Weekly Assignments
Each lecture is accompanied with a given number of questions, for which groups of two students (you and another student) need to find the answers during or after watching the video of the given lecture.
I suggest the following approach to watching the videos and finding the answers:
Individual work:
Read the questions for the given lecture.
Watch the video of the given lecture (I recommend that you keep track of the times in the videos where answers are located so you can easily come back to them later on, if needed).
Respond to each question in a Word or Excel File.
Group work:
Meet with your partner, compare the responses to each question, and select a unique response.
Deliver your responses in a chain email (see more instruction below) to cmora@hawaii.edu (either direct text email, or add as an attachment your Word or Excel file). These assignments are due each week Friday or any day earlier if you like.
Fill the attendance sheet for the given lecture.
Done.
INSTRUCTIONS TO DELIVER YOUR WEEKLY ASSIGMENTS:
Follow the following instructions to email your assignments (I will penalize students a 5% of the grade for not following these instructions). Take it as a learning experience and let me give you my reasoning:
Imagine that you just got hired in a new job and your boss tells you to run a test in a very expensive machine; she also suggests that you have a look at the instructions to operate the machine. Say that you scan quickly, or perhaps did not even read the instructions, thinking that the machine is easy to operate. You turned the machine ON, which triggers a fire inside the machine. It turns out that the instructions cautioned to check the water level of the machine before it is turned On. The failure to read the instructions carefully just ruined a very expensive machine, and I am confident that your boss will not be happy.
I am cautioning this because it has been my experience that some, not all, students in online courses pay little to no attention to the instructions, which results in unnecessary stress for everyone. Also, if you ask questions whose answers are provided in the instructions, it implies that you did not read the instructions with the necessary care.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you cannot really figure it out, but please make the effort to read in advance the instructions that have been provided. With that said, here are the instructions to deliver your assignments:
How to email the first assignment:
Step 1. In the subject, write “GEO309 Assignments by” (Your Name) “and” (Your partner’s name). Only you or your partner should deliver the assignment.
Step 2. In the first line of text of the email, indicate the lecture number (e.g., Lecture 1).
Step 3. Load your answers (either load the file with the answers or write them down after line 2 of your email)
Step 4. Send the email with copy to cmora@hawaii.edu and your partner’s email.
Step 5. Fill the attendance sheet (that is, put the date in front of your name for the given lecture)
- Done.
How to email the second to last assignment (how to send lectures 2 to 13):
Step 1. Reply to the email used to deliver the first assignment. Ensure to “Reply” including all contacts (so that me and your partner are cc).
Step 2. In the first line of text of the email, indicate the lecture number (e.g., Lecture 2).
Step 3. Load your answers (either load the file with the answers or write them down after line 2 of your email)
Step 4. Fill the attendance sheet.
- Done.
In short, I need you to ensure that all your assignments are concatenated in the same email chain, and that you copy your partner and me. This will facilitate assessing your progress, and quickly check the responses if needed.
It is mandatory for you to deliver the weekly assignments in collaboration with a partner. This is done because it has been my experience that some students in online courses leave all work to be done the last week of the semester. That put a lot of stress on everyone. This method of you having to work with a partner forces you and your partner to watch the lectures each week. The other benefit is that it allows you to interact with the content of the course beyond simply watching a video.