Communication
 

Assignments for this course are based on the assumption that you have experience using the Internet and can use the Internet and its tools effectively and efficiently. You should know how to access a Web site when given an address, how to use the features of your Web browser, how to navigate through an online discussion forum, and how to communicate with e-mail and use the features of your e-mail service. If you're not certain of your abilities in doing these things, this course might prove to be a more-than-ordinary challenge for you. You should either learn how to do these things, or have a resource that you can consult to help you with them. You can also direct questions to me occasionally, but you should keep in mind that teaching the course itself takes a significant amount of my time. I won't have a lot of time available to teach multiple students everything they need to know about using the Internet and e-mail.

You should have sent me your e-mail address by now. I'll send class notices to the address that I have for you. (I would prefer that you choose one address for your correspondence during the semester.) If you send me an individual communication, I might respond by clicking the Reply button. If you don't want me to return a message to the address from which it was sent, please make that clear in the body of your message. Also, you should sign all e-mails sent to me. If there's no information either in or on your e-mail that identifies you, and I have to try to figure out which of my 75 students this term sent me the e-mail, your Conduct score could be affected.

Communication on the Internet is sometimes slow and frustrating. Things that are working fine one day may slow down or crash the next. Be prepared for the worst and try to complete assignments ahead of deadlines. Also, if you've never used WebCT, it will take you a little time and effort to start to feel comfortable with it. I recommend that you spend the needed time to gain familiarity before the first forum discussion is due. If you encounter a problem that you can't figure out on your own, contact me and we'll work it out.

Diligence
 

This is not a self-paced course. You'll be required to do regularly occurring assignments, just as you would be required to attend class regularly in a lecture course. Failure to do all assignments on time will not result in failure of the course, but late and skipped assignments will affect your grade. The method of evaluation leaves room for some occasional slips. However, students who calculate the Method of Evaluation, and then attempt to do exactly the minimum amount of work necessary for an A (or a B, etc.), inevitably fall just a little short. They think, "I can skip this assignment because all I need on the exam is an 85 and I'll still get an A." Then they make an 83 and get a B. Often, the next step is to look for some way to make the instructor responsible for their less than satisfactory grade. I think you can guess how far that will get you. The reality is that, if you're working creatively and energetically but slip a little on one of the tests, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt when grades are calculated at the end of the semester. But, if you're trying to beat the system, you get the system's judgment. (Rest assured that thirteen years of college teaching allow me to recognize when a student is trying to beat the system.)

Details  (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)
 

The information you'll need to complete the study quizzes, the forums, the exams, and the essay or project can be accessed from the Calendar of Assignments. The Calendar page contains links to each individual assignment, with each assignment link appearing on the due date for that assignment.

The Course Syllabus page lists the individual requirements of the course and how each requirement affects your overall grade for the semester. Below, I'll explain how you'll carry out each of those requirements.
 

1) Study quizzes must be submitted to me by e-mail. Your answers to the study quizzes should be sent in the body of an e-mail message, not as an attached file. The questions in the study quizzes (which consist of short answer and fill-in-the-blank questions) are numbered and also organized by textbook chapter. Your answers should be numbered and organized exactly as on the quiz assignment page. Do not include the questions in your e-mail, only the answers.

The Subject line on your e-mail should use the following format: the quiz number (for example, Quiz 3), followed by a colon (:), then a space followed by your first initial and last name (for example, J. Baker). So, for instance, if your name were Janet Baker, then the Subject line on your e-mail with your Quiz 3 submission should say Quiz 3: J. Baker. If you use this exact format for your Subject line, then my e-mail account at the college should automatically send back a message confirming that your quiz was received. If you don't receive a confirmation, then either your submission wasn't received or you didn't use the appropriate Subject line. (Please remember that you won't necessarily receive the confirmation immediately. If the Internet is congested and running slowly, or if the college's e-mail server is very busy, or if your e-mail service provider is very busy, then it might take anywhere from several minutes to a few hours for your email to reach me and the automatic reply to reach you in return.) Also, you must include your full name in the first line of the body of the e-mail containing your quiz answers. Failure to follow these guidelines for the Subject line format and inclusion of your full name inside the e-mail could result in a deduction from both your quiz score and your Conduct score.

The questions for each study quiz can be accessed through the assignment links on the Calendar of Assignments page, where the due dates for each quiz are also indicated. Please be aware that I will grade and return quiz scores in batches of two -- for example, both Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 after the Quiz 2 due date, but before Exam 1.
 

2) Discussion forums take place on WebCT, which provides an online educational environment for the college. However, the information for each forum -- the subject matter, the readings, and the questions -- is contained on a page of this course website. At the bottom of each forum assignment page is a link to WebCT, which you can use to go to the discussion forum and post your responses. These forum assignments can be accessed through links on the Calendar of Assignments page. The Calendar page will also indicate the due dates for each forum. There are three rounds (and thus three due dates) for each forum: the first due date is for your initial response to the forum topic and questions, the second due date is the deadline for your 1st round follow-up responses to the thoughts of other students, and the third due date is the deadline for your 2nd round follow-up responses to my own follow-up and again to other students.

You should already have an account created on WebCT. There is information on the WebCT login page to assist you with the process. Each time you go to WebCT, you'll need to login with your user ID and password. After you login, you should see a homepage with a message and an icon for the Discussions area. (Later, there will also be an icon for the exams.) We will only be using two functions of WebCT. The Discussions area is where we will conduct our forum discussions; the quiz facility will be used for the course exams. The icon for the exams will be made visible as we get closer to the time for the first exam.

To use the Discussions area, click on the Discussions icon. The next page you see will show a list of discussion Topics. At the beginning of the course, you should only see one topic listed: Introductions. The Introductions topic is one that I've created to get us started. Other Topic titles will appear as the course continues and we approach the time for each of the discussion forums.

To enter a Topic area, simply click the title of the topic (such as 'Introductions'). You will see the discussion page for that topic, which should contain all messages currently posted for that discussion. I will always post a beginning message to start off the discussion for each forum. Now for a few suggestions about how to manage your view of this discussion page. First, notice that, next to the discussion that I've begun, there is a small green triangle. This triangle can point to the right or it can point down. For our purposes, you should make sure that the triangle always points down. If it points to the right, click it and it will change (you should do this for any triangles that might appear in the course of a discussion forum). Having all triangles point down ensures that you will see all messages posted in the forum. Next, look at the area just above where the posted messages are listed. There is a space for control of the Display, which allows you to control two sets of options. One set is a choice between 'All' and 'Unread'; the other set is a choice between 'Threaded' and 'Unthreaded'. For our purposes, we want 'All' and 'Threaded'. If either 'All' or 'Threaded' has a box around it (which means that it's currently a button), then click it. The box will switch to the other option, and that's where we want it. The 'All' setting will ensure that you see all messages posted in the forum, and the 'Threaded' setting will ensure that your view of the forum will accurately reflect the structure of the discussion as it develops.

To post your initial response to the forum topic, click the Subject line for my beginning message (all the Subject lines should appear blue in the list, to indicate that they're also links). Then, click the Reply button to get a window that allows you to type in your message. When you're done, click the Post button to post your message to the forum and have it appear in the list. (You also have the ability to Preview your message before posting it, to see what it will look like, but you will still always need to click the Post button to post your message to the list.) It's possible that your message might not appear immediately in the discussion list after you post it. If this happens, click the 'Update Listing' button above the message area (and just below the topic title). Your message should appear in the list after you do this.

When it comes time to post follow-up responses to classmates, the procedure will be very much the same. To read someone else's message (and you should read all the messages in each forum), click the Subject line for their message to display it. If you decide to post a follow-up response to their message, click the Reply button, type your response in the window, then click the Post button. Your follow-up should appear threaded under their message. All of your responses to the forum should be made using the Reply button for existing messages.

For each forum assignment, you are required to post your own initial response (by the first forum due date) to the questions raised in the assigned reading. After the due date for your initial response, you will return to the forum to read the responses of other students. You must post at least two follow-up responses to classmates of your choosing during the first round of follow-ups. After the first follow-up round, I will post my own follow-up response, posing new questions based upon the class discussion up to that point. During the second (and last) round of follow-ups, you must post one response to my follow-up and at least one response to a classmate. The second follow-up round of the forum will continue until the third due date. There will typically be one week allowed for each stage of the forum.

Your score on the forum assignments will be based upon the regularity of your participation and upon the content value of your contributions. Now, what exactly does that mean? Regularity? Content value? Well, there are no clear-cut, set criteria for what constitutes full credit for a forum assignment. Part of your score, of course, comes from your initial response, which counts for about 45% of your total points for the assignment. A good initial response should show evidence that you've thought carefully about the readings and the questions that have been posed to you. Most students need at least 150 to 200 words to construct such a response . . . some need more.

The remainder of your forum points comes from your follow-up responses. As noted above, it takes at least four thoughtful, substantial follow-up responses (with a least two in each follow-up round) to secure the full allotment of points for the follow-up portion of your score. These are usually (but not always) shorter than the original responses. However, by 'thoughtful' and 'substantial', I mean that your response should show evidence of having read and thought about the post you're responding to and should then contribute something new -- a supporting example, an extension of the argument or line of thought, a disagreement along with an explanation of why you disagree, etc. (When you're replying to my own follow-up, you should attempt to respond to one or more of the new questions that I raise in that follow-up.)

I don't mind responses that say things like "Good job" or "I agree with you" or "I like that." Such remarks help to lubricate the dynamics of human conversation. But please understand that those kinds of replies, by themselves, do not garner points for your score. Nor do replies that simply restate the remarks of the person you're replying to. On the other hand, a reply that says something like "I agree with you, and here's why...," or "I really liked that. It made me think about...," probably will garner some points for your score if you're about to add something new to the discussion.

Also, I hope you all realize, before I even say it, that I expect you to collectively maintain an atmosphere of civility and good will in the forum discussions. When posting a message, take a moment to consider the tone of your words and how they might be interpreted by someone who's reading them without knowing you. When reading a message, try to interpret as generously as possible before you begin to compose your reply.

Another point about the forum discussions: in my scoring of your forum participation, I won't be grading specifically for mechanical issues like spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. However, this doesn't mean you should allow yourself to be sloppy and negligent about these things. This is an academic environment, after all, and you should take at least some effort to make your written communications with me or with your fellow students readable and comprehendable. Think of it as just another part of showing good will. So, while occasional slips in writing mechanics will not affect your scores, postings that are consistently sloppy and unreadable will begin to affect your scores.

You don't have to limit yourself to four follow-up responses. If you become interested and engaged in a thread of conversation that is generated out of a classmate's post, as sometimes happens, feel free to continue with it. Also, if you're not quite sure if you've got four follow-ups that will gain full credit for your score, I should let you know that I'm willing to count five "pretty good" follow-ups as equal to four "really good" follow-ups. (However, five or six or ten "weak" follow-ups do not add up to any number of "really good" follow-ups.)

When you've finished reading this page, go to WebCT (using this link). You should be able to login to your account (following the instructions on the WebCT login page) and look at the material currently available. (You must do this within the first week of class. Not doing so will result in a deduction from your Conduct score.) As I mentioned above, I've created a Topic called 'Introductions' that gives you an opportunity to experiment with reading and posting a message in the Discussions area. You're expected to post a message introducing yourself and answering any questions that I ask in my own introduction message. And, if you encounter any difficulties using the site, contact me by e-mail and I'll help you to work through the problem.
 

3) Essays or projects will be chosen from a number of different options regarding both topic and structure. These choices can be accessed through a link on the Calendar of Assignments page. This link will be located on the calendar on the due date for the assignment (which should be the Monday of the final week for the semester). You must choose from the options I provide.

When you submit your essay or project assignment, you must send it as an attachment to an e-mail message. (Your e-mail software should have an option that allows you to attach a file from your computer to the e-mail that you're sending out.) The Subject line on your e-mail should be similar to your Subject lines for the quizzes -- for example, Essay: J. Baker. (This exact format will trigger a confirmation message, just as with the quizzes.) Also, the first lines of your attached file must contain your full name and the name of the assignment -- for example, 1st line: Janet Baker, 2nd line: Essay -- Visual Art Analysis. Additional guidelines for each specific assignment option will be included on the description page for each option. Adherence to those guidelines and the instructions above will be necessary to receive full credit for the assignment.
 

4) Exams will be taken on WebCT. They will be available on WebCT from Monday through Wednesday of the week chosen for the exam. During the week before each exam (shortly after the due date for the second of the two quizzes for that exam period), a review page will be made available as a link from the Calendar of Assignments page. On the Monday of the exam week, a link will be activated from the review page to WebCT. The exams will have a time limit, designed so that you have enough time to answer all the questions if you've studied the exam material, but not enough time to look up the answer to each question if you haven't studied. Be careful not to put off the test until the very last minute. If you wait too late on the Wednesday of the exam period, the exam will close down and you won't be able to get access to it.

The review page will notify you of the material that you should know for the exam. This will usually include the questions from the study quizzes and selected glossary terms found at the end of each chapter in the textbook, but other material covered during the weeks preceding the exam will also be included. In addition to the review page, you will also receive an e-mail with your scores on the two most recent quizzes, along with the correct answers.

Website changes
 

I will need to update the Calendar of Assignments occasionally during the semester, and I might also make minor changes to the individual assignment pages before we get to those assignments. If you've clicked around to check out various pages on the site ahead of the calendar schedule, your browser might have "cached" (stored locally on your computer) an earlier and out-of-date version of a page. You should use the Reload or Refresh button on the menu bar of your browser each time you go to the Calendar page or an assignment page (or any other page you might have visited ahead of schedule) to be sure you have the right one.

Humanities 1301 -- Introduction

Collin County Community College