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Before I tell you "what's next", let's first make one thing clear: This is a college class! In high school teachers often tell students every five minutes what to do next. This is not going to happen in this class. In this class you are responsible for your own learning. I will not tell you do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that, think this, think that, color this blue, and color this red... Furthermore, in the online class there is no "first class meeting". If you are on online students you need to get a good start on your own. I will NOT explain the course for you, as in a regular class; instead you must rely on your own initiative and the written documentation online for this class. This class is a course about our planet, what damage we have done to it, and what we should or should not do to it in the future. To help you learn you have a textbook with 15 chapters that you must read. While you are reading you will answer "chapter quizzes" online on Blackboard. These quizzes are, of course, not the only assignments you must do as fullfillment of the course. A general overview of the class assignments can be found in the Grading Criteria. The order (when the due date are) is listed in the Semester Calendar. Make a note: the Grading Criteria and the Semester Calendar are probably the two most helpful documents. Use them often and well. When all this is said, I have some suggestions for those of you who don't know what to do next. But let me first tell you what NOT to do next. Don't wait a week and send a message on Blackboard and say you haven't done anything and that you don't know what to do! If you are in a regular class don't come to the next classroom meeting and say you haven't done anything! If that happens you are in the wrong class, probably the wrong school, and you are on a "good" start on the road to either an F or to drop the class before the end of the semester. And, that is not why you are here, I think...
As a "rule of thumb" during regular semester you should study 2 - 3 hours per credit hour, per week. (Did you click on the link?) In other words in a 3 hour class, like environmental biology, you should study 6 - 9 hours per week! The summer semester is shorter than regular semsters, so you need to set aside additional time. You need to set aside more study time for one class during a summer semester -- that is why you only register for one class during a one month summer semester -- right?) The Environmental biology is not taught as a summer I or summer II one month course, but as a summer III course. Summer III is longer, but still not as long as a regular class.
Don't procrastinate! The worst thing you can do is to think that you have plenty of time. You do not! If you don't start studying immediately you are going to do several all-nighters at the end of the semester, or earn low grade or drop the class.
This class requires work. If, after becoming familiar with how this class works, you feel nostalgic about an earlier class where you didn't have to do much, or Blackboard was set up differently, or the instructor did not use his own web pages -- as I sometimes see from postings in the Class Help Desk, you better lock those memories away and start working in THIS class. This class is not a clone of another class. If you have some helpful comments on the class at the end of the semester I will be happy to consider them -- but not after two days. You are going to EARN a grade for THIS class THIS semester.
So, no time for parties -- get to work!
Here are a few suggestions what you can do next:
Organize your work. With the help of the Grading Criteria and the Semester Calendar, on a piece of paper, list all assignments in order of dates due. Doing so will give you a much better understanding of the requirements of the class.
Start reading the textbook. (Haven't got the book yet? Get it PRONTO!) I recommend that you start reading first without looking at the chapter quizzes. Read some pages, look at the table of contents, and look at figures -- then go to Blackboard (WebCT) and explore the first chapter quiz.
Explore Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice (the web site where this page is located, the web site for this class). Two good places to start are the "Welcome -- Start here!" or the "Syllabus".
Explore STC Blackboard. All Blackboard assignments will not be visible (open) the first week of the semester, but you might have found Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice (and therefore this page) by initially clicking on a link on the Content Page on Blackboard. One way to reach Blackboard from Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice is to click on the "Blackboard" link on the Environmental Biology page. (Remember you will first "land" on the class communication page -- which you probably (?) should read, and need to click, again, on the "Blackboard" link on that page in order to log in to STC Blackboard.) You need your username and password supplied by STC -- not supplied by the instructor. (Usually most students have it already when registering for this class.) On the Blackboard page with list of classes (the page you will "land" on after logging in), click on the link to this class. Then explore the Blackboard links for this class.
The Class Communication Page is another page you want to visit for helpful hints and messages from the instructor. OK, so by now you should have started to get "the hang" of this class. Unlike classes, such as in high school, where the teachers often tell the students every two minutes what to do, this college class attempt to be challenging, uses the Internet to communicate class instructions, and puts the learning responsibility on the students --YOU. 
An example: It is interesting to see how many students are asking about due dates. It is almost so I get the impression that some students in class have never looked at a calendar -- or at least do not know how to use one. All class dates are in the online Semester Calendar. It is made for students to use. You are responsible for using it! Use it! 
This is what a previous student said: "Many schools today have made education passive and students have become lazy and uninterested. Students today expect everything to be given to them and explained. Teachers in elementary, middle school and high school have spoiled students by giving them every single direction and even providing examples. When students come into the university they fall behind because they don't know how to read a syllabus, keep track of the work required, they are not organized and they are not self-starters." Self-starter? To succeed in this class -- that usually means getting an A or a B -- without ripping your hair off -- requires self-motivation and independent thinking. A person with those qualities is often called a "self-starter". A self-starter does not ask when assignments are due or where to post class discussion messages. A self-starter find out this by him- or her-self. A self-starter uses the Syllabus and the Class Hub page to find the information! When are assignments due? Correct -- the answer is in the Semester Calendar. A self-starter knows that. When are the Chapter Quizzes due? Again, see Semester Calendar! When are the geography drills due? Correct again, the answer is in the Semester Calendar -- now we are getting somewhere 
-- but don't forget the Grading Criteria. A self-starter will not forget the Grading Criteria. Challenging college classes? For those of you who want college to be challenging: Congratulations you are in the right class! For those of you who don't want college to be challenging: Well, you better figure out quickly what to do.... 
Note to summer semester students: Summer semesters are shorter than regular semester. Get to work immediately!
Dr. Nilsson
Copyright © 2007, 2008, Jan A. Nilsson. Page designed and created 23.VII.2007, last updated 01.I.2008, most likely during the wee hours of the morning on a G3 PowerBook "clunker" owned by Jan A. Nilsson. Web page layout and design © and intellectual property Jan A. Nilsson. Content on Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved. Except for educational purposes and 'fair use' (see below), reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. If used for educational purposes and 'fair use', including photographs, source must be given. (Some clip art, texts and backgrounds used on Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice downloaded for educational purposes and/or 'fair use' from Internet free domain has no source.) -- Disclaimer: "Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice", at the time of writing located as a file under the South Texas College's (STC) web server with the general URL http://www.southtexascollege.edu/, is the intellectual property of Dr. Jan A. Nilsson, member of STC biology faculty. The content of Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice does not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the STC faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Trustees. -- Fair Use Notice: Web pages on Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice are used for educational purposes; I understand the "fair use notice" below as the correct interpretation of the copyright law. Fair non-commercial use is necessary in order to maintain an open and free Internet -- as originally intended. As an educator I thank whom it may concern for allowing the use of material under the "fair use rule" for educational purposes to educate this and future generations.  If anyone feels that his or her material cannot be used this way I will immediately remove it if notified.   (Statement originating from www.sullivan-county.com/) "This site [may contain] copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner." -- -- Statement originating from South Texas College To comply with TEACH Act guidelines, instructors are asked to include the following statement as a footer in each online class home page: Copyright Notice for Distance Education and Web-Enhanced Classes Course materials may be protected by copyright. United States copyright law, Title 17 USC and South Texas College policy prohibit unauthorized use, duplication, or retransmission of course materials. See http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/pl107-273.html#13301 and STC policy at http://www.southtexascollege.edu/president/policies/pdf/3000/3835.pdf |