FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

 

1. When should I contact my professor?

You should contact your professor as soon as you register for the class. You can reach me at: tgirhard@alamo.edu or scottgirhard@yahoo.com

2. What is e-portal?

E-portal is the platform by which many internet classes are listed especially if they are WebCt courses as this is or soon will be.  It is also a secure environment for faculty and students to receive email, academic resources and other onlie services.  Click here in order to get your password as the online lectures and classroom discussions are password protected.

3. What homework assignments are required in geog2312?

Students are required to submit weekly homework assignments. These will include answering questions from the required text or participate in online classroom discussions. The student is required to answer these questions emailing me the answers by designated due dates (usually Mondays). The first assignment is due two weeks after classes begin and every week after that. No homework is due during the week of the midterm exam (so you can prepare for the exam). You are also required to submit one term paper pertaining to an aspect of the subject of interest to the student. For term paper guidelines you should go to the assignments link on this course's homepage. We will also have class discussions (this is where e-portal comes into play) over a variety of topics of my choosing (you may also submit topics). Class participation is a part of your homework (discussion) grade.

4. What if I have trouble with my email during the semester?

You must have a working email account in order to be successful in this class. If you have problems with your email, contact me immediately so that I am aware that you are having problems and don't drop you from the class. Emails that go unanswered, no class participation, no homework assignments submitted are all grounds for dropping. If your email address becomes disabled, you must have a working phone number so that I can contact you if circumstances warrant. A phone number at a relative's home (parents, grandparents, etc.) or boyfriend or girlfriend is unacceptable as I have found that waiting for someone to give you a message usually does not happen. If your email account goes down or you have computer problems (ie; lightning, viruses, etc.), or the email you are sending is unintelligible (which happens a lot- I get a lot of this: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUU66666666666666%$%$#%$#%$# etc.-and its not swearing or some ancient hieroglyphics), I need to be able to have a means to get in touch with you in order to notify you of a problem that you may not be aware. Otherwise, I will have no other option than to drop you from the course.

5. What if I need to drop the course?

Ultimately, you are responsible for dropping the class. While I have the option of dropping students after too many absences (in the cyberworld this means not participating in discussions and submitting weekly assignments), you have the final responsibility of deciding whether or not you wish to continue in this or any other Internet course as I will not initiate any drop procedures unless you ask me. You must drop this course prior to the deadline for class withdrawal (check the college calendar for the last date to drop a class). If you do it yourself, you must go to the Department of Chemistry-Geology room 207 and ask for a drop slip. In order to save you a trip to campus, email me and I will submit the drop slip for you prior to the deadline.

6. What if there are technical problems at the professor's end?

Sometimes problems will arise at your professor's end be it server problems, viruses, email capacity or something completely different as Monty Python's Flying Circus used to say. I will make every effort to contact everyone (I can access computers elsewhere on campus) and let all of you know what the problem is. If you are not sure, contact me via phone (210-785-6078) or leave a message at the department's office (210-733-2704). I would rather you bother the heck out of me than not knowing if you are in the class or not.

7. Will there be a review for the exams and how many exams are there?

There are two exams: one midterm (mid-October in fall, mid March prior to Spring Break in the spring semester) and the final (early December in the fall and early May during the spring semester-check course calendar for specific days). These will be administered at times I will email to the class. I will also send out a set of review terms and questions at least one week prior to the exam by email.

8. Will there be any extra credit given during the semester?

I alone will decide if there is to be extra credit (hint: the recommended text is a good place to start), be it questions on the exams or part of the homework assignments. Students who are doing poorly in the class sometimes think about asking for extra credit thinking they might get to do something easier. Don't even think about doing this! If you cannot handle the so-called "regular credit" (the assigned course work) then what makes you think you can handle something that is over and above the skill level of the required work? Sorry about the Dennis Miller rant -at least I didn't resort to the HBO version-, and I doubt anyone signed up to this class will think about asking, but if anyone was thinking about that then read this question before you email me.