Please remember that at the receiving end of every email you send and threaded discussion you post is another human being.  Please be as respectful of your reader as you are of a fellow classmate or instructor in a traditional classroom.  Tone is critical when you interact on the web, so be wary of sarcasm, disrespectful innuendos and emotionally charged comments.  If you think a comment could be misinterpreted, it probably will be.  Try writing it another way before you hit Send or Post. 

Also, remember that technology is not perfect (and neither are we).  So, please be patient with your on-line experience.  The course website may not open on the first try, your computer or the website's server may crash while you are taking an exam, an attachment may not post to the Dropbox quickly or at all, I may not be able to open your assignment or find its contents empty when I do open it, you may be dropped from the course erroneously for any number of reasons et al.  If something unusual happens or you have a unique request, please do not panic.  Contact me about the situation, and we'll begin addressing it.  It may not be resolved to your total satisfaction, but I will try my very best to work with you.  The most important thing to remember is that you need to communicate with me.  Also, one email is sufficient about any circumstance.

FAQs

1) Am I enrolled in the course? 
If you are able to enter this section, you are enrolled.  If you are not permitted to login nor enter the section for this course at some point in the future, contact me.  Note: this is different than not being able to access the website because of server issues.  If you are dropped from the class, you will not have access to this section.

 2) How do I know my grade to date in the class? 
Keep track of your assignments and exam scores and then compare this total number to the total points possible to date.     

3) Where is your office?
B200-D.  Second floor of the Business building.  

4) Do you mind students going ahead of schedule for the assignments and exams? In other words, if a student wanted to complete the entire class work in two weeks would you mind?
 You may complete assignments and exams early, but it is better to try to stay "with" the rest of the class.

5) Can I use multiple e-mail accounts and how do I change my email address? 
No.  If you wish to start using another e-mail account, be certain to change it in your user profile at this site.  If you change the email account you wish to use for this course, go back to the Enrolled Classes page (click Exit Course button in lower left screen...it is the page you enter after you have logged in and before you go to this course section) and go to the Student User Profile link at the top of that page.  Please keep your e-mail account current in the user profile or you won't receive e-mails from me.  There is no need to inform me of the change. 

6) When is homework due? 
All items must be completed/submitted by 11:59pm on the day they are due (Pacific Standard Time).  Please give yourself ample time to do the assignments (don't start one hour before midnight on the due date) so that you can practice and ask questions before you submit the homework. 

6.5) How can I see what I missed on an exam at ecollege?
Click on the grade in the ecollege gradebook and it will show you your graded exam.

What if I disagree with the answers on the exam?
Send me a copy of the questions, the possible answers, your answer, and your explanation. I will look over your comments at the end of the semester if it will make a difference on your final letter grade.

7) I have a question, but I don't know if I should post it in the Homework Questions threaded discussion or send you an email? 
If it is a question about an assignment, other students will probably benefit from the answer as well, and you should post it in the discussion.  If it is a question about a situation specific to you (ie a grade), please send me an email.
 
8) How can I get help in the course?
Post questions to the threaded discussion or E-mail me. 

9) What kind of computer do I need and can I use computers on campus?
To complete this course off campus, you need a PC with a Windows operating system.  You cannot use a Mac for this course.  For this on-line section, you cannot use computers in the Business computer lab B231.  See the Syllabus for more information on Technical Requirements.

10) How can I get extra credit?
There is no extra credit in this class.

11)How do I drop the course?

Drop Policy 
If you decide to drop the course, it is your responsibility to take care of the necessary details in a timely manner. Call the SMC phone registration system at (310) 434-4333, go to

 http://www.smc.edu/students 

or call admissions at (310) 434-4474.

Note: You are responsible for determining the drop deadlines for the semester. No drops will be given after the deadline.

12) How do I earn participation points?
If you add a comment to a threaded discussion or perform the task described in the threaded discussion by the due date, then you will receive the full points for that discussion/participation credit. 

13)  I have a question about my enrollment at SMC and whether this course fulfills a degree or certificate requirement, who do I contact?
For help with general course enrollment, please contact a cyber counselor.  They can be reached by clicking the Exit Course button on the lower left corner of the screen and returning to the Enrolled Courses page.  Then, click on the Advising tab in the upper page.  Scroll down the Advising page and type in your question for the cyber counselor in the text box.

14)  Will we ever meet on campus?
For this online section, no. 
 

15)  Do we have to meet online at a specific time?
No. You may work online at your convenience.  Exams must be taken when scheduled.

16) Is it possible to see what I missed on an exam and the correct answers? 
For the SAM exams, the exam scores will be available immediately after the exam. 

17) I believe that my assignment was not graded correctly, what do I do?
Send me an email requesting the solution file, if you do not already have it.  Then, review your work against the solution file and my Comments explaining the deducted points.  If an item was not marked correctly, send me another email politely requesting that I review the specific item you feel was marked erroneously. 

18) What are the "hours to be arranged?
Do not worry about this - it is simply the hours that you decide to use to do your homework. It is not recorded by me or anybody else.