Prospective students should test themselves by clicking on Is Online Learning For Me? at the top of the Virtual Campus homepage. Be honest with yourself as you answer the ten short questions.
Determine Your Technical Skill Level
Online courses are not for everyone. Before registering for an online course, students should be honest with themselves about their own level of technical knowledge and skills. Students should be able to do ALL of the following in order to be successful in an online class.
ü Create and save a Word document.
ü E-mail a friend and add an attachment.
ü Download an attachment from an e-mail.
ü Copy and paste text from one document to another.
ü Download a file from the Internet.
ü Research a topic using the Internet.
ü Resolve minor technical issues on your own without assistance.
ü Perform a new task (something you have never done before) by following written instructions.
How much do you know about computers and using them? How would you answer this question? If your response is “I’m so-so.” or less, then online learning is not for you.
Document Attachments
Students are required to use Microsoft Office software to create work to be submitted to their instructors. Students using Microsoft Office 2007, will need to save their work in an Office 2003 (or earlier) format. To save an Office 2007 document in an Office 2003 (or earlier version) format, do the following:
1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save As.
2. From the Save as type list, select Word 97-2003 format, PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (.ppt), or Excel 97-2003 format from the list of options. (Depending on which program you are working from).
3. In the File name box, type a name for the file.
4. Select a destination to save the file (My Documents, Desktop, etc.).
5. Click Save.
Test Your Primary Computer for its Compatibility with the Virtual Campus
Prospective students should test their primary computer for its compatibility with the Virtual Campus. To do so, click on Technical Requirements at the top of the Virtual Campus homepage. Then click on the big phrase Browser Test.
Set up an Appointment with Your School Counselor
If you are ready to take the plunge into online learning, contact your school counselor to set up an appointment to register for your class.