Welcome to Distance Education at Ivy Tech Community College – Central Indiana. Whether this is your first Internet course or you are a seasoned professional of online courses, we want to help make this a great learning experience for you. The Summer 2009 semester begins June 8 and the Fall 2009 semester begins August 24; you will not be able to access your class online until the class start date. Some courses have different start dates [such as 12, 10, 8, or 4 week flex classes]; to confirm your course start date, please check your schedule.
Please read through the following information & advice as you prepare to start your online course.
Step 1: Setup your Campus Connect account
If you have never logged into Ivy Tech’s online student system, you will need to create an account at this site before being able to order books for your online courses. Please visit Campus Connect at http://cc.ivytech.edu. For students who have never logged in before, click on 'First time users start here’ and follow the prompts to get a username and create a password. This username and password will be used to sign you into Ivy Tech’s online bookstore. If you have problems, see the contact information below for help.
Campus Connect is your connection to campus events, your academic records, checking or changing your schedule online and much, much more. Take some time to explore this valuable resource. Campus Connect also links you to your online courses and your Ivy Tech email.
All online courses are on Distance Learning, powered by Blackboard.
Step 2: Ordering Your Books
If you haven’t already, you should order your books as soon as possible. It’s important to order as early in advance as possible. Once your schedule is finalized, you will order your books at Ivy Tech’s online bookstore: http://www.ivytech.bkstr.com. You can order books for your online classes AND face to face classes here. If you receive financial aid, you can use these funds toward the purchase of textbooks at the online bookstore. To use Financial Aid for your textbooks, you must first accept or authorize the use of the money you have recieved. Follow the steps listed below:
How to Accept Your Electronic Award [Financial Aid] in Campus Connect:
- Login to Campus Connect at http://cc.ivytech.edu/
- Click the “Student Services” tab
- In the box titled, “Financial Aid” click “Check Financial Aid Status”
- Select the correct time of year "Spring 2009"
- Under the Main Menu click “Student, Financial Aid, and Account Summary”
- Click “Financial Aid”
- Click “Award”
- Click “Accept Award Offer”
- Select aid year (2008-2009) then click the submit button.
- Your awards will display below the “Award Decision.” Grants are automatically accepted but loans must be accepted, declined, or reduced.
- Click “Accept Full Amount All Awards” OR “Submit Decision” (if any adjustments were made.)
**If you accept any student loans, you will be required to complete Entrance Counseling.**
How to Authorize Financial Aid to Pay for Tuition, Fees, Books and Supplies:
- In Campus Connect, Click the “Student Services” tab
- In the box titled, “Financial Aid” click “Check Financial Aid Status”
- Select the term “Spring 2009 ”
- Under the Main Menu click “Student, Financial Aid, and Account Summary”
- Click “Financial Aid”
- Click “Eligibility”
- Click “Student Requirements”
- Select aid year (2008-2009) then click the submit button
- Click on items listed below “Outstanding Requirements”
- Read, select one of the options, then click the submit button.
Ordering Software
In addition to textbooks, Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana does offer software for sale. Under the Store Partners heading, click on Journey Ed Software Shop and search for the software package you need. In the event that another region of Ivy Tech can offer a software package at a lower price, our Website will prompt you to order from that region. Most financial aid can be used to purchase software online.
Step 3: Accessing Your Online Course
What is Distance Learning? It is Ivy Tech’s online course system; it holds Ivy Tech classes. While you can access Distance Learning at any time, your courses will not appear until the date they begin.
To verify that you can access your online course, log into Campus Connect by going to http://cc.ivytech.edu/ and go to the “Courses” tab. Once there, click on “Go to Distance Learning.” On the day your course(s) begin, you should see all of your courses listed under “Courses in which you are enrolled.” Just click on the title of a class to enter the virtual classroom for that course. Because many on-campus classes use Distance Learning as a resource for class, you will see your online classes and any other classes in which you enrolled all listed in Distance Learning.
On the first day of the semester, access your online course. There you should see a greeting or announcement from your instructor. Read any information that you may see there. Check this area everytime you log into the course. Also look for a button on the left called ‘Syllabus.’ Your instructor should have posted a syllabus. A syllabus is a document that contains important information about the class set-up, policies, grading scale, and assignments for the semester. Keeping track of assignments, due dates, and grades are critical to being a successful online student.
A second quality of a successful online student is staying in touch with the instructor. If you have questions or run into any problems it is extremely important to contact your instructor immediately. While you can log into your online course anytime, your instructor is not available instantaneously. Please allow your instructor up to 48 business hours (2 days not including weekends) to respond to your communication. To message your instructor inside Blackboard, go inside of a course, and click on ‘Communications.’ Then, ‘Messages.’
Step 4: Download and install Wimba's Pronto
Please register for PRONTO, this will be the method you will use to contact your instructor if Blackboard fails. Wimba Pronto is an instant messenger that works with Blackboard, which is where your classes are kept online.
- Go to Blackboard and click the COMMUNITY tab.
- Locate the Wimba Pronto logo and click. This will take you to the Wimba Pronto download page. You may need to create an account. Just use your Ivy Tech information to make it easier to remember.
- Before clicking DOWNLOAD WIMBA PRONTO, scan through the list of settings and course settings making sure that all of your courses for this semester have been selected.
- Click the orange DOWNLOAD WIMBA PRONTO icon. A pop-up window will appear (On PC: Opening ProntoSetup.exe, on Mac: Pronto.dmg), click SAVE FILE.
- Save the ProntoSetup.exe [Mac: Pronto.dmg] file to your desktop. Once the file has been downloaded, double-click the file and follow the directions to install.
Seeking Help & Support
Remember, no matter what the problem is (a homework question, a technical problem, etc.) you should always contact your instructor immediately to explain the situation or request assistance. Check your online class space for information on how best to contact your specific instructor. However, email is the most common form of communication and allows you to keep a written record of your communication.
For technical help, you can contact the Ivy Tech Help Desk either by submitting a help desk ticket online or by calling a toll-free number. Submit a help desk ticket online at https://helpdesk.ivytech.edu/createissue.php. Speak to an Ivy Tech support technician by calling toll-free: 1-888-499-2358.
Also, remember that you can always contact the Central Indiana Region 8 Distance Education department if you have any questions or concerns.
Need help? Don’t know where to turn?
Contact the Central Indiana Instructional Technology department – we’re here to help! In Indianapolis, call 921-7925 or toll-free at 1-800-732-1470 x7925It helps us to help you if you have your course ID, section number, and instructor name when you contact us.
Once again, Welcome to Distance Education at Ivy Tech Community College. We wish you a successful and rewarding academic semester!