EGL 102 - Welcome Letter

August 10, 2003

Dear English 102 Student:

Welcome to English 102 Online! I’m writing to give you some information about our online class. First of all, you’re probably wondering whether we will meet on campus for orientation.  Our orientation will be optional; I have posted an online orientation with a "virtual tour" of the  course site, so it really isn't necessary for you to come to orientation.  However, if you have never taken an online class, and you are free on the evening of August 21st, you might want to attend orientation...  Again, you’re not required to be there; the online orientation should take care of any questions that you might have.  But if you do encounter a problem, remember that you can always call or e-mail me once the semester begins…

Secondly, you’ll probably want to get your textbook as soon as possible: Literature, the 3rd compact edition, by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. (You should buy the interactive edition, which comes with a CD-Rom...)  And by the way, the PG Bookstore is online! Their address is www.pgccbookstore.com ; I visited the website myself and discovered that it is possible to order your book online, so if you have trouble making it to campus to buy your book, you might want to check out the website!

Thirdly, you are probably wondering about how you will access the course-site. The course site should be accessible by the evening of August 21, in time for online orientation.  If you do have trouble logging in (and you know that you registered at least two days prior to your attempt), please let me know so that I can find out what’s keeping you from getting into the course. 

Once you get into our course, I think you’ll find that Blackboard – the course platform we will use – is actually quite user-friendly. You will find instructions on how to log on and get started on the Prince George’s Community College Distance Learning Web Page at http://www.pgcconline.com. I’m including these instructions below for your convenience.

When you first enter the course, you’ll find the previously-mentioned "orientation" announcement giving you a "tour" of our course site. As you take this "tour," you’ll discover the course syllabus (in the Course Information area) and the first assignments (in the Assignments area).  The very first thing you should do after you "take" the virtual tour on the orientation announcement is to print a copy of the syllabus and read it very carefully… It’s long, but I wanted to do my best to make sure that you understand exactly what is required of you in this online class.  

My e-mail address is baldwibe@pgcc.edu; if you have any questions or problems getting into the course site, let me know so I can help! If you need to call me, leave voicemail at (301) 322-0564, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. My office is Marlboro 3071; if you’re on campus, drop by! I always enjoy meeting my online students in person!

I’m looking forward to a rewarding semester! And please, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the course-site or the course itself. If you’re taking your first online class this semester, trust me: although it can seem overwhelming in the beginning, soon you’ll find it quite easy to "get around" in our course-site!

Sincerely,

Beth Baldwin
Associate Professor of English
Prince George’s Community College

P.S. Here are the login procedures so that you can access our course site!

LOGIN To Blackboard

First, go to Prince George's Community College's Blackboard site at http://pgcconline.blackboard.com (please note: there is no "www" in this address!).

  1. Click on the button labeled Login.
  2. You will see a dialogue box that asks you to enter your username and password.

    Your username will be: (first initial of first name)( first 3 letters of last name) (your birth month expressed as two digits; for example, if your birthday is in March, it would be entered as 03) (your birth date expressed as two digits; for example if your birth date is on the first of the month, it would be entered as 01). Use only lowercase to enter your username; use NO spaces.

    For example, if your name is John Smith and your birthday is April 8, your username would be
    jsmi0408

Your password will be: your full 9-digit Social Security Number (no spaces and no hyphens).

For example, John Smith’s password would be
123456789

Change Your Password

The College recommends that you immediately change your password. To change your Blackboard password, follow these steps:

1.  Login to Blackboard using your given username and password.

2.  From YOUR Blackboard Welcome page (you will see WELCOME, (Your name)! In bold letters at the top of this page), click on Personal Information in the Tools Box on the left side of the page.

3.  Click on Change Password

4.  Fill in the requested information. You can change your password to any combination of numbers and letters.

5.  Click the Submit button in the lower right corner.

6.  Write down your username and password information so you can refer to it if you forget.
VERY IMPORTANT: You will have only one username and one password for Blackboard 5 regardless of how many Blackboard courses you are taking. If your login is successful, you will see the Blackboard Welcome screen and links to your courses will be listed in the box labeled "My Courses."

Edit Your Personal Information

That should get you into our course, but while you’re in Personal Information, you should also add your preferred e-mail address (be sure to do this as soon as possible…). Here’s how to add your e-mail address:

1. Login to Blackboard using your given username and password, if you’re not already there. From YOUR Blackboard Welcome page, click on Personal Information in the Tools Box on the left side of the page.

2. Click on Edit Personal Information, and fill in your preferred email address. By the way, if you change your e-mail address during the semester, or if you go out of town and want to use a different e-mail address for that period, you can easily edit your e-mail address at any time during the semester. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have added your preferred e-mail address; also, make sure that you check your e-mail often, since this will be the way that you will communicate privately with me and with other members of the course!

3. While you’re in Personal Information, fill in other information to help your professor and classmates know more about you.