MOOC's: Getting Started

This guide contains instructions that will assist you in familiarizing yourself with the learning environment, communicating with others, taking assessments, checking grades and getting technical support. Before you get started, make sure to review the Policies section that contains important information about rules for misconduct and netiquette guidelines. It is important for students to understand the rules and regulations when taking an FIU Online MOOC (Massive Open Online Course).

For students enrolled before July 27, 2015, please visit CourseSites to get answers to frequently asked questions. For those students enrolled after July 27, 2015, please visit Open Education to get answers to frequently asked questions.

Open Education Blackboard

FIU Online MOOC's are hosted on Open Education Blackboard.

To learn more about the technologies required and/or available in Open Education platform, visit Blackboard’s Browser Support and What's new in Learn.
If you enrolled in a MOOC before July 27, 2015 and encounter technical difficulties or have any questions on the features above, please contact CourseSites support.
If you enrolled in a MOOC after July 27, 2015 and encounter technical difficulties or have any questions on the features above, please contact Open Education support.

On Demand Learning Center

Learn the basics of your online course with these On Demand Learning Center tutorial videos.

Such tutorials include:

Navigating the Course Environment
Staying Organized
Communicating Online
Taking Assessments
Setting Preferences

The Blackboard Best Practice guide has useful tips on How to Succeed on Your Online course.

Groups Tool

Blackboard provides a Groups Tool, that can be used for a group to collaborate within the course, where all students in that group can view, contribute, and edit: files, blogs, discussion boards, group journals, tasks, a wiki, and send email to group members.

The Groups tool allows you to be organized into groups. Groups are set up as Self-Enroll which allows you to add yourself to the group of your choice.

Private File exchange
Group Discussion Board
Group Journal

Groups Areas:

Group Properties: includes a description, members, and quick access to email all group members.
Group Tools: contains the tools that have been enabled to help you collaborate privately such as File Exchange, Blog, Discussion Board, Journals, and Wiki.
Group Assignments: contains assignments released to the group members; only the members of that group have access to the group's assignments.

Software Resources

Browsers
		Internet Explorer
		Firefox
		Google Chrome
		Safari
Mobile Devices
		Blackboard Mobile Learn
		Educational Software
Players & Plug-Ins
		Flash Player
		Java
		Respondus Lockdown Browser

Video Everywhere

Video Everywhere is a feature that allows you to record video and upload it directly to YouTube. Video Everywhere provides the ability to:

Record a video using a webcam and have it seamlessly embedded in course materials, interactions, and feedback through the content editor.
Reuse previously recorded videos by choosing from one’s own “library” of videos.

To get started, read How to Record and Upload video into a Coursesite or Open Education textbox.