Orientation Packet
 ECE 102 and ECE 180 Online Courses

Please use this information as a guide for the semester.  It can help you gain relevant information at times when your computer is not in full gear (we all need some help, sometimes).

General Information

Instructor:  Deanna (Dedee) Goldsmith  (Please call me Dedee)
Cell  Phone(847) 867-1209 
E-maildgoldsmi@oakton.edu
Web site:  http://oakton.edu/~dgoldsmi
(This  is the backup web site that I keep referring to.  It can link you to D2L.  You may wish to bookmark this for easy access in the future.)
Office hours:  I will have weekly office hours in the D2L chat room on Tuesday evenings from 8:00-9:00pm.  Remember that you do not need to wait for office hours to contact me,please contact me when issues pop up.

Desire 2 Learn (D2L) Information  

D2L login address:  http://d2l.oakton.edu
The easy way to get to this is to go to the backup web site and click on the link to D2L, then bookmark it.

General information about D2L:  This class is limited to students enrolled only.  You will need a login ID and a password.
           Your user name:  first initial of your first name, up to the first seven letters of your last name, and the last four digits of your student ID#  (remember this is not your social security number, it is a 8 digit number beginning with 'B')  Example:  dgoldsmi1234
           Your password:  Your birthrate in six digits, MMDDYY  (Example:  020385 for someone with the birthday of February 3, 1985) 

 Please do not change your password, or the instructional technology staff will have difficulties assisting you with problems you may encounter (Keep you fingers crossed for a problem free semester).
 

What can I find on D2L?

1. Course syllabus…
             a. this will help you find what the course will cover in a generalized sense  as well as list the text used
             b. you can also see what is expected from students (assignments, etc.)
             c. a guideline of how I grade is also available with the syllabus
             d. you may wish to print a copy of the syllabus to be sure you have completed all that is assigned for the course (see calendar as well)

2. Course calendar
             a. this has a day to day reminder of what is due
             b. contains pertinent college information
             c. you can see it in a form that works best for you:  by the day, week, month or even compile for the semester

3. Access to the chat rooms
            a. you can visit for office hours (everyone is encouraged to visit at least once)
            b. you can meet other classmates to continue a discussion posted in your weekly bulletin boards
            c.  a scheduled time to sort through problems, say hi, or visit with others

4. Assignments
            a. there are a variety of assignments due during the semester (again refer to syllabus and calendar)
            b. each assignment block has it’s own explanation of what the expectations are
            c. please double check that you have gone through this thoroughly, and ask questions as they come up during the semester  do not wait until the last minute or later...Reminder that you are responsible for knowing all the information in D2L for this course.
            d. assignments are also posted in the backup web site http://www.oakton.edu/~dgoldsmi
            e. ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO YOUR DROP BOX FOR GRADING
               papers placed elsewhere will not be graded!
            f. All feedback and grades will be posted in the personal discussion folder as a reply to your assignment posting
            g.   ECE 102 will e-mail quizzes to dgoldsmi@oakton.edu, those quizzes are done through the publishing company and they will forward  results to me.  Be sure to send a copy to yourself and to save all your work until the semester is over.

5. Weekly discussion boards
            a. There are 16 chapters in the book and 16 weekly topics of discussion.  Your grade is based on the quality of your answers,  how relevant it is to the question asked, to other student responses, the relationship to your reading.
            b. Each chapter discussion is worth 5 points
            c. You  are asked to reply to each question a minimum of 3 or more times, once directly to the question asked by instructor and at least  once to a student response.  Remember quality not quantity counts.  There is a grading rubric to give a  GENERAL GUIDELINE as to how I grade.

  What happens if I cannot access D2L?

 Not to worry, you have options…
1.  Try using the backup web site at http://www.oakton.edu/~dgoldsmi to get assignments, calendar, syllabus, chapter quizzes.
2.  The only thing you cannot do without D2L is weekly discussions and post assignments.
3.  If you find that you cannot access D2L just send me an e-mail and check back later…I am understanding of periodic technology glitches  (and they have happened in the past)  Please keep trying, D2L should not be down for long .
4.  If I know there will be down time, I will notify you in advance via e-mail.
 

  Assignment Information

How do I know if you received my assignment?
ALWAYS KEEP A COPY OF YOUR WORK!!!  I cannot stress this enough. 
• If there are questions you can e-mail or call.  Remember that you are responsible for getting your assignments to me on time.
• I usually grade assignments within a week long period. 

What do I need to know about the chapter quizzes?

ECE 180
Chapter quizzes are in D2L.  Click on the chapter quiz you wish to take, complete the quiz and be sure to click on finish/submit for grade. You will be able to access your grade immediately after taking the quiz.

ECE 102:
        • The publisher created these quizzes for each chapter.  You will complete one quiz for each chapter, due weekly during the entire semester.
        • Each quiz will be submitted to me at:  dgoldsmi@oakton.edu
        • ALWAYS send a copy to yourself…(you never know when I will need you to resend the quiz results)
        • In the past, some students have found that they were unable to send their results to me.  This is common with AOL users.  My suggestion is to open an account with hotmail or yahoo in order to assure successful completion and submission of each quiz.
        • Another easy fix for this is to highlight the page (before you e-mail the results), paste it into the body of an e-mail and send it to both, me and yourself.  Unfortunately, I cannot control the publisher’s server to correct this problem, so please use caution.

Cautious tip: Occasionally, students will hit the “submit for grade” button and they will get a “no data found, please retake” prompt.  You may wish to print a copy (I know we are trying to be more 'green', but better to save you precious time and energy…)and fill in your answers on paper before submitting them online

What else do I need to know?

• Have fun, this is a new way of learning and sharing what you’ve learned
• Do not hesitate to contact me, people have told me that I’m pretty friendly and helpful
• The college is also here to assist you should you need it
• When in doubt, check the backup web site as a guidance place
Proofread your work (I am picky about grammar and spelling in papers, after all that is what I have to go by mostly- is your writing)
 
 
 
 
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