So, What's All This Online Stuff About?

Q & A

This course will be taught completely online (there will be no in-person, face-to-face, class sessions) over the Internet using a program called Westernonline. Students use their Internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to access and participate in the course. The following information should help prospective students understand the overall process.

Use the following downlinks if you wish.

  1. What Do You Do in an Online Course?
  2. Is There a Specific Class Meeting Time?
  3. How Is this Different from an Independent Study?
  4. Will I Have Contact With the Professor?
  5. How does a typical weekly class discussion go?
  6. Is this Easier than a Regular Face-to-face Class?
  7. How Long Does the Class Run?
  8. Am I Ready for an Online Course? (Assessing my ability
    to succeed online)
  9. What are Some Keys to being Successful?
  10. What Kind of Computer and Software Do I Need?
  11. How Much Does it Cost?
  12. What If I'm Out of Town for Spring Break for a Week or
    My Basketball Team Makes it to the State
    Tournament?
  13. What If I Have Other Questions?

What DoYou Do in an Online Course?

Is There a Specific Class Meeting Time?

No. The class is "asynchronous," which means there is no set time students must be online. However, students are expected to take part regularly (see next item). There will not be in whole-class chatroom discussions. However, there may be times when groups (of three or four students) may want to "meet" synchronously in one of the Westernonline chatrooms to discuss questions or a project.
 

How Is this Different from an Independent Study?

Online courses are not the same as independent study. In an independent study course you "work at your own pace"- which means you might work real hard for two weeks then take two weeks off. In an online course you "work at your own time," but generally with the flow of the course. In this online course you can choose what times of the day, and what days of the week you will be online--but, on a weekly basis, you generally stay with the group. We will have a topic each week which we will be discussing online. Another difference is that in an online course there is a lot of interaction between all participants in the course, whereas in an independent study the student primarily interacts with the professor.
 

Will I Have Contact With the Professor?

YES.

How does a typical weekly class discussion go?

Is this Easier than a Regular Face-to-face Class?

How Long Does the Class Run?

This varies from course to course. Full semester to less than that for summer courses. Grades will be calculated and turned in shortly thereafter, just like any other course.
 

Am I Ready for an Online Course?

From my point of view, you need to be:

What are Some Keys to being Successful?

For some more ideas see, Keys to Success as an Online Student.  Briefly, from my point of view, the keys are:

What Kind of Computer and Software Do I Need?

  1. Minimal Needs (You need the following to get up and running and be successful in the course-feel free to call the professor if you have questions about how to do any of these things.)
    1. Hardware
      1. Computer with modem and Internet connection (56K recommended, 28.8K may work).
      2. Printer.
      3. Graphics calculator (this can be a borrowed calculator).
    2. Software
      1. Internet Browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer).
      2. Word Processor (MSWord or WordPerfect are great, but others may work).
      3. Plug-ins for your Internet Browser. These are very important to utilize the power of the Internet.
        1. Full list elsewhere. (Examples: Shockwave, Acrobat Reader, unzipper program, Windows Media Player)
    3. Technological Skills
      1. Ability to run the software above at a minimal level.
      2. Ability to cut, copy, and paste text and URL's.
      3. Ability to copy, and paste graphics.
      4. Ability to use e-mail (through WebCT you will be getting a course e-mail address, but it may also be useful to maintain your "regular" e-mail account that you already use)
      5. Ability to download, unzip, and install free software (e.g., plug-ins) off the Internet.
    4. Other
      1. Willingness (even a desire) to learn additional computer skills, which may involve downloading free software to your computer.

      2.  
  2. Useful--Nice to Have (The following are not required for the course, but may be very useful to you in this course and as a teacher.)
    1. Hardware
      1. Scanner with basic graphic scanning software.
      2. Computer with a faster Internet connection (perhaps at school) to use some of the time.
    2. Software
      1. Electronic spreadsheet (e.g., Excel)
      2. PowerPoint
      3. Dynamic geometry software (e.g., Geometer's Sketchpad or Wingeom (which is free) for making geometry diagrams.
      4. Grapher software for making algebraic graphs (e.g., Winplot).
    3. Technological Skills
      1. Ability to run the software above at a minimal level.
      2. Ability to manage graphics in a word processing document (such as resizing, wrapping text, borders, etc.)
    4. Other
      1. Technology coordinator at your school that can help answer questions unique to your local computer or network.

      2.  
  3. Useful--Advanced (The following are also very useful to you as a teacher, but you will probably not use these (unless you already are familiar with them) much in the course.)
    1. Hardware
      1. TI-GraphLink cable and software (software is free off the Internet).
    2. Software
      1. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software for your scanner (this probably came bundled with your scanner.
      2. Computer Algebra System (CAS), such as Maple, Mathematica, or Derive or a TI-89 or TI-92.
    3. Technological Skills
      1. Ability to run the software above a minimal level.

How Much Does it Cost?

Please contact the WIU Graduate School to find out exactly.  Tuition and Fees
 

What If I'm Out of Town for Spring Break for a Week or My Basketball Team Makes it to the State Tournament?

If you must be gone (e.g., away from your computer) for a week of the semester, please contact the professor ahead of time and advance arrangements can be made. Refer to the WIU calendar for breaks (spring break, 4th of July, etc.), duirng which we will not have formal course activities. (Quite frankly, being a full-time math teacher and head basketball coach and taking any three semester hour course in the spring semester may not be wise--from experience.)
 

What If I Have Other Questions?

It is a good idea to phone or e-mail the professor (Jim Olsen) the semester prior to the course if you have any questions or concerns. Jim Olsen 309/298-2317; jr-olsen@wiu.edu.
Page updated: March 12, 2010


Jim Olsen's homepage
James R. Olsen, Western Illinois University
(309)298-2317
E-mail: jr-olsen@wiu.edu