I apologize for the late start. There were a
few technical issues I needed to resolve
to make the class fully operational,
including a last-minute consideration of
utilizing some or all of the features of
WebCT, an integrated e-learning product.
I wasn't able to get a WebCT
demonstration or an account to
experiment with until last Friday, and, of
course, this the first week of classes and
I'm teaching four traditional "brick &
mortar" classes this term.

I ultimately decided to forego WebCT for
now and use a combination of my own
website and WebBoard. Although WebCT
may be somewhat easier to use,
WebBoard is much more versatile a
product and allows you to participate in
discussions through the web, email or a
newsreader, such as Agent or
Newswatcher (for those of you who read
usenet newsgroups).At the end of the
term, I'll be especially interested in
feedback from those of you who have
taken WebCT-based courses to see how
this way of doing things compares.

For many of you, an on-line course will be
a totally new experience. Some students
have already shared with me that they are
somewhat apprehensive about this.
Relax. I'll be here to help every step of the
way and I am only an email or phone call
away. In many ways, this course will be
like a regular course. There are readings
to be done and exams to be taken. The
main difference is in the absence of
classroom lecture and discussion.
Replacing those things will be written
commentary and questions from me to
guide you through the reading and
interaction with your fellow students here.

Whether you're accessing the WebBoard
through the web, email or a newsreader,
you need to CHECK IN AT LEAST 3
TIMES A WEEK to see the latest posts,
reminders, announcements, reading
assignments, commentary, etc. I suggest
you pick 3 regular days, so it becomes a
habit, for example MWF or TuThSat. If you
plan on receiving posts through email
and already check your email daily, this
won't be a problem.

Make sure you READ THE SYLLABUS in
its entirety and email me with any
questions you might have.

If you wish, you can attend one of the
MWF classes to meet me in person or get
a feel for what we do in the regular class,
but it's not required. If you want to do this,
Fridays are probably the best day to drop
by and have a place to sit.

During office hours, I'll be available by
phone, email or in person. I am also
going to schedule some text chat study
groups before the exams for interested
parties.

To start out with, why don't we introduce
ourselves, say something about our
educational and career goals, hobbies,
interesting facts about ourselves, etc. and
why we're taking this course (and
perhaps why the on-line version). If you
like, you can copy and paste this same
information in your personal profile (click
the MORE button - when in doubt, click
the MORE button - and then click "MY
PROFILE" to see the box for this
information.)

A word on posting: When typing a long
post, it is prudent to open a word
processing program like Wordpad,
Simpletext, Microsoft Word, Word Perfect,
etc., and save often. Then, after you're
finished, you can copy and paste what
you've written into the Message window.
The advantage of this is that if something
goes wrong or the power suddenly goes
out, you still have your half hour's or
hour's worth of work on your hard drive,
floppy, zip disk, etc. There's nothing more
frustrating than having a lot of hard work
disappear into the ether.

Thursday I'll have some commentary,
questions for discussion and more
reading up on the website. Glad to have
you on board!

Prof. Borrowdale
541-463-5434
borrowdalej@lanecc.edu
CEN 15E (Center Bldg, basement)