5 Tips for Being a Successful Online & Remote Learner
We want all of our students to have the necessary tools to be successful. Here are five things to keep in mind as you learn remotely.- Designate certain hours each week for reading, completing assignments, attending lectures, and studying.
- Make sure you read and know your course syllabus. Printing your syllabus out can help as it allows you to mark off assignments that you have completed and lets you highlight the ones that will be due soon.
Prioritize your work!
- Try not to Procrastinate! Try not to schedule time to work on the course too close to the due dates. If possible, try to work a little ahead to count for any possible technical difficulties with your personal computer or Blackboard.
- Email, call, or setup a virtual meeting with your instructor.
- If you are having issues with Blackboard, call 1 (855) 608-2636.
- For Bulldog Connection issues email helpme@scsu.edu or call 803-516-4874.
- Find a space that is comfortable and allows you to focus.
- Put your phone away or on Due Not Disturb while studying and completing assignments.
- Have a clock nearby as a tool for motivation. It is important to manage your time and having a clock can help you stay focused.
- Check your SCSU email account multiple times each day.
- Communicate with your instructor. Email your instructor and sign up for virtual office hours.
- Take care of yourself by getting proper rest and nutrition.
- Stay positive!
- Stay in contact with you peers, family, and friends.
- Remember you are not alone – your Bulldog community is here to assist!!
Getting Started
Logging into Blackboard
Students will access the SCSU apps page using the username/password given by the University. Log into the SC State Apps page and click on the Blackboard Logo.
- The My Institution Page or Home Page is the first thing you will see after you successfully sign into Blackboard. You can access your courses on the right-hand side or along the top menu.
My Announcements: Links to posted announcements in your courses.
My Courses: A list of courses you are enrolled in for the semester.
- Select the course name to access that course in Blackboard.
Course Navigation: The course menu (on the left side of the screen) is where you will navigate within your course.
- This menu is the access point for all course content. Instructors will control which links appear. Remember that it is very important to look out for important information and to get familiar with the course menu.
Note: The course menu may be different for each class however, you should click on each tab to get familiar with the information in each menu item. For example: Your “syllabus” is an important document that outlines important information about the course.
Coursework
Submitting an Assignment
- Locating assignments will be essential to completing course work and receiving evaluation from your instructor. You might access assignments from a link on the course menu called “Assignments.” Or, your instructor might incorporate assignments into each week’s content. If you are having difficulty finding your assignments, please contact your instructor immediately after checking the Syllabus.
Assignments may be organized by unit, week, or type (short assignment versus final essay). Typically, instructors will post an announcement about upcoming assignments and deadlines.
- Open the assignment. On the Upload Assignment page, review the instructions, due date, points possible, and download any files provided by your instructor. If your instructor has added a rubric for grading, you can view
Select Write Submission to expand the area where you can type your submission. You can use the options in the editor to format the text.
- Select Browse My Computer to upload a file from your
- Select Submit.
How to take a test
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You can find tests and surveys in any content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder.
Navigate to the test or survey and select the title. On the next page, select Begin. Your instructor might require that you type a password to begin. If necessary, type the password and select Submit. The system continues to prompt for a valid password until you provide the correct one.
Note: Don’t use the browser’s back button during a test or survey as this may cause loss of data. If you have problems during a test, contact your instructor immediately.
Take a Test
View the details. At the top of each test or survey, you can view the information about multiple attempts, the timer, navigation, and an optional description and instructions. You are also informed if you must complete the test or survey after you open it. Select the arrows next to the information section to collapse or expand it.
If your test or survey is timed, your instructor will inform you. The timer status bar keeps you updated on the time left.
- Auto-submit: The test or survey saves and submits automatically when time expires. The Submitted page appears.
- View completed questions. The Question Completion Status section displays a saved icon for each question you have answered. You can select a question number to jump to that question. Select the arrows next to the status section to collapse or expand it.
- Clear your Multiple-Choice answer. If you are unsure of your selection on a Multiple-Choice question, you may double-click to clear your answer choice.
- Your answers are auto saved. You can also select Save Answer next to each question or Save All Answers as you work. When you save an answer, saved appears in the question’s row.
- Ready to submit? When you are finished, select Save and Submit. You may see your score immediately if all questions are auto graded and your instructor releases this information. However, your instructor must manually grade some question types such as Essays.
Check your grades
Collaboration
How to create a discussion board
Discussion Forums
In discussions, you can share thoughts and ideas about class materials. A discussion forum may consist of weekly postings based on assignments or weeklyYou can use discussions for these tasks:
Meet with your peers for collaboration and social
- Pose questions about homework assignments, readings, and course
- Demonstrate your understanding or application of course
Open the Discussion Board
Find the discussion board on the course menu, select Discussions.
The main Discussion Board page appears with a list of available discussion forums. On this page, you can perform these actions:
- Select a forum title to view the messages. Forum titles in bold contain unread posts.
- Select a forum to open the thread of posts.
- Select the number in the Unread Posts column for quick access to a forum’s unread.
Creating a journal
- Enter the journal where you made the original post and look for your instructor’s comment.
- Select the Comment button.
- Type your comments and select the Add button.
- Your comment has been added.
Blackboard Collaborative Ultra
Joining a Blackboard Collaborative Ultra Session
This document offers a resource for joining a Blackboard Collaborate Webinar scheduled session. Please utilize the 24/7 Blackboard Support Line for technical questions or concerns Blackboard Support Services at (844) 348-1608. This support line is available 24/7 365 days a year.
Preparing for Webinar Attendance
Be sure you have a version of Chrome or Firefox installed on your desktop or laptop. These browsers work best and allow full use of all Collaborate tools. Be prepared with headphones or ear buds with a microphone.
Joining a Collaborate Webinar Session
You should have received an attendance link for the scheduled webinar. The link will be open 15 minutes prior to the session start time. To enter the webinar room, just click the link (or copy/paste in Firefox or Google web browser) – Click here for an example link.
You will be prompted to enter your name, then click on “join session” to access the room.
During the Webinar
The facilitator will guide you through some of the features in your room. However, there are two main areas to know about. The first is your audio-visual controls. On the bottom of your screen, you will find your microphone, webcam and hand raising controls:
Note: Your facilitator might have all microphones on mute to control feedback and background noise. If not, you should be able to unmute here.
If the facilitator asks for webcams to be turned on, you would do so here. Also, if you have any questions during the session, you can click the raise hand button.
In the bottom right hand of your screen, you can open the purple X to expand the communication panel. The first speech bubble allows you to chat with the facilitator and group. The drop-down menu will allow you to insert emojis. – he/she may ask you to do this from time to time to read the room and gauge how learning is going.
Those are the main two areas that will concern you, the participant. If at any time the facilitator hands over the controls to you, he/she will explain that to you.
On the main part of the screen, you will see what the presenter is showing you on their screen.
You can leave the session by clicking the X at the top of the right screen, or you can open the menu on the top left and select “leave session” at the bottom.
Blackboard Mobile App
Students can use the Blackboard App to fully engage in digital learning right in the palm of their hands! The app allows students to: interact with courses, classmates, stay up to date on academic progress, submit assignments, and join web meetings using Collaborate Ultra!!
Note: The Blackboard app supports Android and iOS users. For more information on how to install the app, see the Quick Start guide or view the video Introducing the Blackboard App.
Additional Resources: Activity Stream (for students): This stream of information automatically prioritizes items to help you focus on tasks to take care of immediately; for example, New content, grades, and announcements.
Blackboard Support
Need assistance using Blackboard? Having technical issues? Click here to access SCSU’s Blackboard Support Services webpage. Students can contact Blackboard Support Services by phone, via live chat or by e-mail by clicking on the Create Case feature.
Blackboard Support Services are available 24 hours per day.
Password Manager
The Password Manager tool will allow students to change or recover their password to access many SCSU network systems including Bulldog Connection, Blackboard, SCSU Email, and campus computers. This tool enables you to set-up your personalized account to help you with future password recovery or resets.