Orientation to the Course
To try to make this where you can
give feedback on the plan even though it is NOT yet in SoftC:
·
[ ] is note to me OR description of
visual
·
--- and New Page marks planned
breaks
·
Visuals are in here even though not in
proper position.
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This
document, along with the syllabus, provides very important information
regarding how this course will function and what will be expected of you. So,
please take the time to read all of the material provided.
After
you have read the material in this section you will be required to complete
several graded introductory tasks. If you have additional questions after
completing this section, please post them to the “Course Questions” discussion forum
on the discussion board. Don't be shy about asking your question(s). Remember,
if something is not clear to you, it is probably not clear to others as well!
Also, if someone posts a question for which you have an answer, feel free to
help them out!
With
thanks to WCJC’s Director of Distance Education, Professor Michele Betancourt,
for her permission to use her Getting Started documents (including her exact
words) in the Getting Started sections of our WCJC courses.
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Welcome
to this online section of United States History II. My name is C.J. Bibus, and
I will be your instructor this semester. I have been teaching online history
since 2003 and both on-campus and online history for WCJC since 2004.
I
am a native Texan who attended a community college. I received my MA in history
at the University of Virginia and completed an additional year of work in
history and in an internship in community college teaching. I taught in
Virginia community colleges for several years and later returned to Texas to
earn my doctorate at Texas Tech University. My doctorate emphasized teaching in
the community college and the history of the early junior college just after
1900.
I
also worked in industry before returning to teaching in the community college
in 2003. Much of my emphasis on evidence and accuracy comes from my experience
in industry. I found that getting or keeping a job that paid well required
skills with evidence and factual accuracy.
I
have a perfect daughter—all parents should feel that way about their children.
To quote the family joke, my daughter “brought her Mom up as best she could.”
I
am always trying to improve the course each semester. For those of you who have
taken my classes in the past, I hope you like the changes this semester. If anyone has suggestions to improve this
course, feel free to let me know, I value and appreciate the input.
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About History As an Investigation
into Real Life Events[need
better heading]
Sometimes a discipline needs an introduction as much as an instructor. The word discipline means a field that people study. Disciplines usually have rules, including for what is considered evidence. The etymology of the word history is a clue to history's rules for evidence. The word history comes from "to inquire" or, to use a more current word, to investigate. In a freshman course, inquiry into real life events in the past can help you learn history as a useful discipline that is about how things work. As the cartoon shows, basing your plans on investigations of real life is safer than basing them on "REAL MOVIE EVENTS."
If You Want More: If you would like more on history as a discipline
(including the etymology used above) and on professional associations for
teaching and researching history, click on Resources for History on the Course
Menu.
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How History Will “TURN UP IN REAL
LIFE” [need better heading]
History is not only an investigation into real life events in the past that will help you plan and understand and a discipline that requires evidence, but—to quote the cartoon—history will "TURN UP IN REAL LIFE." First, history shows you the vocabulary of the nation and basic terms of other disciplines from economics to science so you can catch on faster when you take other classes, when your boss is talking, or when you hear the news or a campaign speech. Second, history shows how things change so you can observe the major forces that have made those changes and what strategies succeeded and failed so you can anticipate and act. History is about real life events of the past so it is useful in living in the real world of today.
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[This one got weird in SoftC—have
screen prints. I have no idea what I did here.
Expect text must be shorter. Text for this is above the
illustration until I can get help.]
General Layout of the Course
Above
Course Materials
Read Me First opens
the course in the first week; Homepage, after that.
Course
Materials – last 3 are also IN the Learning Modules
Learning Modules –
The “classroom section of the course”
Comparison Topics –
All possible writing topics
Videos – Excellent videos with archival footage so you see history
Working Groups –
Where you can get and give help in locating information in our textbook and our
sources
Course
Tools: This
section gives you quick access to the main communications tools in the
class—Messages, Discussions, Announcements, and My Grades. (Some of these are
more fully discussed in the later sections.)
Web
Resources:
History Resources where you find a reliable online dictionary and atlas, the
Constitution with definitions and other aids to help your understanding, and
information about the discipline of history and its professional organizations.
Above that, you have links from WCJC; below it, links from Blackboard.
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[The one below one worked more as
planned—have no idea what I did…]
Layout of Each Unit
< Two of the
navigation tools in a Unit
< “Everything…
(except the maps)” – At the top, has links to general information such as the
Unit Overview (including How-to Videos). In the table, has links to required
and optional information
< Part A and its
maps and
its Check Your Knowledge quiz
its PRACTICE ONLY quiz
its Quiz for the 10 points
< Part B with its
resources and quizzes
< Part C with its
resources and quizzes
< On the date in
the Course Schedule, Unit 1’s objective exam < Begins the Shortcuts to the
same resources on the Course Menu – Comparison Topics, Videos &
Assignments, and Working Groups
[Make
video links below]
If You Want More: If you want videos
on How to Use "Everything You Need for This Unit (except the maps),"
How to Use Check Your Knowledge Quizzes As Interactive Study Guides, and How to
Make the Quizzes Visible, click on the links. You can also find these videos
(and more) in each Unit Overview.
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Course Communications
As
this is an online course, our primary means of communication will be through
email and discussion board areas.
Online
and On-campus Office Hours
Each
semester I will post my virtual office hours. These will be posted as an
announcement during the first week of the semester. During my virtual office
hours I will be available to respond to student questions. Additionally I try
to log in each day when you are taking Unit Exams.
I
also am glad to have a phone conference or meet with any of you on campus
during my office hours. My office is at the Richmond campus where I have a
phone and voice mail and teach on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also teach
at the Sugar Land campus on Tuesday and Thursday—where I hold office hours in
an area without a phone that is reliable.
Because I
teach in both Sugar Land and Richmond, it is clearer to show where I am during
the week than write about it. This link shows you in weekly calendar format how to reach me when you need me.
Reaching
me through my Blackboard email (Messages on the Course Menu) is the BEST way to
reach me. I can rarely check my WCJC email except at the beginning of the day.
If you mail me within Blackboard email, I will generally respond within 24
hours (holidays and weekends being exceptions). At a minimum, I check the
course messages at least after my last class on campus.
If you want to talk
by phone during my online office hours, then the fastest way is to use
Blackboard email to tell me your phone number and ask me to call you.
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the remaining breaks, will follow the pattern
The
Discussion Section of the course is used for a variety of purposes. With this
course, you can use the Discussion Board to get help or give it. You also can
communicate with other members of the class—and not just in the graded area. I
hope this section will help to create a sense of community for people learning
history.
Everyone
is encouraged to answer questions if they know the answer. One thing I learned
in academics—but more in business—is to always double check anything you are
about to say is true. It is a good habit that takes a few seconds but always
pays off.
I
regularly read through the questions and answers. If there is any particular
area of confusion or "bad" answers, I may remove the posting or may
send out the correct information as a general email.
Types of Discussion
Boards in This Course
The
forums located in Discussions are ones that can be seen by anyone in the class.
They are:
·
Course Questions:
You should post
general questions that you have related to the course in this area. This is
generally the fastest way to receive a response. I will review and respond
frequently. Students are welcome to post responses to questions if they so
choose. Your participation in this discussion forum is optional.
·
Suggestions
For Improvement: About halfway through the semester you will see a new forum appear
called "Technology Feedback / Suggestions for Improvement." I am
constantly trying to improve the navigation and design of the course to provide
a better learning environment for students. Please feel free to offer
constructive feedback or suggestions for improvement in this area. Anonymous
posts are allowed.
·
Student Lounge:
A place to discuss
issues not related to the course. Your participation in the Student Lounge is
optional. I rarely go into this area. If you have a question for your
instructor, post in Course Questions or email me if it is a private question.
·
Student Introduction:
A place to post a
little bit about yourself so that other students and the instructor can know a
little bit about you.
·
Shareables from the Working Groups: The purpose of this
forum is covered in the syllabus. It is graded as an extra credit activity.
Working Groups
Working Groups use Blackboard’s Discussion tool, but the
only ones who can see your group are members of it. Each of you has been randomly assigned to a
small group. I have seen some real benefit to random assignments to groups.
Once the purge rolls are available I will make adjustments so the groups are
about the same size and so that everyone is in a Working Group.
After Unit 1 starts, you will see a Unit 1 forum for your
working group. You are to help each other learn history and practice Good
Habits for Evidence. These working
groups let you ask or answer questions about the current content, current
Comparison Topics, and about current quiz questions. You can earn those points
in several ways.
You can see examples of how you can post to ask or answer a
question in the forum Shareables from the Working Groups. It also used to share
information and to earn extra credit. When I see postings in your Working Group
that can help other groups, I do two things:
1. I copy and post your work into the Shareable forum for
each Unit (available at Discussions).
2. I enter 2 extra credit points for each posting that can
help the other Working Groups and for each person involved in that posting.
Points to Remember about
All Postings
This
link provides guidelines
for posting, including politeness. It also has a section on the value of
threads. These guidelines are necessary for:
·
students
posting in the general types of discussion boards
·
those posting in the graded Unit forums
I know everyone is always anxious to receive feedback on
your completed work, so I will make every effort to give you prompt feedback. I
review your posting in the Discussion Working Groups as you work and sometimes
I will reply or make suggestions. I
generally post:
·
Getting Started grades - on the weekend
at the end of the first week. During the week itself, I try to give feedback
and get inexperienced students on track by conferences (both phone and
face-to-face).
·
Extra credit grades for quizzes with a
score of 9 or 10 - the next morning after the date in the Course Schedule.
·
Grades
for submitted Video Assignments and Working Group postings – done with rubrics
and frequently not started until the weekend
·
Grades
for Comparison topics – done with rubrics, but I admit I am very slow at
grading this kind of written work partly because
* I try to give students the kind of feedback that my history teachers gave me.
That feedback made a great difference in my success, not just in academics but
also in my work in business and industry.
* I sort the answers and grade all answers to the same question and using the
same version of the textbook (such as all who used the 4th edition
paperback or all who used the 2nd edition hardback) at the same
time.
To make it easier for you to estimate your current letter grades for a Unit
until I can finish the Comparisons, I provide an Announcement so you can
temporarily estimate your Unit letter grade without the Comparison
Success in the Online
Environment
Although
this is a distance learning course, it is NOT a correspondence course; nor is
it an independent study course. Specific deadlines are provided and must be
met. Your remaining current in your work is required—and measured. While I try
to build in a great deal of flexibility for you to work ahead in each unit, you
cannot complete the course in a single weekend, but are expected to be part of
the course for the whole semester.
This
online version of United States History is designed to require roughly the same
amount of time a student would spend in a 3-credit-hour, on-campus class. You
will be expected to complete all of the learning activities and maintain an
active presence in the class.
General
points to remember:
Great!
You are almost finished. Before you get started with the content for this
course, I would like you to take care of some "housekeeping" items.
The first to third tasks are due before the end of Getting Started in the
Course Schedule. The fourth task you may complete a bit later. See the Course Schedule
for the exact time. There is also a
recommended task, but it is not graded.
I’ve
tried to include in these steps preventions for every problem students have
had. The steps make it long. If you’d prefer a 1-page version as a PDF, here is
a link.
Leave the link open until you finish all the tasks.
First (5 points), provide how to
contact you in an emergency. Example of an emergency: there is
something that will result in your having a lower final letter grade and I need
to reach you quickly.
1. Select the
Messages link from the Course Menu or within the Getting Started Module.
2. Choose “Create
Message.”
3. Under recipients,
click on "To" and select C.J. Bibus (Instructor). Note: (Instructor) is
essential.
4. On the Subject
line, please put "Your Name – Emergency Contact Information."
5. In the Message
box, provide an emergency e-mail address and phone number. Please say if it is OK
to leave messages at that number. Also add any
information that you would like for me to know about you.
Second (4 points), introduce yourself
to the other students.
1. Select Discussions
from the Course Menu or within the Getting Started module.
2. Click on the forum
Student Introductions
3. Choose “Create
Thread.”
4. On the Subject
line, type “Your Name” or a short phrase that identifies you. If you write the
short phrase, remember Discussions are a public place, so don’t get yourself
(or me) in trouble, OK?
5. In the message
box, type about 150 words to introduce yourself to the class. Eventually the
class will begin posting to the Working Groups and it is always nice to know a
little about the people that you are working with. Please do not attach a file
in Discussions (or in an email). It makes it difficult to read.
6. While you are in
these forums, check postings in other discussions forums, such as Course
Questions.
Third (1 point), if you have not
already done it, click on the Syllabus Acknowledgement Quiz in the Getting
Started module and choose True. Note: Required
to continue in the course. If you do not understand something, ask now. You can post in the Course
Questions forum or email me. Glad to help.
Fourth (20 points), complete the task
in the 1st link in the Good Habits for Evidence folder.
1. Click on the
folder “Good Habits for Evidence,” and then click on the 1st link
inside the folder.
2. Use the 1st
link and, if needed, use the definitions and The Bedford Handbook pages in the folder.
3. Follow the
directions on the last page of the link on what to write and how to send it to
me. You then earn 20 points. Note: You will not be able
to see the Turnitin Assignments that you use to submit your Comparisons
throughout the course until you do this task.
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Recommended: Use the Readiness
Assessment to find out about yourself in online classes and to find ways that
you can improve your skills for each of the weaknesses that it identifies.
I was first impressed
by the Readiness Assessment when I took it twice—each time pretending to be 2
different students I had known well in the prior term. The results and
recommendations were completely different and amazingly accurate. Based on
students’ feedback, if you have never taken this, I would try to find time to
take it. Obviously, first complete the required assignments.
The Assessment is
long, but you can click on the button that lets you save and resume later.
1. Click http://wcjc.smartermeasure.com/ You will see the
user name and password WCJC’s students use.
2. When you finish,
select “Print/Download the Report”
on the left side of the screen and be sure to download it to a location you can
find again. Note: You do not want the Summary. Only the Report has recommendations for you and
the resources to help you act on those recommendations.
4. Identify 4 to 5
recommended changes that you believe you should make. If you need help, just
ask. FYI: fast typing is the
only thing in the assessment that you don’t need for this online class.
Remember
that these tasks are a graded component of the course. Please complete them as soon after logging in
as possible so that I know a little about each of you enrolled in the
course. I am looking forward to a great
semester. If you have any general questions, please go to Discussions and post
it in the Course Questions forum. If the question is of a more personal nature,
feel free to email me.
And always, if you need help, just ask.
|
WCJC Department: |
History – Dr. Bibus |
|
Contact Information: |
281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu |
|
Last Updated: |
2014 |
|
WCJC Home: |