Online Orientation for
French Online [1A & 1B]

If you have trouble completing any of these steps, please be sure to attend the in-person orientation.

1. Take the "Are you Ready to Learn Online" quizzes to see if online education is for you.

2. Read the Syllabus page and the course FAQ page for general information.

3. Enroll in the course. The CCSF Distance Learning pages are a good source for general info.

4. Just before classes begin, you will receive an automatically generated email sent to your CCSF Gmail account that will explain how to log in to Insight (powered by Moodle).

5. Go through the information on the Insight homepage [http://insight.ccsf.edu] on how to use our new course management tool, Insight (powered by Moodle). Start with the Student Quick Start Guide.

6. Make sure you can record your voice on your computer. If you can't, follow the instructions on the how to record page. You will need speakers (or headset) and microphone for your computer to take this course.

7. Listen to this greeting to see if your browser can handle MP3 audio files.

8. Make sure your computer can conform to the System Requirements on the Insight home page (upper right corner).

9. Go to the Wimba Technical Support site. Choose Wimba Voice, then System Requirements. Make sure your computer has what it takes to run the Wimba Voice Tools.

10. Get your books. (See the syllabus for textbook info. Books are also available on reserve in the CCSF Library. We will be covering chapters Preliminary through Chapter 3. We use the same textbook as all the other sections of French 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 1, 2 at CCSF. But we have a different ISBN that includes materials specifically for the online course. The actual book is the same. Individual chapters may be purchased from CengageBrain for about $8.50 each. The Preliminary Chapter is free!

11. IMPORTANT: The CCSF French program is adopting a new textbook and will be phasing out Allons-y. YOU CAN CONTINUE TO USE ALLONS-Y FOR FRENCH 2A AND FRENCH 2B ONLY IF YOU TAKE THEM IN FALL 2012 AND SPRING 2013. (Or for French 2 during Fall 2012.)

12. Read and familiarize yourself with the grading criteria found on the syllabus.

13. KNOW THE DEADLINES FOR DROPPING THE COURSE. Each semester students stop participating in the course and end up "forgetting" to drop the course. They end up with an "F". Avoid this! If you can't finish the course, drop by the deadlines!

14. Make sure you know where to find the FAQ page, and how to navigate within Insight (powered by Moodle). You are responsible for making sure you complete the homework.

15. Log-in to the course. Note that it can take up to 24 hours after enrollment for your account to be created in Insight. IMPORTANT: Once logged in, be sure to check your CCSFmail acct OR set up CCSFmail to Otherwise, you will not receive course information.

16. Study these language learning tips. Have a great semester!