Here are the questions.  To see answers, scroll down.

A-1. WHAT IF YOU DID BB CLASS, BUT YOUR MESSAGE NEVER APPEARED ON THE BB?

A-2. HOW CAN YOU WRITE THE MESSAGES LATE AND STILL GET CREDIT?

B. WHAT IF THE ATTENDANCE RECORD SAYS YOU MISSED BB CLASS (or only got 1/2 credit), BUT YOU THINK YOU DID IT?

C. WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR CHECKING MESSAGES ON A BB?

D. WHY DON'T I JUST CHECK THE BB MESSAGES FOR YOU?

E. IS IT OKAY TO DO BBs AHEAD OF TIME?

F. WHY ALL OF THIS ONLINE STUFF?

G. HOW DO YOU FIND THE HOME PAGE IF "www.Richard.Jewell.net" IS DOWN?

H. WHY AREN'T WE USING D2L (Desire To Learn)?

I. HOW IS BB CLASS TIME COUNTED?

J. CAN YOU COPY YOUR HOMEWORK AND PASTE IT INTO THE BB OR VICE VERSA?

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A-1. WHAT IF YOU DID BB CLASS, BUT YOUR MESSAGE NEVER APPEARED ON THE BB? (2-07)

First, check the bulletin board to see if your message is missing (see question "C." below).  If it is, there are three possibilities:

(1) Did you remember, after writing your message, to click underneath it on the send-message button?

(2) After sending your message, did you then keep the bulletin board open and running, doing nothing else on it, until you actually saw your message appear on the BB at the bottom?

(3) Did you accidentally put your message on the wrong BB, week, or wrong course?  

(4) Occasionally your message may show up several days late (but with its original date of writing on it).  

If you're having trouble with the BB, it may pay to write your message on MS Word first, save your copy, and then paste it into the BB message box.  

A-2. HOW CAN YOU WRITE THE MESSAGES LATE AND STILL GET FULL CREDIT? (2-07)

You can always get full credit.  Simply do anything missing.  Then show them to me.  To show them, follow these instructions:

(a) Write what is missing on the BB itself so others can see them.  (Do not just give the messages to me alone.)

(b) Copy BOTH OR ALL of your own messages: this is so I can see that you have done everything due on that BB.  Copy them BOXES AND ALL: this is so I can see they come from the BB.

(c) Paste them onto a piece of paper and give it to me, labeled as what it is--BB & week number.  (If you are in a fully online course, then paste them into an email that you send me, fully labeled--week number and set.)

B. WHAT IF THE ATTENDANCE RECORD SAYS YOU MISSED BB CLASS (or only got 1/2 credit), BUT YOU THINK YOU DID IT? (2-07)

For starters, relax.  You can always get full credit--see the answer above for "A-2."  If you think you did do the BB but didn't get credit, read the rest of the answer below, first, before trying to take care of the problem. 

First, here's how the BB attendance credit works. A "0" means I didn't see any messages from you at all (see "A-1." above). A "\" or "/" means I saw just one message, or one of your messages was too short.   An "X" (or, in fully-online classes, a "\/")   means I saw two messages and gave full credit.

Second, what if you only got 1/2 credit (or no credit) and don't understand why? There are several things to check before asking me:

• I only record the "Attendance Record" once per week.  Check the date at the top.  If you sent me something on or after that date, it probably won't be recorded for another week. 
• If the date you see is more than 7-8 days old, you may need to click on the "refresh/reload" button on your computer screen—the button at the top that has one or two arrows in a half circle or full circle (depending on whether you use Explorer or Netscape).  Just click on it and see if a newer version--with a more recent date--appears.  (Or instead, you may click on "View" and then "Refresh" or "Reload.")
• If you got a "\" or "/," did you only write one message (two are required)?  Or was one of them too short (200+ w. are required.  You can add more and still get full credit—see "A-2." above.
• Did I accidentally forget to give you credit?  You can add more and still get full credit—see "A-2." above.

C. WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR CHECKING MESSAGES ON A BULLETIN BOARD? (2-14-05)

To check on your messages,

(a) click on the week's bulletin board (in the left-hand column).

(b) Then look at the list of all the people who have sent messages. (If the list does not appear, then click, in the upper-right corner, on "Discussions & Replies.")

(c) Your name should appear twice on this list, along with the time you posted your messages. (You may have to click on "Prev" or "Next" to find yours.)

(d) To check the messages themselves, start by clicking on the first message. Look at it and check the word count. Is it about 200+ words? If it is, print it out right then.

(e) Then click in the left column on the week number again, look at the list of names, and click on your second message. Check its length, too. If you're going to ask me to give you additional credit, print out this message, too.

D. WHY DON'T I JUST CHECK THE BULLETIN BOARD MESSAGES FOR YOU? (2-07)

I, like you, only go on the BBs once a week.  For each additional message beyond that, it takes me a lot of time to turn on the BB, find all the messages from one person, and open each one to see how much is there.  That's why if you're late or need to add more, it is so much faster for me to have you put it up, then copy it to send to me.  I appreciate your time in doing this.   

E. IS IT OKAY TO DO BULLETIN BOARDS AHEAD OF TIME? (1-23-05)

Sure.  Anyone can do "Step 1" ahead of time--in as many weeks as you want.  And if you're the first or second person on the BB, you can still do "Step 2," as well: either respond to someone from a previous week about a previous subject, or respond to your own self as if you were someone who thinks very differently.  You also can simply leave two starting messages--responses to the questions--in two very different ways. 

F. WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO ALL OF THIS ONLINE STUFF? (2-7)

Well, you don't have to have it. There are other courses without it. However, it is a very important part of this particular class.  IHCC now says that it doesn't even need to be mentioned in the IHCC "Schedule" if it is a minority of the classtime because everyone should be able to handle online work.  It will help you in future courses and, usually, in future jobs.  Remember that you have seven-days-a-week access to me through email and my home phone, so do ask me for help when you need it.

G. HOW DO YOU FIND THE HOME PAGE WHEN "www.Richard.Jewell.net" IS DOWN?  (2-07)

Plan ahead on your own computer by going to the course Web site, to www.richard.jewell.net, and to this BB site—and bookmark each.  To bookmark a site, go to it, and then click on "Bookmarks" (sometimes called "Favorites").  However, if you use school computers, you should copy all three Web site addresses to an MS Word document, then print it and keep it in your billfold/purse.  You also can use this BB Web site to go directly to the course Web site.  

H. WHY AREN'T WE USING D2L (Desire To Learn)? (2-07)

D2L--Desire To Learn--is the Web system used by IHCC.  There are many such systems in the USA.  In general, using a standard Web system like ours tends to be faster and (if you don't know D2L) simpler, with fewer technical problems.

I. HOW IS BB CLASS TIME COUNTED? (2-07)

In an on-campus section, we would have 3 classes per week for 16 weeks, plus a 2-hr. final, or about 50 class hrs.  Each BB class (and, in a fully online course, each set) is supposed to equal one class hour.  In a 4-cr. class, a class hr. is about 70 min.  In a 3-cr. class, a class hr. is 50 min. 

Some of the attendance for the overall course is counted as physical (in-person) attendance, and some of it as BB attendance.  Vacation and teacher-development days also are deducted if they fall on a Thurs.-Sat., just as for any on-campus course, because Thurs.-Sat. is when I read BBs and take their attendance.  

J. CAN YOU COPY YOUR HOMEWORK AND PASTE IT INTO THE BB, OR VICE VERSA? (2-07)