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| This lesson provides a brief overview of some of the CATE-based tools available to students. |
- Read the material on this page
- Follow the links and read the relevant Help material
For the most part, instructors are responsible for providing components and content for students to use in online classes and as Web-based enhancements in face-to-face classes.
Some tools, however, are provided by the system itself. This lesson briefly explores some of the materials available to students for controlling and enriching the online experience.
In order to efficiently take advantage of Web-based learning resources and/or online classes, students need to be familiar with a series of concepts and skills ranging from simple hardware tasks ("How do I turn this thing on?") to more sophisticated browser-based software techniques ("How do I flag this message as already read?"). Some students come to SRJC with minimal computer skills for those tasks, while others have already advanced to a much higher level of proficiency.
Whatever the current level of computer knowledge and comfort, the Online Student Handbook is designed to address all the concepts and skills required at every step along the way, from the most basic to the most advanced.
The Handbook is also designed to allow students to skim over the parts they already understand and move quickly to the next level. Along the way, the Handbook presents information on a wide range of topics, offers more resources for additional study, and provides self-assessment quizzes so students can determine how well they grasp the material.
In the earliest chapters, the Handbook doesn't attempt to teach all the requisite concepts and skills. Instead, those chapters simply point out exactly what students need to know before proceeding. If they aren't already fully comfortable with that knowledge, they need to follow the advice provided along the way and take one or more basic computer and/or Internet classes to bring themselves fully up to speed with hardware and basic software.
The later chapters provide fuller explanations of exactly how to perform specific kinds of Web-based activities in the CATE courseware environment. While the Handbook strives to guide students through the skills needed to utilize class Message Lists, participate in class Chat Rooms, upload electronic documents via In Boxes, and so on, students with any doubts about their ability to perform those tasks should seriously consider taking the appropriate introductory course before committing to a fully Web-based class.
Taking a college-level class inherently requires considerable effort and commitment under any circumstances. Undertaking a college class in an online environment a student doesn't fully understand can make the learning process exceedingly difficult and might be a recipe for failure. Consequently, it's very much to everyone's advantage to ensure students are fully prepared to take an online class before they jump in.
Online Student Handbook: http://online.santarosa.edu/student/index.html
Student Configuration Manager
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In the CATE system, students generally use a Web-based interface to go through the class check-in process. Students can also use a Web-based interface to edit various kinds of information for each CATE-based class -- online or FTF -- in which they are enrolled.
The Student Configuration Manager allows students to control the following kinds of configurations:
- Username
- Password
- Email address(es)
- Opting out of class Message List(s)
- Flagging messages
- Signing up to receive class text messages
Complete information on how students can access and utilize the Student Configuration Manager can be found in the relevant chapter of the Online Student Handbook:
http://online.santarosa.edu/student/scm.html
Inevitably, some students will forget their usernames and passwords during the semester. In most cases, you can access that information and provide it to your student if you care to do so.
However, the CATE system has a fully functional username and password reminder page for students, so they can retrieve that information on their own any time they care to do so without human intervention.
The CATE system provides multiple links to the Password Reminder page for students. Here's another one:
http://online.santarosa.edu/cgi-bin/autocate/student/reminder.cgi
Unlike the previous examples of student tools, you need to activate the myNotes feature on your presentation pages if you wish to allow students to take advantage of it.
This feature allows students to take notes (and store them, retrieve them, view them, and edit them) online so that they are always available when viewing the relevant presentation pages in your class website.
Here's the Help document for setting up myNotes for your students:
http://online.santarosa.edu/catedocs/howto_mynotes.html
And here's information about how students can use the myNotes feature:
http://online.santarosa.edu/student/chat.html#e
CSKLS 334: How to Take an Online Class
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College Skills 334 is a three-week, half-unit class delivered online by a variety of instructors who have an understanding of the CATE system from both the faculty perspective and the student perspective. The class includes a face-to-face orientation session and is designed to teach students everything they need to know in order to succeed in a CATE-based class at SRJC. CSKLS 334 utilizes CATE's Online Student Handbook as the class textbook.
While not a prerequisite, all students are encouraged to take CSKLS 334 before attempting a fully online class at SRJC. Undertaking such a class with a good grasp of the online environment in which it is being delivered has proven very conducive to academic success on the Web.
Similarly, faculty are strongly encouraged to take CSKLS 334 before attempting to teach an online class at SRJC. Doing so provides an opportunity to see a fairly well designed class website, become comfortable with the dynamics of an online class, and understand an online class from the perspective of a student.
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WWII 101 A plain-vanilla sample class website
Rock 101 A fancier sample class website
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