1. Bruce Saulnier Professor of Computer Information Systems 15 February 2010

2. Question: How many of you spend part of the first day of class going over the course syllabus? Answer: _____ of _______

3. Student Answers to Above Question – student class surveys reveal that over 90% of classes cover the syllabus on the first day of class. Students who say they really pay attention when the professor goes over the syllabus?  Less than 25% -- for most of the information  Over 75% -- for attendance policy and grading criteria

4. Problem – Given that students really do not pay attention, what can we do instead to (1) not waste the first day of class; and (2) yet make sure that students know and are held accountable for the required information on the syllabus?

5. Using Blackboard, I e-mail every student in the class the day before class starts to (1) welcome them to the course; and (2) ask/tell them to please bring their computers to class on the first day

6. After taking attendance (got to keep the Registrar’s Office happy, note student nicknames, and insure that everyone knows that they are welcome), We go the BlackBoard course where we (i) download documents (syllabus and outline) to folders, (ii) go to course materials to point out assignments corresponding to outline; and (iii) go over using the BlackBoard assignment feature to both download assignment documents and submit assignments.

7.  A Quiz (low stakes – giveaway) over the syllabus to be submitted midnight of the same night.  Results – ◦ Verify they can do all of the required BlackBoard course elements (pick up problems early with low stakes assignment); and ◦ Accountability for Syllabus Contents ◦ Note – I do not cover syllabus itself in class.

8.  https://myq.quinnipiac.edu/facultystaff/Page s/default.aspx https://myq.quinnipiac.edu/facultystaff/Page s/default.aspx  http://blackboard.quinnipiac.edu/webapps/p ortal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/co mmon/course.pl?course_id=_59649_1&frame =top http://blackboard.quinnipiac.edu/webapps/p ortal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/co mmon/course.pl?course_id=_59649_1&frame =top