Welcome to the Course

Here are some tips...

...on how to begin:

• Read through the course outline. If something is unclear, please post your questions in the General questions about the course discussion forum. I am asking for questions about the course in the General Questions About The Course forum so everyone will benefit from the Q & A.
• There is an area for each session. Sessions each consist of two week periods with the exception of the introductory 2 weeks (a week and a half, really) and the final week of the semester. Every subsequent session after the first 2 weeks coincides with a novel we are reading. Our Moodle page clearly lists the dates of each session. 
• The first item in the session area is the session plan, which explains all the learning activities you are asked to complete for the entire session. Some activities require you to check the solid box to show you have completed them, while those with the dotted box will automatically be checked after you complete the activity.The course completion boxes will also help keep you organized. 

...on finding things you need:

• Individual messages from me will be sent to you in whatever format your original message comes from. If I am not responding to a message you sent but am rather sending you an unsolicited message, that message will be sent in Moodle. 
• Messages to the entire class will be posted in the course Noticeboard under General Discussion Area.  
• The Course Updates section on the right side of the course home page tells you how many new discussion posts etc. there are. 

...on assignments and grades:

• Submit your assignments in the appropriate folders on our Moodle page. Due dates are all outlined in the Course Outline. Due dates are also listed in session plans as well as on our basic Moodle page for the course. 
  
• Grades and feedback will also be posted in Moodle.

...on the settings for this online course:

• When you post, please start a new topic only when you're actually starting a new idea. Otherwise, it's generally preferable to click Reply.  In this way, we get a conversation rather than many separate posts. Avoid including the original post in your reply, please. The forums will be much easier to follow that way.
• You should set your preferences for the course. You can change the settings to receive notifications when there are new posts. If you do not want a bunch of emails (and this is what I recommend), set your preferences to list when there are new posts to read in Moodle rather than by email. To change the preferences, click the arrow next to your name at the top right of the screen and select Preferences from the drop-down menu. Select Forum preferences and adjust the settings as desired.