Welcome Letter / Important information for
Online CAOA 126 ~ Voice Recognition
with Cynthia Wilshusen
Dear Student,
Welcome to distance
education at Cuesta
College! My name is Mrs.
Cynthia R. Wilshusen, and I will be your instructor
for the online version of Voice Recognition with Document Applications. This
letter is to inform you of some important details prior to the commencement of
the Fall 2010 online class. Please read this page
very carefully!!
1.
IS an ONLINE CLASS FOR YOU?
First
of all, go to the Cuesta
College Online Resources and take the "self assessment survey"
then read "How to survive in an online course". (If that
survey does NOT describe you, then taking this class online is NOT for you and
I strongly suggest that you drop the online class and enroll in a traditional
classroom section.
2. Computer and Class Requirements:
·
You must have access to a computer (Pentium III or better with 256 megabytes of RAM running
Windows XP or better)
·
You must have the
following software installed prior to the first day of class, January 20, 2008:
Dragon
Naturally Speaking 9 or Higher, Microsoft Office Professional (including
Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and PowerPoint)
Note: If
you need to purchase Dragon Naturally Speaking or Microsoft Office
, here are a few options you may wish to investigate (although I am not
promoting any of them):
Journey Ed.com. This is a program that sells discounted software to California community
college students. You must use your Pipeline email account to prove that
you are a current registered student. If you do not yet have one, this
option may not be available to you until the spring semester begins (which
might be too late to order)
Staples.com
atomicpark.com
Cuesta
College bookstore
·
Email account
·
Reliable
Internet connection. You will also need to have a backup plan in case your internet provider or computer goes down. All of your
assignments and tests will be emailed to me via WebCT/Blackboard's
internal email.
·
Must obtain the following textbooks prior to the first day
of class. on August 16, 2010. The textbooks you will need to obtain
for this class is
Dragon Naturally Speaking
for the Office Professional, Barksdale ISBN: 0-538-72371-8, and Proofreading
and Editing Precision, Pagel, ISBN: 0-538-44248-4
o
Textbooks can be ordered through Cuesta College bookstore online or any
other textbook seller. Order early to avoid missing the first assignments. Class
starts on August 16, 2010 and it is expected that you have your textbook, hardware
and software in place prior to the semester beginning.
·
It is essential
that you understand the basic concepts of email, web navigation and online
communication to succeed in this course.
3.
BROWSER CHECK
Your
browser must be configured so the complete functionality of our online class
platform called Blackboard available to you. Complete a Browser
Check. Click on Check Browser in the list. Follow directions
carefully. This will save you many problems during the semester!
4. Mandatory Orientation You will be required
to watch a orientation video the first time you log in on August 16, 2010, failure to watch this video
could result in confusion and inability to find the necessary links.
Important Notes
Given the fact
that this class has a tendency to fill quickly, and there are several students
that need take this class it is imperative that you
send me an email
prior to the first day of class to confirm your placement, and receive instructions for
orientation. Failure to comply will result in an immediate drop from the class.
Note that once class starts all communication will take place within the Blackboard's environment.
Additionally, if
you are using a web access email account or any email account with high spam
settings, it is likely that you might not receive some initial emails that detail important class information. My suggestion is to add my
name (Cynthia Wilshusen) and email address (cwilshus@cuesta.edu to your contact
list to ensure that my emails are not blocked, and you are able to continue in
the class without missed deadlines or being dropped.
Once you add me
to your contact list, please do not forward me any of your
fun or junk mail, as this is my
email for work, and I can not or do not want to be bombarded with junk email,
managing this class, other traditional classes,
and a fulltime job will be more than enough. At the completion of the
course, please remove me from your contact list. Thank you
One more note:
You should be fully aware that a large
portion of this class will consist of working in groups. The business world in every industry
utilizes groups and teams extensively, and part of your learning experience
will include collaboration with other class members. You should be prepared
from the beginning to contribute significantly into these groups, and gain a
huge learning experience from them.
Participation:
Online classes are
available and make your education experience more convenient. However, this
is not a self pace, learn on your own class. I
have structured weeks with material for you to read, watch and interact with. I
ask my students to find time in their busy schedules to log into the
classroom three out of seven days a week to discuss topics related to the
material being learned. This helps to answer questions, clear up confusion, and
we have a chance to learn form other students
experiences. The days in which you log on are up to the students and can be
weekdays or weekends whichever works best for your situation.
You should also print
out a copy of this letter and keep it handy for reference.
First Assignment
Your first assignment
is to log into the class on August 16, 2010 at: Blackboard
review the orientation. Your user name for Blackboard login matches their My.Cuesta login name. As in: firstname_lastname. There Blackboard default password is:
STUDENT, it would be suggested you change this after you log on the first time.
The class will not be available until the first
day of the Semester August 16, 2010, the same day as our orientation.
Once you locate the site, please bookmark it or add to your favorites for
future reference. Please read my Bio under the discussion board area, and
post your own Bio in similar format. This assignment will be due the
on the first day of class.
If you have any further
questions prior to the first day of class, please feel free to e-mail me.