It’s been said (by Woody Allen, I believe) that 80% of success is showing up.  In this class, even if the numbers don’t exactly match up, that is certainly the case. The formal and precise requirements are listed below, but the main thing you have to remember is that if you are here, working, trying and contributing, you’re doing what you need to do!

• Posting Reflections: for each two-week unit, you will need to post at least one “reflection” on a topic related to the unit (the topics will be posted for you to respond).  You should also comment on your classmates’ reflections, as they comment on yours.  Reflections should be considered and planned, with correct grammar and syntax.  (You may password-protect these reflections if you want to keep them private). These reflections will count for 25% of your final grade.
• Discussion Forum: for each two-week unit, there will be several discussion topics.  You are required to participate (posting frequently) in all of the forums.  You need to post with quantity and quality (measured by the rubric), but grammar and syntax are not particularly important in these.  Discussions are the equivalent of face-to-face conversation, so it’s OK if you are a bit informal, or if you don’t stick strictly to the topic.  Your discussion forum posts will count for 25% of your final grade.
• Papers: You will need to write three 5-8-page papers on topics that will be posted.  The paper topics will grow out of your reflections and our discussions, and you should include connections to what you are reading in the mini-lectures, the readings, and your classmates’ reflections and forum posts. The papers, averaged together, will count for 25% of your final grade.
• Final Project: The final project will be a video, voicethread, enhanced audio, collage, digital story, web project, model, drawing, or other multimedia production of your choice.  Be creative and pick the best method to communicate your vision.  The final project will count for 25% of your final grade.
• Quizzes, Web Discoveries, Extra: There will be quizzes at various times throughout the course, all of which will be multiple choice or true/false, and all of which will count as extra credit to raise your grade.  If you post web discoveries to the Reflections section, those, too, will count as extra credit, especially if you annotate them (just a link with no explanation is not going to count for much).  Any other extra additions to the course, anything that adds value, will also earn extra credit (as well as the admiration of your classmates!).