So, how is this going to work?

Some of you might have taken distance courses in the past, while others might not. I thought I'd start out by outlining exactly how this course is going to work, week-to-week, so that we're all on the same page. We do things a little differently in 9763, so even if you've taken a distance course before, you've probably not taken one quite like this one!

So, here's how this is going to work:

• Every week I will publish a post right here introducing the topic for the week and pointing you to the week's content (weekly content is always accessible from the menu on the far-right as well). This post usually goes up on Sunday night or early Monday morning.
• My weekly post will include some "talking points" for you to think about while doing the readings for the week and checking out the case studies. It will also include reminders about up-coming deadlines or other important info I need you to know.
• You are expected to do the readings, check out the case studies, and complete any assigned activites for the week. You're also expected to use your blog on this site (I'll set them up for everyone ahead of time) to write about your reactions to the readings and case studies. The deadline to get at least one blog post up every week is 9 am, Friday. More information on my expectations for your blogs is available on the Assignments page.
• Another important part of your weekly blogging grade is the commenting you do on your classmates' blogs. I'd really like to see you use your blogs as your discussion board, where you will engage and challenge each other (using the commenting feature on our blogs) and continue the conversation started in your blog posts. Since blogging/commenting is our main mode of interaction, this is a crucial component of the course.
• Over the course of the term, we will also be tagging content in del.icio.us. More info on that is on the Assignments page.

And that's about it. It might seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn't take too long to settle into the swing of things. If you have any questions, leave a comment!