Welcome New Student! ENGR 2304 Engineering Programming COSC 1336 Fundamentals of Programming I Instructor: Dick Whipple Email: dwhipple@swtjc.cc.tx.us College Phone: (830) 591-7326  Home Phone: (830) 278-3815

Learning at a distance has come a long way since the traditional correspondence courses used snail mail to carry lessons and class work between professor and student.  Now with the Internet and email, the same communication is blazingly fast!  By signing up for this course, you have elected to use distance education and WebCT for the lab portion of COSC 1336/ENGR 2304.  WebCT is a Internet based software application that is specifically designed to deliver courseware on the World Wide Web.  To get started, simply follow the steps below.  You may want to print this page to use as a guide.

An important message to new students:

Read the course requirements below and determine whether this Internet course is right for you.  You must be able to ...

1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of computer operation including email (with attachments) and Internet browsing.
2. Install NetBeans on your personal computer.
3. Have math competency equivalent to high school Algebra I and II.
4. Work responsibly on your own to complete the lab assignments of the course in a timely fashion.

If you do not feel you can meet these requirements, please contact me immediately to review your options.

Getting started with WebCT:

1.    Go to http://www.webct.com/oriented and use one of the tutorials to familiarize yourself with WebCT.

2.  When you feel comfortable with WebCT, go to the WebCT server at http://70.241.209.12/webct/public/home.pl.  Put this link on your favorites list.

3.      Log on using your SWTJC Portal I.D. and password.

4.  Click on my course "Engineering Programming -  ENGR 2304" (same as COSC 1336).

5.  Use the WebCT "Help" as needed for additional help.

6.  Assignments are found in the link "Assignments". 

7.    Also on the WebCT homepage is the syllabus, calendar and email utility.  Use the calendar to keep up with important dates.  Use the WebCT email utility to communicate with me and fellow students.  Class communication with me must be by WebCT email; DO NOT USE MY COLLEGE EMAIL!

8.  "Exams" and your grades are found in "Evaluation Tools".

9.  The "Help" button at the top of the page is a "context help" link.  This means that clicking it will provide helpful information about the page you are viewing.  I expect you to use this feature extensively to gain a better understanding of WebCT.

10.  Spend some time learning to navigate the courseware on WebCT, then proceed to "Assignment 1".  

Now, explore and try things, it's the best way to learn.  Soon you will get the idea and find WebCT an invaluable tool for distance learning.

A special request:

I will greatly appreciate any positive contribution you can make that helps improve the class for future students.  In fact, these contributions will not go unnoticed when time comes for the addition of bonus points to your grade!  WebCT email is a good way to let me know when you have a constructive idea to share.  Thanks!