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Distance Learning
Behavioral Expectations

The information on this page is provided for all students taking this course and is intended to help avoid problems which might arise from poor communications and/or unrealistic expectations.

Professionalism and Courtesy

It is normal to expect that your instructor will treat you in a courteous manner, e.g., addressing you as Mr. Jones or Ms. Smith, and you are expected to maintain the same standard. You would do this in person, and should also do it in your written communications. Take your lead from your instructor. Although some instructors may prefer a less formal approach and allow you to address them by their first name, you should not assume this to be the case. When in doubt, ask your instructor what is appropriate.

Assignments should be submitted in a timely manner. These assignments should be graded and returned within a reasonable time period. Students should have access to their grade summary throughout the term so that they know their standing in the course.

All interactions between the instructor and students should be at a professional level and guided by common courtesy. Rude or unprofessional communications will not be tolerated.

Email and Email Etiquette

Using email as the primary form of communication is subject to many problems. In part, these problems arise because the sender cannot easily include tone of voice, facial expression, and other "body language" elements that provide face-to-face communication with a context for the words that are being spoken.

Here are some simple rules which should help:

1. reread your messages several times before sending to make certain that you have said exactly what you intended to say
2. give the sender the "benefit of a doubt" ... don't automatically assume that he or she intended a negative message
3. do not expect an instant reply just because you can send a message instantly
4. do not repeat or resend the same email message again and again until you get an answer
5. do ask for confirmation of receipt of an important email or attached assignment
6. do keep copies of all assignments and important email messages

Your instructor may be teaching more than one course in which students send email messages and submit assignments as email attachments. To avoid confusion, please include the course number in the subject of your message (e.g., CSET 3150) and your name in the body of the message. Including your name in the message body is especially important when your email address does not include your name. When you ask a question about any assignment, be certain to include information about which assignment you are referencing.

In general, it is reasonable to expect a response from your instructor within 1-2 days during the normal work week. If you require a more immediate response from your instructor, the telephone is a better choice for communications.

Here are some links that you might find helpful in learning more about email etiquette and conventions:

• E-Mail Etiquette
• email Etiquette
• Recommended Emoticons and Smileys
• Smileys, Emoticons, and Acronyms
• Smileys and Emoticons

Class Discussion Page

The class discussion page is provided as a convenience to students. It is intended as tool for you to use for posting questions related to the course, projects, and homework assignments. Occasionally, your instructor will post announcements and answers to your questions on this page. However, the expectation is that more often other students will respond to your questions.

As a minimum, please follow these guidelines:

1. Postings must be related to the class content.
2. Do not use this page for posting your "complaints" about the class (these are better handled via email or telephone).
3. Use the discussion page to discuss approaches and concepts related to the homework and project assignments, but do not simply exchange solutions.
4. Do not include HTML tags in your postings as the browser will react to them. If you want to include HTML in your message, use the special codes, e.g., &gt; to represent the > symbol, or &lt; to represent the < symbol.
5. Be careful to click on the "Submit" button only once, as multiple clicks will post multiple copies of your posting.

Chat and/or Talk Sessions

As an inexpensive alternative to the telephone, you may arrange with your instructor for a Chat (Windows) or Talk (UNIX) session. Both of these are synchronous sessions in which you may interact with your instructor over the internet by typing messages which are visible to both participants.

Your instructor will provide you with instructions for obtaining and installing the necessary software as well as how to initiate a Chat or Talk session.

Instructor Office Hours and Availibility

Your instructor should make known his/her office hours for the term. During these times it is reasonable for you to expect to find your instructor in his/her office and available for a telephone conversation. However, on some occasions meetings and other obligations may require a faculty member to be away from his/her office during their normal office hours.

If at any time you are unable to reach your instructor by telephone, leave a voicemail message or call the Department secretary (Debbie Schaefer, 419-530-3159) and leave a message for your instructor.

The University Calendar

Take the time to become familiar with the University's academic calendar for the term in which your distance learning course is being offered. This calendar will determine when "classes" are in session and what holidays will occur. It will also indicate starting and ending dates for the semester.

Remember, your instructor does not normally work on the weekends, official holidays, or during periods when classes are not in session (e.g., Thanksgiving or Spring Break). Don't expect immediate responses to your email requests or voicemail messages if they are sent during one of these periods.

Progress in the Course

It is important that you work on this class just as you would for an on-campus class. You need to make steady progress through the course material, and not wait until the end of the term to begin your studies.

To facilitate this, some instructors may ask you to submit a weekly progress report, in which you indicate just what you have accomplished for the week.

Handling Problems

If you are having difficulty with a course, your first step should be to contact your instructor and attempt to solve the problem.

If your instructor is unable to resolve the problem, contact Dr. Karen Rhoda for anything related to the offering of the course (tuition, fees, other DL courses), Mr. Alan Kossow for problems with the class server, or Mr. Dan Solarek for problems with the course itself.

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