In order to participate in class, a student must have some way to get to the classroom. A student in a traditional class may drive a car on a highway to attend class, but a student in an online course “drives” a computer on the Internet (the Information Highway) to “attend” class. Technical competency is important, but if you do not score high in this area, don’t worry! The ability to comfortably learn is what is most important. You will want to gain comfort in navigating the blackboard course site so you can submit assignments, post on the discussion board and select folders so you don’t miss any course work.

A multitude of resources exist on the internet. Those listed in the technical competency summary are just a small sample of what is available in terms of information or tutorials on the topics focused on in SmarterMeasure. Some of these sites are free; a few require a subscription or fee. To find more or different information beyond these sites, feel free to perform your own web search.

You can run the System Check which is found in the Welcome message of each Blackboard course site to see what tools you will need for your online course, and make sure your computer is up to date.

Also, check out the Blackboard Learn app on your mobile device to connect with your class. You cannot complete your entire class on the app, but can access a lot of the folders and use it to stay up to date on announcements and assignments.

To obtain log-in information for the SmarterMeasure assessment, email EliSuccess@nvcc.edu from your VCCS email account. Once you complete the SmarterMeasure assessment, you can find more information in the ‘Assessment Summary’ section.