Reporting Study Questions, and Homework: Keeping Up With Course Readings & Activities: Cob Webs

Study Groups: Communications & Consultation: Web Board Overview

Students participating in class sessions will, on a weekly basis, prepare their homework assignments and  post their responses on the course bulletin board.  All posted attachments must be in Word , HTML or Wordperfect format. Spreadsheet or data base information should be reported in either an Excel, Quatro, Access, or Paradox format. Students in attendance at the class session are not required to prepare written responses to the study questions assigned weekly, but are responsible for being prepared to answer and explain all questions.E-mail communications are strictly limited to communications to and from the professor relative to problems accessing information, class absences, and other issues relating to the management of the course.  All other communications must be directed through the bulletin board.  The instructor will review the responses and the homework posted on the board and will make responses on assignments to the entire class over the board, based upon the nature of the responses and work provided by students.

Students are expected to devote at least as much time in preparing written responses to the study questions as they would have normally spent in traveling to the university and sitting through classes. Time spent on homework is beyond that one would normally spend traveling to and participating in class, and should consume that amount of time required to completely the homework successfully. Finally, since thoroughly reading the required texts and documents is essential to effectively completing the course, time spent in reading for the class should be integrated into the time spent responding to study questions which are drawn directly from web and textbook readings.

Typically, students should be prepared to spend 2 - 3 hours of preparation & study for every 1 hour of classroom time.    This formula, which applies to general time commitment for both classroom and distant learners, should yield approximately 6 to 9 hours of course effort weekly. Some week's assignments may entail less time investment, while other class periods may entail more effort.

Keeping Up With Course Readings & Activities: Cob Webs

Communications & Consultation: When to Use E-Mail, Telephone, Bulletin Board and Office Consultations

The instructor is available by email only. E-mail should be utilized only for the purpose of informing the instructor of difficulties in accessing information, notification of class absences, problems students are encountering in completing assignments, and other issues related to the management of the course.  All homework , exam, and study questions responses should be directed to the instructor via the bulletin board.. The only exception to this is when the instructor contacts a student relative to a particular learning or teaching issue, or comment. Otherwise, when students have questions regarding the assignment or wish to make a comment for the benefit of the class, they will be expected to use the bulletin board designed for the class. Use the telephone for personal communications, such as notification about missing the class, or needing a specific appointment to discuss the class. It is important for all students to adhere to this policy for communication and consultation. Excessive direct communication with the instructor alone (via telephone or e-mail) can tend to undercut useful class interaction, and can overload the instructor with answering the same or common questions repetitively. The Bulletin Board, used in conjunction with study groups, is specifically intended to provide a means by which questions and comments can be efficiently addressed  by the instructor and classmates without creating an overload on the e-mail or telephone system  The instructor will also use the bulletin board to post class information.

Study Groups:

Students are required to form study groups within which they will work on assignments and mutually problem solve. Students are expected to utilize their study group partners, as well as the entire resources of the class, to assist them in completing homework, studying, and understanding the concepts developed and presented throughout the course. The instructor will facilitate the assignment of study groups.   Each study group partner must choose another study group partner who will serve as their weekly sutdy question evaluator (and vice versa).

All study questions for distance learning students must be posted on the bulletin board.  Distance learning students will also be expected to utilize to the bulletin board for the purpose of evaluating the weekly responses of their study group partners to each class's study questions.  Evaluation will entail commenting upon the completeness of their study partner's (each student will choose one) response to the assigned questions, and will indicate any areas where he/she disagrees with their partner's comments or observations.  These comments must appear at the bottom of the study questions submitted by their partners, and must be written in a "bold" & "red" font.

It is the expectation of the instructor that students turn first to their classmates and the study group colleagues to assist them with questions or to bounce ideas off of. In addition as serving as a site for posting study questions, the electronic bulletin board is also utilized as a site for the instructor to post comments & questions, for the students to make general comments relating to the course, and as a site where other documents and interesting web links may be posted.  The bulletin board is the primary communication vehicle for the course.  Students should post questions or comments they may have on the bulletin board rather than communicating directly to the instructor via e-mail. The instructor, and classmates will monitor the bulletin board and will provide comment as necessary. If questions can not be resolved through discussion within the study group than a request for instructor assistance should be posted on the bulletin board.

Web Board Overview

A WebBoard is collaboration software you will use to interact with faculty and other students. To access the WebBoard, you willneed a log-in name and password. This log-in name and password can be used by registered students to access most WebBoards at FGCU. If you are taking other classes in the School of Public and Social Services that incorporate WebBoards,you will only need to obtain a WebBoard log-in name and password one time.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE a log-in name and password to access a WebBoard for another class, you can use that information to access the WebBoard for this class. Click on the link in step one below to access the WebBoard for this class. Enter your user name and password and click "OK."

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE a WebBoard log-in name and password, follow all of the instructions below. Make sure you read all
instructions before proceeding.

1. Click on this link: http://courses.fgcu.edu/~245
2. Click "New Users."

3. A form will appear. Fill in all the required information to create your user profile. (A red dot indicates a required field.) Write down your log-in name and password so you don't forget them!

4. Scroll down the page. If your web browser does not support frames, click "No" beside the text "Use Frames."

5. Click Create.

6. Explore the WebBoard and practice reading, posting, and replying to messages.

The Electronic Bulletin Board is divinded into 4 dialogues:

(1)    Study Questions & Homework
(2)    Instructor Comments & Questions
(3)    For the Common Good: (student comments & observations relating to the course)
(4)    Web Links and File Attachments

Students are expected to utilize each dialogue or "strand" within the Bulletin Board for its designated purpose.

WebBoard

You must obtain a user name and password to access the WebBoard. Click HERE for instructions.

WebBoard Address - http://courses.fgcu.edu/~245