Welcome to Human Behavior and the Social Environment Dawn Burgess, Ed. D

Welcome to class… I am glad you are here. I look forward to the next 10 weeks and wish you all the best!

Help is on the Way… I hope the following information that I have in this presentation will be of assistance to you. The goal is to provide material that will help you in having a successful class.

A lot of students ask “What can I do to make class a success for me?” Follow along to learn what you can do to be successful and have a great learning experience.

Number 1… What does online learning involve?

Online Learning Is… An opportunity to take a class towards a degree that includes flexibility An opportunity to learn all you can about your subject area

Let’s Begin…. How can you be successful in class

Hint 1: Print Out the Syllabus The course Syllabus is a tool that provides information on when assignments are due. When the instructor’s office hours are held? What is my instructor’s address? How am I graded? All of this and more is contained in the Syllabus

Hint 1: Print Out the Syllabus Please print out the Syllabus and ask questions as you have them. I am available through and during my office hours.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout Getting to know the layout of the course site is very helpful. It really helps when you become familiar with the site and know where to find things relevant to the course.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout Under the Course Home section, you will find important announcements and general course information. There’s even a course checklist. Make sure you read each section.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout Our course consists of weekly readings and activities that can be easily located on the left hand of the screen. Each topic is a link to that specific reading or assignment. Make sure you read each area within the Unit. Some will require Discussion Board posts and responses.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout If you look at the top of the window, you will find some very useful tools. Your screen look a little different (you will not have administrative links) but you will have the following: Gradebook, , Chat, Doc Sharing, Dropbox, and Webliography.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout As a student in class you can keep track of your course progress by clicking on the Gradebook link. Grades will be updated on a weekly basis to reflect your grade to date.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout Students can their instructor and classmates through the link. You can choose to send an to everyone or individuals.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout Please be sure to check out this tab! There is some great supplemental information that you can retrieve through the Doc Sharing link. This saves on filling boxes with large files.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout The Dropbox is an important part of class because it will be used for project submissions. You can put your projects in the inbox and retrieve them in the same area.

Hint 2: Familiarize Yourself With the Course Layout The Webliography link may contain links to resources outside of the classroom environment. As your instructor I will notify you of any links that you should be aware of in this area. Being careful in this area is very important as the material in this area must have the permission of the author.

Hint 3: Make Sure You Understand the Weight of the Discussion Board Grade… Discussion Board Participation is very important to your grade. The Discussion Board grade is worth 36% of the entire course grade.

What this means… This means that if you do not pass the Discussion Board portion of the course, but get 100% on all other assignments, you would still only earn a maximum of 64% for the course. Participation in Discussion Boards are important.

So I hope to see you on the boards… Making the Discussion Board activities a top priority is important to your success!

So what can you do to meet with success…. One way to meet with success on the Discussion Board activities, is to be sure to read the assigned readings before you post your responses to the boards.

You may be asking “What is a good quality posting”? words Refers to the assigned reading Uses good grammar and punctuation

Hint 4: Be sure to check you s s are a great way to stay in touch so please be sure to check your s regularly. They are key to what is happening in class.

Hint 5: Read the Project Grading Tables (Rubrics) Reading the rubric for each class project before you begin the assignment is important. You will have a better understanding of what the project entails when you have a clear understanding of the expectations for that project.

Hint 6: Read Your Instructor’s Comments I will include comments on each of your projects and I hope you will find them helpful. Be sure to look at the comments and if you have any questions regarding them please ask.

Hint 7: Communicate with me! Communication is key. Please stay in touch and ask questions as they arise. I want you to be successful in class and communicating is so important. Remember I can be reached through and can be found during the week in my office hours.

Hint 8: Organize Your Time Managing your time will assist you in your success. Finding time in your day when you can set aside for your course work will help keep you on track.

Discussion Board Netiquette… When participating in Discussion Boards please remember to keep your posts neat and easy to read, and please do not use all caps as they “scream”. If you have a question or comment please use the // sign and I will call on you shortly.

Hint 9: Attend Seminars The weekly Seminars are a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, review material that was read during the week and receive feedback from the instructor.

Hint 9: Attend Seminars The material that will be covered in the Seminars will pertain to the material that was read for the week. The first few minutes will include welcoming comments and then the majority of the time in the Seminar will be spent reviewing the content covered in the readings.

Hint 9: Attend Seminars Aim is a great way to have informal chats with your fellow students. You can invite everyone on your AIM list to participate. If you would like me to participate in the informal chat please send me an invitation!

Hint 10: Visit Your Instructor! Please visit with me on AIM during office hours or anytime you see me online. I am here to help you meet with success in the class. I look forward to helping you!

Now…..let’s talk about Human Behavior and Systems Theory… At this time I will say your name and I would like you to respond by listing three systems in your life that you believe shape your behavior.

We are finished for tonight… I am looking forward to a great 10 weeks!