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If you've never taken a course online before, it can take some
getting used to; and even if you have, each professor organizes
the process differently. I hope that you will always feel invited
to e-mail me with any
questions or concerns you have. Another good place to ask questions
is in the course discussion board. Chances are good that if YOU
have a question, at least three of your colleagues do, too.
If you've never learning in this kind of format before, you might
also decide that it's not for you. A quick self assessment tool
for thinking about this is available online, by clicking
here.
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Weekly rhythm
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Each week there is a web page that lists the kinds of things I
hope you will learn, as well as ways to go about learning them.
I will post a "final" version of that web page on the
Monday of the week in question. It will include learning goals,
small groups assignments, required readings, my presentation, and
so on. Some of those pages are already up on the web, but since
I hope to make the class responsive to our ongoing engagement, things
may change. Please check into the appropriate webpage on Mondays
and figure out how you'll plan the rest of your participation that
week.
By Friday of each week I will expect the small groups to present
insights from their work together to the larger group in the main
discussion board.
My assumption is that you will then have the weekend to contribute
responses to the large discussion, and to do reading in preparation
for the next week.
You are -- of course! -- invited to access this process in the
ways that fit your schedule best. We will not have any live chats,
so you will need to organize your time so that you make sure you
are staying current. Many of my students in the past have remarked
that it helps them if they make a point of setting aside the same
time each week -- much like if you were going to a typical class
-- to "go to the web" for the class.
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Participating in the discussion
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There are two kinds of discussion that you will participate in
during this class: the larger, full class discussion; and your small
group discussions. The large discussion is meant to clarify and
extend engagement with my weekly presentation, the readings, small
group work, and anything else that comes up for you. The small groups
are your space in which to really struggle with the material and
work on specific assignments to share with the larger class.
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Fisher's Net listserv
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The primary web pages for this class are linked to my own website
at Luther (http://www.luthersem.edu/mhess/ce1515/).
These pages are primarily static, meaning that they are not intended
to change regularly (particularly once the course goes live). They
are also "public" and can be accessed by anyone who has
access to the web. The course discussion, however, both large group
and small group, will be handled via an e-mail listserv that Fisher's
Net has instituted for us. You do not access it via Fisher's Net,
however, but simply via your own e-mail accounts. I will subscribe
you to it, so if you have any questions about it, please e-mail
me directly.
We will also handle small group discussions via e-mail.
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