Technology Requirements
In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the technology platform and applications listed below.
Mac OS System or Windows XP
Microsoft Office (Word and PowerPoint) or Mac Office (Word)
Web Browser (e.g., Firefox, Safari, Netscape Communicator, or Internet Explorer)
Email Program (e.g., Purdue Webmail, Netscape Mail, Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird, etc.)
Technology Responsibilities
Because the exchange of information and documents in this class will be almost entirely electronic, familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask. During the semester, you'll need frequent access to the Internet and email. If you have a computer at home, you'll be responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, and to complete other work. (Your Internet Service Provider should be able to help you configure your system.) If you do not have a system at home or cannot get your system configured, you will be able to use any of the standard ITaP labs. One of your first course assignments will be completing a technology checklist and solving any technology access problems that you may encounter. You are also required to subscribe to and participate on a course mailing list.
Very early in the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet these responsibilities:
Have access to your Career Account (must be Purdue Account).
Become proficient sending and receiving email attachments, resolving file compatibility issues, and following email decorum.
Check the course calendar before each class meeting.
Become proficient participating in the class Drupal space
Become more proficient with unfamiliar computer technologies and applications, including Web editing software, document cycling systems, desktop publishing applications, and graphics programs.
Maintain back-up copies of all assignments via your home directory, disks, USB drives, or CDs.
Course Technologies
- Course Website
- Dreamweaver (Web Editor)
- Powerpoint, Word, Keynote
- Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
- Drupal (OSDDP)
Collaborative Work
Collaborative work is a required component of the course. You and your project team members are responsible for updating one another and me about assignment development and progress. In addition, you also are responsible for negotiating together all aspects of your work, including planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and scheduling of assignments. When I assign a collaborative project, I will provide you with explicit guidelines for successful collaboration. I will also ask individual group members to complete Collaborative Evaluation Forms. The principles of collaboration I encourage students to follow are many and varied; we will discuss these in detail as the course necessitates.
Attendance
Attendance is required at all scheduled electronic and face-to-face (F2F) meetings. Since you will be working in project teams much of the semester, you also will be required to attend any scheduled out-of-class meetings with your team to complete course assignments. Three absences, or one whole week, is the allotted amount of time you are able to miss in this class without fault. Each absence after the third will result in 10% grade reduction. Excused absences may be granted for university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being regularly late for class (more than ten minutes) or excessively late (4 “lates” of anytime) will also be counted as an absence.
Academic Integrity
Cheating: All written work submitted for a grade in this course must be the product of your own composition. Ideas generated due to reading and group discussion may provide the inspiration for your work, but should not be the sole ideas represented. With collaborative projects, of course, ideas should be representative of the group’s work.
Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here:
http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm
The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards."
Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"
You should know that penalties for plagiarism are severe and can entail suspension from the University. If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.
