Orientation--Intro. to Libraries

Being an online course, an iron will and self discipline will be required of you to keep up with the schedule (see Syllabus for the schedule).

In addition, all the traits of a good student will have to be employed. Read the following:

Becoming a Student Follow the links and read the sites until you arrive at the last link "How To Take an Exam."

Also, read these two sites recommended by our department chair:

How to be a Successful Online Student (PDF)

Distance Learning 101

Additionally, there may be technical problems. Call Support Central at 210-486-3777 for help. My (instructor) number is 210-561-7905. My email is cglass@alamo.edu. The district does not allow me to communicate with you through my private email listed at the bottom of this page.

There are two accepted ways to recall information useful to you. One is memory. Aristotle tells the story of a man who could remember all the guests murdered at his banquet by the places where they sat. This placement mnemonic method was expanded in the early Middle Ages to the so-called "Cathedral of memory." The technique was to construct in your mind a vivid picture of a cathedral, every room, every piece of furniture, everything. Then, when you wanted to remember something, you would relate the items to the items in your mental cathedral. The vividness of the place memory would facilitate your retaining the list of items or whatever you needed to retain.

The other method, used since antiquity, is note-taking. Not only does the act of note-taking facilitate the retention of material, but you also have the notes to take with you and review while you are traveling, waiting, or otherwise wasting time.

On a more general note, "... it has been abundantly proved that there is no more effective means of strengthening the mind than by the earnest pursuit of [the Latin language] (D'ooge, p. 4).

Accessing the course

This is the URL for ACES: http://aces.alamo.edu. To get your User Name click on the link below the sign-in box "How do I get a user name and password?" and follow the instructions. Your User Name will be in red. Be sure to include the numbers. Write it down so you don't forget it.

Your default password is the first two letters of your last name in upper case followed by (change to lower case) the last six digits of your social security number. There are no spaces between the letters and numbers. Once you are in, you will be prompted to create a new password which you can remember.

You should now be in ACES with your name at the top. If this does not work, call Support Central at 210-486-3777.

Click on the second tab, "My Courses."

At the top center, beside Course Schedule For: is a drop-down menu. Change it to read "Fall 2011."

Click on the link "INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARIES". This should open Blackboard Vista.

On the menu to the left, the first item should be "Course Content". Click on that.

Your Orientation, Syllabus, and weekly lessons should be listed.

Click on Week 1 and you will see what is in every week: A reading, and a quiz. The reading may be text, links, or both. Read them and then try taking the quiz. If you do poorly, just review and then take the quiz again. You are allowed to take the quizzes as many times as you like. The system will record the highest grade you achieve. The quizzes are a learning tool.

Alternatively, the readings, orientation, and syllabus are available online at http://www.criticalthink.info/$$IntroLTA/index.htm. The weekly quizzes and final, however, must be taken in Blackboard Vista (BBV). The Discussions are also available only in BBV.

Communicating

If you have a question, please post it here instead of emailing me. Other people in the class will probably have the same question and this format will allow everyone to see the questions and answers.

I will also place any announcements or answers in BBV. Private mail I will answer in Mail.

Your Grades

Semester grade includes:

40% = Average of weekly quizzes
40% = Adequate communication and involvement with the class (Discussions)
20% = Final

Late assignments--which includes class readings, class participation (Discussions) and weekly quizzes--will have one point deducted for every day they are late. This can be avoided by merely contacting me and telling me that your are ill or having a problem. I will respond.

Student Responsibilities

In addition, students are to look up any words they do not understand in the dictionary and begin developing a professional vocabulary. They should also use the tools and links provided, taking careful notes in preparation for the weekly quiz.