The majority of the online courses at TCL are based on a platform called Blackboard on the World Wide Web. Course materials are uploaded onto the WebCT platform and are then accessible to the students and instructors from any computer that is properly configured and has the appropriate software and access to the web. All of our online courses are hosted locally on TCL's own server.

Online courses have been developed for many of the subjects taught at TCL, although all of them will not necessarily be available every semester. Online courses generally require that the students buy a textbook in addition to the material that is presented to them "online". In addition, they are generally informed of and submit their assignments online. Many of the quizzes and tests of the course will be given online, however some of the instructors require their students to take written final exams on campus. Most of the instructors make use of in-course email, discussions and bulletin boards to communicate back and forth with their students. In some cases, instructors will also require participation in Chat Rooms online.

The password for your online and/or web-enhanced course(s) is the first initial of your last name typed as a lowercase letter and the last three numbers of your social security number. For example, the password for Tony Johnson with a social security number of 123-45-6789 is j789 and the password for John Smith-Jones with a social security number of 234-56-7890 is s890.

Logon to your myblackboard page and then click on the hyperlink for the course on which you will be working. This will display the home page for that course. Some courses may require an Access Code, which should come bundled with your textbook, the first time you attempt to access the course. Enter the code when requested, but take care to duplicate exactly what is provided with special emphasis on case and alpha characters. If you encounter any problems, contact the help desk.

On the home page you will find a group of icons that displays the primary areas of your course. It is a good idea to first visit the Syllabus that your instructor has put together for you by clicking on the Syllabus icon. In general, the Syllabus provides you with information about the instructor, the class, its goals and the course requirements including textbook information. Your may want to print a copy of the Syllabus for later reference. After studying the Syllabus, return to the Course home page by clicking on the word Home under the Course Identification in the upper left corner of that right side of the page. You should then visit the Course Calendar by clicking on the Calendar icon. The calendar provides you with information about when assignments are due, when chat rooms will be held, when papers are due and when quizzes and tests are given. Your instructor may choose to add other general information to the calendar so that it is available to all members of the class. After familiarizing yourself with the calendar, you can then proceed using the icons to begin your course work. If you have any problems with the operation of any of the features of the course, you should contact the Help Desk.

If you have any trouble accessing your course, entering a required access code, or if any of the features of the course do not appear to be working, contact the Online Course Help Desk by telephone at 843-525-8344, via email at helpdesk@tcl.edu or visit us in Building 1, Room 210 during our office hours. You may also leave a voice mail message giving us your name, the time and date of your call, the course you are having a problem with, the particulars of your problem, a telephone number where you can be reached during the Online Course Help Desk office hours, and the most convenient time for us to return your call during those office hours. The Online Course Help Desk office hours are Sunday through Thursday 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. If there is a change in Online Course Help Desk office hours for any reason, there will be an announcement in the Announcements area of your "myblackboard" page. In case you should forget, the hours are posted on the Online Students page of the TCL Website and in the Announcements area of your "myblackboard" page.

If, however, you are having trouble with the content of your course, completing your assignments, completing your quizzes and tests, participating in Chat Rooms or Course Discussions or simply falling behind in your class; you should contact your instructor. You will generally find his or her office location, office hours, email address and office telephone number in the syllabus of your course.