Welcome to the PREVIEW PAGE for Early American History Online

PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY

History 201 America From Discovery to 1877 (3)

Reid A. Holland, PhD

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, Th, 11 noon to 1 pm. Online hours Th, 7pm to 9pm. 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! 

Davidson and others, Nation of Nations: A Narrative History of the American Republic. (McGraw-Hill 5th edition, 2005). Volume one. This textbook is available in the college bookstore on all campuses. You must purchase one as soon as possible. Students will be required to study the text in order to successfully complete exams. Other readings may be assigned in this course. Purchase online at: http://www.midlandstech.edu/bookstore.htm

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 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

WebCT Tutorial:

Online Resources: We encourage you to review the Distance Learning Frequently Asked Questions.  This module will provide you with some answers to common problems, some troubleshooting tips, and some ways to access some help.

Student Guide to Creating Your WebCT Account:

Please follow the link above to create a WebCT account and add your course. NOTE: during this process you will 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.

Course Synopsis:

It is your responsibility to enter this course; read the full online syllabus completely; and understand all of the requirements described in the full syllabus. The synopsis below is only a very brief review of course obligations.

The textbook above, email, and Internet access is required.

Weekly due dates for reading and writing are required.

Reading assignments are substantial in this course.

Missed weekly work lowers your grade and cannot be done late.

Some work, such as discussion, may be completed online open-book.

Weekly Discussion Posts are required, and constitute a significant portion of your grade.

Weekly discussions are summarized into required four "unit" discussion quizzes.

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

Four “unit” Map Quizzes 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 exams must be taken at one of the MTC Assessment Centers.

All exams are available for four days and some evenings.

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

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:

Important Note About Internet Access: It is your responsibility to have access to the Internet and your WebCT account several times during each week. 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. Access is available at the MTC libraries; at public libraries around the globe; 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 on time.

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 AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE TESTS.

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 add the CORRECT section. It is still your responsibility to check the distance learning website for information about course orientations. Please add your name and pass to the CORRECT section and please add it only once.
  
Please do not confuse this process of adding a course to your WebCT account with registering or adding courses to your college schedule. This change 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. 

GOOD LUCK!