Instructor’s
Welcome Message
Hello Everyone, and Welcome to
I’m
Ray Rector, your instructor.
Congratulations for signing
up for an online oceanography course here at
This course is ONLY for
people who are comfortable using computers, the World Wide Web, interactive
software, and e-mail. If you
are not already comfortable using
such electronic methods of communication and learning, then this course is not
for you. Seriously, if this
is your first online course, and you are just starting to learn how to
use a computer and navigate the Internet, then this course will surely kick
your butt. On the other hand,
if you are computer and Internet savvy and this is your first online course,
then you may well find that online courses really work for you – you may
just actually really like them!
Here’s
how this online course generally works:
1) The instructor
(that’s me!) is primarily a course content facilitator and learning
outcome assessor – I’m here to make sure that you are able to
access all the course content, that you understand how to successfully complete
all the course activities, and finally, grade your assignments and tests. You and I primarily communicate
via email me using the “Communication” link found on the left-hand
menu on the official college
2) The student
(that’s you!) uses the official college Vista Blackboard course site (online learning
platform) to learn introductory oceanography and successfully (hopefully) get
college credit for doing it. To
successfully complete this course you must successfully complete a number of
writing assignments, take several quizzes and exams, and go on a couple of
fieldtrips.
3) You will also be using an
additional educational website that is designed and maintained by the instructor
(my personal website) exclusively created for maximizing your learning
outcomes. This website is found at:
Once there, click on
the 
button to
access our classroom web page.
Here you will find a plethora of information that will greatly
facilitate your success in this course.
4) The information (course
content) you need to learn in this course is found in several places: a) your textbook , b) instructor lecture notes, c)
instructor’s website links, d) numerous website and online article links
that have been included in the assignment instructions, and e) direct personal
communication with me.
5) Navigating through our
Vista Blackboard course site is fairly simple. When you log on to Vista Blackboard,
you’ll notice that there is a menu on the left side of the course page,
which lists things like "Schedule", "Assignments",
“Assessments” , “Course Content”, “My
Grades”, “Mail”, Discussion” etc. Here are the details for each menu item:
a) Basic course logistical information is
found at the “Class Start Info”, “Syllabus” and
“Schedule” links.
b) Ocean science curriculum is
found in the “Course Content” portal, which includes textbook
support, professor’s lecture material, and Internet links.
c)
Assignments and fieldtrips are both found in the “Assignments”
link. You access assignment
and fieldtrip instructions and submit your assignment and fieldtrip responses
at the “Assignments” portal.
d)
Quizzes and Exams are taken within the “Assessment” portal.
e) You have access to your grades in the
course through the “My Grades” link.
f)
All forms of online communication is done via the
“Communication” center.
This is where you email me, the instructor, for all your questions and
concerns. You can also email fellow
classmates. Additionally the “Discussion” link is found there,
which is used primarily as a forum for personal introductions and sharing and
critiquing assignment responses.
The “Discussion” link is also used by students for public or
private discussions concerning course work – primarily students helping
students.
For those students who are new to the Blackboard online learning
platform, a very helpful link to a Blackboard Users Manual is found in the
“Student Tools” link.
Prepare in advance for a successful online learning experience by
completing the following:
a) Make sure your
computer is ready for online learning at: http://www2.blackboard.com/tuneup
Disable pop-up blockers.
b) Become familiar with the Blackboard
Vista Learning System at:
http://www.sdccdonline.net/students/training .
For technical assistance, our helpdesk staff are standing by 24/7 to assist you at
https://www.sdccdonline.net/help or call toll-free (866)
271-8794.
6) Your typical work
agenda for each week will include: a) reading two chapters in your textbook; b)
viewing two “Endless Voyage” streaming video lesson series; c)
reviewing my lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations; d) visiting and
browsing several educational websites; d) working on your written research
assignment, and e) taking a quiz.
7) I personally grade your
written research assignments, whereas the quizzes and exams are automatically
graded. Therefore, you get test
results back on the test due date, whereas your submitted written assignments
will take longer for me to grade and get back to you. Please give me a little patience with
getting back your graded written assignments.
8) Important Must-Read Documents: Found in
the “Course Content” Drop-down Menu. Make sure to thoroughly and carefully
read the course syllabus, schedule, plagiarism policy, and Blackboard User
Manual:
a) The syllabus is basically the official course contract
between me (the instructor) and you (the student). This is where all the course information
and logistics are found. Things
like textbook information, how assignments should be completed, and grading
standards are all found in the syllabus.
b) The schedule is, by far, the most important document during
the semester for keeping your studies on a timely track – things like
assignment, test , and fieldtrip due dates are all
there.
c) My plagiarism policy is also provided for
your benefit as a student, and is found in the Class Start Info folder. Read and understand it very
carefully. Note that I use
plagiarism detection software like “Turnitin.com” and
“Eve2” on the assignments that you turn in to me.
d) Assignment and Test taking tips are also found in the
Class Start Info folder -- created to help you successfully complete and submit
the assignments, quizzes, and exams.
e) The Vista Blackboard User Manual found in
both, the Class Start Info folder and Student Tools folder -- created to help you learn how to
successfully navigate in the Vista Blackboard learning platform.
9) The Written Research Assignments
Writing assignments are probably going to take the lion’s
share of your assessment time in this class, as an online science class
should. Therefore, it
is important that you understand how I would like those assignments completed and
submitted to save you time and trouble.
I give VERY DETAILED instructions on what and how to complete each
assignment within each assignment’s instructions. If you still are unsure of what I am
asking for, do not hesitate to contact me, or another student. But, be sure to clearly articulate your
question or concern first before contacting me.
Each and every assignment and test has two specific dates: 1) the availability
date in which it becomes available for your inspection and response, and 2)
the due date, in which it is due for grading, which is the same thing as
the expiration date, as it also becomes unavailable for inspection
henceforth.
Late assignments and tests are both not accepted. Make sure that you stay on top of ALL
due dates (check the class Schedule often).
10) Contacting me:
Don't be shy when it
comes to communicating with me or your fellow students. There are several means of
communication: 1) email, 2) discussion board, 3) chat room, 4) phone, and
fieldtrip meetings. As a general
rule, I can be quickly contacted by email through the “Mail” link,
or via my personal email at geoprof@terrasonics.com (I check for messages at
least once a day, typically several times). Alternately, you can reach me by telephone
at (760) 942-9201. However, unless
there is an urgent need to contact me, I prefer to be contacted via email. You can contact your fellow
students using those same methods.
I think that we can have lots of good times with
this course this semester, and that we’ll all learn a lot. Let’s
make the most of it! Look forward
to meeting everyone online and on the fieldtrips.
Aloha,
Ray Rector