Read Me First

Tips for the Course and Using ANGEL
For many of you, online learning may be a new experience. It is important to realize that learning online is very different than learning in a classroom. Most of your interaction with the course and others will be through reading and writing. It can be challenging to get used to communicating this way. Below are some tips to help you adjust to the online environment quickly and smoothly. If at any time you feel lost or confused, post a question in the Help thread of the Discussion Forum. I will respond within 24 hours during the week and by the following Monday if you post on the weekends (Friday after 6 pm through Sunday). I recommend that you print this document for later reference.
The Online Classroom: The ANGEL Tabs

All of your course instruction and communication occurs within your ANGEL page. There are 5 sections to your ANGEL page which are indicated by the tabs on top of the page.
Course. This is where you will find any announcements regarding course such as reminders for due dates or
upcoming events. It is a good idea to check this section every time you log into your course in ANGEL.
Calendar. Check here to see the weekly schedule and to find due dates for homework assignments and discussion
posts. You will also find the final exam schedule here. I recommend that you print the calendar or carefully transfer the due dates into your personal agenda to ensure you do not miss deadlines.
Lessons. Here you will find the weekly lessons. To access the lesson, click on the folder labeled with the
appropriate week number (for example, Week 1 or Week 2). Once you open this folder you will find the lesson (generally presented by a narrated PowerPoint presentation), handouts, the readings, practice activities, quizzes, and a link to the Discussion Forum and the Assignment Drop Box. Simply click on the icons to access the lesson materials. Throughout the lesson materials, I indicate vocabulary words by underlining them. To find the definition of the word, click on it and you will be directed to its definition on Dictionary.com. Any time you see an underlined word, it is a link.
Unless otherwise specified, this work by Shaunie Decker sdecker@sccd.ctc.edu of the Washington State Colleges is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/
Using the Discussion Forum & Assignment Drop Box

Discussion Forum. Each week there will be two questions posted by the instructor to the Discussion Forum. You are required to answer both of these questions and then reply to at least two classmates posts. These are called posts or responses . To receive full credit for your posts in the Discussion Forum, you must provide the question number in your subject line and if you are responding to a classmate, the question number and classmate s name. For example, Discussion Question #1- John Doe . Your posts that answer the discussion questions should be at least 5 sentences long and must show an understanding of the discussion topic. Responses to classmates posts may be shorter but should still add value to the discussion. Please use complete sentences. Spelling will not be graded, however your posts must be written clearly enough for others to understand their meaning. Your responses must provide your insights and add to the conversation. Simple statements of, I agree do not qualify. You may not copy classmates responses or the readings in your posts. Your responses should be your own ideas and should demonstrate critical thinking. In addition to the discussion questions, the Discussion Forum will also contain a Help thread. This is where you can post questions regarding the course or using ANGEL. Please use this forum. Chances are if you don t understand something, someone else in the class doesn t either! Discussion Forum Tips: a. Create a copy. Type and save your response in a Word Processing document on your computer and then cut and paste the post into ANGEL so that you do not lose your post if ANGEL goes down. You are responsible for the assignment. b. Hit the + near the first post of that thread to open all replies. c. Use new post . When you are starting a new thread of discussion in the Discussion Forum, hit "new post" and be sure to title it accordingly. d. Use reply . If you are responding to a thread of discussion already in play (with one or more students), it makes more sense to hit "reply" to keep that discussion in one (tidy) place. e. Hit Enter Twice. At the end of a post, hit enter once or twice. If you don't, others may not be able to read the last one or two lines of your post. f. Use Titles to Your Advantage. ANGEL lets you establish your own subject lines. Put a title in your subject line that briefly explains your post. Long threads (many responses between students and/or instructor) can get confusing so please indicate the question number and the name of the classmate to whom you are responding in your subject line. For example, Discussion Question #1- John Doe . g. Cite sources. Include direct quotes from the texts you are referring to (other posts, handouts, textbook readings, etc.). Also let your readers know where the information came from (tell us the student or author s name).
Assignment Drop Box. This is where you will submit ( hand-in ) your homework assignments. Please title your homework post with your name and the week number. For example, Shaunie Decker -Week 1 . You may attach your homework as Microsoft Word file or copy and paste it into your message. Please make sure that your attachment opens correctly or that your homework in the message is formatted to the way you want it before you submit it. I can t grade homework that I can t read! I also recommend that you type your homework assignments in Microsoft Word and save a copy before submitting it to me. You should see a message after submitting your homework that says, Submission Successful . If in doubt, email me!
Communicate. This section contains your course mailbox, access to the Discussion Forum, Announcements and
the Course Roster (the list of students enrolled in the course). Please note, that the Discussion Forum can be found in both the Lesson section and the Communication section, but it is the same Discussion Forum. Similarly, the Announcements can be found both on the Course and the Communication pages. To send me an email, click on Quick Message , enter my email address (sdecker@sccd.ctc.edu) in the To box, type me a message and press send.
Report. You may check your grades here. Assignments and quizzes will be graded within one week of submission.
If at any time you have a question or concern about a grade, please send me an email. For privacy reasons, please do not post questions about grades in the Discussion Forum.
Online Etiquette (Netiquette)

One of the greatest challenges when writing for an online class is how to keep behavior formal and appropriate in a world that is the domain of text messaging, emoticons, and flaming. Follow these guidelines when emailing your instructor, your classmates, and/or posting in the discussion forums:
DO NOT use text/twitter/facebook language. As this is a reading and writing class, all of your writing
should be in complete words and full sentences. Please do not use abbreviations such as BTW, IOW, LOL.
Emoticons. :-) Smiley faces and the like are fine occasionally. But take it easy. One smiley face will do fine. Flaming. Flaming is the practice of attacking and verbally abusing people online. It is no more acceptable here as
it would be in the classroom, and it creates an unsafe learning environment that cannot be tolerated. I take this seriously, and I will be proactive in removing posts and contacting offenders. It is fine to challenge one another, but challenge the material, not the person. I will remove students who are disrespectful to others. Now that you are familiar with the online learning environment of this course, jump right in by clicking on the Lessons tab. If at any time you have any questions, please ask! Have Fun!

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Tips for the Course and Using ANGEL

The Online Classroom: The ANGEL Tabs

Using the Discussion Forum & Assignment Drop Box

Online Etiquette (Netiquette)

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