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Online Course Orientation

Welcome to the Reed College of Media's Online Undergraduate Programs. This document contains essential information to familiarize students with online courses offered by the College of Media. Please take the time to read the information provided, as it will help you with the WVU eCampus system.

The following areas are covered in this document:

Please be sure to take a moment to review the College of Media's Academic Policies. This includes information regarding tuition/fees, billing, dropping/adding a course and the D/F policy.

We hope you learn a great deal from your online course experience. Enjoy and good luck!

Sincerely,

Online Programs
Reed College of Media

Online Course Expectations

  • Plan to log into the WVU eCampus system daily during the week.
  • Expect to spend the same amount of time on an online course as you would for a traditional on-campus course.
  • Your average online work week will consist of:
    • Reading the current week's 'Assignment' document.
    • Reading the current week's 'Lesson' document.
    • Participating in the discussion board: initial post(s), reading and responding to classmates' posts.
    • Completing writing assignments, quizzes and other specified assignments as they apply.

Computer and Software Requirements

  • Run the Browser Check ! Make any needed updates that may be identified through the check.
  • The browser check will also inform you whether or not you are using a web browser supported by the WVU eCampus system
  • Use Microsoft Word for written assignments
    • You should also be use Word to compose discussion posts so that spelling and grammar can be checked before copying/pasting the text into your discussion posts.

Using WVU eCampus

Logging into eCampus:

Your login information for the WVU eCampus system is the same as MIX, requiring your WVU Login ID and password. Your password is case sensitive.

Ecampus login

If you are still unable to access the WVU eCampus system, contact the ITS Service Desk by calling 304-293-4444 x3 (Local), 877-327-9260 (Toll Free), or via e-mail at ITSHelp@mail.wvu.edu.

The first page you will reach after logging in is the "My WVU eCampus" page. In the center of the page, all courses you are enrolled in this term are listed. Click on the link to enter the course.

Course List

Students have access to their courses three days before the official first day of the semester and two weeks after the final day of the semester.

Course Homepage Navigation

The course homepage in the Blackboard Learn system can be broken into two key areas: the main homepage area and the navigation panel on the left side of the page.

Main Homepage Area

Homepage

In this area, students have access to two key course tools:

  • My Announcements: Key announcements posted by faculty
  • Report Card: A list of the student's grades and instructor feedback and comments for each graded assignment

Navigation Panel (located on the left side of the page)

Navigation Panel

This panel provides students their main access to all of the course content.

Homepage link: Returns students back to the homepage from any area in the course

Syllabus/Information content area contains the following:

Syllabus

It is imperative that you access the syllabus at the start of your courses, as it provides important information about the course, professor contact information, textbooks, learning objectives, grading policies, file naming conventions and requirements, guidelines for participation, a weekly schedule and additional class and University-wide policies.

Course Schedule

This link provides a complete week-by-week schedule of assigned readings and due dates for discussion board and written assignments. Familiarize yourself with the contents of this document as it provides a map of the course.

Welcome Message from Instructor

This link provides a text introductory message from your instructor, as well as an embedded welcome video.

Quick Guide

Provides an overview of students' weekly responsibilities.

Course Orientation Document

A link to this file.

Course Content contains the following:

Assignments and Lessons

Each week's text assignment and lesson page can be found under the corresponding week's icon. The left column provides links to these pages. We recommend reviewing both the assignment and lesson early enough to determine how much time you will need to schedule to meet the week’s deadlines.

Discussion Board

This icon takes you to the discussion board where all of the discussion board topics are located.

Homework Dropbox

This is where you will upload and submit all weekly written assignments. Once a grade is received, the dropbox will also provide your grades for each assignment and access to your instructor’s comments.

Quizzes

This folder contains links to the quizzes scheduled throughout the term.

Not all courses have a quiz component.

WVU Libraries link

This link serves as a portal to the WVU Libraries’ homepage, which includes the online article databases. Here, students will have access to the databases that will provide them with supporting material for discussion postings and written assignments.

Interactive Module Library is page that contains interactive modules used to emphasize key course topics and concepts across our curriculum. Many of the modules have been grouped according to discipline, but are applicable across all of our courses.

The Email tool lets students send email messages outside of the Blackboard Learn system to their instructor and classmates' MIX email accounts. Responses are then handled within the MIX email system. To log into MIX, use the same ID and password you use for the WVU eCampus system, here: https://mix.wvu.edu/.

Everyday correspondence with your instructor should be handled through Email. In the event of an emergency, contact your instructor through the email address or phone listed at the top of the course syllabus.

"How to" Guide

How to Post Discussion Board Posts and Replies

The discussion board will be divided into headings, such as “Introduction,” “Unit 1 Discussion 1,” “Unit 1 Discussion 2,” etc. Make sure you are posting under the correct question.

  1. Click on Discussion Board link in the main navigation or in the Course Content area.

  2. Choose a discussion topic link and click on it to open the topic.

  3. Click on Create Thread button.

  4. Enter a subject for your message. Below the subject, enter the text of your post.

  5. Use the formatting toolbar to format your message, run spell check and to embed links or video clips. If the entire toolbar does not automatically load, click on the down arrows icon on the far right side of the toolbar to reveal the entire toolbar.

    Toolbar

  6. There is an option to add attachments when necessary.

  7. Click Submit to complete your discussion posting.

How to Submit Writing Assignments through the Homework Dropbox

  1. Click on Course Content link on the left side of the homepage and then click the Homework Dropbox icon.

  2. Click on the assignment you wish to submit.

  3. On the Assignment Submission page, to the right of Attach Files, click the Browse My Computer icon to locate your homework file on your computer and attach it to your submission.

  4. Students have the option to leave a message with their submission in the Add Comments field. This is not required.

  5. In the bottom-right corner of the screen, click the Submit button to complete your assignment submission.

After a successful submission, you will be provided two “receipts” for your homework submission for proof that you submitted the work:

  1. A notification appearing in green bar at the top of the submission page. It will contain your confirmation number.

  2. An email sent to your MIX email address containing the submission confirmation details and other information.

    Receipt

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