How is an online course different from a course held in a regular classroom? Is it easier or more difficult than a regular course?
Online instruction is not for everyone. You should have a fairly new computer and a stable (and preferably fast) connection to the Internet to take this course, and you should have more than a passing familiarity with the Internet and the programs on your computer. Go here for information on technical requirements for this course.
It is difficult to recreate the spontaneity and excitement of classroom discussion in an online environment, but that does not mean that an online course does not allow for the possibility of a rich and meaningful discussion. In some ways, an online discussion can provide an even more meaningful engagement with literary texts because it requires everyone to contribute to the discussion, and because it allows students more time for reflection before submitting a comment.
If you are taking an online course because you think it will be easier than a regular course, you should probably reconsider your choice. Although this course will probably not be more time consuming than a regular course, it will not be less time consuming either, and it will definitely be more intensive in terms of the number of individual contributions you will need to make during the course of every week. And because your contributions to class discussion will be in writing, you will need to take extra care to make sure your contributions are written in a manner that is clear, coherent, and free of the kind of sloppiness and shorthand endemic to most online discourse. It is my hope that this more intense, and more intelligent engagement with the readings and with your fellow students (and instructor) will make this course an extremely meaningful educational experience for you.
Go here for a self-assessment survey to see if you're a good candidate for an online course.
How does the discussion part of this course work? What do I do if I want to improve my discussion grade?
Discussion guidelines for the regular semester world literature course are available here.
Discussion guidelines for summer world literature course are available here.
Discussion guidelines for the summer literary criticism course are available here.
Does this course have an attendance policy?
Failure to submit responses to a forum by the deadline will result in a
grade of zero, and will be treated as an "absence" for the purposes of attendance. The Longwood University attendance policy in the 2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog will be the attendance policy for this course. Your grade will be lowered by one letter grade if you miss 10 percent of the scheduled class meeting times (i.e., the forum deadlines) for unexcused absences. You will receive an F for the course if you miss a total (excused and unexcused) of 25 percent of the scheduled class discussion deadlines.
Where can I access the syllabus for this course?
Information on this course is available at the instructor's web page. It is also available on this course's Blackboard site under "Course Information."
Who do I contact if I have questions about registering for this course?
Go to to Online@Longwood for registration information.
What if I have questions about or problems with Blackboard, or questions about other technology issues?
A FAQ is available on the Blackboard login page. If you have questions not answered there, contact Longwood’s User Support Services at helpdesk@longwood.edu, or call 434-395-4357 (toll free: 877-267-7883) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
If Blackboard experiences a catastrophic breakdown and you are unable to access the course materials or announcements there, go to the instructor's web page for announcements. If Blackboard goes down, stay current with the readings, access the study guides and discussion questions at the instructor's web page for guidance in formulating responses to the readings, and make notes and comments that you can cut and paste into Blackboard when it becomes available again. In the unlikely event that both Blackboard and the non-Blackboard site are down for an unreasonable period of time e-mail the instructor at: smithsb@longwood.edu, smithsb@longwoodshakespeare.org, or smithsb@verizon.net.
What are the technology requirements for this course?
Information on hardware requirements is available here. Information on software requirements is available here.
Although Longwood and Blackboard recommend using Microsoft Internet Explorer, I have had no difficulties using Mozilla Firefox with Blackboard. Firefox is a considerably more secure browser than MSIE, and it is considerably less cumbersome to use. I'd be interested to hear about the experiences of students using alternatives to MSIE in this course.
You should also feel free to submit essay assignments using Corel's WordPerfect for this course. I will also accept documents in Adobe Acrobat format (note that WordPerfect will turn your document into an Adobe document--select File / Publish To / .pdf). (I think the newest version of OpenOffice also converts to .pdf.) Adobe is useful because it preserves the formatting of the original document--what you create in your processor might not look the same in mine.
I also welcome submissions using Sun's excellent (and free!) OpenOffice software suite.
How do I access this course?
This course will be conducted using Blackboard, a online course management service that Longwood subscribes to. You can access Blackboard at: http://blackboard.longwood.edu. Follow the instructions on login page, and after you have successfully entered Blackboard, select the link for this class and familiarize yourself with the various parts of the course. If you have difficulty accessing Blackboard, contact Longwood’s User Support Services at the e-mail address or phone number above.
Because Blackboard requires a password, course lecture materials, our weekly discussions, your grades, and any copyrighted materials the instructor wants to make available to the class will remain private. Note that other course materials, such as the study guides, links to research materials, and handouts, do not require such protection. You will be able to access all of these materials on Blackboard, but you can also access them without going through the instructor's web page.
Where do I get the books and other reading materials for this course?
Textbooks are available at the Longwood University Bookstore. You can order your textbooks here.
A few other texts will be made available on Blackboard under "Texts and Documents." Most of these documents are in Adobe .pdf format (make sure you have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). The instructor will also make maps, pictures, and other supplemental texts and documents available here throughout the semester.
How do I access library materials if I'm off campus?
Go here for information on obtaining library materials.
What if my computer breaks, or I lose my Internet connection?
Have a backup plan, especially if it looks like your problem is going to take more than a day to resolve. Remember that most public libraries provide Internet access. Go here to find a wireless network near you. Failure to submit responses to a forum by the deadline will result in a
grade of zero, and will be treated as an "absence" for the purposes of attendance. The Longwood University attendance policy in the 2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog will be the attendance policy for this course. Your grade will be lowered by one letter grade if you miss 10 percent of the scheduled class meeting times (i.e., the daily forums, each of which is the equivalent of one week of work in a regular course) for unexcused absences. You will receive an F for the course if you miss a total (excused and unexcused) of 25 percent of the scheduled class discussion deadlines.
Do I have to use my Longwood e-mail account for this course?
Yes. If I need to send you an e-mail message, I will send it to your Longwood address. Check it at least once per day. If you need to e-mail me about anything, make sure the subject area of your message indicates that your question is related to this course.
Who do I contact if I have other questions about the course content, objectives, and requirements?
Contact the instructor, Dr. Shawn Smith, at: smithsb@longwood.edu.