Next Assignment Due: Goal SettingLesson 1: Your Orientation to Orientation!

You have enrolled in a course that many students will not take seriously. Fellow students may tell you that this course is not important. However, you may find that this is one of the most helpful classes that you will ever have. How much you gain from the course depends upon YOU. You will get more from the course if you put more into it. I want to encourage you to put as much thought and effort as possible into the assignments and exercises!

Expectations. To pass this class, you must do several things. On the syllabus, you will find a breakout of points available for various assignments and tasks. You will need to earn at least 90 points to earn an A, 80 points for a B, etc. You can earn up to 30 points for class participation. Because this is a hybrid/online course, your class participation will be earned by your participation in the discussion question for each week. In other words, you must log in at least one time each week and address the discussion question on the discussion board. Your other points will be earned by assignments that you complete. On the syllabus, you will see that some assignments are required while some are optional. The class is designed to be completed in 10 weeks or less, so be prepared to finish BEFORE the end of the semester.

Important Dates.

Go to http://www.gadsdenstate.edu/faculty-and-staff/ie/documents/2014-2015CalendarFINAL.pdf to find all the important dates for the year. A few that I would like to call to your attention: June 1. This is the ABSOLUTE LAST DAY that you can make changes to your schedule for Full Summer and Summer II. This is called the Drop/Add Period. After June 1, you may withdraw from (drop) classes, but you can no longer add classes to replace them. Also look at the calendar for Summer III if you are taking any Summer III classes. July 2 is a college HOLIDAY! No classes and the college will be closed from July 2 - 5! July 28. Last day to withdraw from Full Summer classes (like this class). (Check the calendar if you are taking Mini TermsSummer II and/or Summer III.)

July 20. Registration for Fall classes begins at 8:00 a.m. See your advisor BEFORE July 20 to plan your schedule for the next term!

August 5-6. Final exams!Drop/Add versus Withdrawal.

On the calendar dates, you see the last day to drop or add classes. This period (the first few days of class) is a time in which you may change your schedule. No changes are allowed after that date. However, you may withdraw from a class or all your classes after that date until the "Last day to withdraw." No student at Gadsden State should have an F on his or her transcript. Why? Because you have the safety net of being able to withdraw from a class, passing or failing until a couple of weeks before final exams. Just remember to use withdrawal sparingly. Excessive withdrawal may cause you to lose your financial aid, and if you withdraw from a required course, you will have to take it again AND PAY FOR IT AGAIN. But it is better to withdraw from a class than to take an F simply because the bad grades hurt your grade average. This can cause problems with transferring to other colleges and can even keep you from graduating. It is important that you officially withdraw from the college by visiting the registrars office or by completing a "WEB DROP" on Self Service Banner. YOU WILL NOT BE WITHDRAWN FROM CLASS JUST BECAUSE YOU STOP ATTENDING! If you stop attending class, but do not officially withdraw from the class or from the college, your transcript will forever reflect the grades earned (probably Fs if you did not attend the class).Using BlackBoard

BlackBoard is used by Gadsden State as the platform for providing online courses, and for providing online resources for traditional or hybrid classes. In this ORI 101 course, we will be using BlackBoard! All of your workbook (all units), assignments, resourcesin other words, EVERYTHINGare provided through BlackBoard. If you have a problem finding something or accessing your course information, contact me as soon as possible. In some cases, I will need to refer you to someone on our eLearning staff for chnical questions. Good luck!

For starters, examine every part of the course in Blackboard. Some tabs may contain no information. That is OK! Specifically, you should look at least one time each week at Messages and Announcements, and always go to BEGIN CLASS HERE to locate all your assignments, readings, lessons, and discussions. These are the tabs that I use most in teaching the course.

Discussion Board

In the online version of this course, your class participation is noted by your participation in the discussion board each week as well as your prompt attention to submitting assignments by the due dates. Be sure to look for the discussion board topic for each week and post your response to the question. Answer the question thoroughly and provide as much information as possible to let me know that you have reviewed the workbook information related to the assignment and that you have carefully thought about the topic. Feel free to work through the course more quickly than the assigned due dates, but make sure you are completing all parts, including the readings, the lessons, the discussion questions, and the assignments!DO DISCUSSION BOARD #1 NOW!