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Vista Tutorial

SBCC Pipeline Login Instructions:
SBCC Pipeline is the primary interface you have with the college. It includes all the information about the college, including deadlines, a free email account, announcements, etc.
 All students are given a free SBCC Pipeline account. You will gain access to all of your courses once you have logged into SBCC Pipeline.

If you are unable to access Pipeline after folowing the directions below, and need immediate access to your course, you may use this direct link to the Vista Login Page.
Please bookmark this page.

Step 1.
Connect to the Internet and launch your browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozzilla Foxfire or Netscape).
Go to http://www.sbcc.edu and Click on the Pipeline link.
It’s on the left hand navigation bar.
Bookmark this link for later use.
Step 2.
Determine your user name and Password:
For NEW SBCC STUDENTS - You can click on “Determine Your User Name and Password” on the Login Screen or follow these instructions:
 
Your username and password are initially the same:
The first letter of your first name + the first four letters of your last name + the last five digits of your Social Security Number
 
Example – Name: Joe Student 
   Social Security Number: 123-45-6789
   User Name and Password: jstud56789
 
You will be asked to change your password the first time you log on. Please follow the instructions and make sure your password is at least 5 characters long and contains both letters and a number. Then, click on Save Changes.
 
For RETURNING STUDENTS – Your username and password should be the same from last semester.  If you changed your password and can’t remember what it is, call (805) 965-0581, ext. 2949 or email online@sbcc.edu to have it reset.
 Step 3.
 First time users will see the Student Computer Use Policy. You will need to click on the “Accept Policy” button located at the bottom.  If you are a returning student, you will not see this screen. 
Step 4.
 The first screen you will see when you log in is the “My Pipeline” area.
To get to your classes, click on the “My Courses” tab.
Step 5.
 Once in “My Courses”, click on the link provided for your class.
 
You will now be redirected to the Vista Login Page.  Please be sure you FOLLOW THE LISTED STEPS BEFORE YOU LOGIN THE FIRST TIME.
 
To login to Vista, click the link that says “Log into SBCC Vista”.  Once on the entry page, click the “Log In” button.
 
Your username and password are initially the same:
The first letter of your first name + the first four letters of your last name + the last five digits of your Social Security Number
 
Example – Name: Joe Student 
   Social Security Number: 123-45-6789
   User Name and Password: jstud56789
 
You will be asked to change your password the first time you log on. Please follow the instructions and make sure your password is at least 5 characters long and contains both letters and a number.

For ease of remembering your passwords for both CAMPUS PIPELINE ACCOUNT and your VISTA LOGIN, we STRONGLY suggest you use the same password you used above for your Campus Pipeline account.
 
If you are having technical difficulties, please contact the Online College Support at:
 Online College Student Support
(805) 965-0581, extension 2949
Toll-free line: (877) 232-3919
E-mail: online@sbcc.edu
 
Technical support is available Monday – Friday from 8am–5pm and Saturdays from 9am-2pm, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.  Please LEAVE A VOICEMAIL if you reach the message service. Someone will call you back.


WebCT VISTA Tutorial
Please read through the following orientation to help familarize yourself with the WebCT Vista Environment.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VISTA CLOCK IS ON EASTERN STANDARD TIME!
Example:
A 6:00 pm posted deadline for Assignments and Quizzes,ACTUALLY means a 3:00 pm deadline Pacific time.

Check Time / Date -  Many people have computers that are not set to the accurate time and date.  Should you be trying to meet an assignment deadline or take a quiz within the window of availability, your computer's time and date need to be set properly.

MyWebCT Vista Page
The page below is an example of what the first page will look like. It is called MyWebCT page and will list all of your distance learning courses on Vista. Look around at the options you have on the page and notice the Course List.

Not only does it show the course names and instructor, but also icons for new items for students to open.

This icon shows a new assessment(grade)

This icon shows a discussion posting .

Once you click on the course link, the course will open. Like any traditional class or other WebCT Classes, things will always be different.

However, pay attention, explore your course and read everything until you're comfortable with where things are and what they do.

Contact the Online College Help Desk if you get confused. Below is some information about basic navigation.

Basic Navigation
Learning to navigate a WebCT Vista course is important before beginning a credit distance learning class. Everything you need should be accessible from the homepage or breadcrumbs or course toolbar, on each page.

ALWAYS use the HELP link at the top right of the blue bar first, to help you with any questions.

Breadcrumbs is the term WebCT uses to refer to the trail of visited pages, as in the story of Hansel and Gretel. You can use the breadcrumbs to return to a page you've already visited. Notice: the icon of a house above the breadcrumbs. Clicking on that will take the user back to the HomePage.

The Dropdown Toggle appears on many of the pages and will expand a menu or table of contents in the left area of the screen. On the HomePage, it will deactivate the Go-to dropdown box.
The dropdown toggle, opens the Course Menu in a frame. This is an option on most pages of the course. Click the toggle to open it and click to close.

The Go to dropdown box also opens the course menu, but only shows content and not each content item.

Course Toolbar is a menu of all the tools presently being used in the course. Each instructor will activate and use different tools in different ways. Become familiar with the icons used for the specific tools.
Notice:More Tools>> means when the arrows are clicked additional tools will be visible.

Items in the course toolbar and what they are:


Announcements are course-wide notices sent by the Section Instructor or Teaching Assistant. Announcements appear in your My WebCT, on the Announcements screen, or they can appear as a pop-up message when you log into the course.
Announcements usually include important information pertaining to your course.


The Assessments tool is used to deliver online tests on course content. There are three types of assessments in WebCT:

* Quizzes: online tests for which grades are assigned.
* Surveys: anonymous online tests for which no grades are assigned.
* Self tests: assessments for which you receive a grade but the grade is not recorded or counted towards your final grade in the course. Self tests are merely to give you the chance to test your knowledge and understanding of course content.

Assignments
This is where you will locate all exercises and projects.
This Printer Friendly version will explain how to use the Assignment Tool.


The Chat and Whiteboard tool allows you to communicate in real-time with other users in the course. You can use Chat to engage in real-time conversations with all users or selected users. You can also use Whiteboard, to draw objects, enter text, and import images that can be viewed in real-time by other users.

Chatting Online
Students and/or instructors may use real-time chat. Instructors use them for online office hours and for meetings with students and other members of the faculty.
Real-time chat is a feature that many students new to cyberspace find a bit intimidating at first. Once you get used to real-time chat, it can be fun and easy. Each course has six (6) chat rooms. There is a general chat room for the course that is identified by the course section number. This chat room is open to all registered students in the course, the course instructor and the online tutor.

It is important that you "logout" of each room before going to the next. If you jump from room to room your will actually be logged into all of them and the chat rooms will fill up with "ghosts" making them inaccessible to real students.

TIP: Cutting and pasting can also be used in chat room discussions and some students find it easier as they can edit their sentences before they post them. To do this, open your word processing program document and type what you want to say and then cut and paste it into the chat room discussion area. Your word processing program can be open while you are in the chat room so you can go back and forth between the two applications. Please remember that spelling and punctuation is not really important in the chat room, but it is important to keep the conversation flowing


The Discussions tool provides asynchronous communication between Section Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Students. With the Discussions tool, you can post and read messages.

The Discussions tool is divided into discussion categories, discussion topics, and discussion messages. Discussion categories can be used to group related discussion topics, but topics can also exist on their own. Topics can be a question or the introduction of a new concept to which you can post messages. By default, discussion messages are presented in threads, which are a series of replies to the same subject, allowing you to follow the discussion.

With the Discussions tool, you can:
* read messages posted by your Section Instructors, Teaching Assistants and other Students.
* create a printable view of messages that you can print or download.
* post messages relating to a particular question or idea that can be viewed by the entire class.
* if working collaboratively on a project, discuss ideas with other members in your group.
* receive feedback on your ideas from other Student/discussion participants/Section Instructor.
* receive a grade based on your participation in a discussion topic.


Mail allows you to communicate with other WebCT Vista users via written correspondence, in text or HTML format, and file attachments. You can send mail to other users in the selected course or section.

Mail can be used to exchange messages with other WebCT Vista users, but it cannot be used to exchange messages over the Internet. This ensures that you do not receive undesired or irrelevant messages from external sources and contributes to the stability of the messaging system by limiting exposure to viruses.


The Search tool allows you to conduct a search for data within course components. For example, if you remember sending a discussion message regarding Assignment Five, but you can't recall in which discussion topic you posted the message, you can do a keyword search to retrieve the message.

You can access the Search tool from two locations:
* from within tools: Within searchable tools you will see a Search text box where you can enter search terms to perform a search and retrieve data from within that tool only. Search is available within Assessmments, Discussions, and Mail.
* from the Course Toolbar: If the Search tool has been added to the Course Toolbar, you can access it from there, which gives you access to the advanced search functionality. To perform an advanced search, you must enter search terms, select the area of records you want to search, and select the area of the course you want to search. You can also apply date restrictions and specify preferences for viewing results. When you access Search form the Course Toolbar, your search will retrieve data from the following tools: Assessments, Assignments, Content File, Discussions, Mail, and Media Library.


Syllabus is used to provide students with information about the course, including course goals, grading policies, required texts, and recommended readings.


The Who's Online tool allows you to participate in a real-time chat session with other users who are logged in to WebCT Vista.

The Who's Online screen displays the following information:
* Name: the name of each user who is online.
* Role: each user's role.
* Available: each user's availability to chat.
* Online Since: the time that each user logged in to WebCT Vista.
* Busy: if a user already has the maximum number of chat sessions open (five), an icon is displayed to inform other users.
* Idle Time: the amount of time that each user is inactive in the Who's Online tool. Note: The time is accurate within 10 minutes.

If users are online and set their online status to Visible, their names appear on the list of online users. If users are online but set their online status to Invisible, their names do not appear on the list.

When you open to your Vista course, investigate all the links. Read messages from your instructor and reply and make your comments and questions known. Don't hesitate to call the Online College Help Desk to ask questions about navigating your Vista Course.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VISTA CLOCK IS ON EASTERN STANDARD TIME!