“How to Succeed in this Course” video transcript

So, there are few things you should know about this course that make it perhaps a little bit different from other online courses. 

First and most obviously, we’re not using Blackboard; we’re using the site you’re looking at right now. 

Second, I don't lecture. I also don't give quizzes, so if you’re used to online courses where you read bunch of content or watch a bunch of content and then take a quiz or exam, you might be in for a little surprise.

A lot of this course is group work. Now, some of you are going to freak out about that, but I should let you know that in past courses, I have structured group work in such a way that the students actually thank me for it and say that it was some of the best experience that they’ve had in their college lives. So please don't run screaming from the room, because I’ve got your back on this one.

To succeed in this course, you really need to do whatever reading or viewing is necessary and think deeply about it—really consider what the author is trying to say or what's going on with the content. Then you're going to want to take notes if you haven’t already taken notes while reading. And then you’re going to share your thoughts pretty frequently on the class blog. Once you do that and you publish them, you’re welcome to go comment on other people's class blogs.

The important reason to comment on people's posts is that you are going to be collaborating with people throughout the semester, and so you want to show that you are a thoughtful person and a potentially useful group member.

If you have any questions, you can drop me an e-mail at any time. I try to answer e-mails within 24 hours. 

All right. I look forward to seeing what you guys produce very soon.