Table of Contents

1. Dialogues
2. Where can I find the instructor?
3. Why do some videos repeat?
4. Who is the instructor?
5. Why not use chat on Blackboard?
6. When are assignments due?
7. Will this course help me to be smarter?
8. How do I get an A in the course?
9. What happens if my email gets lost?
10. How do I know if you got my email?
11. How do I get in touch if I do not have email?
12. What is the Philosophers' CD?
13. Do I have to read everything the syllabus on line links to?
14. Can I trust everything I read on the Internet?
15. The course is full, can you sign me in?
16. Incomplete Course Grade
17. ON Line Help questions from ATS

Dialogues

Think of the dialogue as your way of discussing things with the others in the class. Since you do not have the chance to meet with one another in class or after, this electronic tool gives everyone the chance to do that. What would you say to one another about those topics or other things the topics do not mention?

Keep in mind that "replying to all" will send your reply to everyone in the class email address. So you would not want to say something you would say privately to just one person. If you send me a message that you do not intend to be shared with the whole class make sure you note that in the message or I may very well end up sharing it with everyone thinking it a good thing to do! This would be very much like answering a question in class in front of the class. I am not sure if it would be bad to say something like “It would be fun for those that can meet at the (insert name of establishment) at (insert time and date) to discuss this!” just keep in mind there are some in the class not even in Alaska, and many not in Anchorage, so some people would not be able to make it. Even among those in Anchorage, having incredibly busy schedules is why some like Distance Courses. The only free time they might have is 2 AM in between jobs! (Agh! Boy am I glad I am retired!)

As far as my place in the dialogues is concerned: the instructor is supposed to have an occasional presence but make sure not to dominate. Hmmm. In other words, this is your forum to dialogue with one another and I should only pop in to correct a serious mistake or remind folks to be civil. I have to admit, there will probably be occasions when I won’t be able to help myself! But for the most part I will just be recording everyone’s level of participation for your course grade.

What happens if my email gets lost?

You should always keep copies of your work in case some papers you turn in to me get lost. If you use e-mail keep a copy of your work on your own disk or machine in case the e-mail system doesn't work right. If you are saving your work on a floppy disk you should periodically copy the disk to another disk as a back up. If something happens to your work you will have to resend it. I occasionally will receive incomplete attachments or no attachments at all when there is supposed to be an attachment. I do not give waivers for work I do not receive. Your grade depends on me getting the work required.

How do I know if you get my email?

Generally, if an email does not go through to the recipient you will receive a message that says it could not be delivered. I reply to all email I receive as soon as I can though this may often be as much as a few days. When tests are due and email is heavy I try to grade the work and reply with comments as I go. If I get too behind I may reply with a quick note that I have received it and will grade it later. Sometimes the server is down for one reason or another and when that happens email will not go through.

How do I get in touch if I do not have email? 

E-mail is the best way to send me a message but if you do not have email at home and you do not have access to one of the computer labs on campus you can call me at home when you have questions, 694-1023. Since I get up at 4:00AM I would prefer no calls after 8:00PM unless it is an emergency.

What is the Philosophers CD?

I used to offer a CD for my students but have since moved most of it to the web at http://wsjamison.uaa.alaska.edu/quest.htm though it still has a few missing links. There were over 35,000 files to change!

Do I have to read everything the syllabus on the web links to?

There is no way anyone can read everything these links lead to. Most of the links I use are to complete texts. Usually, a linked text includes links and the texts on those links have links as well. I have heard that in 15 links you can go to anything there is on the Internet. Reading texts with hypertext markup language (html) is not linear reading but network reading that allows you to use the web-like connections to explore the Internet as you choose. An author can use this to replace end note and foot notes by linking items directly to the source of the item or idea. The advantage of this is tremendous in making the network of all persons past and present available on the web. The disadvantage of this is the added distraction that makes it difficult to get a simple answer to a simple question.

Can I trust everything I read on the Internet?

Yes, I know, this is certainly a silly question but what if the site of the web page is controlled by an authority you feel trustworthy? Have a look at this page for a wonderful description of some problems you might face.

  Back to Top

Where can I find the instructor?

I have office hours in the Philosophy Department in the Administration Building, 2nd floor. The Philosophy Department Office is Admin 252 and my office is 261. My office phone is 786-4458. If you would like to arrange a meeting we can do that. You can check my schedule here. Otherwise I have an office at home in Eagle River. You can call me at 694-1023. (Please no calls after 8PM.) The best way to get in touch is by email: wsjamison@alaska.edu 

Back to Top

Why do some videos repeat?

There are no longer video tapes for this course.

Back to Top

Who is the instructor?

If you are curious about me I have a "brief" description of my history at http://wsjamison.uaa.alaska.edu/myhist.htm 

Back to Top

Why not use chat on Blackboard?

I have used chat and found it can only by used by some of the people some of the time, never by all of the people some of the time and certainly not by all of the people all of the time! Email on the other hand waits for each student to have the time to read it and gives each of them a chance to send their comments if they want to say something. it is also possible for me to log each students comments in their own files and keep track of their participation. I also think chat has a tendency to become more like routine conversation about things not part of the course and so, is a waste of time.

Back to Top

When are assignments due?

The deadline is given in the syllabus or else it must be in by the end of the course. But if you would like feedback on your work and you send me everything at once at the end of the semester the feedback I give you will not be very helpful and you will not get full credit for your work. You should try to turn work in week by week and not put it off for later.

Back to Top

Will this course help me to be smarter?

This is a very good question! I have been studying philosophy for many years and I still do dumb things. My wife, on the other hand, only took one Logic class together with me when we were both in college and the only thing that she did that might have been dumb was agreeing to marry me! I hope it was, at least, her favorite mistake!

Back to Top

How do I get an A in the course?

This is a very good question! Avoid plagiarism!

Here is the Grade Key for the 201 Web  course only:

Total things for a grade:

Weekly Papers: 50 % (each is worth 2 points) A = 2, B = 1, C = .5, D = .25, F = 0

An overall A = 50 -52, a B = 40 - 49, a C = 30 - 39, and a D = 20 - 29. (F = 0 ) (Note: for those not using dialogues add 25 % value to this section, so A = 75 etc.)

Current overall points for papers:  ? (no dialogue?)

Project : 25 % of the grade. A = 25 - 20, B = 15 -19, C = 10 - 14, D = 5 - 9, 4- = F.

Dialogues: 25 % of the grade each dialogue can be 2 points

(Unless there was a stipulation that they could not use the system in which case these points are added to the weekly papers.)

Final Grade: A = 100 – 90, B = 89 – 80, C = 79 – 70, D = 69 – 60, F = 59 and below.

Back to Top

What happens if my email gets lost?

You should always keep copies of your work in case some papers you turn in to me get lost. If you use e-mail keep a copy of your work on your own disk or machine in case the e-mail system doesn't work right. If you are saving your work on a floppy disk you should periodically copy the disk to another disk as a back up. If something happens to your work you will have to resend it. I occasionally will receive incomplete attachments or no attachments at all when there is supposed to be an attachment. I do not give waivers for work I do not receive. Your grade depends on me getting the work required.

Also, one of the silliest questions I have been asked by students in an email message was the following: "I hope that you get this...please email me back if you don't get it." In general I will only reply to an email message I get, not those I do not get.

Back to Top

How do I know if you get my email?

Generally, if an email does not go through to the recipient you will receive a message that says it could not be delivered. I reply to all email I receive as soon as I can though this may often be as much as a few days. When tests are due and email is heavy I try to grade the work and reply with comments as I go. If I get too behind I may reply with a quick note that I have received it and will grade it later. Sometimes the server is down for one reason or another and when that happens email will not go through.

Back to Top

How do I get in touch if I do not have email? 

E-mail is the best way to send me a message but if you do not have email at home and you do not have access to one of the computer labs on campus you can call me at my office at 786-4458 and leave a message if I am not there or you can call me at home at 694-1023. I would prefer no calls after 8:00PM unless it is an emergency.

Back to Top

What is the Philosophers CD?

I had developed a CD for my students that had the equipment to use it but do not have access to the Internet. I have not maintained this and they are no longer available though there may still be references to it on my various web pages. The CD was just a web page interface of a collection of philosophical issues from the Internet. The web is so useful the CD is no longer necessary. The web includes almost all of the philosophical texts that are central to the Western tradition and some from other traditions as well. I tried to have links to most of it on the web at  http://wsjamison.uaa.alaska.edu/logic/topics.htm or  http://wsjamison.uaa.alaska.edu/quest.htm though the frequency of web page changes even at major education pages make it difficult to maintain (there are over 35,000 files!).

Back to Top

Do I have to read everything the syllabus on the web links to?

There is no way anyone can read everything these links lead to. Most of the links I use are to complete texts. Usually, a linked text includes links and the texts on those links have links as well. I have heard that in 15 links you can go to anything there is on the Internet. Reading texts with hypertext markup language (html) is not linear reading but network reading that allows you to use the web-like connections to explore the Internet as you choose. An author can use this to replace end note and foot notes by linking items directly to the source of the item or idea. The advantage of this is tremendous in making the network of all persons past and present available on the web. The disadvantage of this is the added distraction that makes it difficult to get a simple answer to a simple question.

Back to Top

Can I trust everything I read on the Internet?

Yes, I know, this is certainly a silly question but what if the site of the web page is controlled by an authority you feel trustworthy? Have a look at this page for a wonderful description of some problems you might face.

Back to Top

The course is full, can you sign me in?

This course fills up quickly but there are usually openings before the semester starts or even right as the semester starts as some students that register for it decide to drop it and take something else for one reason or another. I will not know who is actually in the class until I get a hardcopy roster and that will be the first week of the semester. When I look on Blackboard it includes everyone that signed up even if they dropped again right away. Try to register on-line occasionally even up to the first week of the semester and there is a good chance wolf-line will let you in.

Back to Top

Incomplete Course (See terms and definitions: http://curric.uaa.alaska.edu/schedule/200401/intro/terms.html )
An “I” (Incomplete) is a temporary grade. It is used to indicate that a student has made satisfactory progress in the majority of the work in a course, but for unavoidable absences or other conditions beyond the control of the student, has not been able to complete the course. The Incomplete Grade Contract, a signed contract form between the student and the faculty member that stipulates the assignment(s) required to finish the course, is required and must be completed for each ³I² grade assigned and is to be maintained in the department or dean¹s office. Course work must be completed by a date specified in the contract, not to exceed one year. Upon completion of the required course work, the faculty member must submit a change of grade form to Enrollment Services. If course work is not completed within one year or if the terms specified on the Incomplete Contract are not met, the student may be assigned a failing grade (F or NP, depending on the grading basis of the course). If course work is not completed within one year and the faculty member does not submit a change of grade at that time, the ³I² will become a permanent grade and it will be necessary for the student to re-register to obtain credit for the course.
 

Back to Top

ON Line Help questions from ATS

Information that might be useful to you or your students:

Student computer accounts are created automatically approximately 2 days after registration. All UAA students, staff, and faculty can look up their username at http://technology.uaa.alaska.edu/computer/ID/loginLookup.cfm. You will need to enter your first name, last name, and University ID number.

If you intend on using your course in Blackboard, your course must be made available before it will be visible and accessible by your students. To make your course availabe go to the Control Panel > Settings > Course Availability, select Yes, then submit.

UAA has a site license for Symantec Antivirus.  It's available to all students, staff and faculty either by download at http://hosting.uaa.alaska.edu/callcenter/sav81.exe (must be on UAA network), or by picking up the CD at SSB120 Monday - Friday, 8AM-5PM.

For more information please see http://technology.uaa.alaska.edu or contact us:

UAA ITS Call Center
phone: 907.786.4646 option 1
phone: 877.633.3888 (outside Anchorage)
fax: 907.786.4813
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am - 7pm
callcenter@uaa.alaska.edu
http://technology.uaa.alaska.edu

Back to Top

William S. Jamison
Copyright © 2001  [University of Alaska]. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 12, 2008.