EDIT 6320 Information Technologies

Fall '04 Course Requirements

General

EDIT 6320, an online course, is taught asynchonously - meaning you and the instructor can be anywhere, anytime.

"Asynchronous instruction does not require the simultaneous participation of all students and instructors. Students do not need to be gathered together in the same location at the same time." (Gilbert, 2001, p. 23.)

There are a number of methods we will use to communicate throughout the course. The primary method will be through the use of bulletin boards in WebCT. Any discussions during the course or questions asked that are for the good of the group should be posted on WebCT. You are registered to use WebCT as part of this course.

A second method of communication will be the use of the Chat Room in WebCT. I will have virtual office hours that will allow all students an opportunity to ask questions of me in real time. Specific times will be posted once the course begins. Copies of the logs from these sessions will be posted on an organizer page off the WebCT homepage for this course.

My expectations are that you participate in at least one office hour per week, that you keep in regular contact with me about the progress of your assignments, and that you contribute substantively to the discussion board and virtual office hour chats. In return, I will be available to help you with your needs. This course will go fast and will demand that you keep on top of the assignments. Because of the short time period, the due dates are firm. Missing the due date and/or failure to participate fully on the discussion board or in a weekly virtual office hour will subject you to grade penalties. Please check with me whenever you have problems. If you choose to go on vacation during this period, I don't mind but keep up with the class virtually. That's the benefit of asynchronous online learning.

Student
Role

Instructor Role

The instructor's role in an online course is also very different from a traditional classroom course. It is important to understand that the instructor is more of a:

• Facilitator
• Delegator
• Resource person

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Technology

Of course you will need full access to a personal computer with connection to the Internet. The faster connection speed you have the better your online experience.

Your browser can be either Internet Explorer or Netscape, whichever you are most comfortable with.

You may post your assignments to your cohort webpage that you establish in EDIT 6300 in addition to what the specific assignments ask you to do. Please email your website URL to me.

Online Activity
Rate

Since this course is held asynchronously, class hours are 24/7! That doesn't mean you will be online all the time, but know that your classmates and instructor will be posting information on their own schedules, which could mean anytime of the day or night.

Aas a general rule of thumb, you should expect to check your email and the Bulletin Board postings in WebCt at least once a day. The more you check these information sources, the more you will gain from the course. Your participation will be evaluated on quality of critical thinking about the topics, not on the number of postings you make. As a general rule, you should probably plan to add to discussions a minimum of twice a week. We will be looking for ideas and opinions about the topics covered in this course. Yes, there will be room for personal notes that make the bulletin board more welcoming. I will be splitting you into forums by alphabet to make reading and participating less confusing.

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Assignment Formats

To make certain that I can read your work, please post your email to me in one of the following formats:

• Microsoft Office (all programs)
• HyperText Markup Language (.htm or .html)
• Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)
• Rich Text Format (.rtf)