<p> DR. LOUIS’ NOTES ABOUT ONLINE COURSES AND SUCCESS IN THIS PARTICULAR COURSE</p><p>Online courses. Different people have different learning styles. If you’ve never taken an online course before, it is a kind of learning that is totally dependent on SELF-DIRECTION, proficiency at FOLLOWING WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS, and proficiency in WRITING SKILLS. You have to be able to set up and follow a study schedule on your own, with no classroom appearance to impose a structure on the learning process. You have to be good at reading, rather than hearing, directions and explanations. You have to be able to write clearly and “on point” in response. If this isn’t you, WITHDRAW NOW! </p><p>Success strategies for this course. A lot of students enroll in online courses because of work schedules or family obligations that make regular classroom attendance difficult or impossible. As I noted in the syllabus, since students will have huge variations in when they are able to “program” online, reading, and assignment time for the course, I have structured it in weekly increments which allow each student to “check in” and manage assignments at whatever points within the parameters of the week work best in his or her particular situation. This also allows for flexibility from week to week, for those whose work schedules or other demands tend to change frequently or are simply unpredictable. You will see that the syllabus organizes the course around a main topic/theme for the week, with a Thursday morning “posting” of related announcements, notes, assignments, discussion boards, reminders, documents, urls, or any other materials that might be pertinent to that week’s work. The readings (or in some cases websites to explore) should be completed BY the designated date, so that you might jump right into applying that information to the Discussion Board topics, any other assignments that might have been posted, and your weekly commentary. </p><p>Suggestions for best results moving through the semester: </p><p>1) Complete the readings FOR the date they are listed, just like for a classroom meeting. </p><p>2) “Check in” to the Blackboard site sometime between Thursday morning and the weekend to see announcements, special assignments or anything else I might have posted for that week’s learning adventure. Try to make this a habit around the same time every week if possible. </p><p>3) Post a response to the discussion board. Check back to see what other students have said and to see if I’ve raised a question about your contribution, and post at least one reply. </p><p>4) Complete your commentary and submit it by the following Thursday morning at the latest. “Due dates” are “due BY” rather than “due ON”—submit any time in the course of the week that fits with the rhythm of your individual schedule.</p><p>5) Set up a calendar of the semester for yourself and write in your own deadlines for accomplishing each step of the longer-length assignments. </p><p>6) After the 2nd week check the gradebook regularly to make sure you've been given credit for work submitted. This is also a "failsafe" to make sure I've received it--if you submit work and no credit shows up for over a week, give me a heads-up to check on it! </p><p>7) READ THE SYLLABUS THOROUGHLY AND REFER BACK TO IT EVERY WEEK!</p>