PL376 : Get Started : Start

To Register for this course, visit NAU Online.

If you have already registered and this is your first time in the course, you should:

1. Make sure you meet the technical requirements listed on the Help page and get the required plug-ins.
2. Make sure you have a required NAU DANA account.
3. Read Getting Started to learn how the course will be delivered.
4. Look at the Class page for an overview of the course.
5. Read the Syllabus.

The majority of the coursework can be found within "the Class" page. You can also Communicate with others in the course, view additional resources from Cline Library, or get technical Help.

New students are required to obtain an account on the student unix computer DANA. DANA gives NAU students, who agree to abide by proper ethical standards, access to the internet including electronic mail, the Cline library on-line catalogue, world wide web home pages (httpd), and usenet news.

Accessing these sort of Internet services requires establishing an electronic identity (essentially an electronic mail address). This can be done by acquiring a computer account on the DANA machine. Any currently enrolled student, who is willing to use these resources responsibly, is permitted an account on the DANA machine.

Week 0 - First Assignment

!!! IMPORTANT - FOR ALL REGISTERED STUDENTS - READ OR BE DROPPED FROM THIS CLASS !!!

PART 1 - You Must Send an E-mail Message to Dr. Alan A. Lew at Alan.Lew@nau.edu no later than Tuesday, 25 January 2000 in which you answer the following questions -- otherwise you will be dropped from this class on Friday, 28 January 2000:

1. Clearly indicate your FULL NAME, NAU-ID, and preferred E-MAIL ADDRESS
2. What is your NAU DANA Account email address (if different from your preferred e-mail address, above)? (help)
3. What types of students do best in an online class (getting started)
   
4. When is the first assignment due? (class)
   
5. What specific 3 hours each week have you set aside for this class? (syllabus)
   
6. Ask at least one question about the class that is not clear to you.
   
7. Provide me with a secret "ID" for viewing your grades online (this can be anything you wish from 4 to 10 characters long, spaces are ok; do not use your NAU-ID or DANA password)
   

PART 2 - You are required to enter the Student E-Mail Roster on the Communicate Page and provide sufficient information to introduce yourself to the other students in this class. At a minimum you must answer the following two questions:
- What is your particular interest in taking this class?
- Do you have a background in either planning, tourism or sustainable development, including past coursework?

The purpose of this assignment is to (1) only allow students in this class who are already able to use the WWW and e-mail, and (2) make sure that you have looked at these key webpages that describe the course's structure and policies.

You may start this assignment at any time prior to the due date. Do not, however, start the Week 1 Assignment until after the first official day of class on 18 January 2000.

This assignment is worth 8 points.

E-MAIL WARNING: Every time my e-mail address appears, it is hot linked (like below) so that many of you can send me an e-mail address by clicking on the hot link. You can ONLY do this if your computer's Web Browser is setup to know your e-mail address and e-mail computer server. If you are working from home, this should not be a problem. If you are working in a computer lab, you most probably CAN NOT send me an e-mail using these hotlinks -- even if your computer acts like it actually worked!!!
ALSO: Always "CC:" to yourself a copy of the e-mails you send me so that you have a backup copy in case I do not receive your message/assignment. -- Dr. Lew (Alan.Lew@nau.edu)

How the Course is Taught

The majority of the coursework, including the class schedule, can be found within "the class" section of this website. You can also communicate with others in the course, view additional resources from Cline Library, or get technical help

PL376, Planning for Sustainable Tourism is divided into 15 modules that correspond to the 15 week length of the class. You should read and complete each module in order.

Generally, each module will consist of a mix of required reading(s) from the textbook, presentation of online materials, online activities and assignments, and some form of communication.

See the Class Page (click on the Class button at the top of any page) for a list of the modules for this course. (You should print the list and check off each item as you complete it).

There are two ways that students can take this class. They can take is as a fully WWW-based class, or they can take it as an Echostar/DishTV class.

DishTV students are required to watch the one-hour a week broadcast on the Universityhouse channel on the Echostart DishTV network (Saturday's at 1pm starting 22 January 2000). Assignments for DishTV students will be slightly modified from those for WWW-based students. The DishTV broadcast is optional for WWW-based students.

How the Course is Organized

PL376, Planning for Sustainable Tourism, is organized into a few main areas. Buttons for these main areas appear on every page throughout the course. These main areas are:

• Help
  The help page is designed to help you deal with technical issues and other problems related to this course.

  For assistance with the content of the course, review the material on line and in your text book, contact your classmates, or contact the instructor.

• Get Started
  This is the Get Started Page. "Attending" a course over the internet is different than attending a course on a traditional campus. This page will help you learn how readings, assignments, communication, and other course functions are handled in a virtual classroom environment.

• Syllabus
  The syllabus contains important information about the course and serves as a type of 'contract' that you and your instructor agree to with regard to course expectations and grading. As with any course, you should read the syllabus carefully before beginning any course work.

• The Class
  Once the class is underway, this will be your first destination every time you logon. It includes links to each week's module containing required readings, online lessons and activities.
  
  You should read and complete each module and assignment in the order that they are listed. (You should print the Class Page and check off each module as you complete it).

• Communicate
  To communicate with any member of the course - student(s) or instructor - visit the comunicate page.

• Library
  The NAU Cline Library has collected many resources available to students enrolled in Sustainable Tourism. These and other resources are available from the library page. If you find something you think should be included, please send me an e-mail.

• Instructor
  This is Dr. Lew's personal home page.

Communication is an important part of PL376. You will be expected to communicate frequently with other students, work in groups, and communicate with the instructor.

Group activities will be conducted using the NAU Online Conference Center, via Email or through newsgroups. Links to each of these can be found on the communicate page.

Links to students, the instructor, and other types of communication can be found on the communicate page.

You must complete each of the assignments to pass the course. Some assignments require using the Web, while others do not. Most require that you write short or long responses to questions provided. Be aware that you will do a lot of writing in this course.

See the Class Page (click on the Class button at the top of any page) for a list of the modules for this course. (You should print the list and check off each item as you complete it).

Required textbook readings marked with this icon

Each assignment is marked with this icon

Each web activity is marked with this icon

Online lessons are marked with this icon

This button will open the NAU Virtual Conference Center:

Taking a WWW Class
- read this section carefully

This will probably one of the most difficult classes that you have ever taken. In general, about 1/3 of all students who take WWW-based classes fail them. The one and almost only reason for this is because they do not do the required assignments. I wrote an article on the perils of online classes, which you can read, if you wuold like, by clicking here. You should, however, consider whether or not you are the following type of student:

From: Technology in Higher Education Journal, December 1998, pp. 58-9.

Type of Students Most Likely to Success in Taking an Online Class:
[you do not have to be all of these things, but the more this describes you, the easier you will find taking an online class]:

- Independent, active learners
- People who enjoy working alone
- Those who can structure and manage time well
- Accomplished, busy professionals
- Students with superior verbal ability
- Risk-taking, creative problem solvers
- Individuals committed to peers and teh group process
- People who are comfortable with asynchronous rythms

(Asynchronous means 'not at the same time' and refers to the characteristics such as not getting immediate responses to e-mail inquiries and having different students post their assignments at totally different times during a semester.)

Types of Faculty Most Likely to Succees in Teaching an Online Class:

- Serious, lifelong learners
- Teachers favoring experimental and collaborative learning styles
- Those who enjoy up-front conceptual work (e.g., thinking about teaching)
- Skilled group process facilitators
- Teachers who make expectations explicit
- Those who construct evaluation/assessment schemes
- Providers of detailed, developmental feedback
- People willing to give feedback at frequent intervals

[I am definitely not all of these things. I am OK at facilitating group processes, but I am not sure that I am 'skilled' at it. I try to make my expectation explicit, but some students complain that I do not. I have only had limited experience in valuation/assessment, something that is taught in Colleges of Education. And my feedback could probably be more detailed. But I still enjoy teaching online. -- Dr. Alan Lew]

WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WITH THIS PAGE,

GO TO EITHER THE HELP PAGE OR THE SYLLABUS PAGE

E-mail Dr. Alan A. Lew at alan.lew@nau.edu
or Call Dr. Alan A. Lew at (928) 523-6567

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED