English Composition 2 Online

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Welcome to English Composition 2 Online!

Hello! According to the class roster, you are enrolled in ENG 1002-100 or ENG 1002-110, the online sections of English Composition 2 at Illinois Valley Community College. As you probably know, we do not have class meetings for this online course. Instead, our course is conducted via the Internet.

My name is Randy Rambo, and I am the instructor of English Composition 2 Online. I would like to welcome you to the class, and I look forward to working with you this semester.

You can find the course home page at http://www.ivcc.edu/eng1002. The home page includes a link to the college Blackboard system, which we use for our interaction. You can also access the home page of English Composition 2 Online from my home page, at http://www.ivcc.edu/rambo. It may take you a little while to become familiar with the technology and with the setup of the course, but most students catch on quickly. The technology that we use for the course is not complicated--basically just Web pages and a discussion forum--and there is no special software required for the course. You just need an Internet connection, a Web browser, and any word processor.

The course begins Monday, August 18, 2008, and the first assignments are due shortly after this time. Please wait until Monday, August 18, before accessing the class material and before logging in to the class Blackboard (as explained below). The course will not be updated for us until this date.

If you have questions or concerns about the course, please do not hesitate to e-mail me or to call me. My e-mail address is randy_rambo@ivcc.edu, and my phone number is (815) 224-0338. You could also stop by my office if you have questions (Room A-313). My office hours are posted on my home page and on the course home page. 

Getting Started with Blackboard

We use the online course system called Blackboard. It is quite popular, so you may have used it before. Even if you have never used Blackboard, you should find it easy to get started with it.

There are links to Blackboard at the home page for ENG 1002 Online (at http://www.ivcc.edu/eng1002) and at the home page of Illinois Valley Community College (at http://www.ivcc.edu). After you click the link to Blackboard, you will see the front page of Blackboard, with a "User Login" button to the left. Clicking the "User Login" button will take you to a screen where you enter your username and password.

Blackboard Username and Password
Your Blackboard username is the first three letters of your last name and the last four digits of your Social Security Number, and your password is the first three digits of your Social Security Number.

Example
Student name: John Smith
Social Security Number: 123-45-6789

John's username is smi6789, and his password is 123. 

Self-Enrolling in Blackboard for ENG 1002 Online
Many IVCC courses use Blackboard. For some courses, the instructor enrolls students in Blackboard. For other courses, the instructor does not enroll students; instead, students enroll themselves in a course after logging in to Blackboard. This is called "self-enrolling," and for English Composition 2 Online, students must self-enroll.

Self-enrolling is a simple process. Just follow the steps below.

1. Log in to Blackboard
2. Click the "Courses" tab near the top of the screen
3. Click "Fall 2008 Classes" under "Course Catalog" on the right side of the screen
4. In the "Search for a course" box, type ENG 1002 and click "Go"
5. Locate the correct course from the list (either ENG 1002-100 or ENG 1002-110 for fall 2008) and click "Enroll" to the right of the course information (Note that we have two online sections of English Composition 2. Check your schedule and make sure to enroll in the correct class.)
6. Click "Submit" at the next screen  

That's it. After you complete the steps above, you will be able to join our class in Blackboard. But remember that you should self-enroll in our class Blackboard only on or just after Monday, August 18. 

Important: Sometimes students say that they cannot find the correct course in which to enroll. The problem usually involves what someone types into the "Search for a course" box. If you cannot find the correct class, make sure that you have clicked on "Fall 2008 Classes" and then try varying your search terms. For example, instead of typing "ENG1002," try typing "ENG 1002" (without quotation marks). Of course, if you are unable to figure out how to access our class Blackboard, please contact the instructor. 

ENG 1002 Prerequisite

Successful completion of ENG 1001 (English Composition 1), or its equivalent, is required before a student can enroll in ENG 1002. Students are expected to begin the course with a basic understanding of how to write essays and how to avoid major errors in punctuation, grammar, and word choice.

In addition, students must complete IVCC's Distance Learning Orientation before beginning the course. You can read about the orientation at the Web page at http://www.ivcc.edu/dl/Orientation/about.html.

Again, the course begins Monday, August 18, 2008. We follow the same semester timeline as courses on campus, so it is important that you join us as soon as the course begins.

Welcome to the class, and I look forward to an enjoyable semester with you!

Sincerely,

Randy Rambo
Illinois Valley Community College
815 N. Orlando Smith Ave.
Oglesby, IL 61348
Office: A-313
Telephone: 815-224-0338
E-mail: randy_rambo@ivcc.edu