Note: Clicking on the hand icon always takes you to the top. About This CourseCourse DescriptionWhat You Will Need | Doing The Work Of The CourseSending a Lesson Assignment General InformationOrdering the Required Texts |
You will have several tools to use in this course: your textbook, the content of the website, and the suggestions for web resources that might appear as part of a lesson. This Internet Course Handbook will help you understand how the course works and how to obtain your textbooks and other materials.
Please read carefully the information under "What You Will Need." You should have read the information in our catalog (either in print or online) prior to enrolling in the course, but you should again verify that you have the computing power necessary to succeed in the course.
Note: Clicking on the hand icon always takes you to the top.
Hardware Requirements
You may use either a Windows-based PC or a Macintosh. Please note the following minimum requirements.
| Windows PC
| Macintosh
|
Connectivity
Your computer may be either "hardwired" (direct network connection) or connected by modem to the Internet. If the computer you are going to use for the course is hardwired (usually the case in corporate or institutional settings), that network connection must not have any "firewalls" against transmission of e-mail or Internet packets (check with your network administrator).
Note:
If a firewall exists, the computing support staff at Ohio University
may be able to work with your system administrator to give you access
to the programs you need for this course. Please call the Independent
and Distance Learning office (    800-444-2910 )
with the name and telephone number (or e-mail address) of the person in
your organization who manages the firewall system. We will forward the
information to the computing support staff, who will work directly with
your system manager. |
To connect by modem, you need at least 14.4 kps speed (28.8 kps is better), and access to a "full-service" Internet provider (one that provides graphical web browser capability as well as e-mail service).
| Note: If you live outside the continental United States, you may find that using an SMTP server is helpful in communicating with the University. Please e-mail the Independent and Distance Learning office (independent.study@ohio.edu) for more information and technical support. |
Software Requirements
Graphical Web Browser
The Internet site for has been designed for the Netscape 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0 (or higher version) web browser.
E-mail
Your course assignments will be submitted and returned by e-mail. You may use any provider and e-mail program, but you must have unrestricted sending and receiving capabilities between your site and Ohio University. If you encounter transmission problems, please contact your communications provider for assistance; the Independent and Distance Learning office cannot provide technical support for e-mail.
Sending a Lesson Assignment
On the Directory page you will find the e-mail address for this course. Please use only this address for lesson assignments (using any other address will delay your lesson or may fail to deliver it at all). Since there are many different communications programs, you should use the standard message header for your program, with the foll owing specifications:
The lesson submission address must appear as the main address line.
The subject line must contain the following information in order:
Course name and number/lesson number/your PID number. Be sure you include the "W" after ECON320W, since the course also exists as an Independent and Distance Learning print-based course.
Course name/Lesson Number/ PID Number
Example: ECON320W/ 9 / PID#The first line of the body of your message must be your name (please use the same name you used on your enrollment application) and complete e-mail address. (Most mail programs put your address in the header, but it may appear in a different form when your message is received in the Independent and Distance Learning office.)
At the present time, the "is.lessons" e-mail address cannot process messages with formatted attachments. Please submit your assignment answers in the body of your e-mail message, not as an attached document.
Keep a copy of your lesson submission until you receive the instructor's evaluation. It is also a good idea to keep a written record of the date you received the returned lesson and the grade you received; this will verify that you have completed all lessons prior to taking an examination.
| Please understand that e-mail transmission is not instantaneous. Servers may be set to batch and transmit messages at specified times, rather than as they are received, delays may occur on the Internet, equipment may break down, etc. Thus, your lesson may not be received by Independent and Distance Learning until 12 to 24 hours after it is sent. Please do not call the Independent and Distance Learning office to verify that your message has been received. Lessons received in the course mailbox are logged and forwarded to the instructor once a day, in the morning. If your lesson is received by our system after this log-in time, it will not be forwarded until the next day. |
Examinations
The course has two supervised examinations. The midcourse covers Lessons 1-7, and the final covers Lessons 9-14. The format of the examinations will be much like the format of the lesson writing assignments.
You will have two hours to complete each examination. You will not be permitted to use your textbooks or notes, and the examination must be taken in person under supervised conditions (you will not use e-mail for the examination). Specific instructions about arranging for and taking the examinations are included in the course).
Ordering the Required Text
Ohio University Independent and Distance Learning does not have its own bookstore but uses a mail-order book service:
EdMap's distance-learning online bookstore
Assignments and Grading
Specific information about the lesson assignments of this course, as well the basis on which your grades for the assignments and for the course will be made, is described in the introductory material in the course. Questions relating to assignments and grades should be addressed to the instructor. You may send a message to your instructor through the "independent.study@ohio.edu" mailbox with your instructor's name in the subject line; the message will be forwarded.
Policies and Procedures
Academic Honesty: All work you do in this course is expected to be your own, even if you request assistance from some other person. You must also give credit in your writing for any information or ideas that you use from any other source. (Failure to do so is defined as "plagiarism.")
Any form of cheating or plagiarism is not tolerated at Ohio University. An instructor who has reason to believe that academic misconduct has occurred may impose a range of penalties, including a failing grade in the course. The full policy on academic misconduct appears in the Ohio University Undergraduate Catalog.
Grades and Records: The grading system within a course is decided by the course author. Some will use letter grades on assignments, some will use a numerical system, and some will use "satisfactory/unsatisfactory." Most authors will use "Incomplete" and will allow or require an incomplete lesson to be resubmitted. In most cases, an assignment with a failing grade may not be redone. Examinations are graded with letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F); plus or minus grades are also used at the discretion of the instructor. The grading criteria for this course is described in the "General Information" section of the web site.
You will receive a final grade report after your final examination or final lesson in the course. The grade will be reported to the Office of Student Records and will be recorded on your permanent record. The grade reported will be a letter grade unless you have chosen the pass/fail option, in which case the grade will be reported as P or F. If you have chosen the pass/fail option, and then decide you wish a letter grade, you must make the change before you take the midcourse examination. You may use the transcript request form at the back of this study guide to request an official copy of your grade.
Time Limits and Extensions: Independent and Distance Learning courses are designed to give you the maximum benefit of interaction with the instructor through your submitted assignments. Therefore, you need to allow yourself enough time to complete the course by working at a steady pace. If you need more than one year to complete your work, you may request an extension of time, using the form at the back of this study guide. Three months is normally allowed for an extension, but if your completion deadline was established by your academic dean or other authority, your request for additional time must be approved by that person.
Withdrawing from a Course: You may withdraw from an Independent and Distance Learning course at any time without penalty. No grade will be recorded. Fee refunds are governed by specific policies (this information appears in the Independent and Distance Learning Bulletin and at the bottom of the "Request for Extension" form.
Special Requests: Administrative requests (extensions, transfers, refunds, etc.) cannot be handled by your instructor. Questions or requests of that nature will be handled much more quickly if you call or e-mail directly to the "independent.study@ohio.edu" mailbox. If you send an e-mail message, please include your social security number (or the substitute I.D. number we provided) and identify yourself as a student in ECON 320W.