SUNLINK: Practical Applications - Component Protocols

Activities | Email Protocols | Discussion Group Protocols | Online Safety Protocols | Point Penalty Protocols

Activities

• Some activities will require you to have access to a school library media center. If you are not presently in a school you will need to make arrangements with a nearby school. If you cannot locate one, contact the instructor and arrangements will be made for you with a school as near to your location as possible.
• Your online access to the class modules is tracked by the WebCT software. If you are logged on, it is assumed that you are the person sending the discussions post, taking the quiz, submitting the email.
• Weekly activities to be posted via email or through the Discussions must be done before midnight (11:59 p.m.) on the due date. Late activities will be docked 5 points for each 24 hours that they are late.
• When emailing an activity to the instructor, put whatever subject is specified by the activity in the subject line of your email.
• If the activity is to post questions/answers or feedback to a discussion topic, you must post to the correct discussion topic to receive full credit for the activity.

• To email the instructor use the internal Class Mail tool.
• Should you experience technical difficulties which prohibit you from using the Class Mail tool, contact the instructor at: jprevosk@mail.ucf.edu
• Check your internal Class email several times per week, but more often is better!
• Use the internal Class email to send general questions about the course to the instructors only after you have posted the question to the Help topic, and have waited at least 24 hours for a response.
• Be courteous and considerate of others.
• Be clear in your communications. Online communication lacks nonverbal cues. Use emoticons such as ;-) to indicate humor or state of mind. More information on emoticons can be found at: http://bmiglobal.com and http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/emoticons.html
• Never use ALL CAPS, it is hard to read and is considered SHOUTING.
• If you are using an html editor to send email, do not use italics or any difficult to read fonts.
• Electronic communication requires a different writing style. It should be clear, to the point, and brief. It is difficult to read many screens of a narrative online. It is not the same as writing a paper for a traditional college class.
• Never send anything you would not want to see on the evening news!
• In every email you send during this component, be sure to do the following:
  • Sign your messages with your first and last names.
  • Include the appropriate information in the subject line.
  • Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  • Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs. 
• See the Core Rules for Netiquette (http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html) for further guidance.

• If you want to send messages only to the instructor or to one classmate, use the Class Mail, not the Discussions tool.
• The Main discussion topic is for instructor use only to send messages to all class members. Make a habit of checking the Main forum every time you log onto the class.
• There is a Coffeehouse discussion topic provided for your non-class related use. This is the perfect spot for sharing great ideas, neat new web sites, humor, and so on with your classmates. Have fun with it!
• Use descriptive Subject headings in your discussion posts.
• Do not use all caps.
• Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Break up blocks of text by using an extra "return" between paragraphs.
• Avoid "I agree" or "Me, too!" types of posts, they will not be counted for credit.
• If an assignment requires a discussion post, it must be posted to the correct topic for you to receive points for the assignment.

Online Safety Protocols

• It is essential that you have, use, and update frequently, current virus protection software on your computer!


• It is essential that you virus check any email attachments sent to the instructor.


• It is essential that you have the latest version of either the Norton or McAfee AntiVirus program on your computer. It is recommended that you update your AntiVirus program weekly. 
  

Point Penalty Protocols

• 5 Points will be deducted from your activity score for each of the following:
  • Omitting the module number in the subject line of your email assignments (example: Module 4).
  
  
  • Omitting your name on your email or Discussions post assignments.
  
  
  • Posting to the wrong discussion topic.
  
  
  • For each 24 hours an assignment is late.
  
  
  • Anything posted to the main discussion topic (which is for instructor use only).


• 50 points will be deducted for any virus found in your attachments to the instructor.