Navigating the MyCC Environment

In the online classroom, you will use a variety of tools to participate in your online class. Most communication is written communication. Written communication allows you to get to know your instructor and other students in your class. Unlike oral communication, written communication allows you to take the time to edit and revise documents and other communications before they are submitted or viewed by others. Here are some parts of MyCC to consider.

 Discussion Boards

The discussion board is commonly used in the online classroom allowing you to post and reply to text-based messages on a common topic. For example: an instructor may post a question or prompt, then require each student to reply. It is common for instructors to include an “Introduce Yourself” discussion to encourage interaction and allow students to find common interests. Here are items to consider for participation in discussion boards.

• Share a related experience–your personal experiences, experiences of friends or family, or something you have read or seen (especially in the news).
• Expand on others’ experiences or expand on the main theme of the question (or class material for that unit).
• Quoting the text or other resource you have found is a great way to make a connection back to the topic.
• Ask students questions about their ideas/experiences.
• Try to use your posting to add value to the discussion. This is more effective than simply responding to meet a requirement.
• Consider an idea being discussed and offer a different perspective on it.
• Describe an interesting idea from the week’s reading and explain what insights you gained from it.
• Ask the group a question about the week’s reading.
• Provide an opposing argument for something presented in our text by providing a resource/source that demonstrates another view.
• Disagree (respectfully, of course) with a point that someone else has made (asking a question such as “what about…” or “what if…” can be respectful approaches to show nother view)
• Discuss a related issue on which you would like some feedback.
• Describe how you have applied the recent course concepts to your personal/professional life.
• Share another resource you have used as you explored the course topics.

Announcements or News

Watch your course home page carefully to view general announcements from your instructor. These announcements may be timely reminders of upcoming due dates for assignments or other very important course-related information.

Assignments

An assignment tool is used in your online course so that you are able to directly upload files for the instructor to review and provide feedback and grades. Be sure to check the course syllabus or instructions for the assignment to know the guidelines for a specific file type for these submissions.

Grades

The grades area of the course provides a way for you to check you progress in the course. Some items are graded automatically while others are graded manually and require instructor feedback. It is important that you closely monitor your grades and communicate quickly with your instructor to discuss any discrepancies.