Some facts of general interest and also some general rules and procedures

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Can I use my laptop in the classroom?

• Laptops CANNOT be used in the classroom, especially the DL classrooms.

DL classroom general rules!

• No eating or drinking in any clasroom.
• Cellphones, pagers, ipods, mp3 players are in the OFF and locked position, that's OFF - not on silent.
• No talking or playing with the microphones.
• When called upon, push the talk switch on the microphone, talk clearly and distinctly, do not put your face in the mike, take a natural stance, state your name, where you are speaking from (Booneville, Tupelo, Southaven), and your question and/or answer, then when you are done, click off the mike switch.
• No hats during exam time. AND, all hats will be BRIM to the back at all other times.
• Cluster in a pod like group so the facilitator can focus the camera on you.
• All questions should be directed to the facilitator in the classroom.
• Do not forget to sign the attendance sheet for the class.

What types of technology will we use in this class?

• You should have working knowledge of the following, Office 2003-7, XP, Vista, SPSS for Mktg 525, 551, Blackboard, The Digital Library including accessing the databases in the library from UM or from home. *requires proper credentials, including a barcoded ID, Web ID, Password.

How do you communicate with students?

• I communicate by Olemiss email and by Syllabus (Online at www.olemiss.edu/~rcosenza). You must check your email and syllabus every day to avoid missed communications and assignments.

What exactly is your role as my clinical instructor?

• My role as clinical professor in Outreach/SOBA at UM is to provide clinical teaching using my professional competence and activity. The actual term "Clinical Teacher" comes from didactic behavior associated with instructors of procedural medicine who criticized "on the spot" actions of budding doctors and nurses. Almost always the criticism was forceful-whether from a positive or negative manner. "Clinicals", through their concern and criticism, usually made the difference between a mediocre doctor/nurse and an excellent practitioner. Although we at the UM Business School are not learning medicine, there is a good analogy here. Business achievement based upon my didactic, can be evidenced by talking to some of the Junior/Senior Marketing majors and alumni. For example, during UM/Outreach senior debriefing -- some said that I was one of the faculty members that influenced their life-in a most positive manner.

Are there specific rules and procedures in your classes?

• Yes, there are rules and they are clearly spelled out in this document and/or the syllabus. The basic rule is :Your lack of reading the syllabus, reading the material, and planning your semester-does not constitute a 911 in my arena-and I mean this with all due respect for all parties.
• Procedures are nothing more than a set of rules. When combined with knowledge, application, and creativity, they are good rules. Combined with the clinical didactic, they enhance achievement.

Will the distance aspect of the couurse affect my learning?

• Generally No Distance (The Distance Learning Environment) sometimes can create problems and also can afford amazing learning opportunities. UM has provided you with a wonderful opportunity to learn. Take responsibility and take advantage---learn.

How will tests be conducted, graded, and returned?

• Since we will be working at a distance, all testing will be controlled by the facilitator at your site (this might be me). The tests will be gathered up and sent to me at Southaven for grading. Sometimes this will take a few weeks depending on shuttle schedules, etc.---so please be patient. I will then send the test back to you at your facility. It will be your responsibility to collect them from the facilitator AND keep track of your grades. I will have a copy of the exam with answers that you may check out from the site facilitator after the exam has been graded and sent back. Please be aware of the missed test policy which is strictly enforced.

Will my grades be posted on blackboard?

• Not generally, you will be responsible for keeping track of your grades.

Do you have an attendance policy?

• Attendance is required as per the university student regulations and will be monitored and enforced per these rules. Some of my classes require absolute attendance-please check the attendance rules for a specific course.

Can I get an A in the class if I am working full time and taking additional courses?

• Rule of thunb: Generally, an "A" Student is an individual who NEVER misses a class (unless they have a university approved excuse). He or she spends at least five hours outside of class each week going over the material, preparing for assignments and studying for tests. This individual gets consistently high grades on tests and exceeds my expectations for any projects.

Are their communication protocols in your classes?

• We try to follow an email policy that ensures respect and etiquette (an example set of rules) in all of my classes.

What is the School of Business policy on effective use of course time?

• The “Policy on Effective Use of Course Time”, which states that:
• In each regular semester, the following student time resources are available to each instructor:
  * Two and one-half hours of student time per week (for a three semester hour course) in the classroom
  * Seven and one-half hours of student time per week for study/work outside of the classroom
  * Three hours of classroom time per semester for a final exam
• It is the policy of the School of Business Administration that all instructors will prudently use all of the student time that has been allocated to each course. It is generally expected that some type of comprehensive examination or comprehensive evaluation activity (project, paper, etc.) will be included in each course to assess mastery of the course material (KSAs) by each individual student.
• All instructors are expected to administer a comprehensive final exam at the officially scheduled final exam time unless the department chair has approved an alternative comprehensive evaluation activity.
• Within the context of this policy, a full-time student (enrolled in twelve semester hours of business courses) would generally be expected to spend ten hours per week per course, for a total of forty hours per week. This amount of time-on-task will enable our students to move much farther along the mastery curve for the material covered in each course. At the same time, forty hours per week is equivalent to the amount of time that students will encounter in a “normal” work week after graduation; therefore, as proven by countless millions of working adults in our country and around the world, that amount of time falls well within the effort or stress tolerance curve of all.