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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE COURES You will be taking online courses in the bachelor's degree completion program. This section includes things you need to know, like technical requirements and how to "work" in your online course. |
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Assignments, Submission and Grading Each instructor has a separate e-mail address. This address will be provided in each course site and also on the course syllabus. This will be the e-mail address to use to contact the instructor for course-related matters. Some courses require that assignments be submitted via e-mail while others are submitted directly through the Blackboard course site. You may access the course from more than one location, but all your communication with your instructor must come from your Ohio University OAK e-mail address. When communicating with your instructor, always put the course name in the SUBJECT line of your message (for example, MGT 202). When submitting assignments:
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Getting Started with Blackboard 7.3 Your computer and Internet service are essential elements of your education in an online program like Ohio University’s online bachelors completion program. What type of computer system do you need? What pieces of software are required? The short answer is that you need a computer system capable of running a current-generation operating system and Web browser as well as the latest version of Microsoft Office. You’ll also need an Internet connection with download and upload speeds of 384 kbps or higher. The long answer is that you need to ensure that the computer system(s) you will be using has the “right stuff” to access Blackboard 7.3, Ohio University’s web-based course management system. The purpose of this document is to help you do so. Click on any of the following to jump to that section.
If your computer does not have the proper hardware, Blackboard 7.3 may run slowly or may not run at all. Prior to using Blackboard 7.3 on your computer, compare your current system configuration with the system requirements below.
Once you have ensured that your computer has the proper operating system and hardware to run Blackboard 7.3, you should verify that your Internet connection is fast enough to support Blackboard 7.3. Online courses may require you to download/upload large files and often include streaming audio and video, both of which require faster connections.
Blackboard 7.3 requires that your Web browser conforms to certain standards. If you have an out-of-date or unsupported browser, you will need to download either a certified version of your current browser or a different certified browser before attempting to log into Blackboard 7.3. Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Windows Operating Systems:
We highly recommend that Windows users use Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 2.0 to access Blackboard 7.3. We have consistently found that Firefox 2.0 users encounter fewer issues with Blackboard 7.3 than those who use other browsers. Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Macintosh Operating Systems:
A certified browser is one that has been fully tested and is fully supported by Blackboard 7.3. A compatible browser is one that has undergone limited testing. If the computer you are using has a different browser than those indicated above, you still may be able to use parts of Blackboard 7.3. However, you may also experience problems, especially when completing quizzes and tests or using chat and the Virtual Classroom. Note to America Online (AOL) users: Your browser must be configured properly as follows:
At a minimum, you will need three browser plug-ins to use Blackboard 7.3: Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and the Java Runtime Environment plug-in. (You may need additional plug-ins if the course you are taking includes multimedia elements.) To download and install the current versions of Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player:
You will also need the correct version of the Java plug-in (note this is not the same thing as JavaScript). Blackboard 7.3 will not run properly if you are using an incompatible version of Java or if you have multiple versions of Java installed. Boston University Online has an excellent tutorial that will walk you through the process of checking your version of Java and then updating and enabling it if needed. (The following links will open in a new window)
Ohio University provides free virus protection software for student computers – McAfee for Windows and Virex for Macintosh.
Many computers use a firewall to block harmful programs and data from their computers. However, firewalls are also capable of blocking certain aspects of Blackboard 7.3, so your firewall may need to be configured manually to allow Blackboard 7.3 to operate properly. If you access Blackboard 7.3 from work (or a public library, community college or university), you may need to ask the technical support personnel for that organization to configure the firewall(s) that are between your computer and the Blackboard 7.3 server. If you access Blackboard 7.3 from home and have a firewall installed, you may need to make changes to the firewall settings to allow access to Blackboard 7.3 at http://bb7pilot.ohio.edu/. (The default settings of the Windows and Macintosh built-in firewalls will not interfere with Blackboard 7.3.) Ohio University subscribes to the Microsoft Campus Software program, which provides both the Windows and Macintosh versions of Microsoft Office to students at a very reasonable price ($70). Consequently, we recommend that you use the current version of Microsoft Office – Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows or Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh OS X.
Once you have completed setting up your computer and browser to use Blackboard 7.3, you should log in to Blackboard 7.3 at Ohio University. To login to Blackboard 7.3 at Ohio University:
You’ve reached the right place if you see the words “Blackboard 7.3” in the upper left corner of the page (next to the Ohio University logo). Do NOT use the link to Blackboard from the Ohio University student web page (or other Ohio University web pages) – this will take you to a different, older Blackboard system (Blackboard 6.3). You can use the Login to Blackboard 7.3 link in the student section of the Online Bachelor's Degree Completion Web site. Ohio University would like to recognize and thank Boston University Online for providing much of the content in this document. |
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Purchasing Books U.S.Business Hours are:
Check back for information coming soon on how to order online from ED MAP. When purchasing materials from ED MAP (or another vendor) please provide the following information:
You may purchase required textbooks elsewhere, but be sure you purchase the proper edition noted in the syllabus by using the ISBN number listed in the course syllabus. |
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Proctored Exams
The following is a list of approved proctors for exams:
Exams must be sent to an educational facility. Relatives, employers, or church leaders are not approved proctors. It is the student's responsibility to contact the proctor to set up an appointment to take the exam. Proctors may charge a fee to administer the exam. If you have any questions regarding suitable proctors, please contact Dorinda Hoyd, hoydd@ohio.edu. Students may select the proctor site which is most convenient for them, but it is the responsibility of each student to call the proctor site, make a reservation for testing, and then inform Lifelong and Distance Learning of the arrangements. We will send the exams to the proper location. Please note that every effort is made to provide proctor sites which are free to the student or that charge a minimal fee, however some sites charge a significant fee for this service. Students are responsible for paying any proctor fee charged. If you would like to schedule an exam with a proctor not affiliated with Ohio University a request form should be submitted ten days prior to the testing date. Please visit the Proctor Information Web site for more information about proctoring sites available in the state of Ohio. |
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Click here to proceed to "Grades" |
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