Student Orientations for Online Learning and Blackboard

Blackboard Orientation Course

Upon registering for a course, you will also have access to a Blackboard Orientation course. You will find it in your course list with the name of Blackboard Orientation – COL-001. There are no charges associated with this course.

Online Learning Orientation

*Please note that all on-campus in-person orientations have been discontinued until further notice due to Covid-19. Please check out the information on our Zoom orientation sessions below.

STCC offers an instructor-led Online Learning Orientation at the beginning of each semester. Attending one of the orientation sessions is optional, but highly recommended for students new to taking online courses or using the Blackboard Learning System. Sessions are approximately an hour in length.

If you have any questions about the orientation program, please contact the STCC Online Learning Office at 413-755-4345 or online@stcc.edu.

Orientation Topics

The orientation introduces students to the online course format, including relevant institutional policies, instructional methods, and academic support resources. Particular emphasis will be placed on accessing and using Blackboard Learn, the primary online course delivery system used at STCC.

Please note: course-specific software, such as MyLab and SAM, are not covered in detail during the Online Learning Orientation. If you are a student and have questions about these topics, please contact your instructor.

Outcomes

After completing the orientation, participants will be able to:

identify what is an online course and where to participate
utilize tips for success in an online class
estimate the time commitment and weekly participation requirements of an online course
seek out appropriate academic and technical support resources
log in to the STCC Blackboard system and resolve account access problems
access and navigate a typical Blackboard course website
locate and retrieve the syllabus and other course documents
turn in work using Blackboard's file submission Assignment tool
complete a timed assessment using Blackboard's Test/Quiz tool
communicate with instructors and classmates using the course Discussion Board
check grades and review assessment results using the Blackboard My Grades tool

Join an Orientation

To attend one of our orientation sessions you will need to be a current student at STCC with access to the STCCNetPortal. Upcoming orientation dates/times are listed below.

March 17th, 3 p.m.
March 20th, 12 p.m.

Orientations will start promptly at the scheduled time and can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

Access Blackboard Orientations

If you can’t attend one of our live Zoom orientations, please watch a video of one of our previous orientations below.

Contact

Online Learning Office
P: (413) 755-4345
E: online@stcc.edu