Within a Forum a discussion contains threads (the main ideas) and replies (responses to threads). Its very important to pay attention when you are posting your ideas to make sure they are placed in the appropriate place.

How to Open a Forum:

Click on the Forum you wish to enter.

How to Add a New Thread:

If your instructor has set up your discussion board to allow new threads you can click on the New Thread button to create a new thought to the forum.

In the Subject field type in the subject for your new post. This should be short and concise and sum up your thought. In the Message field type in your message. Click on the Previewbutton to see what it will look like once its posted. If you need to make changes, click on the Back button on your browser. To post the thread, click on the Submit button.

How to Open a Thread:

Click on the thread you'd like to open. Threads are generally aligned to the outermost left.

How to Reply to a Thread:

Click on the Thread that you'd like to respond to and then click on the Reply button.

Options

• Subscribe

  Your instructor can set up a discussion forum so that you have to option to subscribe to new threads and/or replies and get notified by email. Click on the subscribe button and following the directions.



• Search for a Message

  If you need to search for a sepecific message there are several search options. Click on the Search link at the upper right. You can search for keywords or by author in the subject, or subject and body.

Click on the Communication link as seen in the blackboard menu bar or as part of the Course Tools.

Click on the Send Email link.

Here you are given a lot of choices: if you want your message to go to everyone select the All Users or to just a select few, click on Select Users.

All Users

When you select All users you will be sending an email message to everyone (instructors, teaching assistants, etc.) enrolled or assigned to the course. Type in a descriptive Subject in the Subject field. As a rule include the course number so everyone knows which course your message pertains to. Next type in your Message. Make sure your message is clear and concise. If you have attachments, click on the Add button to attach a file (s). When attaching files make sure they are in a format that everyone can receive (see hints section if you aren't sure you understand this). And when you are finished, click on the Submit button.

Select Users

If you don't want message to go to everyone, click on Select Users. You will be given a list of the enrolled user Highlight the name you want to send your message to and click on the arrow to add them to the selected list. You can use the shift key to highlight more than one name in a continuous row, or COMMAD-click (mac) or ALT-click (pc) to select more than one name that is not continuous. Select those you want to receive your email and complete the rest of the form as mentioned above.

A copy of the message with automatically be sent to your email for your records. That's it. It's pretty easy, isn't it!

• Distance Student Survival Guide

Blackboard™ Tutorials

• Getting Into Blackboard
• Quick Blackboard Reference for Students ver8
• Quick Blackboard Reference for Instructors ver8
• Full Instructor's Manual Blackboard ver8
• Logging into Blackboard
• Navigating through Blackboard
• Customizing Blackboard's Homepage
• How to use E-Mail in Blackboard
• Using WebTutor with Blackboard
• Submitting Assignments in Blackboard
• Using the Discussion Board in Blackboard
• What does a Blackboard Quiz Look LIke?
• Helpful Hints using Blackboard
• Checking the Gradebook in Blackboard
• Internet Explorer and Blackboard

Other Software Tutorials

• Tracking Changes or Instructor's Comments in Word Documents
• Create and Submitting Screenshots-MAC

Plugins and Viewers

Some of the more common plug-ins you might need are:

Adobe Acrobat Reader used to view or print Adobe PDF files.

Flash Player to view .swf files and flash animation

Microsoft Office Viewer to view microsoft word, excel, powerpoint and other Microsoft documents.

Open Office (free download)

Google Docs (free download)

Didn't find what you're looking for? Please contact us!

We are located in the Bowers Office Park, 2175 University Avenue South, Suite 200, Fairbanks, Alaska. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 756700
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6700

Phone:

907-479-3444 or 1-800-277-8060

Fax:

907-479-3443

E-mail:

distance@uaf.edu

Yearlong Courses

Our regular Independent Learning (IL) courses are year-based. You may register at any time, and you have up to twelve months from the day you enroll to complete the course. Enrollment in a yearlong course does not require "nor constitute" formal admission to UAF. Yearlong courses do not count in the current semester study load at UAF, but do count toward cumulative grade point average for purposes of graduation. To register for a yearlong course, complete this online registration form. You may also register by filling out a pdf form. Submit your completed pdf form by e-mail, postal mail, or fax.

Semester-Based Courses

University of Alaska students may also enroll in independent learning courses on a semester basis. Semester-based IL courses count toward full-time status and financial aid. Enrollment in semester-based IL courses must take place during the normal semester registration or preregistration period. Enroll through your local campus or register at UA online by logging in to the secure area and entering your student ID and password.

All policies and procedures that apply to regular semester courses will apply to semester-based Independent Learning courses. Semester-based courses must be completed by the stated deadlines; the grade must be submitted at the same time as all other semester course grades. Grades for these courses will factor into both the semester and cumulative GPA. Failure to complete a semester-based IL course may adversely affect grade point average, future enrollment, and academic probation. Semester-based courses cannot be changed into regular year-long courses. If you wish to withdraw from the course, you must do so by the same deadline as all other semester courses.

Other Distance Education Courses at the University of Alaska

University accredited courses are offered by other campuses and through other modalities such as audioconference, telecourse, and live broadcast satellite. To find the most up-to-date information about all distance education courses being offered within the University of Alaska system, see the UA Distance Education Gateway.

Secondary School Student Enrollment

If you are currently a high school student, you will need to complete a Secondary School Student Enrollment Form.- link currently not working; contact us.

Download the current version of the Student Survival Guide: A "How to" manual for your Independent Learning Course. The document is mailed or handed out with all course materials but in case you misplace it, here's a copy for you to download. This should answer all of the questions you have about working through your Independent Learning course.

The course will follow the same standards for instruction and grading that's applied to the classroom. Graded lessons, instructor's comments, and answers to student's specific questions will be returned to students for use in evaluating progress and in studying for examinations.

Personal Study Schedule
Begin now to take responsibility for your own learning by preparing a personal study schedule. Please print out the Planning Schedule form and following the directions for its use.

If you are a graduating senior or have any other personal deadlines, it is imperative that you write to your instructor on your first lesson and inform him/her of your needs. Although the staff and faculty will do everything possible to help you, a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for the staff and faculty! Please plan ahead!

YEAR-LONG: Remember, it is assumed you will be taking up to a year to finish this course. At a bare minimum, we ask that a student take at least three months to complete a course, and instructor's permission (in writing) must be obtained to finish in this accelerated time frame.

SEMESTER-BASED: If you are a semester-based student, please follow the semester time requirements provided with your book purchase. Remember lessons cannot be accepted if turned in all or several at once.

Online Course
Most CDE online courses use the Blackboard Learning System ™ as a course content manager, although some of our instructors use other interfaces. Once you're registered in your course you'll be directed to the appropriate web site and will be given a username and password to gain access to the course material.

Official correspondence and announcements to those registered in University of Alaska (UA) courses will be sent to the official UA email address given to students when they enroll. Please note that communication with CDE students will also use their UA email address. Its very easy to have email transfered from this address to the one that you prefer. Please follow the instructions at UA Email Help for directions.

Print-Based Course
When you submit your lessons for grading, please attach a Lesson Cover Sheet. It should be completed as neatly as possible, printed in ink, as it will become your return mailing label. Even if you are e-mailing or faxing in your lessons, please include a lesson cover sheet and its pertinent information including a return mailing label appropriately placed, the complete course number, instructor's name, the appropriate lesson number, as this will aid in the timeliness of returning your lessons. In your packet, you will find prepaid envelopes for mailing each assignment. Please do not attach these to large manila envelopes. They are not to be used as a mailing label and the assignment might not be delivered to us by the US Post Office. Let us know if you need an additional supply of cover sheets or envelopes.

The Center for Distance Education is part of the College of Rural and Community Development. The Independent Learning Program (IL) is the oldest distance delivery program at the University of Alaska and has offered correspondence courses for more than forty years. There are more than 100 courses available, though the variety of courses is not designed to meet the requirements of any specific degree program. Some required courses for various degree programs, however, are included in the IL offerings.

Method of Delivery

Courses are delivered through print materials, audio and videotapes, telephone communication with the instructor, fax, CD, CD-ROM, World Wide Web, and/or electronic mail.

Required Texts

After a student enrolls in a course through the Center for Distance Education (CDE), he or she will receive a course syllabus, necessary textbooks, and other materials in order to begin a program of individualized study.

Grading Standards

The course will follow the same standards for instruction and grading applied in the classroom. Graded lessons, instructors' comments, and answers to students' specific questions will be returned to students for use in evaluating progress and in studying for examinations.

Enrollment

Enrollment in the Independent Learning Program does not require, nor does it constitute, formal admission to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Any person who has the proper prerequisites for a specific course may be enrolled. Students, however, have the responsibility for selecting courses which will satisfy their degree requirements and should consult their academic advisors prior to enrollment. The Center for Distance Education is not a degree-granting institution.

University Credit

All IL courses have been approved by the appropriate academic departments of the University of Alaska Fairbanks for course content and instructor qualifications. IL courses carry university credit and are applicable to UAF degree and certificate programs.

UAF Students

Regular year-long courses are not included in the determination of full-time status at UA. They are used for calculating the student's total grade point average for purposes of graduation, but are not factored into the student's semester grade point average. The course and grade will be recorded on the second page of the UAF transcript for the semester when enrollment occurs.

For UAF students, Independent Learning courses count as residence credit. UA students who need an Independent Learning course added to their course load in order to define eligibility for financial aid should check out the semester-based option.

The time required to complete lessons varies by assignment and by course. Schedule at least four to eight hours of work per lesson. Allow at least two to three weeks from the date the assignment is mailed in until the graded lesson is received: two to three days for the mail each way plus a five-day turnaround time for the instructor's evaluation. The Center for Distance Education attempts to process lessons and update records within one day of receipt in either direction. Turnaround time is greatly facilitated if students carefully include all required information on the lesson cover sheets: full name, correct return address, course number, section number, and lesson number. Fairbanks students can deliver assignments directly to the CDE office or use the drop box (mounted in the drive through behind the building) after working hours (8 am to 5 pm). All lessons should be finished at least two weeks prior to the requested date for completion of the final examination.

FAX

If there is a need for faster turnaround of lessons, students with access to a fax machine can fax their assignments; the CDE fax number is 907-479-3443.

E-Mail

Students are encouraged to send assignments via e-mail. If sending lessons directly to the instructor's userid (available in the course syllabus), please notify the CDE office of each submission (for recording-keeping purposes). Instructors may or may not return comments via e-mail depending on their particular situation.

Web

You can now submit your lessons electronically. This is a convenient method if you have assignments in a digital format, or if you put them in a digital format using a scanner or other tool.

As part of a continuing effort to improve the success of our students, and in recognition of many critical success factors that CDE instructors have demonstrated through their teaching, CDE has created a guidelines and procedures document (CDE Quality Improvement Program Guidelines & Procedures: Semester Based, Online Courses) codifying existing best practices for CDE Instructors that will be integrated into semester-based online courses.

The current guidelines apply only to semester-based online classes. If you do not teach such a class, consider this an informational document that will likely resemble future guidelines to be formulated for other course types and terms.

For the most part, these guidelines and procedures do not require significant changes to existing courses. We will be working with each of our course developers to make the necessary changes, starting with new course developments and revisions that are currently in progress, then continuing with rest of CDE semester-based online courses individually over the next year.

These guidelines and procedures were developed by CDE administration, student services and the instructional design team, with the assistance of UAF & CRCD representatives. The guidelines were then revised based on feedback from a group of current CDE Instructors. We welcome comments and suggestions at any time. Future contributions will be considered for later guideline revisions.

What about phase 2? Expect to see Quality Improvement Guidelines for Yearlong Print and Online courses coming soon.

The CDE Course Design Rubric

• Rubric Print Version [pdf]
• Online Version
• Glossary

The CDE Course Development Checklist

• Checklist Print Version [pdf]