The Jewish Theological Seminary
Preparing Yourself to Learn Online
How Online Study is Different
Online study, as we do it at JTS, is different from classroom study. You, as a learner, will have much more control over the pace and focus of your learning and you will also have to have the motivation to study even when no one is looking over your shoulder. You may not have the immediacy of face-to-face interactions, but you have the opportunity to get personal feedback from some of JTS's finest teachers, as well as students from around the world with a range of skills. This part of the orientation will help you get the most out of this new learning medium.
How Online Study Works
All of our classes are built around a course website within Blackboard. Each week or so, a new section of the course site will be opened to you, and you will receive an email reminding you of the new week's assignments and giving you a link to the particular assignment page for that week. In addition, every course has an announcements page listing this week's assignments, or tests, a faculty information page with information about the instructor, and a course information page, stating the grading policies and requirements, as well as a place for assignments, and a syllabus listing the week-by-week syllabus for the entire course. You will often not be able to access course material ahead of time. This helps ensure that everyone stays together on the same material.
- Readings from books or articles that are available for purchase online or through libraries.
- Readings and interactive or multimedia activities on the course website.
- Online "asynchronous" discussions. (In the course, you will come to a course webpage where your instructor has posted a question, on the discussion board. You can write your own comment or response, and it is added to the page for other students to see.)
- Written papers or projects that may be submitted by the "digital drop box" or by email, fax, or postal mail.
How to Be an Excellent Online Student
Of course, your teachers and fellow classmates have the same expectations that they might have in a "classroom-based" class—that you will contribute positively to the class, show courtesy to your teacher and classmates, and complete assignments in a timely fashion and with academic integrity.
In an online class, participation means logging in at least three times a week, at whatever times are most convenient for you. You should expect to spend four to six hours a week on the class. Scheduling your participation is up to you—you can pick the times each week when you log in, and you may do so from home, from work, or even from an internet cafe or library computer in another city where you might be visiting. The pressing demands of work and home life make it difficult to keep up with any activity that does not have a set time. Many students find it effective to block out a few specific times in advance each week for their participation—perhaps during a long lunch break, after children have gone to bed, or during the time slot for that terrible TV show that their spouse really likes. As it might happen in a traditional classroom-based class, you may find yourself unable to participate in a given week. If this should happen it is your responsibility to contact the instructor as quickly as possible and make alternate arrangements for that week.
Much of online learning is collaborative effort, which is why the online discussions are the most essential part of the class. You are expected to post to the discussion area at least three times each week. At least one post should be a response to the instructor or course material, and at least one should be a response to a fellow student's posting. These guidelines will ensure that you have an opportunity to express yourself and in turn receive the kinds of feedback you deserve from teachers and classmates.
How to Be a Good Online Student
One of the challenges of online study and communications is that we don't have the same social cues and inhibitions that we do when we are staring someone in the face. This can have a positive effect, since we may be willing to be more open and we have more time to consider our responses. This can also have a negative effect, since we my not realize how our words will be perceived without the verbal cues that usually accompany them.
- Make messages short and to the point.
- Use a meaningful subject line, so that your readers and recipients have a clear idea of what the message contains. Examples: rather than Comment in the subject line of email or posting, type Feedback on Jane's ornithology notes.
- Identify yourself. Every Distance Learning student has a JTS email account. Even though you might never want to email your class, so all participants know you and the topic, be sure to identify the course you're referring to. Also, include your signature at the bottom of your messages.
- Take care in emphasizing words. Use all caps sparingly—only to highlight an important point or to note a title or heading. Asterisks around a word make a strong point without reverting to shouting.
- Be thoughtful and cautious in what you say, especially about others. Remember that electronic messages are easily forwarded. A good rule of thumb: don't say anything you wouldn't want to see quoted in the newspaper!
- When responding to someone else's message, focus on ideas, not the person. Antagonistic messages are not permitted.
- Show respect for other opinions, especially keeping in mind that the Internet brings people together from around the world and that we don't all share the same views or background.
- Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. It doesn't come across as it does in face-to-face communications, and jokes are easily misunderstood as attacks.
- Label jokes as <joke> or <not>, or use emoticons—tiny pictures made from ordinary ASCII characters intended to be looked at with your head tilted to the side—that can be used to add a personal touch to your messages. For example,
;) wink :-) smile :-( frown - Don't use obscenities in your messages. You never know who you might offend, and it makes you look tacky (remember, those messages stay put or get passed on!). To express yourself fully as needed, use a mixture of ASCII characters like @#%$! instead of the real thing.
- Don't overuse acronyms. Acronyms— the initial letters of words—can be handy, but you can overdo them. Messages too full of acronyms can be confusing and annoying to the reader. Some good ones include:
- IMHO = in my humble/honest opinion
- FYI = for your information
- BTW = by the way
- Don't forward messages without asking first! This is considered extremely rude—but remember that it happens, so choose your own words with care, remembering that they might be shared with the universe. (Remember, too, the points about protecting your privacy.)
- Be aware of potential compatibility problems when passing on electronic files. If recipients' systems are not compatible, they may not be able to open attachments. Ask first, and whenever possible, paste in messages rather than attaching them (unless they're very long). Check to see that the message prints out properly at the other end, since screen layouts differ, too. (For example, when submitting an assignment using Blackboard, there is often a comments section. Be sure to be clear in stating who you are and what you are attaching!)Computer viruses are often spread through attachments, so recipients may be very cautious about opening them unless they know they are legitimate.
- Beware of sharing copyrighted materials. Not everything on the Internet is cleared for fair use. Much of it belongs to someone else—the writer or other creator. Ask for guidelines about what is okay to use and how to use material that is protected by copyright.
Click Next to continue on to learn about using Blackboard.