox. The Dropbox is a common area where the student can not only upload her work but also where the professor downloads the student’s file, grades it, uploads the graded file, and posts the grade for the student to view. Once the grade is posted to the Dropbox, it may also be linked automatically to the gradebook.
Gradebook – This is a portion of the course shell that displays your grades for each assignment. Depending on how the instructor sets up the gradebook, you may be able to see an up-to-date percentage of your overall class grade.
Home – When you log in, you’ll be directed to your home page. Here, you may be able to access e-mail, contact Technical Support, and also see a list of your classes. The setup of the home page varies, depending on the course shell used. You can also click on individual courses and be directed to a course home page where announcements and other important information are displayed.
Locker – The locker is a place where you can store files. If you’ve lost your USB drive and need to save work, you can upload it to your locker for storage. You can later retrieve your files to continue working on them or to upload them to the Dropbox.
Technical Support – This is the link you’ll click when you have any type of technical issue with your course shell. If you cannot view pages or listen to audio files, Tech Support will help you resolve your issues. Some colleges offer live workshops at the beginning of the semester to help students learn to the technical aspects of online college course.
While it’s common to feel overwhelmed when you first log into your course, keep in mind that professors are more than willing to help you navigate the course shell. Just knowing the common definitions online students need to know will shorten your learning curve and make your online college course much easier to navigate.
