ANT 350

Welcome to the
Emergence ofCivilization

Things to do before the course starts

In order to take this course, you'll need to use Blackboard . The login page for Blackboard is bblearn.nau.edu/ and can be accessed anywhere through the Internet. If you have never used Blackboard , don't worry. It is relatively easy to use. On the first day of the term, sign in to Blackboard . (To sign in to Blackboard , go to the link above and enter your DANA sign on and password.) The Blackboard courses you have access to will appear on the left side of your screen. Just click on ANT 350 that appears along the left. Once you are in the home page, you can click on video tours to learn how to use Blackboard .

Before the class begins, you need to make sure you have a few things on your computer.

First: know your NAU user ID and password. All mail in the course will be within the Blackboard shell and will use your NAU user ID. If you don't know your NAU user ID, call the Student Technology Center, toll free 1-888-520-7215; or in Flagstaff at 928-523-9294.

If you need to contact Distance Learning, you can call their Service Center toll free within the United States at: 800-426-8315. Alternatively, you can email Extended.Campuses @nau.edu.

Second: We'll be using a few web sites that use Quicktime and/or RealPlayer. It is best if you have high speed (DSL, Cable, or satellite) computer service to view these. But, 56k modems work fairly well. Most computers have Quicktime and Real Player plug-ins as a standard feature. Check and see if the following work on your machine:

If you run into trouble with loading and running the videos, call the Student Technology Center.

Third: You'll need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the articles on reserve in the library.Get the latest version now for free if you don't have it on your computer.

Fourth: Blackboard uses popup windows, and running anti-popup software can interfere with Blackboard . Call the Student Technology Center if you need help with pop-ups.

  • Blackboard works best with MS Word documents.  There will be written assignments for this class, and you'll need to save your document as a Word file or as a WordPerfect file before you submit and assignments. Sorry, but if I can't open a document, I can't grade it. Almost every program will save a document as a Word file or as a RTF file.
  • I am very cautious about viruses. I will destroy any document for which I receive a "this file is infected" message. If you download music from the Internet, you probably have a virus on your machine. As an NAU student you can get a copy of anti-virus software. Please visit the NAU virus download page
  • If you have trouble with Blackboard and you are running Internet Explorer, you might have more success with Netscape. I have been told that Blackboard runs best with Explorer; however, I have better luck with Netscape.

Finally: Once the course starts, please send me emails only through the Blackboard system.