Accessing the Course Website
The courses generally build on each other, and we suggest you register for I-III together during one semester and IV-VI the next semester. Completing the courses out of sequence is possible, but not recommended. Courses I-III are intended to meet the curriculum and instruction requirements for the Technical Professional license. The six course sequence is designed to meet the curriculum and instruction requirements for the Collegiate Professional license.
To access the individual course web sites, you must first be registered for the courses. Click here for information on registration. Once you are fully registered, you will receive a Virginia Tech PID (username) and password. Once you have this PID, go to the Blackboard Course Portal.
Select the Login Button and supply your PIDand password. All the courses for which you are registered will appear on your Welcome page.
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Click on the course link under 'My Courses' and the course Announcements page will appear.
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The page will have the following important links along the left side:
- Announcements - Every time you come to the web site, be sure to click here for any news about the course or for changes to assignments. Check this page AT LEAST WEEKLY. In a regular course, the instructor makes announcements daily because things change. This is where our announcements are posted.
- Course Information - This is where basic information like the grading system and the course, unit, and lesson descriptions are posted. Be sure to click this button the first time you go to the web site. Read everything in this section before starting the lessons.
- Course Documents - This is the most important section on the web site. It contains the step-by-step instructions for each lesson. Go to this section every time you start a lesson. Below is a typical Course Documents page. For each lesson, be sure to follow the steps in order. Support materials include the readings, handouts, and a complete transcript of the lesson, as well as a detailed description of any assignment or quiz that is required for the lesson. You can click on those to download your own copy of each so you can print them if you would like to use hard copies for reading or as you watch the lesson. The readings, handouts, and assignments buttons will allow you to read and print the materials for those items for each lesson.
- Communication - Click here to access:
» E-Mail. All of the students enrolled in the course, the instructor(s), and technicians’ names are listed here and you can select individuals or groups to send e-mail to.
» Discussion Board. See next section, below.
» Student Roster. This lists everybody enrolled in the course.
» Discussion Board - This is a location where you can post comments and questions. It is a location where class members can help each other. You should go to the Discussion Board frequently to make your own comments and ask general questions and to see what other students are having problems with or have suggestions for. Help each other or complain about the instructors on the Discussion Board. All three course instructors have agreed to leave this section open for private student use and have pledged not to read the Discussion Board. You can use this section to discuss any aspect of the course that you want to without concern that the instructors will “be listening.”
- Tools - Click here to access:
» Digital Drop Box. This is important. Get familiar with it early. See details under Lectures and Assignments.
» Personal Information. You can update address, phone, correct spelling on your name, e-mail, etc. here.
» Check Your Grade. This lets you access your grade at any time. As soon as an assignment is graded and posted, your grade will be updated immediately. You will notice a column of dates on this page. The dates ARE NOT DUE DATES. They are the dates the instructor posted the assignment and cannot be removed. Please DISREGARD the dates.
» Student Manual. This is generic information regarding the use of the software that manages the course system at Virginia Tech. You may find this information both interesting and helpful.
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