Burlington County College Distance Learning Department

Internet Courses | Video Courses | Audio Courses | Telecourses | Contact Us

WELCOME TO DISTANCE LEARNING!

What is Distance Learning?

Distance Learning at Burlington County College was started in 1978 to enable students to earn college credits without having to attend class on campus. Distance Learning courses are fully accredited college courses. Currently there are over 80 distance learning courses offered in a variety of formats including internet, video, audio, and telecourses. BCC is committed to adding new courses at every opportunity. See the current semester list of courses located on the Distance Learning webpage.

To be successful at Distance Learning you should be:
    Organized
    Motivated
    Independent
    Self disciplined
    Able to learn from written directions.

If you are enrolled in a video, telecourse, or audio course you will be receiving a syllabus in the mail with specific instructions from your instructor. Be sure to study your syllabus for assignments and due dates. Some instructors prefer to use the Test Center for exams while others send at-home tests and assignments. Please submit your assignments and tests as instructed in your syllabus.

If you are enrolled in an internet course you will find your course materials, including the syllabus, online. Testing can be online or in the Test Center.

If your instructor requires testing in the Test Center :
    Make sure of dates when your test will be active.
    Must have a student I.D.
    Bring #2 pencils.
    Bring the document number for your test or know how to look it up outside of the Test Center .

faqs

Some FAQ’s:

1. I have registered for distance learning courses. What is the next step? A: About 1-2 weeks before the start of class you will a letter containing important information about your course from the Distance Learning Office. If you are taking a video, audio, or telecourse a syllabus will be mailed to you. No syllabi are mailed to internet course students as the syllabi are online. If you haven’t received course information/materials by the first day of class, please contact us as soon as possible.

2. Where can I purchase my textbook? Textbook information will be sent to you prior to the start of class. You may purchase your textbooks at either the Pemberton or Mt. Laurel Campus Bookstore.

3. I am taking a video course. Where do I get the videos and is there a fee? You may rent the videos from the Distance Learning Office by coming in person to the Pemberton Campus (Library, Room 107) during business hours, or you may order them over the telephone (if you are paying by credit card), or you may order them from the Mt. Laurel Campus Library. The cost is $50 and you will receive a $25 refund when you return them on time at the end of the semester.

4. I have questions about my assignments. Whom do I contact? Contact your instructor if you have any questions about assignments or exams. Use the contact information found in the syllabus.

5. I have general questions about distance learning. Contact the Distance Learning Office at 609 894 9311, ext. 1790. We will be happy to answer your questions! Please view the Distance Learning Orientation located at our webpage (go to www.bcc.edu and click on the link for Distance Learning, then click on the link for the orientation).

6. I’ve moved. To whom do I give my new address? A: You must change your address at the Registration Office at either the Pemberton or Mt. Laurel campus or you may fax it to 609 726-0401. Distance Learning cannot change your address.

Responsibilities of students include the following guidelines:

Guidelines and Hints for Success for Distance Learning Students

*Do not fall behind with your assignments as there will be no one to remind you of due dates on your assignments and exams.

*Keep a copy of all your work. It is the student’s responsibility to have a copy of his/her work should it need to be resubmitted. Be sure to put your name, course number and section, and instructor’s name on all of your assignments.

*Unless otherwise instructed by your professor, everything you submit should be your own work. There are strong penalties for cheating (consult the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook for a complete discussion of violations and sanctions).

*When e-mailing your instructor or the Distance Learning Office, please DO NOT put the words TEST, EXAM, QUIZ or Assignment in the subject line - this will cause the email to be identified as SPAM and it may not be delivered. Simply put your course name, and section number and your name in the subject line (Example: ENG 101-27 Amanda Smith). Use your BCC email address whenever possible.

*If you think you should have received something from our office, and have not, please contact us immediately! (609) 894-9311, ext. 1790.

*If you are new to Online courses please take the time to watch the narrated, tutorial videos on using WebCt/Blackboard Learning System at http://staff.bcc.edu/webct. The videos are located at the bottom of that page. Each video is about 10 minutes long. Watching them before your course starts will save you lots of time later on! The tutorial videos are also located at the Distance Learning webpage (go to www.bcc.edu and click on the link for Distance Learning).

*If you are taking a video course you may want to ask your instructor about setting up a voluntary study group (especially helpful with language courses).

*Assignments can be dropped off at the Distance Learning Office, 9:00am-4:45pm, M-F. or you may drop off your assignments at the Pemberton Campus Library ONLY during library hours. There is an assignment log-in book that you will write in the assignment you are delivering. However, you should submit your assignments using the delivery method described in your course syllabus.

*Resolution of academic disputes begins with the course instructor. If the issue is not resolved satisfactorily, you may contact the Academic Dean for further assistance.

How to Reach the Distance Learning Office:
Telephone:
609-894-9311 extension 1790 or 1692 to reach staff members
Address:
Office of Distance Learning
Burlington County College
601 Pemberton-Browns Mills Rd.
Pemberton, NJ 08068
E-mail:
kdevone@bcc.edu
OR
dlearn@bcc.edu
Internet Web Page:
http://staff.bcc.edu/distance
Fax:
609-894-4189

Video Courses are fully accredited college credit courses. They include video presentations, readings in textbook and study guide, assignments to do at home, testing at home or in the Test Center and communication with an on-campus instructor/mentor. Syllabi are mailed to the student. Students who are registered for these courses may view the videos/DVDs in our libraries or rent the full set of video tapes for this class from The Distance Learning Office.

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Audio Courses are fully accredited college credit courses. They include audio presentations, readings in a textbook, assignments to do at home, and communication with an on-campus instructor/mentor. Syllabi will be mailed to the student. Students who are registered for these courses may borrow the audio cassettes from the Pemberton College Library.

Back to "What is Distance Learning"

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Internet Courses are fully accredited college credit courses. You will be interacting with your instructor over the Internet. Internet courses are designated by a section number of 16, 17 OR 18 on our course schedule. We recommend the following personal computer system to take full advantage of these courses:

a personal computer with Windows 95 or Macintosh OS 9 or later
modem and e-mail capability
Microsoft Word or compatible word processing software
a web browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer - version 7.2 or higher)
Internet service provider
JAVA
Must be able to accept ‘cookies’ and ‘pop-ups’

Additional information for BCC’s internet courses:

All course information is online. Students access a course website for the syllabus, assignments, the course calendar, and the online equivalent of lecture notes.
Some courses have online tests or quizzes, others require testing in the Test Center .
Students participate in course bulletin boards or chat rooms, interacting with the instructor and other students.
Students either e-mail their assignments to the instructor or post them to the course website.
Students also have access to the instructor by phone or may make arrangements to meet with the instructor in person.
All courses require purchase of a textbook. Some also require a CD-ROM.

Who Should Take These Courses?

Ø Are you a relatively skilled computer user, able to browse the Internet easily and use word processing?

Ø Do you have your own Internet access?

Ø Does your schedule make attending classes on a regular basis difficult?

IS YOUR CLASS DESIGNATED BY A SECTION NUMBER 18?

If your class is designated by a section 18 (for example, PHI 101 - 18) then your class is part of the New Jersey Virtual Community College Consortium (NJVCCC). This means that you have registered through BCC but the class is taught at another college. You will do the course work via the internet and then your grade will be sent back to BCC and recorded as a BCC grade.

More about the NJVCCC
In order to increase the access to education for those with time and/or place constraints, the community colleges in New Jersey has formed a consortium to share courses. Students receive their degrees from one of the colleges, although they may have taken courses at one or more of the other colleges. BCC students should SEEK SUPPORT from Burlington County College , including library services, proctored testing, advisement, counseling, registration, etc. (NJVCCC is not a degree granting institution.) Visit the NJVCCC web site at http://www.njvccc.cc.nj.us/ for more information about the Consortium.

Important: You should be receiving mail from the provider college about your section 18 course prior to the start of your course. The course will probably be designated by a different name at their institution. There may be different start and end dates for your course. Most of the NJVCCC classes will be taught over the WebCT Server so it may be helpful for you to continue through this orientation.

IS YOUR CLASS DESIGNATED BY A SECTION NUMBER 16 or 17?

If your class is designated by a section 16 or 17 (for example, ART 101 - 17) it is an internet class that will be taught from Burlington County College .

BCC uses the following servers for internet courses:

For CIS 101-16, CIS 101-17, CIS 140-17 or MTH 075-17, a Pageout server is used. Specific login instructions will be mailed from the Distance Learning Office.
If you are registered for any other section 17 class, it will be taught via the WebCT/Blackboard Learning System. Instructions for login are available at http://staff.bcc.edu/webct and will also be mailed from the Distance Learning Office.

Please Note: You cannot login to an internet course before the first day of class.

IF YOU HAVE NEVER TAKEN AN ONLINE COURSE BEFORE USING WEBCT/BLACKBOARD: please watch the narrated tutorial videos located at the BCC website: http://staff.bcc.edu/webct or from the Distance Learning page at http://staff.bcc.edu/distance/ The videos show how to use the many tools in Webct/Blackboard and will save you valuable time later on! Please visit this site often for the most up-to-date information about BCC’s online courses.

Remember: your User Name is public information, but your Password is not! Always keep your password a secret, unless otherwise instructed by your professor.

The latest information about computer requirements and technical support is located at: http://staff.bcc.edu/webct

Remember that browsers cache (save) web pages to the local hard drive. If your professor has made changes overnight, you might not notice them because your browser is loading the old cached pages. Press the Refresh or Reload button on your browser if you are visiting a WebCT/Blackboard page on a new day.

Understand that your professor may have designed the web course using different software than you use. Also understand that they were most likely on a fast network, while you are connected via a modem. This means:

When you view a web page it may not look exactly like what your teacher or other students see.
You should look for scroll bars on the sides and bottom of your browser window to make sure that you are not missing data, which is outside your normal window size.
Please be patient while large files load. Some may take 5-10 minutes!
You may want to provide polite and constructive feedback to your professor about the look of his or her WebCT/Blackboard page(s).

If you are taking more than one WebCT course, or sharing a computer with others who are also taking Web CT courses you must:

Shut down (close) your browser if you want to change courses.
Shut down your browser if you leave your computer unattended.
Shut down your browser before allowing someone else to log onto a course.

Please inform your professor or the Educational Technology Center (extension 7782) if you come up with any tips or tricks that might help other students!

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Telecourses are fully accredited college credit courses. They include television presentations, readings in textbook and study guide, assignments to do at home, testing at home or in the Test Center and communication with an on-campus instructor/mentor. Syllabi are mailed to students. A select number of BCC's telecourses are broadcast over NJN each semester. Some students will program their VCR to tape them and watch them at their convenience. Telecourses broadcast on NJN may be pre-empted. It is the student’s responsibility to watch the video segments. Copies are available to watch in either campus Library or available to rent from the Distance Learning Office.

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