Welcome to CIS 123
To get ready for your online class you will need to go through the Student Instructions located at http://online.orangecoastcollege.edu/ . From this page, click the link for "Preparing for Your Online Class" and learn how to set-up your Web browser using the "Browser Tune-up" (the link is the first bullet under item #1). This page will also show you how to make sure that you have the correct version of Java installed, and that you have all your Pop-Up Blockers turned off—two of the most important things to do in order to access your online classroom. Remember that your Pop-Up Blockers are in your browser settings, any toolbars you may have installed from Yahoo! or Google, and in any firewall software (e.g. Norton or McAfee).
You should also explore the Blackboard Vista Tutorials (the first bullet under item #4). These will get you acquainted with the Online Classroom environment. Please only go over the tutorials for Discussions and Assessments. You should be proficient with the Vista's environment so that when you start your online class, you can concentrate on the course contents instead of learning the Vista program. When following the Vista's tutorials, you can skip anything listed under "Assignments". You are going to use another method for submitting your assignments. After finishing the tutorials, you can access your course by logging into “MyOCC,” selecting the “Student” tab, clicking on the “My Courses” channel, and then selecting your course. This will take you straight into your course. For step-by-step instructions, go to http://online.orangecoastcollege.edu/ and click on “Starting Your Class.”
You must have registered for your class in order to be able to see it in your course list. If you do not know your “MyOCC” login information, or have registered for the class but you do not see it in your course list, you need to either call or submit an online ticket to Technical Support. To do this, go to the same Online Central Page listed above and click on "Online Tech Support."
After entering the online class you will see the homepage which looks like the following:
Start by clicking on the Start Here link which has the information you need to start the class. You can then post an introductory message regarding yourself in the discussion board. To get to the discussion board, click on the Discussion link on the Course Tools.
The discussion board contains various forums which we will use during the eight of the class. For now, click on the Introduction forum, read my messages and reply to them. To go back to the homepage, click on the Course Content button that has a house icon.
To read the online lectures (course contents) click on the Lectures link located on the homepage. To expand a lecture unit, click on the minus (-) sign on the left hand side of the unit title, and to expand a lecture unit, click on the plus (+) sign. Try that and start reading the first week's lecture. Good luck and see you online.
