Assignments get tallied at midterm and again at the end of the semester. There’s no grade to report along the way because you should already know if you’re doing the work or not and you should notice if you get dropped from the class. Every semester, there are people who get dropped for missing assignments and they do not manage to plead their way back into the class. These are easy assignments. Do them.

The “total” or “average” shown in Canvas for the class can be misleading when it includes things that do not count as part of your grades and leaves out some things that do. Ignore that number.

INTERNET ASSIGNMENTS

We will never use chat rooms and you will not have to be online at any specific time of day to do the assignments. Chat room technology for that is still too awkward, not every student’s computer will be able to handle it, and part of the reason for taking an online class is to keep your time flexible.

To do your assignments, check the forum in the Discussions section for this class several times each week. You should not go more than two weekdays in a row without checking the forum. You will either do each assignment on that forum or learn from the forum where to go to do each task. Each response you’re required to make counts as one point simply for following the instructions or minus one point (-1, negative credit) if you don’t do it. You will have several assignments every week. The week’s assignments are posted on the  discussion forum by the end of each Wednesday, and they often appear earlier in the week. If you see no new assignments by Thursday, ask the professor in case of a Canvas error. Because missing an assignment in an online class counts as missing class, anyone who fails to do three or more of the assignments may be dropped from the course without further notice.

The deadline for each assignment is 5 minutes until midnight at the end of each Saturday except when clearly stated otherwise. You can get half credit for up to three assignments completed Sunday – three, no more. No later work will be accepted. Meet the deadlines. Some of them cannot be done late at all.

A few students misunderstand what a “private” topic is on the discussion forum. It is simply one where you cannot see other students’ responses. It is a regular assignment just like anything else, worth the same as other assignments. Do not skip them.

If you wait until that last day and something goes wrong that keeps you from doing the assignment, well, you should have done it earlier because you’ll normally have several days to complete each task. If your Internet is out all day, you are responsible for going somewhere with Internet access. If your wifi is out, you can probably use your phone to create a hotspot with access. The Internet is all around us, the ways to access it are many, and you have chosen to take an online class. Internet access is your responsibility.

 If you are unable to post your assignment on time for any reason, do not email it to your professor. Emailing it does not count. When it comes time to grade your assignments, your professor will only look in the place where the instructions told you to put it. Nobody gets special treatment for failing to follow instructions or extra time for waiting until they did not have enough time left to complete and post by the deadline.

You will complete the syllabus quiz and take a few quizzes online through Canvas. Don’t take any specific quiz until you see the discussion forum tell you to do so, usually a week before finals, although feel free to retake them as often as you want as part of reviewing for the final.

ONLINE MIDTERM EXAM (20% of the course grade)

There will be NO makeup tests. If medical or other emergency (and we do mean emergency) will prevent you from taking a test, contact your professor as soon as possible with written confirmation.

Unlike the final, you will have a window of at least nine hours during which you can take the midterm, so you may start it at any time between 3:00 p.m. and about 11 p.m. in order to conclude it before 11:59 p.m. on the test day. You are responsible now for making sure you can take each test on its scheduled date and time. An eight-hour work shift that coincides with the test time is not an acceptable excuse, so make arrangements as needed. Neither “I got my classes mixed up” nor “I forgot” would count either, so keep track of your own schedule. “My Internet went out” would mean you need to switch quickly to complete the test through another computer before time can run out. If your wifi goes out, you might then use your phone to create a hotspot the computer can use. When a test uses Respondus, your phone may not be an option. Plan your backup ahead of time.

Once you start the online test, a timer will begin and will not stop even if you log out. Do not start the test until you are ready to complete it in one sitting. Because it’s online, you can’t simply look the test over and then come back hours later after looking up answers.

REQUIRED WEBCAM

For test security purposes, you will be required to download the Respondus lockdown browser and to have a functioning, moveable webcam in order to record you and track your eye movements while you’re taking the midterm and completing some of the discussion forum assignments. Your monitor’s built-in camera will not be sufficient because it cannot be moved about to show the entire area around your computer or your computer monitor itself during the environment check. If you do not use a moveable webcam or your environment check does not satisfy the professor for any reason, your score for that test or assignment will not count when grades are figured at the end of the semester. If that happens, you will be required to retake a version of the test in person or your final will weigh more heavily, depending on circumstances.

At the moment, Amazon and Walmart.com have webcams for about $10 to $20, so this requirement is still cheaper than supplies you must buy for many other courses. Make sure you have such a webcam by the third week of class.

Syllabus Part II: Expected Learning Outcomes, Computer Tips, Disability Services
(not covered by syllabus quiz)

Any information in this syllabus may be subject to change, correction, or other revision.