• No students will be added to this class after the first week in a 8 week class, or after the second week in a full-semester class. This orientation document must be read thoroughly, and the orientation activities in Moodle must be completed.
• All grades will normally be posted within a week of submitting your assignment. If you submitted an assignment but do not see your grade posted within that time, please contact me via email.
• All assignments, quizzes and labs are due by the date assigned. No late work will be accepted unless you have received my prior approval for a late submittal. The assignments will 'time out', and the student will no longer have access to assignments. Once an assignment times out, the assignment will not be reactivated. It is the student's responsibility to keep up.
• Exams will be given on-line and must be taken within the time period given. Students will only be granted access to Midterm and Final exams once, and these exams shall be timed. If your Internet connection at home is unstable, consider taking these exams on campus. Find a quiet place to take the exam. On-line exams are a privilege. If you are suspected of cheating, you will be required to take your exam on campus in a proctored setting.
• Communication and Participation in the class: For an in-person class, in general if you do not attend class for three meetings, Los Rios District Policy states that you may be dropped. I find online students sometimes forget they are in an online class. If you have not accessed the LMS, Moodle, nor have you made any contact with me for over 7 calendar days, the instructor may drop you at his discretion.If you are dropped after the last date to withdraw from the class, you may receive an automatic “F”. If you need to drop the class for any reason, please do so yourself – it is not the instructor’s responsibility to drop students.
• The honor system is in effect. You may work with other students in lab to assist in the learning process, but all students are required to do their own work. Students must abide by the college's Academic Honesty policies, as stated in the current catalog.

Also, For Your Information *

Online considerations:

To help decide if an online class is a good idea for you, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you like to work independently?
2. Do you need convenience and an adjustable schedule?
3. Are you comfortable asking for clarification and continuing to ask when you need more information?
4. Are you good at meeting deadlines?
5. Are you comfortable working at a computer?
6. Are you comfortable working primarily with a text-based medium?
7. Would you be comfortable phoning or faxing your instructor if you had problems with anything in the course?

To be successful online, consider the following:

Online courses are based on the premise that students learn best in a community. The instructor plays an important role, but this is more a facilitation role rather than being a "dispenser of knowledge" like in a traditional classroom. However, expectations for inter-personal behavior don't change. The practices of courtesy and respect that apply in the ordinary classroom also apply online, and require even more attention.

Just as in a regular face-to-face class, we expect that you will adhere to standards of courtesy, professionalism, and academic honesty.

We expect that everyone will participate in the class with courtesy and consideration for each other and for the instructor. Your e-mails and web postings should be on the topic at hand, should be appropriate and should reflect a professional demeanor. Inappropriate behavior includes but is not limited to the following: disruptive behavior, profanity or vulgarity, harassment of other students, obstruction of the learning environment, plagiarism or dishonesty. Students may not knowingly access, alter, damage, delete, destroy or otherwise use any data, computer, computer system or computer network in order to harass, disrupt, destroy, or disturb the class online learning environment.

Another consideration is effective time management:

The most significant factor causing students to succeed - or not - in Distance Learning classes is their ability to manage time.

· How much time will we need? The more successful Distance Learning students report regularly spending 2 to 3 hours each week for each hour of credit for a class. A 2 unit credit class, for example, required a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of work EACH WEEK of the semester to complete all requirements.

· Don't procrastinate! Without regularly scheduled class meetings, some students procrastinate through weeks of the semester - only to find themselves hopelessly far behind.

• Set priorities and pay close attention to what your instructor says about priorities.

• Set aside designated blocks of time to work on the class - just like you were attending a course meeting. This will help you stay up with the assignments and with the interaction required in online classes.

· Have a typical weekly schedule - on paper - so you will have a general guide for fitting your time to study into your other activities.

• Set up a grid with 1/2 hour times down the side, from waking to bedtime, and with all 7 days of the week across the top.
• Fill in your non-flexible times (work hours, scheduled classes, etc) with specific information.
• Fill in your flexible times related to those non-flexible ones (travel time to work or school, lunch, break, etc).
• Fill in your other activities - clubs, choir, meetings, etc - which happen less than once a week.
• List special must-do for family etc. (pick up the kids, etc) that occur regularly. Some find that taking a book along can help the time spent waiting and can help accomplish study time needs at the same time.
• List DEDICATED TO STUDY TIME. This will be time that you will reserve for study - and nothing less than a major emergency will be allowed to disturb it.
• Tell those around you that you can't be disturbed during Study Time. (Just like you weren't there - you were physically attending class.)
• List TRY TO STUDY TIME. This will be time that you are planning nothing but study, but recognize that it may be interrupted. If interrupted, remember to grab some catch-up time.
• Use a semester calendar to lay out your deadlines. If your instructor did not provide specific deadlines, set your own and meet them. Remember that online does NOT mean self-paced and you will usually have weekly deadlines and assignments. You cannot wait until the end of the class and then try to do all the work.
• Other Tips for Working Students and those with family commitments.
• Arrive a bit earlier to work and use that 20 minutes for study.
• Have your lunch hour away from the "gang" with the textbook and syllabus.
• If your supervisor is OK with the idea, stay after work a few minutes to study and use the computer there when it is quiet and you won't be disturbed.
• Get up a half hour before the kids and use that time for the "heavy" or new stuff.
• Using a timer with a bell or tone alarm set to the time to stop can be very useful and productive (you don't have to guess or keep looking at the clock but can totally concentrate on the work).
• Ask for help right awayif something isn't going right, whether it's a technical issue or something to do with the class environment. If you are unsure about something, communicate it! Do not puzzle for days on a problem. Contact a fellow student in the class or with instructor for help early with a problem.
• It is very important that you be proactive in communicating with your instructor and classmates.

* Originally taken from: http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~itc/Blackboard/pages/succeed.htm