BOT 176 Online
Orientation
Instructor
Contact: barb.gillespie@gcccd.edu
Introduction
This orientation will introduce you to the
course content and expectations for BOT 176 online. You'll also
have a chance to make sure everything is set up and ready to go.
Your first quiz (taken after you have read this orientation) will include
questions about the syllabus and Blackboard, so make sure you go
over them carefully. While you work through this orientation, jot
down any questions you might have and post them to our course Help
discussion board. I recommend that you print this page, and check
each item off as you complete it. Don't forget to take the 20-point
quiz to complete this orientation. The quiz will be available under
EXAMS in Blackboard on August 24, 2009.
If you're unsure how to use Blackboard or are
new to Online Learning, click on "BOT Online Courses", scroll to
the bottom, and then read the information provided there for hints
and valuable links on how to use Blackboard and how to take an
online course. There is a tutorial available that is very
beneficial to students who are new to online learning.
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What to do for this
assignment
-
Print this
page and mark each item as you complete it.
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Enroll in
the course. You enroll for this online course the same way
you enroll in any other Grossmont College course. You will need
to be enrolled in the course before you can access the course
Blackboard site.
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Buy the textbook and install the software.
You can buy the book at the campus bookstore, or from another
source. You will need it on the first day of class. (See
below for more details about the required course materials). The
text will have a CD at the back that contains a 140-day trial
version of QuickBooks Pro 2008 for you to load on your
home computer. If you purchase the book from the Grossmont
College bookstore, you'll receive the 140-day trial version of
the 2008 software. There are several
different versions of QuickBooks Pro on the market. Some are
geared towards specific types of businesses. You only need to
purchase QuickBooks Pro 2008 (but I'd advise you to use the free
version while learning). If you cannot find the book containing
the free 2008 version of QuickBooks, you may need to download
the free version of the 2009 version. Intuit is very good at
changing versions each year. The differences in the 2008 and
2009 version are minimal, so we will continue to use the 2008
textbook. The 2009 version of the software will work with the
2008 textbook. If you are a true beginner at online learning,
I'd advise you to purchase the textbook with the 2008 software
so the screenshots in the book will mirror what is showing on
your computer's monitor.
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Login to Blackboard. The first day of
class is August 24, 2009. One day before class
begins, those who have enrolled will be entered into the
Blackboard system.
If you enrolled successfully in the class, you should now be
able to access the class. If you register for the class less
than one week prior to class starting, you may need to contact me to be
entered into the Blackboard system. If you want to add the class
after the start date, you will need to contact me for an add code.
If you wind up in
Blackboard twice, it will be confusing for us both. Simply use
the username and email that is provided for you by the Grossmont
computer department. You can edit these later.
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How to login to Blackboard
(available August 23 – one day
before class begins)
A. Go to
http://bb.gcccd.edu
(click on this link or the Blackboard Login link on the
Grossmont College homepage.
B. Click the login button
C. For Username, enter your name as firstname.lastname
(all lower case with a dot between names)
D. For Password, enter your birthday (mmddyy)
E. If you cannot login successfully the first time, try it
again. Your login information is the same as when you login to
any computer on campus. If you still have trouble login in, STOP
and contact me (barb.gillespie@gcccd.edu).
Do not panic. We will get it fixed.
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Successful
login! Now that you have logged in, welcome to the course.
Read the Welcome announcement. This announcement contains
helpful information on how the course works and where to start.
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Update
your personal information. The first time you login to the
course (or anytime you change e-mail address), click on the Tools
button, select Personal Information, and update
the e-mail address that you prefer to use for this class. When I
send class e-mail announcements, it will go to the e-mail
address in your profile. Save any changes.
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Print the syllabus
(available August 23 – one day
before class begins). In the Blackboard course site,
click on the course Information button. Click on the syllabus
link. Print the syllabus and keep it with your textbook. You may
need to save the syllabus and then open it to print it. READ the
whole syllabus (you will need to answer questions about the
syllabus on the quiz).
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Familiarize yourself with the course web site by clicking on
all of the links (buttons) in the course navigation on the left
side of the course website. There are also several links on the
web pages that display. Browse through them thoroughly to
familiarize yourself with the entire course website.
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Take the online orientation quiz
(available August 23 – one day
before class begins). After completing the steps
above, you can take the quiz (worth 20 points and due the first
week of class). Login to Blackboard, click on the Exams
link, and click on the Online Orientation Quiz. The quiz
will cover information from the syllabus and Blackboard. This is
Assignment #1 in your syllabus.
There IS an END-DATE to each assignment, so be sure you check
due dates carefully or you will lose points.
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Begin on the course assignments.
Turn to the Assignment Sheet in your syllabus and begin working
the assignments in the order they’re listed. The syllabus is
laid out so you’ll know exactly what is expected from you in
each chapter. The assignments will also be listed in Blackboard,
so when you’re ready to submit, directions will be both on the
syllabus and in Blackboard. DO NOT email any assignments to the
instructor. The due dates for the assignments are listed both in
the syllabus and on Blackboard.
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Textbook
and Software
·
REQUIRED:
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“Quickbooks Pro 2008, A Complete
Course”, by Janet Horne. , ISBN 13: 978-0-13-814962-8 and ISBN 10:
0-13-814962-3 (both numbers are shown on the back of the book).
The text
can be purchased in the
Grossmont College Bookstore or online. Prentice-Hall
has included a CD with a 140-Day Student Trial Version
of the QuickBooks 2008 software that accompanies the text. I am not
certain that the software will be accompanied on any texts not purchased at the
Grossmont College Bookstore, so you may need to contact
Prentice-Hall at www.prenhall.com if you plan to purchase the book
online.
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You also will need to
have Adobe Acrobat Reader as well as a "pdf writer" program that will
allow you to create .pdf files. Most of the documents you'll be
creating (invoices, sales receipts, purchase orders, reports) are
easy to create through QuickBooks by clicking on "File", then "Save
As .PDF". Others (Checks and Deposit Summaries) do not have
that "save as pdf feature"
and will require a tad more work. That's where the "pdf writer
program" is used. There are some “free” writer programs out there
in shareware if your computer doesn’t come with a .pdf writer
program. A popular writer program can be found at
www.cutepdf.com. Once you've
downloaded this to your computer, it'll act as a "printer" that
won't actually "print" a document, but will convert the document to
a .pdf file. Once you log into Blackboard, you'll find more
information about the "pdf writer" program and how it works.
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The Student Data Files that accompany the text can be found
at the Prentice Hall website. You need to download these data files and
save them to a folder on your computer. I will also have these files
available for you in Blackboard in a zip file.
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In addition to having the textbook,
the QuickBooks program, the pdf writer program, and a working
knowledge of online learning, you'll also need to know how to zip
your files into one single folder to be uploaded to Blackboard for
grading. The instructions on how to do this are available for
you in Blackboard.
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You also will need a working knowledge of
Blackboard (the program we will be using for this course). This
means you’ll need to know how to download the syllabus, read
Announcements, create items in the Discussion Board, download the
“keys” provided for each chapter, and upload the assigned pages
required for each chapter.
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Also required:
·
Access to a PC/Windows computer with the following requirements:
·
Computer/Processor:
500-MHz or higher
·
Memory:
256 MB of RAM or higher
·
Hard disk:
2 GB of available hard-disk space
·
Monitor:
800 x 600 minimum monitor resolution; 1024 x 768 recommended
·
CD drive
·
Operating system:
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later or Windows Vista
·
Internet access:
Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
·
Sorry, no Macintosh as the QuickBooks program is very different on a
Mac.
Advice from BOT online students
-
Keep up with the class.
The biggest problem online students have is gradually falling
behind. You lose points when assignments are late, and you may be
dropped from the class if you get behind. The class is 16 weeks in
length, but those weeks go by very quickly. All of the work must be
completed in order to receive a passing grade. No skipping
assignments.
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Schedule at least 5 hours per week
to focus on the class. Some students may need more or less time, so
you can make adjustments based on your skill level in QuickBooks.
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Don’t wait until the last minute to start an assignment. If you run into a
problem, it may take some time to get help.
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Contact your instructor
as soon as you begin to have problems or if you decide to drop.
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Check the Blackboard Announcements
several times a week.
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Have a back-up plan
in case your computer crashes.
Congratulations...you are ready to begin
your course. Log into Blackboard, read the syllabus, then take the
Online Orientation Quiz. It can be found by clicking on EXAMS in
Blackboard.
Don't let all this information scare you from
taking an online course. Everyone starts off one time as a true
beginner. Once you're in the class and working the chapters, you'll
be fine. Good luck and let's have fun!!!
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