OVERVIEW OF CLASS FORMAT

World Regional Geography On-Line is organized over the course of sixteen weeks.  Each week will involve reading assignments regarding a world regional topic(s),  team discussions and problems to solve or address, a report on each assignment, and scheduled  quizzes and exams. 

Each week (i.e., "week 1", "week 2", etc.) will be composed of an overview, assignment, key concepts, and resources. The overview will introduce the subject area, while the key concepts will be the items that you pay particular attention to in the reading.  You may consider the "ideas and terms" section as your study guide for the tests.  Most every weekly section will start on Monday, with the exception of the first week and the week of Labor Day.  I have arranged this class such that you will complete and submit your weekly assignments by midnight Sunday.  Sometimes I will not ask you to submit them but to use them to prepare for the exams.  Other assignments will be conducted as threaded discussions with members of the class. It is very important that you keep up to date on all assignments and not lag behind. Here are some additional items to keep in mind:

• First, please put the course number (GE 102) in the Subject section of your email.  My email is automatically sorted by the Subject line and therefore if you do not put GE 102 in this section, I may not receive your email.  Also, please put your name and the course number (GE 102) inside the email and on any documents that you send me.

• Second, when I send you a return email noting that I received your assignment, print it out and/or save the email.  Doing this insures that if there is a problem (i.e., I can't find something that you say you sent) then you can show me the email or email me your "return receipt".  This form of "backup" is good for all of us.

• Third, don't print out the next week's assignment page until we get to the week.  I often change the weekly assignments at the very last minute and you must insure that you have the most current information.

• Fourth, all documents must be emailed to me in Word, RTF or text format.  Graphics may be sent as JPG, GIF or TIF files.

Sometimes you will be divided into small groups for each discussion and you will participate in an on-line threaded discussions regarding the reading topic of the week.  Once suitable discussion is complete, someone in the group will submit a response to the question or problem that was assigned.  Everyone will be assigned a grade based on the final report and their participation in the discussion and assignment.

Thanks and I look forward to working with you this semester.  Let me know if you need anything.

Remember:  An On-Line requires you to be organized and responsible for your own learning and preparation.