Confirm Access Code
Your Name:
First Name
Last Name
Your VCCS email address. You is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.
Please insert any message you wish to share with the instructor at this point:
Task: `q001. Return to the homepage for your course, as you bookmarked it in the first document for Step 4 of the Orientation.
Your homepage includes a Table of Assignments, Topics and Specific Objectives. The link to this table is listed along with other links near the top of your homepage. Click this link and scroll down through this Table.
The first thing you will see is the heading Module 1.
Below the heading for the Module you will see a note indicating when the first test, for Module 1, is to be completed. (The first test might be referred to as the 'Major Quiz', as 'Test 1', as 'Chapter 2 Test', as 'Chapter R test', or by some similar name, depending on your specific course).
The course is divided into Modules. Scroll down the page and locate the headings for subsequent Modules.
Briefly state how many modules you find, and also when the first test is to be completed.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
There are a total of 4 modules listed. Major Quiz over Module 1 is assigned as part of Assignment 10.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q002. Now scroll down and locate your numbered Assignments. The number of an Assignment is in the first column of the table.
You don't yet need to know how the Assignments work. You will learn that by working through the first couple of Assignments. At this stage we want to focus on where to find information.
Just below each Assignment is a list of Objectives relevant to that assignment. You won't really know what the Objectives mean until you have worked through the Assignment, and even then your understanding will develop over a period of days or weeks as your brain gradually rewires itself and you apply the necessary ideas to subsequent assignments.
Right now we just want to focus on where the Objectives are and how they are listed.
Note that a typical list of Objectives is followed by a set of Technical Statements. The Objectives are intended for you to read. The Technical Statements often use notations and terminologies with which you might not be familiar, and when first working through an Assignment you can focus on the first statement of the Objectives, safely ignoring the Technical Statements.
Note also that the word Relate is included with many objectives, in the form of a link. You don't need to click on that link every time it appears. The link takes you to a discussion of what it means to 'Relate' a set or list of things.
Basically 'Relate' as used here just means that you need to know how those things are all related to one another, and be able to apply those relationships to solving problems.
This is all you really need to know right now.
The link gives a more extensive explanation in terms of a number of examples, and you might find it useful later.
Describe in your response:
where the Objectives are and how they are listed
what you should do when you see the link Relate
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Just below each assignment there is a list of objectives. The word Relate is included with many objectives, in the form of a link. You don't need to click on that link every time it appears. The link takes you to a discussion of what it means to 'Relate' a set or list of things.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q003. You won't fully understand the sequencing of topics and activities, or the reasons for the sequencing, until you have worked through a number of assignments.
Assumptions:
It is unrealistic to suppose that the majority of students in a course are capable, without prior preparation, of reading, extracting meaning from and solving problems in a text written at a level appropriate to the course.
having the topic talked to a class in a lecture is generally ineffective for the majority of the class
students sharing ideas with and solving problems in conjunction with other students can be very helpful, given a group of students who have already engaged and experienced the topic (... toolkits ...)
it takes time for stuff to sink in, an idea the instructor believes to have for centuries been obvious to individuals with rigorous content knowledge, to now be increasingly supported by the rapidly advancing field of neurobiology, but not to have filtered down to the 'field' of education
if the goal of the course is integrated understanding and mastery, it is not possible to break the learning of this subject into a linear series of topics, with one topic mastered before moving on to the next
Typically you will be introduced to a topic through a sequenced set of questions (the 'qa'), in which you will
Answer a series of questions, based on knowledge from prerequisite courses or from earlier in this course, without having been first 'taught' how to answer the questions. The purpose is to 'engage your brain' on the topic and provide you with a context for later activities.
Solve, take notes on and generally understand a sequenced series of worked-out problems (the Introductory Problem Sets) illustrating the application of the topic, along with others.
Apply the ideas to one or more actual, hands-on physical systems, typically setting the system up, taking data, analyzing results and answering questions.
Read Class Notes documents which may address any combination of selected previous, current and future topics, and/or view video-linked versions of the same.
Read the associated 'material' in the text and solve text problems. The text is the 'last word' on a topic, not the first. By the time you read about the topic in the text, you will already know quite a bit about it through having engaged and experienced it. The text is intended as the final document for the topic, presenting it in clear relation to others.
These activities can span a number of assignments, so that by end of the process the topic will have had time to percolate and sink in.
The main thing you need to understand about this is that there are dozens of topics in your course, each of which can require days or weeks to develop. The result is that at any time you will simultaneously be developing and working on a number of topics.
Again you aren't expected to completely understand the assumptions and the sequencing. However give a short synopsis of what you do understand.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
The material covered in this course cannot be effectively covered in a linear fashion. Concepts will be introduced in the form of a series of questions. Throughout the course, there will be times when multiple concepts are being introduced and explored. The way the material is to be covered allows for an individual to develop a thorough understanding of the various topics over time.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
*#&!*#&!
&#Good responses. Let me know if you have questions. &#
Confirm Access Code
Your Name:
First Name
Last Name
Your VCCS email address. This is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.
Copy the document below into your word processor or text editor. Complete each task, and respond as indicated:
Task: `q001. Check out the videos.
It is possible that you have received DVD's containing the videos for the course. However these DVD's will run out early during Spring Semester 2015, and will no longer be sold. Instead the videos, posted to YouTube, are embedded in the online Class Notes documents. You will have the option to purchase a USB flash memory device containing a copy of the Class Notes documents with embedded videos.
More specifically:
Course videos are embedded in the Class Notes on your Assignments Page. There is a note to this effect just above the Module 1 heading on that page. There is also a link to the Class Notes document at the heading of Column 8 of the assignments grid. You should go to your Assignments Page or Brief Assignments page, click on one of the links to Class Notes (the link is simply entitled Class Notes), and select Class Notes Document #6 (just click on the link entitled #06 from the list you see on the Class Notes page).
Scroll down through the document until you get to a YouTube link (easily recognized by the fact that its address starts with http: followed by /youtu.be/ ), click on the link and view a little bit of the file.
These videos are designed for a typical computer screen and some may not be completely readable on hand-held devices.
If you do not have a fast and reliable Internet connection you may find it more convenient to have a copy of the Class Notes with embedded videos on a USB flash memory device, from which you can copy the videos to your hard drive. This can be provided through the VHCC bookstore at a reasonable cost.
Check out the video for download time and readability.
Were you able to locate the Class Notes document?
Were you able to access the Class Notes document for class #6?
Were you able to locate a YouTube video?
How did it work?
Do you think you might want to purchase a copy of the videos on a flash memory device? The cost should be the cost of the device, plus a $5 service fee for the copying, in addition to mailing charges. You may request more information on cost in your response.
your response &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
(insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
I was not able to locate the Class Notes Document. I am interested in purchasing the videos on flash drive.
#$&* (Note that your response was to go into 'the next line'; your response will therefore be inserted before this line, not after. This is obvious when you're looking at the form, but if you've copied the form into a text editor it might be less obvious. Hence this note.)
@&
The Class Notes are on the Assignments Page as described, and there is a note, probably on the first screen you see when you open the page, with a link to the Class Notes.
You will want to be able to access them. Take another look, both on the Assignments Table and the Brief Assignments Table.
*@
@&
It's still conenient to have the files on a USE device. I'll be glad to copy the files onto a flash drive for you. I believe the 16 gB drive is about $16, plus the bookstore's $5 service fee.
If you want me to do so, email me and I'll reply when the device is ready for sale in the bookstore.
*@
Task: `q002.
If the videos work and you know how to access them, please indicate this below. If they don't work, and/or you don't know how to access them, indicate specifically what you have done in your attempt to do so, and what has happened at every step.
your response &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
(insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
I was not able to locate the Class Notes Document.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
*#&!
@&
See my inserted note regarding the Class Notes.
*@
@&
After giving it another try, let me know if you still can't locate them. And if you dowant the copies on a flash drive, you can email me as indicated and I'll be glad to make the copy.
*@
Confirm Access Code
Your Name:
First Name
Last Name
Your VCCS email address. Your VCCS email address is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.
Copy the document below into your word processor or text editor. Complete each task, and respond as indicated:
Task: `q001. When you submit information via a form, the form will request your name, email address and access code.
As previously instructed, your access code and your email address must be accurate, so they should be copied and pasted from a conveniently located file, not typed in.
This is because any error in entering your access code will ikely cause the posting of your work to fail. Incorrect access codes can cause also other problems with the system, and can inconvenience other students.
The email address you include should be your VCCS email address. It is very important that your email address be correct. Spammers occasionally find this form. If you do not give a correct address, then it is possible that your submission will be automatically deleted along with invalid submissions.
Please indicate these requirements in your own words:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line):
We must include our access code, full name, and school email address each time we submit a form. It is very important that the information be accurate or the form may not get delivered.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q002. It is rare that a valid submission gets deleted or overlooked. However it can happen. If you do not include the information necessary to identify you (most importantly your access code and email address), your submission will probably also go astray (an exception being Orientation assignments, which if submitted through the appropriate form require only your email address).
The important point here is the following:
You should retain your original copy of every document you submit.
These are not typically large documents, and they are easy to handle. You should also therefore consider emailing yourself a copy of each submitted document.
Restate the above in your own words,
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
We should save a copy of all the forms that we submit.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q003. Other than the name and email address you enter when requested by the form, you should not include any other identifying information on the form. This will ensure that, even in the unlikely event that someone stumbles on your access page, there will be nothing on that page to identify you.
Please indicate this in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Do not include any identifying information other than what is required by the fields in the form.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q004. If you wish to maintain your privacy, then after accessing your information you should delete the history of your browser and close the browser in order to maintain the security of your access page. In Internet Explorer you do this by clicking on Tools > Internet Options > General and choosing to Clear History and Delete Temporary Internet Files.
You should safeguard your code. However if despite your best efforts you have reason to believe your access code has been compromised you may email the instructor from your VCCS account and request a new access code.
Please indicate your understanding of this advice in the box below:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
To be safe, its a good idea to delete temporary internet files after completing and submitting assignments.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q005. Everything you submit should be submitted through a form. If your work is formatted (e.g., for a lab report, because it contains graphs, or for some other reason) you may also 'back it up' by emailing the formatted document, but the document should first be copied and pasted into the Submit Work form and submitted. If everything has been done according to instructions, it is seldom necessary for the instructor to look at your formatted file.
Please state this in your own words:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Everything needs to be submitted through a form. Formatted files should be backed up in case of error.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q006. Keep the Thread: When sending messages don't assume that your instructor remembers the last message you sent. If your present message is related to the previous message, or answers a question posed by the instructor in a previous message, be sure you don't remove all that information when you send your new message. Your instructor will have less time to spend on your work if it is often necessary to go back and research previous correspondence to figure out what you are talking about. It is your responsibility to give the instructor everything required for a useful response in one message.
For example if the instructor poses the question 'now what do you get when you divide $400 by $10 / hour', don't send back a message that reads
Dear Instructor,
the answer is 40
Your student.
with nothing more in the message. Include the question, include your original work on the problem, and state your answer in a format that makes it clear you understand what you are doing.
State this in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
It is the students responsibility to supply the instructor with sufficient information to answer questions the student might have. Replies from the student about previously asked questions should contain all relevant information up to that point.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
STUDENT QUESTION REGARDING PREVIOUS:
Is it ok if we use the reply feature on emails? Or should we just submit a new form with previous correspondence copied in.
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE
The 'reply' function is probably the easier alternative, and unless you remove it the thread will be maintained. So that's the preferred choice.
Task: `q007. Make it Self-Contained: When submitting any documents or question:
Make your message self-contained, so that it isn't necessary for the instructor to delay responses to other students by searching out additional documents. (For example, answer a question posed in a previous communication from the instructor by inserting it into a copy of that document. Other students are waiting for responses, so don't expect your instructor to go back and look up the document.)
Be sure your document can be read efficiently by scrolling down the page, with no need to scroll right or left (this will not generally be an issue, since almost all your work will be submitted through text forms where this is not a problem)..
Explain your understanding of these requirements.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Make your message self-contained in the document it pertains to.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q008. Please understand that to make it possible to work individually with a large number of students, your instructor works with you mainly by responding to your assignments and questions. Your instructor will generally not initiate contact with you. It is your responsibility to initiate contact with the instructor by submitting assignments and questions, and you can generally expect a reply to be posted by the end of the day after it is sent, seven days a week.
An exception is when the instructor is out of town for a conference or on personal business; this typically happens a handful of times during a term. There would also be an exception should in the event of injury or illness (neither has interfered with the instructor's schedule in well over a decade of distance offerings but either remains possible). In the event of a planned absence (usually not lasting more than three days) you should be notified by email in advance so you can plan accordingly. In the event of an unplanned absence you would be notified as promptly as possible.
If a reply is not posted within this time you should resubmit your work.
However if you do resubmit, be sure to indicate at the beginning that the work has already been submitted.
Please restate this in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
It is the students responsibility to initiate contact with the instructor. Replies to student work usually happen by the end of the day, seven days a week with a few exceptions.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q009. You will normally use web forms (e.g., the Submit Work form) to communicate information. However some documents are formatted in such a way that the text-only format available on the form is not sufficient. In this case you should still submit a text version of the document using the form, but you may also send a backup copy using your VCCS student email.
Any email you send should contain access information in the precise format prescribed in the message you received with your Access Code. This syntax should be copied and pasted, as indicated in that message, rather than being typed in.
Any email should also identify your course (e.g., Mth 173 or Phy 121, etc). in its subject line.
Emails must be sent from your VCCS email account. Messages sent from other accounts may or may not receive responses, but it will not be possible for the instructor to search such messages, and information sent from other accounts risks being screened out by our network's SPAM filter.
Please indicate how you will include your course and access information when and if you send email messages:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Antony Collins
PHY 121
' access: 01-48-587
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q010. Any document you submit to the instructor must be a word-processed document. It is not possible for the instructor to efficiently insert comments into Excel documents, scanned documents or documents submitted on paper or by fax.
Don't spread things over multiple documents (e.g., a word processed document with an explanation and a spreadsheet document with some tables and graphs) but copy and paste everything into one document so the reader doesn't waste time flipping from one document to the other.
Tables and graphs from Excel and other programs can be copied and pasted into word-processed documents.
Note that for most purposes graphs need to be described in words. the important skill is not the use of a computer program to construct a graph, but your understanding of the essential properties and the meaning of the graph.
The only exception to this policy is tests, which are completed in an approved proctoring situation, and are done on paper and in your handwriting (see also instructions previously provided regarding testing).
Please summarize your understanding of this policy.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Make sure you copy and paste work composed in multiple programs into one document.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q011. It is usually much more efficient and effective for the instructor to work with you through forms and your Access Page than face-to-face.
The instructor enjoys working face-to-face with students, but this is not feasible in an asynchronous course. It is not possible to respond meaningfully to your submitted work, and at the same time to accommodate the desire of a class full of asynchronous distance students for individual face-to-face meetings.
For this reason the instructor's office hours are conducted by responding to information received through forms, and face-to-face meetings are normally restricted to matters that have already been addressed to the fullest possible extent via electronic communication (e.g., access page and forms) and have proven impossible to resolve efficiently by this means.
This policy makes it possible for the instructor to respond fully to your submitted work and to do so in a timely manner. It also ensures that all students, local as well as non-local, get equal attention from the instructor.
Please explain this briefly in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Communication with the instructor is primarily conducted via online forms.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q012. When you take a test you must submit the Test Taken Form (at the General Information page, just below the Submit Work Form) to alert the instructor to be on the lookout for your test. If a test has gone astray (rare but tests can be misrouted) we can more easily trace it if we know promptly that it's missing.
Please state this in your own words:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
After taking a test, I need to submit a Test Taken Form (located at the General Information page just below the Submit Work Form to let the instructor know I have submitted a test.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q013. Save all communications from the instructor; you're responsible for doing so. You are also responsible for keeping track of what you have sent the instructor, who can provide more timely and more complete responses if time isn't wasted rereading something re-sent by a student who wasn't weren't sure whether it was sent in the first place. Once your work appears at your Access site (explained when you get your access code), however, you may assume that it is safely stored in at least two places.
State this in your own words.
**** our response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Save all communications from the instructor and backups of all work submitted.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q014.
If you submit a document and get a form confirmation, then the document has been received.
It might happen that you submit a document then realize you didn't submit your identifying information. If this happens, then submit it once more, and be sure to carefully include your information. However, do your best to get it right the first time.
Please respond with a statement detailing your understanding of the process of submitting a document.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Submit documents through the provided form and include all require identifying information. A form confirmation will appear if your document was received.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
*#&!
&#This looks good. Let me know if you have any questions. &#
Confirm Access Code
Your Name:
First Name
Last Name
Your VCCS email address. You is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.
Copy the document below into your word processor or text editor. Complete each task, and respond as indicated:
Task: `q001.
If you were in a course that meets in a classroom you would be attending regularly. In an asychronous distance course, while you have the course materials and access to a great deal of instruction, you do not have the benefit of regular meetings, and it can be difficult to find the time to work on the course.
You cannot allow this course to become something you need to 'find time' to do. You need to schedule a regular time to work on this course, and you need to schedule a sufficient number of hours to do this work.
Here's the arithmetic of being a college student:
The generally accepted standard is that at the minimum, it's a full-time job to be a full-time student.
A full-time job for 16 weeks translates to a total of 640 hours, over the course of a semester, devoted to a 15-credit courseload.
Approximately 240-300 of them in class and/or lab and the remainder devoted to preparation and study outside the classroom.
This comes to something over 40 hours per credit-hour. That's 120 hours for a 3-credit class, 160 hours for a 4-credit class and 200 hours for a 5-credit class, spread over 16 weeks.
There is of course a wide degree of variation in the time actually required of an individual student:
Some courses require less time than others.
Students vary in the knowledge they bring from prerequisite courses. It is a widely acknowledged national problem that secondary education is substandard, and that students are seldom fully prepared for college-level work, with the result that students need to spend extra time on assignments.
Students learn at varying paces, some more quickly and others more slowly.
Study habits and efficiency of time use vary widely among students.
So not everyone requires all those hours, but some will require more.
You should begin this course with the assumption that you will require about the number of hours specified above.
Though there are exceptions both ways, most students who manage to establish a regular schedule are successful in these courses, and most people who fail to establish a regular schedule are not successful.
Please explain in your own words why it is important to establish a schedule for this course, and to put aside the required number of hours.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Its important to schedule a regular time to do work in this class because there will not be regular meetings to help you stay on track. The individual needs to be self-motivated in order to keep up with assignments and ultimately succeed in this course.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q002.
Write your work out on paper.
Don't try to do multi-step problems on your computer keyboard.
It's quicker to write them out then transcribe your work on the keyboard, and the act of writing things down has a number of advantages.
Writing things on paper allows you to organize your thoughts, to make multiple representations of the situation, and to save your work for reference.
Writing, sketching, doodling, etc. also tend to reinforce the learning process.
Use sketches:
Make sketches to represent the things you are thinking about and try to organize your thoughts as you proceed.
Take notes:
You should always make notes as you work. Taking notes reinforces the learning process and provides you with a reference for the future.
In some exercises a single complex problem or situation will be broken down into a series of questions. In such cases it will be necessary for you to maintain the thread of the problem. Maintaining at least brief notes will allow you to do so.
Please respond with a statement detailing your understanding of the advice given above.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Write work out on paper. Draw sketches and make notes as you work.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q003.
On anything you send the instructor, including but not limited to q_a_ assignments, queries and tests, sufficient documentation is required to allow the instructor to follow your thinking and the details of your solution.
An example of good documentation to the question 'How long will it take to make $400 at $10 per hour?':
'At $10 / hour it will take $400 / ($10 / hour) = 40 hours to make $400.'
A poor answer to the same question:
'4000'
This is a poor answer first because it's undocumented, second because it's wrong, and third it can contribute to a habit of poor documentation, which will nearly always cost you points on your tests.
It would be fairly easy for the instructor to figure out where the 4000 came from--most likely you multiplied when you should have divided, though you may have just been really careless with your 0's--so it might be possible to help you see what you did wrong here. However this is usually not the case with undocumented answers on more complicated problems.
The more usual case is that your instructor has no clue about what you did wrong and no reasonable way to 'reverse-engineer' your solution and address your error.
On a test the bad thing about such an answer is that even if you thought correctly through several steps and made only one minor error in your arithmetic, you didn't document the process and there would be no way to give you any partial credit.
Note also that if a question can be answered with 'true' or 'false' it doesn't matter whether you put down the right answer or not, if all you put down is 'true' or 'false' it is impossible to tell whether you got the answer by a correct process or by a coin flip, and in this course credit is not give for coin flips.
As another example, if a test problem asks for the graph of an expression it is not sufficient to copy the output of your graphing calculator; unless the problem specifically tells you to use the graphing calculator you must document how the characteristics of the graph result from the given expression. Document your answers, show the instructor that you know why the answer is what it is, or you risk getting no credit for the question.
Explain why it's important for you to document your work.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
First off, its important to document work so that you dont develop bad habits of not properly documenting work, which will cost points on tests. Also, its important to document work so the instructor can see your thought process and provide detailed feedback when needed.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q004.
To repeat something that will be especially important on tests:
You cannot assert one of a limited number of answers and expect to receive credit (e.g., by choosing 'true' on a question to which the answer is 'true' or 'false').
You must fully justify any answer, and especially answers for which a limited number of choices is possible.
This means that you need to explain your thinking and show the steps of your solution.
Please explain what it means to justify an answer on a test, and why this is important:
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
You must explain your thinking, especially in cases where limited choices are available as answers.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q004.
Don't waste your time misrepresenting what you know.
Some students copy the homework of other students or receive inappropriate help on homework.
Some students go through a q_a_ or query program and look at the answers, then essentially copy the answers on the next run.
The instructor notices this pattern but doesn't penalize it, and doesn't mention it. You are responsible for working through the course in the recommended manner.
Some students get the 10% or 15% of their grade that's based on homework and daily assignments by . However students who use this strategy tend not to learn the material well and almost never succeed on the tests that make up the vast majority of their grade.
Please state these ideas in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
If you choose to cheat on homework, you will not be penalized, although the instructor will likely notice these patterns. You will, however, pay for your dishonesty on the tests that make up the majority of your grade.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q005.
Also it isn't strictly necessary to do all the homework and daily assignments, since test (and for physics students lab) grades are the dominant factors in your final grade. Some students do indeed succeed without submitting much work other than tests (and for physics courses labs).
However, while this is possible, it is strongly recommended that you DO NOT (I'm not really shouting this, but it requires extra emphasis) expect to be able to prepare for tests (and, where applicable, labs) without submitting the assignments.
For most students it is simply necessary to go through the process and learn the material by submitting the assignments and getting instructor feedback.
Please state this in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Due to the way assignments and tests are weighted, it is not necessary to complete all assigned work to succeed in this class. However, it is important to do most of the work in order to properly prepare for tests that make up the biggest part of the final grade.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q006.
When documenting test items you need to use the methods appropriate to your course.
Just because you can get the right answer in one way or another does not mean that you are using a procedure on which you can build further understanding.
It's not a matter of 'my way' vs. 'your way'. The structure of the subject dictates the things you need to understand.
If you are taking a test on material which requires you to write and solve equations, for example, then using trial and error to arrive at even a correct solution is not valid and would not receive credit.
State this policy in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Improper documentation of work on tests can result in having the question counted wrong, even if the ultimate solution given is the correct one.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q007. It is also not valid to justify a solution by copying a picture or a solution from a calculator (unless of course the problem specifies that the calculator is to be used in this manner).
It is fine to use a calculator to do your arithmetic, but you must, for example, show the steps in solving an equation.
If the solution of a problem includes a graph you must explain the behavior of that graph rather than just copying calculator output.
The key is that while a calculator can be very useful, operations like entering a function or an equation and copying output from a calculator is not a college-level skill.
If the process is part of the course, you have to show the steps of the process.
State this policy in your own words.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
All arithmetic and steps must be shown, even when using a calculator.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Task: `q008. The next part of the Orientation and Startup appears under the heading Part 4: Review, Assessment and First Assignments , and consists of a series of review/assessment documents. Among other things, these documents will get you accustomed to the learning style of the course.
These documents review things you should know, but which students often do not. As a result these documents can require a significant amount of time.
At this point you should know where to find the homepage for your course, and you should also have bookmarked it. If not, you should review the information in the link
A3. Homepage, due dates, course of study
which you encountered earlier.
Return for a moment to the homepage for your course and copy the contents of the Address box of your Internet browser into your response below.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/ph1fall9/homepage_121_menu_driven.htm
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
Now highlight and copy your document, paste your copy into the box below.
Double-check to be sure you have accurately filled in the information at the beginning of this form.
Then click on Submit Form.
It is suggested that you save a copy of your document as a backup.
When you submit this document you will have complete Orientation Step 7. Your next activity will be Orientation Step 8.
________________________________________
&#This looks good. Let me know if you have any questions. &#
Confirm Access Code
Your Name:
First Name
Last Name
Your VCCS email address. You is the address you were instructed in Step 1 to obtain. If you were not able to obtain that address, indicate this below.
It should be unnecessary to ask you to complete this checklist, but too many students have skipped items and/or have become confused by this point of the Initial Activities.
By the time you have completed the Initial Activities you will have done the following:
0. Visited the 'Start Here' page at http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/geninfo/initial_information_registered_students.htm .
Verify that you have done so, and summarize what you were instructed to do at that page.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
I have. I was directed to apply for an access code and did so.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
2. Requested your access code and received an email to your VCCS email account containing the code.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Yes
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
3. Emailed your instructor using the correct DSC... code at the beginning of your subject line, received an email confirming that the instructor got the email, and noted that the subject line of any emails you send needs to start with this code.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Yes
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
4. Visited your access site according to instructions provided in the email containing your access code, and know you are to visit this site regularly to see feedback on your posted work and to receive other information.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Yes
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
5. Followed Instruction #3 on the Start Here page, which directs you to the Initial Links page from which you will access the remainder of the Initial Activities, and clicked on your course to locate those specific activities.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
Yes
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
6. Purchased or ordered course materials per information provided at the Initial Links page.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
In the process
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
7. Completed Part 3 of the Initial Activities, which consists of Steps A1 - A7.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
YES
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
8. Bookmarked the Homepage for your course, the Course of Study/Syllabus, the Assignments Page and the Due Dates page.
Go to the Assignments Page and copy the address of the contents of the Address Box of your browser, which you will paste in the box below.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
YES http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/ph1fall9/homepage_121_menu_driven.htm
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
9. Checked your access site to verify that the documents you have submitted are posted their, with instructor acknowledgement and/or feedback.
If you have anything you want to add, including questions or comments, you may share them here.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
10. Your next step is to complete Part 4 of the Initial Activities, consisting of several documents containing review and assessment questions. Please acknowledge that you are aware of Part 4 and plan to complete it.
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
I am and do.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
11. How many hours do you estimate the Startup process has taken you, up to this point?
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
I have worked on it in segments but I would say I have spent about 4-5 hours working on this course so far.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
12. How many hours does it feel like you've spent?
**** Your response (insert your response beginning in the next line; the next line is blank and doesn't include the #$... prompt):
A lot.
#$&* (your response should have gone on the line above this one)
*#&!*#&!
&#Good responses. Let me know if you have questions. &#