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ORIENTATION TO ON-LINE CLASSES
 OFFERED THROUGH CICERO'S PILLAR

Welcome to the on-line class orientation. If you are taking or plan to take an on-line class from Dr. Cicero please carefully read this orientation .

The on-line classes offered through Cicero's Pillar use the Internet for all communications between you (the student) and me (the instructor). There is no classroom in the traditional sense. Interactions take place through e-mail, threaded discussions, and information posted to this web site. All information relating to your class is on line - there is no live, in-class orientation. If you sign up for an on-line class it is absolutely essential that you visit the areas on this web specific to your class several times each week. Schedule changes, possible delays in returning assignments, e-mail problems, computers crashing, and other events that may impact you are posted on The Pillar. Also make sure you check your e-mail for messages from me.

If you have taken other on-line classes at Shasta College you may be familiar with the WebCT platform. It is important to note that classes offered on The Pillar do not use WebCT. All of the course information is available directly on/from this site. The WebCT portal is used only for initial access to this course.  Please note that ANGEL (http://lms.shastacollege.edu) will be used for mail I send to the class and for the grade book.

For a list of all on line classes offered at the college and their specific requirements you can check the Shasta College On Line Portal at: http://onlineaccess.shastacollege.edu

For the most part you work at your own pace. For example, you may complete assignments ahead of schedule (there is no guarantee that they will be graded ahead of schedule - it totally depends on my workload at any given point). Exceptions to the work at your own pace idea are the threaded discussions, if applicable, and most examinations. The discussions take place during a designated block of time and cannot be completed ahead of schedule. These threaded discussions are not used for every class each semester - you will need to check the schedule for your class. Exams are typically posted for a specified period of time only and you are expected to complete the exam within that timeframe.

All assignments have a due date past which they are not accepted. As a general rule no quiz, exam, paper, tutorial, concept list, or other assignment may be made up or turned in (e-mailed) late. If there is an extenuating circumstance it is your obligation to let the me know PRIOR to the due date. It is extremely important that you are clear on this issue because late or missed work may have severe negative consequences on your final grade. Keep in mind that you must check the web several times per week to make sure you have the most current information on due dates. I am less inclined to make exceptions regarding due dates late in the semester. As the end of the semester approaches my workload increases and I am required to submit final grades to admissions and records by a specific deadline.

When you register at Shasta College for one of my on-line classes our first communication will be an e-mail from you to me. Basically you need to tell me who you are and what class you are registered for. I use this initial communication to set up my class e-mail groups. Where you send this first e-mail is dependent upon on the class(es) you are taking. For example, mail for Human Relations on the Job, BUAD 45, goes to buad45@ciceros-pillar.com while mail for Retail Management, MKTG 176, goes to mktg176@ciceros-pillar.com. It is important that you mail your registration information to the correct address. If you are taking more than one on line class from me you need to send mail to each course address. During the first week of class I compile a class e-mail list that I use to communicate up-to-date information regarding the course. You can expect to receive a welcome/orientation e-mail sometime during the first week of the semester (sometimes not until week 2). It is also very helpful if you have supplied an e-mail address at registration - this shows up on my roster and makes contacting you an easy task.

Often the course specific e-mail address is not available until just before the start date of the class or even into the first week. However, if you are looking for a quick response to a question please send your mail to expressmail@ciceros-pillar.com regardless of the class you are in. This address is always open and available. I teach several on line classes so be sure your name and the class you are referring to appear in the e-mail.

You will find the specific class information you need by clicking on the appropriate class from The Pillar Home Page. You will be taken to the class specific home page. I strongly recommend that you surf THE PILLAR to become familiar with its structure and the wide variety of information available.

Your computer must have certain capabilities depending upon the class you are taking. A few basics include an Internet connection and the ability to send e-mail with attachments (attachments need to be sent in MS Word if at all possible). If you are taking a computer class you will need access to the correct version of the software used in your class. Check on the appropriate class Home Page for software versions. Currently, for example, I am using  MS Windows XP Professional, and MS Office 2003 Professional. I get lots of mail attachments that I can't open - they show up in code or a program that my computer can't open. MS Word is the absolute best/trouble-free format for any text attachments. I do have the capability of opening MS Works and WordPerfect documents from my home computer. However, using these formats typically causes some delay in grading your materials.

If you use a Shasta College computer make sure you refresh your page every time you access The Pillar. College computers are left on for long periods and if you do not hit refresh (icon on tool bar or F5) you may get out-dated materials. The same applies if you leave your computer at home on for extended periods. Sometimes refreshing web pages on college computers can be a problem. If the refresh icon does not seem to work try holding down the control key and hitting F5 (CTRL + F5). Another trick is hold down the control key and click your left mouse button on the refresh icon on the toolbar.

Is an Internet class for you?  Too often students assume an Internet class may be easier - that is not true on THE PILLAR. In several of the Internet classes the student actually has more work to do. Also, much of the work involves written communication in the form of answers to textbook questions, essays, and short papers. If writing is a painful task for you, perhaps you should take that into account before signing up. On the other hand, the great advantage to the Internet classes is the timing - you can do your work around even the most difficult personal schedule. 

For me, teaching on the Internet is far more time consuming than a traditional classroom format (writing out all of these instructions for example). However, my ability to grade papers, answer e-mail, and check the discussion forums at my convenience is worth the trade-off. If you check the TIME on e-mail from me, my response might be authored at 2:00 AM, 2:00 in the afternoon, maybe on Wednesday, or possibly late Saturday night after company leaves. I love the flexibility. The greatest danger for me is getting behind and that will be your biggest challenge as well - it's very easy to put things off. For example, while I was writing this section I had over 260 e-mails waiting to be answered!

Okay, you've decided to do it. Make sure you register for the class - all admission standards apply and all registration and drop/add dates apply.

Be advised that I do not accept over enrollments for any reason in my on-line classes - so register early to be assured a spot. I am absolutely consistent on this point in order to be fair to all students.

A few more thoughts on e-mail and you're ready to go. I cannot emphasize enough that you must get an appropriate e-mail address. This avoids my trying to figure out who bunny123@aol.com is (I'm sure you can appreciate the problem). Where appropriate indicate the assignment name or number IN THE SUBJECT LINE.  Also, if you are sending me a note via expressmail make sure to tell me which class you are referring to.

For initial contact and assignments use the course specific e-mail addresses where available. For other communication use expressmail. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE ALL E-MAIL YOU SEND TO ME (in some programs - like hotmail - you need to click a special box to save your mail). If something goes wrong (i.e. I lose my mail) it's easy to re-submit assignments if you've saved a copy.

Check your mail often. Monday-Thursday I check mine several times daily. I check less frequently and sometimes not at all Friday-Sunday. I try to get back to you within one week on assignments and 24-hrs. on general questions; a little slower on weekends. You may also experience delays during vacations and holidays. Remember, the course specific addresses are for assignments; for the fastest response time to general inquiries please send mail to expressmail@ciceros-pillar.com. I will check this mailbox often and respond as quickly as I can. Express mail is not intended for assignment submission. When sending expressmail don't forget to tell me which class you are in!

If for any reason response time becomes a problem please call me at 530-225-4721 (office) or 530-355-1544 (cell). If you simply do not hear back from me within a reasonable time please contact me by phone. I get lots of returned mail and do not have the time or the resources to track down technical problems. A common problem is your mailbox fills up and your provider simply returns all mail. I try to post specific e-mail problems on the message board for each class. If you are not hearing from me check the board to see if your name is there! I never accept end of semester "excuses" that say you've been sending your stuff in all along but never heard back from me - that's just lame! Sorry. :)

Keep your e-mail professional! Use appropriate grammar and spelling, watch what you say and how you say it. Do not use the e-mail convention of writing everything in lower case with little or no punctuation.

Each class has a     MESSAGE BOARD . The MESSAGE BOARD is used to keep you up-to-date on changes, computer crashes, e-mail problems, and any other unexpected happenings. For example, if my mail goes down and I am unable to communicate with you or I have lost your mail I will post the problem to the MESSAGE BOARD. It is essential that you check the web and the MESSAGE BOARD several times a week.

Each on-line class has a HELP discussion forum where you can ask your fellow students for advice. In addition, several of the on-line classes have a discussion component as part of the course assignments. All discussion forums can be found at Cicero's Forum. Unfortunately I have had several pornographic sites posted to the discussion forums and have temporarily closed the forums.  When working with the internet pornography is always a potential problem.  If you find any instances of pornography on The Pillar itself or any sites linked from The Pillar please notify me immediately.

I hope your on-line class proves to be a rewarding educational experience. Don't forget to check the web several times each week; you particularly want to check the class schedule and the message board. And just for the record my last name is CICERO not CICEROS. I did not anticipate the possible confusion when I named the web site ciceros-pillar (the problem is you can't put an apostrophe in a web address) and it's far too late to change it and I'm not changing my name . . . so, it's CICERO with no "s" on the end. And one other thing, forgive any seemingly parenting or authoritative statements throughout THE PILLAR. It's sometimes difficult to get my charming personality to come through when I am trying to set down the guidelines for a successful on-line experience. And each semester I learn new and better ways to handle things.

I am reasonably convinced that many students do not bother to read this orientation.  If you have gotten this far, I like you already!  "Talk" to you soon.

                                 John P. Cicero, Ph.D.

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