Web.edu: How Internet Courses Work
Fall 2003 semester - Saturdays 9:35 – 10:35 AM
ISP 1600, One Credit Hour, Section 981, CRN: 16112
On campus, 223 State Hall
Instructor: David Bowen (d.r.bowen@wayne.edu, http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen)

 Courses over the Internet are here at Wayne State University. What can you expect if you register for one? What technical problems could you run into? Do you need to be an Internet guru to take one? How are they different from "regular" courses? What do students who have tried them say about them? This workshop will show you how the Internet works, what types of Internet courses are being offered and help you brush up on the Internet skills you need in order to take an Internet course, and how to get the information you need to be successful.

Technical Aspects:

• What's in a name? Web, web-based, web-centric, online or Internet – are they all the same?
• What is the Internet, anyway, and what do I need to know about it to take an Internet course?
• Computer and Internet requirements for courses.
• Password, password, who's got the password?
• Is it me or the server? Leading edge or bleeding edge? What to do if you have Internet or computer problems, or problems with software compatibility - troubleshooting and getting help.
• My Instructor isn’t a computer expert either! What do we do?
• Using WSU Internet access and email.
• Using other Internet access and email.

General Aspects:

• Is an Internet course a course about the Internet, or a course that uses the Internet?
• Scheduling time when there isn't a schedule.
• What if I have a question?
• Will I miss seeing the other students in the course?
• Will there be textbooks, a syllabus? Will all the reading be online?
• How will I turn in work? How will I take quizzes and exams?
• Is this just another diploma mill?
• Are Internet courses for everyone?

This course is designed to answer these questions and more, to make sure that you are prepared if you do decide to take an Internet course, and to help you decide whether you want to.

Web.edu will have ten required one-hour weekly meetings on Saturdays from 9:35 to 10:35 AM on campus (location to be determined). There will also be five weeks with online work in place of class meetings. You will not need Internet access or email at the beginning of the course, but you will need it by the middle of the semester. During the first half of the semester, you will learn how to set up your free WSU Internet access and email.

For further information, contact the Instructor (email address above, or call 313-577-1498 (W) or 248-549-8518 (H)) or go to the course web site at www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/WebEduF03, where a preliminary syllabus will be posted later during Spring/Summer 2003, or for detail from the last time the course was taught, go to that web site at www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/WebEduW02.