“Are You Ready?”
Faculty FAQs

What is the “Are You Ready?” Online Readiness Course?

“Are You Ready?” is an online readiness course designed to prepare students for taking online courses. This course will cover topics to help students navigate in an online environment.

Where can students find “Are You Ready?”?

Students will find the “Are You Ready?” course under “My Organizations” on the right-hand side of the Blackboard home page.

What is the format of “Are You Ready?”?

“Are You Ready?” begins with a one-minute video with a 10-question assessment about qualities of an online learner, recommendations to help students be successful online learners, and five sections for students to complete. Each section has a brief 1-2 minutes video, text to reinforce ideas presented in the video, and a short quiz of four to six questions.

What are the topics covered in “Are You Ready?”?

1. Welcome to CUNY Online Learning - Defines what an online course is and provides some basics tips on how to be a successful online learner.

2. Basic Technology Proficiency - Explains login and password information for CUNYFirst and Blackboard, as well as acceptable file formats to submit assignments in Blackboard.

3. Using Blackboard - Reviews Blackboard’s announcement feature and other interactive tools such as blogs, wikis discussion boards, and collaborate. In addition, students get practice using a discussion board, submitting an assignment and accessing their Kingsborough email.

4. Technology Requirements - Reviews how to add specific software, recommended browsers to use with Blackboard and the technology that should be used when taking online tests.

5. Netiquette (online etiquette) - Provides students with information about acceptable communication language in digital environments, privacy, and academic integrity.

How do I know if my students actually completed “Are You Ready?”?

Students need to earn a grade of 80% on each quiz before they can proceed to the next section of “Are You Ready?”. Once students have successfully completed all sections of the course, they can download and send you their completion certificate.

How can I help to promote the “Are You Ready?” course?

You can remind and encourage your students who have not completed the course to do so before the second week of the semester.