That said, I do not recommend the course for students on academic probation, students with limited command of written English, or students who have difficulty working independently. I am able and more than willing to work with all such students in my day sections of GEOG 130, but students in all three categories have had great difficulty with my web sections.

If you are taking this course in order to spend less time on the course than you otherwise would, please reconsider your choice. This course offers flexibility in scheduling, but the overall workload is actually greater than in a traditional course.

My purpose in offering the course this way is to provide those students who desire it an opportunity to rely fully on Internet technology for their learning in one course. Another important benefit is substantial flexibility in the personal schedules of students in the course. Since most class "meetings" occur online, it is possible to do course work whenever the student can access a computer.

The class is scheduled to meet in the Science Building, room 224. Plan on meeting six times for orientation, supplemental activities, and exams. Also plan to attend a BlackBoard orientation session -- outside of class time -- during the first week of class. Because only a few class sessions will be held, it is imperative that students attend all sessions . To miss one class session in an 80/20 course is the equivalent of missing serveral weeks in a normal course.

The first sessions will be devoted to orientation: learning the technology used in class, learning course expectations, and learning a bit about other class participants. The entire semester will be spent engaged in online group discussions. These will be meaningful only if we have some face-to-face connections on which to build.

To succeed in this course, students need:

• Regular access to an Internet computer connection (either on campus, at home, or at work)
• No special software is needed, beyond a word processor and a web browser
• Students should be very comfortable communicating in written English on a regular basis
• Students may need to attend a training session for Blackboard, which is the delivery system for the course. It is increasingly used in courses of all kinds at BSC.
• Students should have basic computer literacy or willingness to learn. "Willingness to learn" equates to willingness to take basic workshops on Windows and web browsing -- in addition to classroom orientation -- if deemed necessary by the instructor

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this course by calling (508) 531-2118 or sending e-mail to jhayesboh@bridgew.edu .