STUDENT HANDBOOK FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

Technical Skills

There are several skills or prerequisites that are very helpful for you to have before taking an online class. These skills are listed for your reference.

• Keyboarding skill-nearly all communication is done this way
• Computer literacy and experience with creating files, saving files, uploading files
• Ability to send and receive email using web based or client based email
• Ability to download and install software updates
• Cutting and pasting text

Learning Skills

Many people can take online classes. However, there are some inherent abilities that many people regard as helpful to ensure success:

• Self-starter - you should be able to get things done without a lot of hand-holding. There is no voice of authority at the front of the room telling you what to do.
• Time Management - be able to allocate enough time to "do your class", perhaps more time than you would need for a face to face class.
• Patience - the technology doesn't always allow you to raise your hand and get an immediate answer. It may be a day or two before you get a response. This is normal.
• Early Bird - do not wait until the last day to hand something in or take a test. When a large class has a deadline at a certain hour, that is when traffic will be heaviest. Don't get caught in it.
• Stay Calm - always have some extra time in case of technical trouble. If the problem is on the college servers, your instructor will make allowances for due dates.

Systems Requirements

It is important to use a computer system that is well maintained, up to date, and compatible with the current web technology. Currently, over ninety percent of users coming to Treasure Valley websites use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later. The remaining seven percent use Netscape Navigator. Many users install both browsers to take advantage of the unique aspects of each.

Internet Explorer Cookie Settings

The images pull from a third party server, so to be able to view them you need to enable cookies in your browser.
1. Using Internet Explorer, click Tools in the menu bar and go down to Internet Options.
2. Click on the Privacy tab at the top of the options page.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Check "Override automatic cookie handling."
5. Under First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies, "Accept" should be selected.
6. Check "Always allow session cookies."
7. Finally, click OK on each window as you close it out.
Close the browser window and reopen it. Login to Blackboard and see if your images display.