Students registered for Live/Remote Online Teaching (LRON) courses will learn material online LIVE with an instructor during the scheduled days/times. Students are expected to attend class remotely via video conference. The classes will run similarly to on-campus courses with exams given remotely during class time. Off the virtual class meeting, students are expected to log on to Blackboard to review course materials, submit assignments, and conduct communications on Blackboard. Students are required to have access to a computer and WiFi to successfully participate and earn credit in this course.

Once you are registered to a LRON course, please go through the first three steps of the Orientation for Online Students and then complete the additional steps below to get yourself ready. Live real-time orientation and technology training are also available in the beginning of a semester to help students in need of personal assistance.

Step 1. Check Your Class Meeting Schedule 

The meeting time can be found on your course schedule. To find your course schedule, go to my.ctstate.edu. Logon with your NetID and password. Once you are in my.ctstate.edu, under Student Self-Service, click on Access Registration Dashboard link. Click on View Registration Information. You will see the courses you registered with the instructional method and meeting time. 

Step 2, Know the Technology Platform Used for Your Class 

There are three types of technology platforms that your professor chooses to deliver virtual class meetings: Blackboard Collaborate/Virtual Classroom, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams. Your professor will notify students the platform via college email, the course syllabus or the announcement posted on your Blackboard course. 

Step 3.  Prepare for the Technology Platform

We recommend you use a laptop or a desktop computer with high-speed Internet connection. The laptop and desktop should have a build-in camera and a microphone.  If your computer does have a build-in camera or microphone, you will need to purchase a webcam and a microphone (headset with mic). To engage in live class participation, although it is not required to show your video, you will need to use a mic to “speak” to your professor or fellow students during a live class meeting. 

Step 4. Join the Virtual Class Meeting

Once you know which technology platform your professor will use to provide the LRON course you have registered, you will follow the instructions below to test out the technology before the class starts. Technology platform training is also available within a week before your course starts and during the first week of a semester via Live Real-Time Orientation.

Blackboard Collaborate (Virtual Classroom) is integrated into your Blackboard course. We recommend students use a desktop or a laptop computer to access Blackboard Collaborate. Use Google Chrome (28+) or MS Edge Chromium (12+) to join a Blackboard Collaborate class meeting. To join a Blackboard Collaborate meeting, you will need to log on to your Blackboard course first by going to my.CTState.edu.  Log on using your NetID and password. Once you are in My.ctstate.edu, click on the Blackboard icon. On the Courses page, click on your course. On the course menu, click on Virtual Classroom to enter Blackboard Collaborate page. Then click on the Course Room link (or a class session link). Click on Join Course Room tab to enter the meeting room.  When prompted, click on Allow to grant collaborate access to the microphone and camera on your computer. Then you will be in the Collaborate Meeting room. Click off the tutorial prompts if you do not need to go through the tutorials.  In default, audio and video are turned off. You may turn on the audio by clicking on the microphone icon or turn on the video by clicking on the camera icon – on the control panel – middle-bottom of the screen. Click on the purple icon at the bottom right corner of the screen to see the control panel for Chat and Attendees icon.

Click here for more detailed instructions on how to join a Blackboard Collaborate meeting. You may attend a live real-time orientation to learn Blackboard Collaborate.

To attend a WebEx based virtual class, we recommend students use WebEx app or Google Chrome browser. Click on the WebEx link provided by your professor (in an email or on Blackboard), type your full name (use your official name on your academic record) and college email address and click on Join Meeting.  You will have an option to either download/install the WebEx app or “Join from your browser.”  Upon whichever option you choose to join, you will arrive at the meeting room. You will need a microphone for audio. We recommend you use a trusted brand of headsets – Plantronics or Logitech with USB connection. For video, although not required, you will use a built-in camera or an attached webcam.

How to Join a WebEx Video Meeting

WebEx Setup Help

Mac users: WebEx Setup Help

You may download a WebEx app to your mobile device and join the meeting using the app.

How to join a WebEx Meeting from an iOS Mobile Device – iPhone or iPad

How to Join a WebEx meeting from an Android Mobile Device

Microsoft Teams is provided to all students in the Office 365 Program. We recommend students download the MS Teams app to their computer. To download the MS Teams, go to portal.office.com. Log on using your NetID and password (the same NetID and password as logging on to my.ctstate.edu and Blackboard). Once you are in, click on the Microsoft apps icon at the upper left corner and then click on the MS Teams icon. MS Teams will open up in the browser. Click on the Install icon at the upper right corner to install the app to your computer. 

When you are ready to go to your class, open the MS Teams app. Logging on using your NetID and password. Find your class Team and click on it. At the upper right corner of the window, click on the Join icon. At the next screen, you may turn off the video feed (if you do not wish to show your video) by clicking on the video icon. Whenever you are ready to join the meeting, click on Join Now.   

Another way to meet virtually in your class is to go to the Calendar in MS Teams and click on the Join Meeting at the class time on the Calendar. Your professor should send the meeting invitation to all students, and you will click on Accept in the invitation email you received. After you have clicked on Accept, the meeting information will be marked during your class time on the Calendar. 

More information about how to use MS Teams can be found at Getting Started with MS Teams.