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491 -01
Advertising Course Policies
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1) Computer-mediated instruction can be harnessed both as a tool to foster autonomous learning or as a tool to create a community of individuals, working together to learn, yet separated by time and space. All students enrolled in the course have a responsibility to help create the "community of learners."
2) E-mail: 491
students are expected to check e-mail regularly. I will be sending e-mail
messages to the whole class to provide information regarding minor changes in
the syllabus or to request you
to read newspapers/watch television/navigate the "net" for current issues we
want to discuss in class.
3) No
Incompletes. Work must be completed during the confines of the semester of
session in which
you are enrolled in the course. The department chair will grant incompletes
only for documented medical reasons and in accordance with the University policy
governing issuing the grade of incomplete.
4) Summer and Interim courses are very short and very densely packed: an unavoidable side effect of squeezing four months worth of material into 3 to 8 weeks. Because we have less slack time to work with, the total amount of reading and writing you'll do this summer is slightly less than you'ddo in a "regular" course . . . but it will probably feel as if you're doing more reading and writing than normal because of the compressed timing. So be prepared. DO NOT FALL BEHIND! In a full- length semester, you may be able to "blow off" (is this still a commonly used slang expression?) a week without it hurting your grade too badly. In a 3 or 4 week session however, missing that same amount of time will put you incredibly far behind . . . and the pace and timing of the session will make it very difficult for you to catch up again.
5) Here are some
emails from former students which dramatize what can happen when one does not
take course seriously or does not pay attention to the right things.
"Intelligence is paying attention
o the right things."
As my neurosurgeon said to the nurse who handed her a 2x4 gauze bad, rather than a 2x2 gauze pad. when the nurse explained that the 2x2's had not been stocked....
"UNDERSTANDABLE BUT NOT EXCUSABLE."
Hi Dr. Kasch,
I do understand that I had a slow start to this class and the reason for me taking this was so I could move home and look for jobs. I also realize that this has not helped to facilitate strong virtual communication with my classmates.On the other hand, I was not under the impression that assignments HAD to be completed on a certain day or by Monday. When I received the email from you, which I did not receive until May 28 because I thought I was done using Bradley's email, I have done my best to make sure I was caught up. I never got word that assignments could not be made up at all if the week were over. With all due respect, and as much as I know that I did not begin with a good start, I do not think that it is fair to get zero's on assignments when it was never clarified. At this point I would be grateful for even half credit. Please email me back! Thank you.
Chris responds
How did you think I would reach you if not via Bradley email. I regret that you do not keep in closer contact and were unable to read the course policies.
6. Since many people work full time while taking online courses it can be expected that assignments willbe due on weekend, and on or around holidays. Given that the course calendar is published at the start of the course, most national holiday happen on or around the same time every year, weekend activitiesare not an acceptable excuse for not submitting work on time when enrolled in an online course.
Dr. Kasch
"I'm apologizing greatly for my lack of participation in this class, I assure you the circumstances have been rather unusual and greatly disheartening. (Sparing you too many of the gory details they relate to me no longer being employed , and me having to sever ties with SBC, my DSL provider due to continued loss of internet). My connection has still not been corrected, and I am currently contacting you at the BU library, however, this is not often a feasible due to other responsibilities at home. I'd still like to receive a passing grade in this class, however, and would like to know if there was any possibility of doing that at this point. I thank you for your consideration on this matter and hope to hear from you soon. "
Hello Professor Kasch,
I'm not sure if others are in my situation, but with the holiday weekend upon us July 4th this Tuesday and family obligations, I'm unable to complete assignments 4.2 and 4.3 by this evening. I will be working on them over the next few days. I wanted to inform you that I will be late posting these assignments. Enjoy the weekend.
Chris responds
Dear______________ Everyone gets one lifeline, so you will receive credit for Online Conference 4.2. No credit will be given for Online Conference 4.3, as per course policies. You have an enjoyable weekend also.
7. Do not assume that you can complete the Online Conference, ignore discussion and participation in the forum and still do well in the course. The email from a former student below indicates a very unwise course of action.
Hello all,
As you may of read in one of my earlier posts I had some issues over the last few weeks. I just moved to Chicago and had some leasing issues and had to live in a hotel for about a week and a half. Between that and my new job I really got behind on my Online Conferences. I've caught up on most of them now, but just wanted to apologize for not being there for the interaction of the online class."
Chris responds
Dear ________________
It is unfortunate that you got behind on your online conferences. I emailed you once and texted you regarding course policies on late work. The course will be offered again during J-term.
Sincere regards,
8. Everyone gets one "lifeline" which you can use to post ONE assignment after the due date. JUST ONE. If you do not post your Online Conference on the day they are due and do not respond to the discussion posts of your fellow classmate in a timely fashion you do no receive credit. DO NOT POST ALL OF YOU ASSIGNMENT THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE COURSE AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE ANY CREDIT.
8. Control technology, do not let technology control you. Save often. Make backups of backups. Do not do original work inside the Blackboard interface. Create your work in word and than cut and paste.
Dr. Kasch:
I was finishing up on Online Conference 6.0 early morning around 3:30am when my computer froze up. It gave me some message that I'd performed an illegal operation and warned me it would shut down. I'm trying to make a good situation out of a bad one. So, I'm going to completely redo the assignment this morning. (Along with Online Conference 5.0) I should have it submitted by this afternoon. I do apologize and appreciate your patience in this matter.
Chris responds
Dear ___________
You have already exchausted your one life line in the class. As per course policies, late work can not be accepted. To avoid this problem in the future, I suggest as you arecompleting an assignment that you email several drafts of the assignment to yourself, so that multiple copies of the assignment exist on another server, hence your will be able to recover most of any lost work in the event you perform another illegal operation on your machine.
Sincere regards
Chris
9. Cut and pasted your work into the SAKAI interface and AND attach your work in a Word file to your post.
10. I can not grant you an Incomplete (Grade of "I") All requests for incompletes have to be approved by the Department Chair and the Dean, and they do so only for documented medical reasons and other extreme circumstances, which are rather narrowly defined.
11. All students are allowed one "lifeline." A lifeline allows the student to submit one assignment after the due date with no questions asked. After the "lifeline" has been exhausted, late work will receive no credit.