Since there is no fixed class time for a technology delivered course, you are free to work on the material when it is most convenient.  But with this convenience comes an added responsibility: you must make sure, on your own, that you keep up with the work.  In courses of this sort it is particularly easy to put off work, and so quickly fall behind.  Since the assignments will be scheduled, with time limits on completion (see below), the course does provide boundaries.  But I stress at the outset that if you are not a self-motivated person, capable of holding yourself to a schedule, then this is NOT the course for you. 

All the readings will be available from the beginning of the semester.

The readings will be in Adobe Acrobat file format.  To view these files you will need the Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free here:
 

www.adobe.com 

Specific reading assignments, as well as homework assignments and further class information, will be regularly updated in the Calendar for the class.

 

(If new information has been added to the calendar since your last login, the picture will also have green lines, for emphasis.)



A complete schedule for the assignments and readings is available in the Calendar from the beginning of the semester.

Failing to notice that a reading or assignment is due is NOT an acceptable excuse for missing that reading or assignment.

Even though the schedule and readings are all established and available from the outset, you must still log in to WebCT at least three different days each week.  For I will sometimes make announcements through the Discussion section (explained below).

2. Topics.  The course will divide into two parts.  Part One (about three weeks) will study Informal Logic, setting out the basic concepts of Logic in an entirely non-technical manner, and applying these concepts to simple ordinary-language examples.  Those basic concepts will be sharpened and refined in Part Two (occupying the remainder of the semester), where we study two forms of introductory-level Formal Logic.  In this part of the course we develop techniques for evaluating arguments which are too complex for a purely informal approach.

 

3. Assignments.  Your grade will be based on a series of quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. Assignments  will be found in the Assignments section of WebCT, by clicking this icon. 

Each quiz will be worth 6 points.  There will be 8 quizzes, for a total of 48 points.

As with all assignments, their dates are stated in the Calendar section, from the beginning of the semester.  You can also see the assignment dates and times listed in the Assignments section.

Quizzes are available on WebCT for three days (except the last quiz, which is available for two days; and the quiz around July 4th, which is available for five days).  You can take the quiz at any time within that period.  Each quiz will have a time limit of 20 minutes within which it must be completed.  WebCT will tell me if a student has gone over the 20 minute time limit, and such quizzes will NOT be accepted.  (WebCT tells you, as you are taking the assignment, how much time you have left.)

You will need to finish the quiz within one session – that is, once the quiz is begun, it cannot be “paused.”  That means: if you close your web browser window or lose your internet connection without submitting the assignment, the clock will keep running in WebCT.  (When I see that a student has taken 48 hours and some-odd minutes on an assignment, it's because the student quit WebCT without clicking "Submit".)

For the first one or two assignments of the semester I allow a second attempt at a quiz, in case there is a technical mistake, such as accidentally clicking "Submit" before finishing the quiz.  I grade the last attempt submitted, unless it is blank.  But the total time limit (for both attempts, combined) is still 20 minutes.

I give specific instructions on how to do WebCT assignment, in a separate reading.  I will also hold a non-graded practice assignment the first week of class, before beginning graded quizzes, in order to ensure that everyone knows how to use the Assignment function of WebCT.

The midterm and final exams are worth 40 points each.  Each exam will be made available for three days in the Assignments section of WebCT.  Each exam will have a two hour time limit.

The total for the class is: 128 points.

4. Homework (Non-Graded).  In addition to the graded assignment, I will also  regularly assign homework problems, to provide practice in the material prior to your taking quizzes or exams.  These homework problems will not be collected or graded.  They are just like the practice problems, with answers provided, that you would find in a "teach youself" book such as a Schaum's guide.

But it is still important that you do all the homework problems before you read the answers.  Since Logic – like music, sports, or martial arts – involves learning skills, regular practice is necessary to learn the material.  And because the course is cumulative – later material builds on earlier material – you will not be able to move on successfully to later sections if you have not mastered the previous ones.

I want to repeat: the homework assignments are for practice, and are not graded. 

(Students seem to have a hard time believing this, and send me emails asking if the homeworks are graded.  I swear to you: the homeworks are not graded.

I know from experience that even though I've just written that, someone will still write asking me if the homeworks are graded.  When they do, my answer will be: the homeworks are NOT graded.)

5. Class Proceedings. 

A. Email. You can email me at any time, using the “Mail” function of WebCT (with the mailbox icon).

In practice, I have found that email is the most-used means of one-on-one communciation in my WebCT classes.

Note: any email sent to your WebCT mail account will not show up in your ordinary EIU email account – only in your special WebCT “Inbox”.  So you need to be logged in to WebCT to get your WebCT email.

Also, mail to me should be addressed to the name of the course -- for example, "PHI1900GBB" or whatever the course is named that semester.

DO NOT send me mail at the "s-bbeakley" account -- that is just a dummy account that lets me see the course from a student's view; I do not check for mail in the s-bbeakley account.  I promise that I will NOT check the "sbbeakley" email, and will NOT reply to any mail sent to that account. 

(Again, even though I write this in the syllabus every semester, students insist on writing to the "s-bbeakley" account.  So let me stress: your email will go unread and unanswered unless you send it to my correct WebCT account.  In particular: if an email does go unread/unanswered because it was sent to "s-bbeakley," I will take that to be entirely the student's responsibility. )

B. Office Hours and Chat. As listed at the top of this syllabus, I will be logged in to WebCT on Monday afternoons from 4 to 6 PM (and other times, by appointment) using the Chat function of WebCT.  This operates just like ordinary chatroom software (though it is restricted to students logged in to this course in WebCT). To access the “Chat” function, click on the ‘speech-balloon’ icon labeled “Chat”.

 

When you enter the Chat program during my office hours, you will see my name listed (as already being present).  You just type text into the text-entry box and hit “Enter” to start ‘talking’.

(Note: the Chat function requires use of the EIU VPN software.  I explain, in a separate set of instructions, how to acquire and use this software.)

In my experience students' question are typically best dealt with through WebCT email; I don't get too many questions during office hours.  (I check my email every day.)  But I am available in office hours if you want to speak to me "live".

C. Discussion.  WebCT also offers open message boards, in the “Discussions” section (with the push-pin icon).

This acts like an ordinary internet newsgroup (or – if you’re not familiar with newsgroups – kind of like an open-ended bulletin board, where people can post questions and comments, reply to those, reply to replies, and so on.) 

I post Discussion messages when I want to announce something to everyone in the class (as opposed to messages to specific students, for which I would use email).  If you wish to direct a question specifically to me, do so through email .

As with the Calendar and Mail programs, if there are new messages in the Discussion section when you log in to WebCT the Discussion icon will be emphasized (with green lines) .

D. Whiteboard.  WebCT also provides a live Whiteboard allowing me to draw sentences, symbols, and diagrams in the course of answering your questions.  This is just like an ordinary blackboard, only it shows up on the computer screen of everyone who has clicked on the Whiteboard icon.

So far we haven't had much occasion to use Whiteboard.

 

6. Policies. 

A. Excused Make-Ups.  Ordinary issues of missing homeworks and quizzes should not pose the same problem in WebCT that they do in an ordinary course, since WebCT will not require you to leave your home, and moreover should provide enough time flexibility (several days per assignment) to let you pick the best time to complete the work.  

For that reason, a student will need to be very sick indeed, for an extended period of time, in order to excuse missing assignments.  In such a case, the student would in that case need to provide me with sufficient documentation (from a doctor, hospital, or other medical center) that the illness was acute and prolonged.

Barring such severe illness, there should be no reason why a homework or quiz is missed.  Again, I stress: simply falling behind, or failing to notice that an assignment was scheduled, is NOT an acceptable excuse for missing an assignment, and will not qualify for a make-up assignment.

Likewise, not noticing the due date for an assignment is NOT an acceptable excuse for missing an assignment, and will not qualify as an excuse for a make-up assignment.

This holds all the moreso for exams: a student will need to provide thorough and official documentation of an extremely urgent problem, to be allowed to make up an exam.  If a student misses an exam without such a documented legitimate reason, I will NOT allow a make-up of the exam.  In that case the student should withdraw from the course.

(Note: several students in recent years have tested me on this, and have found, much to their dismay, that I am very serious about this policy.  Do not miss an exam!)

B. Free Make-Ups.  However: I do allow one free make-up quiz for the semester.  It's a make-up, for a missed assignment (not a re-take of a quiz the student took).  It's a "free" make-up because no excuse is required.  I will hold free make-ups twice in the semester: once in the middle (around the midterm), and once in the last week of class.  If you missed a quiz in the before the first free make-up, you can take that one; if you missed after the first free make-up, you can take the second one.  I will announced the free make-up times in advance.  Once I announce the free make-up, you should email me telling me to put your name on the make-up list.  (I will remind everyone of this at the time.)

Note: the free make-up may deal with any topic covered up to that time.  So it may not be on the same topic as the original quiz (which was missed).  For example: even if a student missed a quiz on informal logic, the free make-up may be on formal logic.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the free make-up is only for a quiz -- not for an exam.  There are NO FREE MAKE-UPS FOR EXAMS.  If you miss an exam without a documented excuse, it's the end of the world.

C. Technical Issues.  In the unlikely event that the WebCT system encounters a technical problem interfering with testing functions, I will of course make accommodations for any missed assignments caused by such problems.  But I have not encountered such problems so far.

If a student reports a problem that prevents completing an assignment, I will check with the computing office at EIU for problems; but here again, if the allegation cannot be documented (particularly if it is only reported by one individual), it will not qualify as an excuse for a missed assignment. 

Finally, since this course is delivered over the internet, each student is (obviously) required to insure reliable access to the internet.  Claiming that one didn't have internet access does NOT count as a legitmate excuse for missing an assignment.