• Welcome students to ACC and the Distance Learning course.
  • Provide your office room number, on-campus and/or online office hours, ACC telephone number (with voice mail), and ACC email address.
  • Express a desire to be responsive to students throughout the semester. Let students know your expected response time to email and voice mail messages.
  • Establish an instructional context by sharing your teaching background, particular interests in the discipline, or unique experiences relating to the field of study.

• Describe all instructional materials required for the course.
  • Use specific terminology (e.g., ISBN #) when describing items students are required to purchase.
  • Explain textbook purchasing options; provide the URL of the ACC Bookstore website.
  • Describe the accessibility of instructional materials or services necessary for successful completion of the course (e.g., Computer Centers, ITV viewing options, etc.).

• State the required elements of the course.
  • Present documents such as the course syllabus and other orientation materials.
  • Emphasize course grading policies and other academic guidelines and policies and procedures affecting the course and students.
  • Explain attendance policies and course withdrawal procedures.
  • Explain how student-instructor contacts are expected to occur during the semester.
  • Identify course testing procedures, including deadlines, Academic Testing Center policies, and Distance Testing information.
  • Explain procedures for submitting assignments. If requiring students to submit assignments to your campus mailbox, specify how and where the papers should be turned in, including your campus location information.

• Review any applicable technical support or instructional mode resources.
  • Provide students the URL of the Blackboard Support website which offers instructions for logging in, Student FAQs, and help for using Blackboard features such as Discussion Boards, Assignments, and Wimba voice tools.
  • Supply Computer Lab & Media Center hours of operation and locations.
  • Present the ITV Cable television viewing schedules for the course, and information about Cable Providers.

• Provide a link to College Support Services & Learning Resources for Students.

• Gather student contact information, including email address, phone number, etc. (Release of personal information should only be done with the students' permission, such as with the Student Information Sheet .)

When are on-site orientations held?

• Most on-site orientations are held the Saturday before classes begin, between the hours of 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Orientations are scheduled for one hour. Contact the DL Administrative Assistant if special circumstances require scheduling a longer orientation session.
• For courses offering two on-site orientation meetings, the second session is held on a weekday evening during the first week of class. Evening orientations begin at 8:30 p.m. in the fall and spring semesters and 8 p.m. in the summer. Please note:  For ITV courses, evening orientations must be held by Wednesday of the first class week so students do not miss the first set of telecourse programs broadcast on ACC cable channels.
• Faculty offering only Saturday orientations must be aware that students registering during the Canceled Class and Schedule Change registration periods need special consideration since the orientation date has passed.

Where are on-site orientations held?

• On-site orientations are typically scheduled at the Rio Grande (RGC) campus, unless special considerations warrant the use of another campus. Contact the DL Administrative Assistant when situations require orientations to be scheduled at any campus other than RGC.
• Secondary evening orientation sessions may be scheduled at the Pinnacle (PIN) campus.

Are there special considerations for scheduling orientations during short semester sessions?

• During the 8-week and 5.5-week sessions, faculty may choose to schedule only one on-site orientation meeting. The session may be scheduled for the Saturday before classes begin or for an evening during the first week of class. Evening orientations must be scheduled early in the week so students have maximum time to complete the course.
• Special attention is paid when scheduling orientations for the second summer session due to the Independence Day holiday.

If a faculty member teaches more than one section of the same course, can the on-site orientations be combined?

• Yes. Inform the DL Administrative Assistant that the orientations should be scheduled at the same time and that a larger room may be required.

Can the on-site orientations for two different courses be combined?

• No. Faculty members must hold separate orientations for different courses.

What happens if the instructor cannot attend the scheduled orientation session?

• Instructors are expected to honor the on-site orientation meetings published in the Course Schedule Note; these meetings are regarded as a contract with the community. If an emergency situation arises and the DL instructor is unable to attend the orientation, or if the instructor was added late and had binding prior commitments, he/she is responsible for finding an appropriate substitute to conduct the orientation, and providing the substitute's name to the DL Administrative Assistant as soon as possible. Distance Learning recommends the substitute have experience teaching a DL course.
• Saturday RGC orientations only: If no substitute can be located, the faculty member may forward the appropriate number of course syllabi to the DL Administrative Assistant; she will distribute the orientation materials to the students in attendance, and gather their contact information for the instructor. The faculty member is responsible for following-up with the students.

What if an emergency occurs on the day of the course orientation and the faculty member is unable to contact the DL Administrative Assistant?

• If the emergency situation occurs during the Saturday RGC meeting, the DL Administrative Assistant is on-site and makes rounds. When it is discovered that no instructor is present, the DL Administrative Assistant takes the students' contact information and explains that the instructor will contact them as soon as possible. The DL Administrative Assistant sends the student contact information to the absent instructor.
• If a faculty member has an emergency during an evening orientation, he/she should contact the Campus Manager's office so appropriate notice can be posted for students. The Campus Manager's office forwards the list of student contact information to the DL Administrative Assistant, who sends it to the instructor.
• The faculty member is responsible for contacting each student, and making arrangements to provide the syllabus and other orientation materials in a timely manner. The faculty member may conduct a telephone orientation, or may send orientation materials to students via fax, mail, or email as appropriate. The faculty member may ask if the student is willing to meet on campus during office hours, but may not mandate it. If the instructor offers more than one orientation for the same course, the students in the cancelled session can attend the other meeting, but cannot be required to do so. Faculty requiring assistance in contacting students should complete an Early Intervention Request Form.