New Student Online Learning
Welcome to Augusta Tech! At some point during your enrollment here, you will take a distance education class. Grades, assignments, announcements, and other course information for most Distance Education classes will be on Blackboard Den.
We offer a variety of class types to meet your scheduling and learning preferences.
Class types:
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Campus (CA) – classes meet on campus for most contact hours and use Blackboard Den for some content and assignments. No Badge required.
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Blended (BL) – classes meet on campus or at a specific time online for a portion of the contact hours, but most teaching content and assignments are asynchronous in Blackboard Den. Students are required to participate in both the synchronous and the asynchronous portions. Badge required.
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Online Asynchronous (OA) – classes are fully online. There are no required live class meetings. Due dates are weekly. There will be 1 to 3 proctored exams for the course. Badge is required.
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OWL – online classes, as above, but students have the option to attend a lecture once a week. Badge is required.
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Online Synchronous (OS) - classes are fully online. Live meetings are required on days and times scheduled in Banner. There will be 1 to 3 proctored exams for the course. Badge is required.
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ECampus – online classes, either synchronous or asynchronous as above, but through a different Blackboard link.
Badge: Badge is a training course that introduces students to policies and technologies used for online courses at Augusta Tech. Badge takes 2-3 hours to complete. There is no charge for Badge. You must register for courses before you can take Badge Training. You must complete Badge Training before the first week of the semester ends. It is preferable if you complete Badge Training before the semester starts.
To register for Badge, go to Blackboard Den and self enroll. Use your Smartweb user name and password to log in.
Online Course Procedures:
- Make sure you use the right link: Blackboard Den or eCampus (a schedule example is here: http://b97.gregorybgallagher.com/academics/blackboard-ecampus.cms)
- Your courses will appear under Course List on the first day of class. ECampus course dates may vary: check your schedule.
- You are responsible for protecting your privacy and academic security. Do not share passwords or personal identification information.
First Week: Log into Blackboard and get started right away. Do not wait for your instructor to contact you. You need to submit your weekly assignments to establish attendance to remain enrolled in online class(es), so prompt attention is important.
Drop/Add period: If you add a course during drop/add period, email your instructor to let him or her know you are joining the class late. If you withdraw from a class and still see it in your Blackboard course list, email distanceed@gregorybgallagher.com to have the course removed.
Instructor Contact: You will have access to instructors by e-mail or by appointment with the instructor on campus or web conference. Maintaining contact with your instructor is important for successful completion of a distance education course. You will find your instructor’s contact information once you are in the course.
Proctored Assignments: Online students are required to attend any proctored events required by their instructor. Students will have to provide a picture ID for proctored event(s). Any proctored events that would be proctored by your instructor will take place at the campus of their instructor. Students that need to be proctored outside our college’s service area must locate an official proctoring site in their area – the public library, other colleges, military base education site, etc. and provide instructors the contact information in advance. Students will be responsible for any fees associated with using an outside proctoring site. Students who do not submit the proctored assignment are not eligible for a passing grade in an online class. Some instructors may offer proctoring options through a video submission or using a Lockdown browser. The Lockdown browser download will be available in the class.
Technical Support: If you are experiencing problems with Badge or Blackboard, please complete the Help Form on the Login page of Blackboard or visit the Success Center
Withdrawal Procedure: Use Smartweb to drop the course. Continue to check your Banner schedule in Smartweb to be sure that you have been withdrawn.
An online course is one delivered online using web pages, e-mail, online discussion forums, etc. Augusta Technical College offers a selection of full-credit college courses as a flexible alternative to traditional, on-campus classes. Augusta Tech uses the Blackboard learning management system for all courses.
Online courses cover the same content as their traditional counterparts on campus. Class sizes are limited so that instructors can provide the same level of personal interactions as they do in the traditional classroom. This personal interaction is accomplished using e-mail, online discussion forums and other technologies available to instructors and students
Students "attend" online courses by accessing the class web pages and completing assignments according to the class schedule. Students communicate regularly with the instructor and classmates via e-mail and online discussion forums.
Augusta Technical College's online courses are not self-paced, independent study courses. Students are required to complete assignments according to the class schedule, to maintain regular contact with the instructor, and to participate in online class discussions.
Taking a course over the Internet requires the ability to work independently and to devise your own regular schedule for "attending" class and completing assignments. Badge Training is required prior to registration for an online course. In Badge, you will be able to determine whether you have the skills and temperate necessary to thrive online.
A desktop or laptop computer with reliable internet access. Blackboard has an app for viewing classes on a mobile device, but tests and assignments must be done on a computer. Note: Some courses may have additional hardware/software requirements. Please contact the instructors of each course listing for special requirements.
All courses require at least 1, and up to 3, proctored events on-campus. Out of state students may request to have events proctored at a testing center in that state.
You are required to keep up with the class schedule and to complete assignments before specified due dates. Some classes may have several due dates each week; others may require work once per week. You can choose the time of day or night you want to log on to the Internet to work on an assignment, but you must complete it and submit it by the specified date and time.
After you have completed Badge, use the dynamic schedule in Smartweb to register. The instructions for the dynamic schedule are located in the left sidebar.
Online courses cost the same as traditional Augusta Technical College courses -- they are priced according to the number of credit hours. Credit hours are listed in the catalogue for each class.
NOTICE: Some courses use books that require an "Access Key." This Access Key is ONLY available with new books, or purchased directly from the publisher. It is your responsibility to check with the instructor of your course to determine if the course will require an Access Key.
Important Policy Notes for Students
- Students will have access to their courses in Blackboard on the first day of the term. Courses will not appear before the term begins.
- All online courses require presentation of a picture ID for completion of proctored activities. Students must complete proctored activities in order to be eligible to pass an online course.
- Students are not allowed to give their Blackboard user names or passwords to anyone.
Online Learning Student Code of Conduct
- A student’s password will allow access only to his/her own account.
- Students should not give out their passwords or allow any other person, including family members, to access their account for any reason.
- It is a violation of section II. B. 5. K. 1. f of the student code of conduct policy for any student to log in to a course as another student.
- It is also a violation of the policy for a student to permit another person to log in to a course using the password belonging to the student registered for the course or interact in the course in any way.
- It is a violation of section II. B. 5. K. 2 of the student code of conduct policy for any student to plagiarize another person’s work and to incorporate that work unacknowledged in one’s own work offered for credit.
Online Learning Testing Rules
- Any proctored events that would be proctored by your instructor will take place at the campus of their instructor. Students that need to be proctored outside our college’s service area must locate an official proctoring site in their area – the public library, other colleges, military base education site, etc. and provide instructors the contact information in advance. Students will be responsible for any fees associated with using an outside proctoring site.
- GA Technical schools transient students are proctored through their home school and need to contact instructors in advance.
- Other transient students must locate an official proctoring site in their area – the public library, other colleges, military base education site, etc. and provide instructors the contact information in advance. Students will be responsible for any fees associated with using an outside proctoring site.
- A Proctored Exam Request form is available in the resource section of the Center for Online Learning and Innovation on the Augusta Tech website.
- Student’s picture ID will be checked prior to the administering of any proctored activity.
Distance Education Online Attendance Policy
To complete this class successfully, students are required to participate in Blackboard and complete assignments within a weekly period (7 calendar days). Academic submissions, not course login, verify a student’s presence and participation. The date of the last academic submission will serve as the last date of attendance for students who withdraw from an online course or complete the course with an F.
Distance Education Student-Initiated Withdrawal from Course(s)
Student-Initiated Withdrawal from Courses: It is the student's responsibility to initiate an official withdraw from any course utilizing the SmartWeb Banner Registration portal.
Academic Honesty Statement
HONOR PLEDGE:
It is my honor to be an Augusta Technical College student. I pledge to do honor to myself, my classmates, and my college by doing my best and by following the college’s honor code. I will not dishonor myself or my college by lying, cheating, stealing, or doing harm to another person or property. I understand that following an honor code is a reflection of my work ethics which is important to my success on the job and in life.
Student Authentication and Privacy Information
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Augusta Technical College protects the privacy of students enrolled in distance education courses by insuring the privacy and integrity of the communications and records used within the approved Learning Management System (LMS) course. Augusta Technical College also adheres to the Georgia Virtual Technical Connection (GVTC) Privacy Policy.
Personal information is specific to the user. No personal identifiable information is visibly displayed within a distance education course unless the student voluntarily provides the information through a Discussion Forum or other means of interaction within a course. Students are required to use only course or College email for communication. Any other personal identifiable information residing within a course is restricted to LMS administrators and is not shared with any source outside of the Technical College System of Georgia.
Every student registered in a distance education course at the College receives a unique login. The identification number assigned to students allows them access to their course content which resides within the College LMS. The password provided is unique. Students change the password by answering secret questions or making a request through the IT Helpdesk. Students may change their password at any time.
Testing Policy
Students are required to attend at least one proctored exam for every distance education course. Instructors may give up to three proctored events per semester. The student must show picture identification prior to accessing the exam. Any student who needs to complete their proctored event off campus must complete a Proctored Event Request Form located in the Online Resources tab that is available in every distance education course site. Students will be responsible for any fees associated with using an outside proctoring site. Picture identification is required prior to the student accessing the exam at any proctoring site.
There are no additional fees associated with the authentication of student identification.