Part 1: Orientation video
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To be completely honest that was not really an orientation video. If the creator’s purpose was to familiarize newcomers and show us how to successfully take an online course I don’t believe that goal was achieved. In my opinion, the video should have been more of a tutorial. It would have been extremely helpful if they would’ve found a way to explain through demonstration. Have the guy navigate blackboard and follow links and post assignments the proper way. A video with someone saying, “you are taking a hybrid course, you will have to do wikis and discussion boards and do course work on your own and if you do your assignments well you will get good grades” is pretty much stating the obvious. He made a good point with the need for good time management. A lot of online classes are often more demanding than regular classroom session courses with the need to check posts on an almost daily basis and constantly participating in discussion boards. If you do not stay on top of it you can easily lose track and lose points.
Part 2: Blackboard
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The second link was for the beginner’s guide to blackboard. Although this is my first semester taking 2 hybrid courses at the same time, it is not my fist time navigating blackboard. Being a primarily technological college it’s great that the school offers such great resources for those of us who aren’t really “tech savvy”. They will help you update your devices so that you have no problem accessing the blogs, wikis, and discussion boards to be successful in taking such a class. In today’s world, if you are not technologically up to date you will be left behind. With most employers researching future hires through LinkedIn and other social media platforms if you’re not out there you won’t get noticed. Even healthcare is becoming more technological with creations of electronic health records and e-scripts. So courses like this one are definitely helpful in preparing us for where the future of nursing is headed.
Part 3: College online resources
The college has a lot of great online resources available like shopping the bookstore to purchase or rent your texts from the comfort of your own home. An excellent resource is the College Learning Center; they offer free tutoring in almost everything, which can be extremely helpful for those subjects we might have some trouble with like chemistry. They even have links with special tips and strategies on how to avoid plagiarism and the proper way to write papers for those students who are new to APA style.
Having trouble getting those e-mails that professors keep sending? Or do you even know how to access your school e-mail? Me neither, that’s why I went to the help desk at the Student Center and they were able to forward my school e-mail to my personal e-mail account and I haven’t missed any important announcements since. They can also set up your wi-fi on your personal tablet so you can always stay connected.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for CUNY text A!erts. Ever wonder if school is closed due to bad weather? Wonder no more, sign up at www.cuny.edu/alert and you’ll get notifications straight to your phone or e-mail.
