Distance Learning - Announcements

August 2010 — Smarthinking Maintenance

Site Maintenance:Smarthinking will be partially closed from September 4, 2010 at 6PM ET through September 7, 2010 at 9AM ET. Essay submissions will be accepted during this time. There will be no live tutoring and no offline question submissions accepted during this time. Offline questions submitted on September 4th may not be returned until after September 7th.

August 2010 — Support and Orientation (SupOr)
Face-to Face-Orientations (optional)

Even if you are an experienced Distance Education student, the face-to-face SupOr orientation allows you to learn about changes in technology, policy, and ideas for online classes with MCC. The meetings allow students to ask questions, watch demonstrations, and learn about the various technologies that are used with Distance Learning. Be aware, some instructors require students to attend the orientation.

Dates	Times	Rooms
Friday, 8/20/10	1:00 - 2:30 pm	MAC 111 (MAC Lecture Hall)
Tuesday, 8/24/10	6:00 - 7:30 pm	HPE Lecture Hall
Wednesday, 8/25/10	3:00 - 4:30 pm	HPE Lecture Hall
Thursday, 8/26/10	9:30 - 11:00 am	MAC 235 (MAC classroom)

January 2010 — Need Academic Help with Online Classes?

Academic Support

If you need academic help with your classes, try some of the online resources available through our campus labs:

SMARTHINKING: Students have access to academic support for almost every discipline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more by visiting the Support and Orientation class in Blackboard or by clicking on the Smarthinking tab in the top-left corner in Blackboard.
MCC Writing Center: The MCC Writing Center offers many services to assist current MCC students with their writing needs. Students can also work to improve their skills and proficiency in English, English grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading, reading comprhension, and more. Students can also receive help with formatting papers in MLA, APA, Chicago, and more.
MCC Library Help: The MCC library offers help to students learning to use the MCC library online.

Weekly Tech Tips

Designed to deliver tips about the most basic of applications, hardware, or software around at MCC; to help out with any number of issues, present or otherwise and make the going smoother! To learn more, visit MCC Weekly Tech Tips.

For more ways to get help, please visit the MCC Distance Learning Help page.

January 2010 — Need Technical Help with Online Classes?

Technical Support

If you are experiencing technical problems with your online classes, please contact the MCC technical support team:

Blackboard Tutorials: Students are encouraged to start looking for help here. Many of the tutorials allow you to choose from an Adobe PDF or a video.
MCC Knowledge Base: You are likely experiencing a problem that someone else has had before. Check this database for the solution to the problem.
MCC GoToAssist: One-on-one online chat with MCC representatives. Available during standard hours of operation.
MCC Helpdesk: Offers support for a variety of technical support issues for WebAdvisor, Blackboard, E-mail, etc.
- Technology Helpdesk: helpdesk@mclennan.edu
- Registration Assistance: register@mclennan.edu
The SupOr site in Blackboard: 'Sup'port and 'Or'ientation in Blackboard gives students information about how to navigate Blackboard and prepare for online classes. Students can also ask questions and work with each other to practice using Blackboard for more than just a classroom.

For more ways to get help, please visit the MCC Distance Learning Help page.

January 2010 — Free Online Tutoring for MCC Students

As an MCC student, all you need is an internet connection and access to Blackboard to receive free online tutoring 24/7. Don't miss this chance to get academic help when you need it.

MCC has partnered with SMARTHINKING to offer live tutoring for MCC students anytime, from anywhere. Students can get real-time assistance in math, chemistry, bilingual math, physics, organic chemistry, biology, intro to anatomy & physiology, economics, introductory finance, accounting, and statistics. Also you can get help with many aspects of academic writing by submitting your writing to the SMARTHINKING writing lab for help with grammar, word choice, thesis development, proper MLA/APA citations, and more.

As an MCC student you will have access to this resource through Blackboard. To access this resource and get help anytime, simply do the following:

Go to www.mclennan.edu
Login to Blackboard
Click the "SMARTHINKING" tab
(You must disable pop up blocking software to use SMARTHINKING as it uses pop up windows)

With SMARTHINKING online tutoring you can get help by:

connecting with a live tutor
submit a question
schedule a live session
submit your writing

The work that you perform through SMARTHINKING is archived and available to you even after the current semester. In short, you can come back to your SMARTHINKING page and review your work or problem areas as often as needed.

Tutors will:

Encourage students with constructive criticism;
Help students identify areas for improvement;
Involve students in discussion and problem-solving strategies;
Treat students with respect.

Tutors will not:

Do assignments for the learner, give answers or write any portion of papers;
Review and correct errors without active participation of the learners;
Comment on grades or predict a possible grade.

July 2009 — 24/7 Academic Support for Online Students

Starting September 1^st, online students will have an opportunity to receive academic support at the time they need it. SMARTHINKING provides online tutoring. This service supplements our existing academic support services by offering real-time online tutoring and homework help for core courses and skills.

Students can access live tutorials in writing across all subjects including accounting, statistics, economics, chemistry, physics, math, and biology as well as a full range of study resources, such as writing manuals, sample problems, research tools, and study skills manuals. Students can access the service as long as they have an Internet connection.

SMARTHINKING is not an answering or proofreading/editing service!

We are excited to bring this service to you and will be sharing more information in August and throughout the fall semester.

Be sure to check the Distance Learning announcements often to learn more about SMARTHINKING and other resources available to MCC online students.

July 2009 — Online Security

Just a reminder...

Whether you are working on your home computer or using a computer at school, be sure to always log out when you are done. Your personal identity and academic identity are important.

You can protect yourself by:

Always Click "Log out" when you are finished using Blackboard, E-mail, etc.
Delete Cookies and other internet files when you are ready to close the web browser
-- For Internet Explorer: Choose "Tools > Delete Browsing History"
-- For Mozilla Firefox: Choose "Tools > Clear Recent History"
-- For Opera: Choose "Tools > Delete Private Date"
If permitted, log off the computer
Never share your username or password with others
Do no open suspicious or unknown email messages
Keep your Anti-Virus and Spyware programs updated and perform scans often
Do not use an infected computer to log in to any website
Do not share files or email others from an infected computer

If you have a problem with your MCC email, Blackboard login, or other resource, please check these resources.

June 2009 — Subscribe Now!

MCC Distance Learning announcements are now available via RSS. This means that you can click on the "Stay current with RSS" link above to automatically receive updates each time an announcement is posted.

Our announcements will contain helpful information about online classes at McLennan Community College. While some of the information will be directed toward technical issues that students encounter, many of the announcements will contain tips to help students become more successful with online learning.

June 2009 — Google Docs is your friend

Google Docs

Microsoft Office can be expensive and there are many versions that may be in use depending on where you are working. OpenOffice.org is a good, free alternative but as popular as it's becoming, it's far less prevelant than Microsoft Office. What is a student to do? Google may have the answer for you.

Presuming you are using a recent version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Google's Chrome browser you can access a full featured document writer and spreadsheet program right on the web. While MS Office and OpenOffice.org might have even more features than Google Docs, it's advantages include: being able to work on documents from any computer that has Internet access, never having to worry about losing or damaging the USB flash drive where your paper is saved, and being able to work with multiple authors for group work assignments.

If you'd like to read a review by C|net about Google Docs, click here.

June 2009 — Tips for Discussion Boards: Reading and Writing

It is important to follow the instructions given by your instructor when using a discussion board. However, you should remember to communicate using appropriate etiquette. You can learn more about "netiquette" by visiting the Ohio State Guide to Netiquette.

Read - Make sure you have read all the discussion messages before you post.
Check Often - Keep up with your class discussion by checking and reading the discussion board often.
Post Often - Get involved with the discussion by joining the conversation.
Avoid Procrastination - It is easier to read and post several times a week than all at once.
Read. Think. Post - You can take time after reading to think and plan your response. (You can even spell check, research, and prepare your post)
Agree/Disagree - Be sure to explain when you agree or disagree with something someone has posted. For example, "I agree with Anita's comment about the Revolutionary War, and I think that..."
Don't Be Rude - Most rude comments on a discussion board are accidental, but the results are real. Remember, your written words are not the same as spoken words and can accidentally have a different meaning.
Agree/Disagree With Respect - Consider your discussion as a part of your class and classroom. Agree or disagree using facts, experience, knowledge, information from prior discussions, or other acceptable support. A discussion is not a place for grudges.
Get Involved - The most important thing that you can do in a discussion board is read and post regularly. This will help your instructor assess how well the information is being understood and what areas need more instructions.