Welcome! Please read all of this information carefully, thanks!!

History 109, Latin American History

Section: HIS-109-I01

Instructor: Reid A. Holland, PhD

Email: hollandr@midlandstech.edu

Voice mail: 803.822.3395

Fax: 803.822.3422

Office: Airport Campus, Robinson Hall 112
Campus Map: http://www.midlandstech.edu/campusmaps-airport.htm

Office hours this semester: T, W, 10-noon, Th, 11am to noon. Online hours Th, 6pm to 8pm. We can also schedule live chat hours via WebCT--more on this later! Email me or call anytime for an appointment suited to your schedule! 

B. Keen and K. Haynes, A History of Latin America. (Houghton Mifflin, 7^th [latest] edition, 2004).

 You must purchase it as soon as possible. Students will be required to study the text in order to successfully complete the course. To buy online go to: http://www.midlandstech.edu/bookstore.htm

Course Synopsis:

It is your responsibility to create a WebCT account (see below); to add this specific course (HIS-109-I01) to your WebCT account; read the full online syllabus completely and carefully; and understand all of the requirements described in the full syllabus and other class handouts. The synopsis below is only a very brief review of course obligations.

The textbook above, email, Internet access, and a WebCT account is required--first day of class!

Daily and weekly due dates for reading and writing are required--there is a specific calendar online.

Reading assignments are substantial in this course and are required.

Missed weekly work lowers your grade and cannot be done late--repeat, no late work.

Unit Discussion Posts are done online; are required; and constitute a significant portion of your grade.

Two writing assignments called Webliographies are required, and constitute a significant portion of your grade.

Four “unit” exams are required, and constitute a significant portion of your grade.

There are no make-ups for required work, including exams.

All four exams are closed book; & must be taken at one of the MTC Assessment Centers.

All exams are available for multiple days and some evenings.

Written work must be original (your own words) and must conform to writing standards.

Please note this means you can do almost all of your work online and not attend campus meetings; BUT the four exams must be taken online under proctored situations on campus.

What is Where in the Course: The brief table below indicates where you will find course components in His109 via WebCT 6. In the "Course Content Home" (homepage)--your layout looks like this:

*Student Holidays October 13-14. Closed for elections November 4.

Once inside WebCT6 and THIS course, students must first read the course syllabus and other documents found on the Course Content Home. Then students MUST take and pass a brief online orientation exam. This exam has approximately 20-30 questions based on the syllabus and other orientation materials. Students must receive a 100 percent grade on this orientation exam before they will be allowed to enter the course assignments. You MUST do this on day one.

Many requirements in this course may be completed online--open book. NO GAS COSTS. You have great flexibility to read and study when convenient for you--as long as you complete reading and work by due dates. However, the four exams MUST be completed in either the Beltline or Airport campus Assessment Centers. Testing hours include two days and evenings, as well as a Saturday, so you have some flexibility there as well. The Assessment center rules and hours of operation are online here: http://inside.midlandstech.edu/sds/assessment/ . It is your responsibility to check hours of operation and test rules and abide by those rules. Each test may have 50-60 multiple choice questions, some map questions, and one short answer essay question. In preparation for exams students may complete online open book chapter quizzes; and an extensive  review or practice exam is provided to help students study for the exams.

If you live outside of the MTC service areas (Richland, Lexington, & Fairfield counties in South Carolina) it is still possible for you to take the closed book proctored exams of this course; but it is your responsibility to recommend to the course instructor an accredited institution of higher education that might proctor your course closed book exams using your WebCT connection. Students should immediately contact their instructor; then contact the college to give the exam. Students must understand that some colleges charge fees for such proctored tests. Students must also determine if the testing institution can accept them for exams within the dates specified by MTC. Due dates for MTC exams will not be altered to accommodate remote testing. Students must give the MTC instructor complete contact information at the testing institution. If the MTC professor approves, he or she will contact the testing institution with the necessary information. MTC is a member of the National College Testing Association, http://www.ncta-testing.org/cctc/ which maintains a list of testing center members. ALL ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMOTE TESTING MUST BE MADE THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS.

It is your responsibility to have access to the Internet and your WebCT account several times during each week--4 to 5 times a week are minimal. You must plan ahead for emergencies, travel, job functions, child birth, military service, family Bar-B-Q’s and all other functions so that you have access--especially at exam times. Access is readily available at the MTC libraries; at public libraries around the globe; your parents', brothers' and friends' houses; and at numerous retail outlets. Other than a verifiable multi-state power outage due to “mother nature” and lasting longer than four days—there is no acceptable excuse in this course for not doing your online work and exams on time.

New to Online Instruction? Unsure?

Online courses take a lot of work, and the work is different from face to face classes. Here are some characteristics of successful online students:

• They MUST be self-motivated and disciplined
• They MUST schedule their personal time routinely—while the course does not require regular face-to-face meetings—the course does have regular weekly deadlines which must be met
• They MUST be willing to give 12-15 hours a week, often more than a traditional class
• They MUST be able to read, comprehend, and follow extensive written instructions
• They MUST be willing to raise questions immediately if anything is not understood
• They MUST be able to problem solve, re-read directions, and think things through before becoming frustrated
• They MUST be able to communicate well in writing
• They should be open-minded, flexible, and able to adapt
• They MUST have access to a computer and an internet provider
• They MUST be able to effectively use the Internet and Email
• They MUST be well organized and take precautions to back up work and follow through with communications
• They MUST be able to complete all course requirements, including scheduled tests or other activities on campus
• They should genuinely embrace that notion that a quality learning experience can take place on line
• They should want to share and participate
• They MUST take advantage of the multiple means for interacting with the course, professor, and college while online

Required Computing Skills:

This college course requires students to possess basic computing skills such as setting up, maintaining and troubleshooting a personal PC; creating and manipulating PC files; downloading and installing program files; using word processing software to edit, save & print documents; using and maintaining E-Mail appropriately and sending virus free attachments; maintaining & using virus protection; adjusting security settings and pop up blockers; and accessing the Internet. This course also requires students to be able to access and use WebCT/Blackboard course materials. Students must maintain their own internet provider and internet connection software. This course requires the use of Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox as web browsers—Mozilla is preferred. Netscape is not supported. The course also requires Adobe Acrobat Reader and Macromedia Flash Player—both free downloads. Students must note that the amount of time required “online” actively completing course work is often equal to or greater than time required in on-campus courses.
 

College Assistance with Computing:

Students visiting campus may use computers in the Academic Success Centers, http://www.midlandstech.edu/successcenter/

The MTC Library also has Laptops available for use in the Library on Beltline and Airport Campus. The libraries also have a wireless cloud, so you can work with your laptop there.

To download free Adobe Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

To download free Adobe Flash Player: http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash

Midlands Technical College, like many colleges around the world, uses a software platform called WebCT6. WebCT6 is owned by another company called Blackboard, and you may see both names in use. If you already have a Spring 2008 account here; then you may use that. If you are new to WebCT; or had a WebCT account prior to Spring 2008--you must first create an account. Then you must add this specific section to your WebCT account. You create your own passwords and are completely responsible for setting up and maintaining your WebCT account, and passwords.

Student Guide to Creating Your WebCT Account:

http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/docs/CreatingAccountsCE6.pdf

Please follow the link above to create a WebCT account. NOTE: during this process you will first create an account and add the specific section of this class to your account--you MUST know your section number exactly--otherwise you will be in the wrong section and not receive credit for your work. This is section HIS-109-I01.

Now that you have an account, you must add this course (and other online courses) into that account. Follow these directions carefully to add this course. BE SURE YOU ADD THE EXACT COURSE NUMBER AND SECTION--HIS-109-I30.

http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/docs/AddingCoursesCE6.pdf

The Office of Online Learning at Midlands Technical College offers WebCT training for students. To register and see a list of available training dates, go to http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/StudentSupport/WebCT%20Workshop%20FormTest.htm

Other WebCT Support:

What is WebCT: find out at http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/StudentSupport/webct_defined.html

Frequently Asked Questions: We encourage you to review the http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/ToubleShootingFAQ.htm   This module will provide you with some answers to common problems, some troubleshooting tips, and some ways to access some help.

Assistance with WebCT: http://www.midlandstech.edu/onlinelearning/StudentSupport/support.html
Email Help-Line for WebCT: webct@midlandstech.edu 
Student Services: http://www.midlandstech.edu/enrolled.htm
Assessment Center: http://www.midlandstech.edu/testcenter/
Tuition: http://www.midlandstech.edu/finance/tuition.htm
Library: http://www.lib.midlandstech.edu/

Important: Adding a course to your WebCT homepage does NOT necessarily mean you will be able to access your courses. You may be denied access due to prerequisite requirements, nonpayment of fees, orientation requirements, or access codes. It is your responsibility to be absolutely sure you complete all College enrollment steps, and that you enter WebCT and add the CORRECT section.
  
Please do not confuse this process of adding a course to your WebCT account with registering or adding courses to your college schedule. Use of WebCT only applies to creating a WebCT account or adding courses to a WebCT account. You must still register and add courses to your college schedule as before. 

Important Final Note: You may add this course sometime on or before August 18--please begin to check back to the MTC WebCT site often the first two weeks of August, 2008.

EMAIL ME AT hollandr@midlandstech.edu WITH ANY QUESTIONS--GOOD LUCK!