Community

We will work together as a community to define experience and thought through our writing.  This collaborative process demands respect for all.  If you have not done so before, please read the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.

Academic and Student Support:

You can learn about the wealth of academic and student support services available by visiting the pages on Virginia Tech Online site that deal with eLearning Resources and Student Services.  Here you'll find information about tutoring, proctoring, Virginia Tech libraries, career services, counseling, admissions, registration, the timetable of classes, financial aid and many other things.

Disability Accommodations:

Any student that is in need of special accommodations due to a disability, as recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act, should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in the Dean of Students Office.

Students with disabilities are responsible for self-identification.  To be eligible for services, documentation of the disability from a qualified professional must be presented to SSD upon request. Academic adjustments may include, but are not limited to: priority registration, auxiliary aids, program and course adjustment, exam modifications, oral or sign language interpreters, cassette taping of text/materials, note takers/readers, or assistive technology.
(See http://www.eoaa.vt.edu/)

For more information, please contact:
150 Henderson Hall (0255)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 540/231-3788
Fax: 540/231-3232
TTY: 540/231-1740
E-mail: ssd@vt.edu
Website: http://www.ssd.vt.edu

Technical Support:

Student technical support for this course is available through VTOnline (VTO).   If you are experiencing technical difficulty accessing materials that you need for this course or a general technical support question please request assistance by filling out the help form or sending a message to support@iddl.vt.edu. When making a request please be sure that you provide as much detail (name, problematic URL or module, operating system, description of problem) as possible to help solve your problem more efficiently.  You may also go through 4-help to request assistance.

Virginia Tech also has a Customer Support Center that is available 24/7 to reset passwords, monitor system outages, and answer questions on a wide variety of computer related issues. Moreover, you can find answers to many of your questions by reading VTOnline Frequently Asked Questions or Virginia Tech's Knowledge Base.

The buttons on the left-hand side of our course site provide links to these services.

Honor System:

The Honor System will be strictly enforced in this course.  If you are not sure what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please ask ahead of time.  The Honor System helps us build a community in which

á       trust in a person is a positive force in making that person worthy of trust,

á       every student can live in an academic environment free from the injustices caused by intellectual dishonesty, and

á       the honesty and integrity of all members of the university community contribute to its quest for Truth.

See http://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/

Discussion Board Netiquette:

Follow the following guidelines when communicating within the discussion board:

á       Use common courtesy and good manners.

á       Proper use of grammar, sentence structure, and correct spelling is encouraged.

á       Adhere to the same standards as you would for written language.

á       Remember who your audience is when posting to discussion boards, sending emails, or participating in a chat room discussion. You should behave as if you were sitting in a traditional classroom. Remember: The online classroom setting is more formal than in public forums or personal chat groups you may have used.

á       Be clear and concise. Explain your ideas entirely but get quickly to the point.

á       Using all capitals is the equivalent of SHOUTING and considered RUDE.

á       Avoid "flaming" or attacking someone for his or her point of view. Remember that many readers, including the instructor, will read it.

á       Read over what you are going to send at least once, just as you would proof read a paper you submit. Remember, once you submit your work, discussion, or email, you cannot change what you have written.

á       It is not acceptable for you to present work or ideas of others as your own. If you quote from a source, use quotation marks and provide the original author's name and the work from which the quotation is taken. Use your own understanding of the work, instead of direct quotes if possible, and give credit to the original author by citing name and source of idea.

á       Do not use acronyms -- Example ROFL (rolling of the floor laughing). Not all students will know the meanings of these.

See http://iddl.vt.edu/rcd/id/implementation/nettiquette.html