Technical Requirements: Check your computer is ready by looking at the specifications list.
Log In: (using your TCU Network Credentials)
Student Orientation Tutorial for TCU Online: If you have not yet taken the TCU Online Student Orientation Tutorial, please do so now. To access it, click on the Orientations semester OR view all courses in your My Courses widget visible upon logging in to TCU Online. Click on the "Student Orientation Tutorial” to enter the orientation course. Follow the instructions in the course. You can return to this tutorial at any time.
This class will make extensive use of TCU Online. As a result, you should plan to login to the course website before each synchronous class and before doing any work for the class. The course calendar, assignments, and class activities will all be posted there. You will also need to turn in your work, as directed, to TCU Online, and I will use the Gradebook to keep track of your grades. Any updates or changes to the course will appear under Announcements. I will also create a Virtual Office under Discussions where you can post questions about the course. Note that you can access a link to our Zoom classes through the Dropdown menu under “People.”
If you experience any technical problems while using TCU Online, please do not hesitate to contact the TCU Online (D2L) Help Desk. They can be reached by phone or chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
If you are working with the Help Desk to resolve a technical issue, make sure to keep me updated on the troubleshooting progress.
If you have a course-related issue (course content, assignment troubles, quiz difficulties) please contact me.
As a student, you should set up your account settings, profile, and notifications. To do this you will login to TCU Online and select your name on the top right of the screen. In the Profile area, you can upload a photo of yourself and add personal information. In the Notifications area, you can add your phone number to receive text messages when grades are given as well as reminder texts for upcoming assignments and quizzes.
Pulse is a phone app which gives you access to the course calendar, assignments, grades, and announcements. This app provides a graph that can help you manage your time. Based on the number of assignments and events on the course calendar for your classes, the graph will display busy times for class work in the upcoming week. You can use this app to manage your daily workload, and it includes the ability to view and access course materials offline. You can download Pulse from the Google Play or Apple Store. You can learn more and download Pulse here.
ReadSpeaker includes a number of tools that can enhance your understanding and comprehension of course materials. ReadSpeaker can create an audio version of content that you can listen to while on a page within a course or that you can download to listen offline. ReadSpeaker can also read Microsoft Office files and PDFs. There are additional tools and features to assist you with reading and focusing in TCU Online, tools that provide support for writing and proofing text, and tools that can read non-TCU Online content aloud. You can learn more about how to use ReadSpeaker tools here.