1. SPANISH 1412 ONLINE
COURSE ORIENTATION
Eastfield College (Dallas County Community College District)

2.  Name: Wendi Casillas
 Email: wcasillas@dcccd.edu
 Blackboard: http://ecampus.dcccd.edu or
https://dcccd.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/fra
meset.jsp
 Office Hours: TBA, or by appointment via
Blackboard Collaborate. Go to
ecampus.dcccd.edu/Tools/Blackboard
Collaborate.

3. 1. Reliable INTERNET ACCESS that can handle audio & video files
2. VISTAS, 4th Edition. Introducción a la lengua española. Blanco, José A.;
Donley, Philip R. Vista Higher Learning ©2012.
To complete course requirements, students MUST have access to the
textbook’s Supersite. Students may choose from the following options:
a. Customized loose-leaf textbook w/ Supersite passcode from
Eastfield Follett college bookstore
(http://www.bkstr.com/Home/10001-10663-1?demoKey=d
b. Textbook package w/ Supersite passcode that includes hard cover
student edition, DVD, and Supersite passcode. ISBN: 978-1-61767-057-
2 (www.vhldirect.com)
c. vText* w/Supersite code package (vText is only packaged with the
optional WebSAM, so price has increased slightly). ISBN: 978-1-60576-
974-5 (www.vhldirect.com)
d. Supersite passcode ISBN: 978-1-60576-933-2 or 978-1-60576-934-9
(www.vhldirect.com)
3. MICROPHONE to use with your COMPUTER Recommended:
Microphone/Headphones Set – price ranges from $15 for analog connection
(plugs into audio jacks) to $35 for USB connection Available at Target, Wal-
Mart, etc. If you have an Xbox or other gaming headset, you can probably use
it for the course. (if in doubt, check with VHL tech support)
+
*vText: Online interactive textbook. Requires
use of Adobe Flash Player

4. RETURNING STUDENTS
 If you have an existing account for VHLCentral, for your textbook's
Supersite, or for another Vista Higher Learning textbook, complete these
steps:
 Go to VHLCentral (the link will open in a new
window): http://www.vhlcentral.com.
 Log in using your existing account information.
 To redeem a new Supersite code, click the "Redeem a code" link. Then
complete the items below in "Step 3 - Activate Code" of the NEW
STUDENTS section.
 To enroll in your Instructor's course, click the "Enroll in a course" link.
Then complete the items below in "Step 5 - Select a Course/Class" of the
NEW STUDENTS section.
Overview
In order to see and submit your assignments, receive important
announcements, and communicate with your Instructor, you will need an
account, a Supersite code, and you will need to enroll in your Instructor's
course.

5. NEW STUDENTS
If you are new to Vista Higher Learning, complete these steps:
Step 1 - Go to VHLCentral
To begin, go to vhlcentral.com (the link will open in a new window).
Step 2 - Create an Account
In the "Login Information" section of the account creation page, enter a username of
your choice.
Enter the email address you would like to associate with your account.
Enter and confirm a password of your choice.
In the "Personal Profile" section, enter your first and last name as you wish them to
appear in your Instructor's roster.
Select the year of your birth from the drop down list.
Enter a student ID (optional).
In the "Security Information" section, you will provide the answer to a secret question,
which may later be used to help you access your account if you forget your password.
After you enter all of the information, click "create an account."
Click "agree." (Before your account is created, you must agree to the terms and
conditions of use policy.)
Step 3 - Activate Code
On the code activation screen, enter your Supersite code.
Click "activate code" to continue.
Look for a flash alert confirming that the code was successfully redeemed.

6. (New Students, continued)
Step 4 -Select a School
Locate your school by typing your school’s name. To narrow the search results, include the
city and state (or country, if outside of the USA) in which your school is located.
Click "find." If the terms you entered did not result in a successful search, follow the on-
screen tips to revise your search.
Select your school from the list by clicking the radio button next to the school name.
Click "select school" to add the school to your account. NOTE: Our school will be listed as
either Dallas County Cmty College District or Eastfield College.
Look for a flash alert confirming you successfully added the school.
Step 5 - Select a Course/Class
From the list of available classes at your school for your textbook's Supersite, look for
Instructor "Casillas" and the course "SPAN 1412" taught between [the corresponding dates].
Click the radio button for the course section "Sec [varies – check your appropriate section
on eConnect]." If more than one class is listed for your Instructor, click the information icons
in the class listings until you locate the section.
Click Save. You should see a confirmation that you successfully enrolled in your instructor's
course.

7. On Vistas Supersite:
 Complete assigned Activities with
due dates (under Practice Tab).
 Use microphone to do Assigned
Pronunciacion Exercises (e.g.,
Ahora dilo tú, Grabar)
 Use microphone to submit
responses to 3 Voice Boards
posted by instructor (in Student
Tools area on right-hand side of
screen – not located with other
assigned Practice tab activities)
 Review Tutorials & Fotonovela
(also under Student Tools/Online
Reference Tools) as needed.
On eCampus:
 View Orientation and complete
Orientation Quiz (in the Start
Here! menu area)
 Log in regularly to check
announcements / updates to
My Grades.
 Complete 3 Discussion Board
assignments as indicated.
 Complete Lesson Tests and
Final Exam as they are
available in the Pruebas menu
area.

8.  No, you don’t have to do work that isn’t assigned.
(Assigned work – under the gray Practice tab - is marked
with a due date.) But it’s great practice to do as many
activities as you can. There is an option at the top of the list
of lesson assignments to Show All Activities, but the default
view displays only those that have been assigned.
 Due Dates: If you don’t turn in work by the due date, it
will be marked as red in my Vistas grade book. However, I
will accept work without penalty as long as it is turned in
within a 5 day window of the posted due date.
 Grading: Some activities are set to be graded on
performance and some are set to give credit for completion
of the work, regardless of score. ALL activities are set for
multiple attempts (except Cierto/Falso exercises – I can’t
change the single-attempt default setting), so you may
RESUBMIT your graded assignments as often as you want
until you are satisfied with your score. (Check the My
Results tab for your progress and to check whether an
activity is Credit or Graded.)

9. Vistas Navigation
Vistas Login
(login to your Supersite Account

10. Vistas 4e Navigation
Practice Tab
(Click here to view ALL
assigned activities for a lesson)
My Tutorials
Click here to view helpful grammar tutorials with
Professor Pedro Gómez Laserna. (You can also
click the gray Tutorials tab to the left of the
Practice tab at the top of the Supersite screen.)

11. Accent Toolbar
(Be sure to use the floating accent toolbar
to insert accents when necessary or your
answers will be counted wrong.)
Vistas Navigation: Assignments

12. Vistas 4e Navigation: Tutorials

13. Vistas Navigation: Tutorials

14. Vistas 4e Navigation My results
(click here for your progress &
scores – or to see what else you
need to complete .)

15. Oxford Mini Dictionary
Verb Wheel
Grammar Reference
Student Tools
VHL Online Dictionary

16. Student Tools
Verb Wheel
Grammar Reference

17. eCampus Navigation
My Grades
Click here to check your progress; instructor
will input your totals from the Vistas grade
book on a regular basis (but remember to
check the Vistas “My results” tab as well.)
Pruebas
Click here to take Lesson
Tests and the Final Exam. Discussion Board
Click here for a list of
discussion forums – assigned
and unassigned. Introduce
yourself in the ¡Mucho gusto!
Forum.
Start Here!
Click here for Course Materials,
Syllabus, Orientation and
Course Schedule.

18. eCampus Navigation

19. Please, please do NOT contact your instructor to say you
could not finish your work due to technical issues
UNLESS:
you have first contacted the DCCCD Support Center (if it is a Blackboard
(eCampus), Wimba, System Requirements, etc. issue), and/or
you have first contacted the VHL Support team (if it is a Vistas
Supersite, Video or Audio, Microphone, Login, or Voice Board* issue)
*note: one of the commonly recommended solutions to Voice Board
problems is simply to use Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser with
Voice Board (free download at http://www.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/new/).
Please contact these Technical Specialists first and be sure to save/copy
your communications with them to me. Please include your ticket
number or any other pertinent information. I understand that
technical issues do often occur, but you must take responsibility for
resolving the situation and having a back-up computer plan. I am quite
flexible and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but as you can
imagine some students abuse the “technical issues” excuse.

20.  On eCampus, click the white [?] Help icon at the top of the
screen (next to the Logout icon). It will take you to the
DCCCD Support Center, where you may browse FAQs, submit
a help request ticket, or use Live Chat for help. You can also
phone: 972-669-6402 or 1-866-374-7169
 On the Vistas Supersite, look at the top right-hand side of
the screen above the “V” Vista logo; or check the bottom left
hand side of the screen above the Maestro logo.
 Email: techsupport@vistahigherlearning.com
 Phone: (800) 248-2813
 http://support.vhlcentral.com
(3e)

21.  PRUEBAS (Best 5 out of 6 Lesson Tests) 500 pts
Located on eCampus/Pruebas
 FINAL EXAM (Comprehensive, covers lecciones 7-12) 100 pts
Located on eCampus/Pruebas
 VISTAS SUPERSITE HOMEWORK 240 pts
(40 points each = .4 x your My Results score per lesson)
 DISCUSSION BOARDS (DB 1-3), 25 pts each 75 pts
Located on eCampus/Discussion Board
 VOICE BOARDS (VB 1-3), 25 pts each 75 pts
Located on Vistas Supersite/Student Tools; posted by instructor.
 ORIENTATION QUIZ (eCampus/Start Here!) 10 pts
Total Points 1000 pts
COURSE EVALUATION
A=900-1000 pts
B=800-899 pts
C=700-799 pts
D=600-699 pts
F= Below 600 pts