Greetings all,

First, good work on getting those first assignments done! You got off to a fast start and that's good.

Next, I wanted to give you some important information about what to expect for the rest of the course. I apologize in advance for those of you that don't like lists because I'm a list writer. I've found that writing lists makes it easier for online students because they can just print it off and check off things as they go. I say all of that because here's another list: :)

1. Orientation is a MUST! If you didn't complete the orientation by the due time and date, you will still need to do that. However, you will not receive any points for completing it. You also will not have an opportunity to take the syllabus/orientation quiz. Because you didn't complete the work in time, you are now in jeopardy of being dropped from the class. You must complete Weekly Assignment 1 by the assigned due date or you will be dropped from this course.
2. Manage your Time. The assignments for this week (and every week from here on out) require time management so that you can get them all done. The assignments aren't hard, but they do require a bit of time to complete. Please make sure to pace yourself and don't wait until 11:30 pm on Tuesday to get them done. :)
3. Assignments posted on Wednesdays by Noon (12pm). Please be sure to look at the assignment sheet every week. From now on, the assignments will be posted weekly by 12 pm on Wednesdays. That gives you 1 week to get them done.
4. Grades posted by 7 pm on Friday after the due date. I'll have grades from your weekly assignments posted no later than 7 pm on the Friday after the assignment due date. Please do not email me about your grades until after I have posted them. If you don't see it by 7 pm on Friday, then you can email me to find out where it is. Your final grades will be posted on Friday, December 15, 2006.
5. ”Open Discussion” on the discussion board. I put up a Open Discussion board in the discussions area. I won't be checking that area much. It is an opportunity for those of you that want to do some online studying together to have a place you can do that. It is not required but if you want to use it you can. Please monitor it yourselves and please just use it to communicate with one another rather than with me.
6. They turn to pumpkins at midnight. All of your assignments are due by 11:59 pm on their due date and you get a zero (0) if you submit it after that time. That means that if you wait until the last minute to get your assignment done you may miss out on the points. Please refer to note #2 above to see how you can avoid this pitfall.
7. I promise 48 hour responses. I can get over 100 emails in a day on average. On the email food chain, my student emails get responded to first. However, sometimes it is difficult for me to respond to ALL of them within 24 hours. So my promise is to respond to your emails with 48 hours but I will do my best to respond within 24. The only exception will be over the weekends. My weekend begins at sundown on Friday because that is when the Sabbath sets in and I honor the Sabbath. Although my Sabbath ends Saturday at sundown, Saturday night through Monday morning belongs to my family, friends and church. So if you email me after about 12 pm on Friday, I will not get back with you until Monday afternoon.
8. "X" is fine. Typing takes up a lot of time in online courses so to help with all the typing, it's okay to abbreviate in your email messages to me. You can call me "X" and I'll be signing all of my posting and emails in shorthand too. So you'll see "Have a blessed day, Xeturah" shortened to "HaBD, X".
9. Syllabus (Updates & Addendums). I will try to keep the changes on the syllabus to a minimum. I have just posted an updated assignment schedule because of the book issue. In the future, if I need to change the syllabus, I will just post an addendum rather than posting a whole new syllabus. I will let you know if that occurs.
10. Being dropped from the course. If you do not complete the preliminary assignment, including the orientation, AND Weekly Assignment 1 by 9/5/06 at 11:59 pm (MST), you will be dropped from this course. Those first 2 assignments are critical for your success in this course. The assignments have been developed to train you in the skills you'll need for the remainder of the semester. If you do not complete them, then you are not prepared for the rest of the course and you will be dropped. So if you haven't completed the Preliminary Assignment, then you will still need to complete it in order to stay in the class. For those who completed the Preliminary Assignment but who don't complete Weekly Assignment 1, be warned that is your first missed assignment. Remember, 3 missed assignments and you are dropped from the course prior to the final drop date. After that, you receive an "F" or N/C for the course.

Okay, that's enough for now. Again, good work on that preliminary assignment and I look forward to sharing the semester with you!

HaBD,
X