on-line interpersonal relationships,

group dynamics in the computer-mediated environment,

collaborative processes,

on-line public relations and advertising, and

organizational and public uses of the Internet.

After successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

utilize computer technology as a tool to meet personal and professional goals.

use a variety of asynchronous and synchronous forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC), including e-mail, newsgroups, subscription lists & chat rooms, for discussion and collaboration.

use the Internet and the World Wide Web to access information for research and resources (ftp, Archie, etc.).

create a simple Web page.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

asking questions about course concepts,

analyzing the concept under discussion,

sharing a personal opinion of how you think an approach works (or doesn't),

sharing tips about hardware, software, or helpful on-line resources,

describing your experience of how course concepts are applied (or misapplied) in practice,

considering ways in which a theory we discussed in class might be extended in practice,

discussing the ethical ramifications of current public relations practices you observe,

introducing a topic of your own that you think is pertinent to computer-mediated communication.

be something you can remember,

be a combination of letters and numbers,

not be your birthday, Social Security Number, or a pet's name,

not be a word found in the dictionary,

never be shared with anyone else.

Regular attendance is expected and necessary in this class. Please do not assume that you can skip class when lab or guest speakers are scheduled. I expect you there, armed with diskettes, books, and readiness to discuss the topic at hand. If class attendance falls off for special activities, I will cancel all future speakers or events. It is to your advantage to attend all classes, since test material will be drawn from in-class discussions, exercises, and lab assignments.

You are responsible for all notes, handouts, and assigned readings. If you must miss a class, it is up to you to get notes and materials from fellow students. Develop a buddy system and exchange phone numbers!

As a matter of courtesy and professionalism, set your beepers and cell phones to silent alerts during class time.

You must type and double-space all work, unless you receive other instructions.

You must turn in all assignments on time. I do not accept late assignments. Only severe medical problems are acceptable reasons for missing exams or assignments, and it is your responsibility to make immediate arrangements with me for make-up work. Computer problems and crashed disks are not valid reasons for late work. If a medical emergency arises, you must notify me in advance of the class and provide verification in order to be excused and scheduled for make-up work.

For your protection and my peace of mind, keep copies of all your completed assignments, including those handed in on diskettes.

See me immediately if you have any difficulties in this course. Do not wait a week or until the end of the semester to contact me with problems. I'm always happy to help you in any way I can, but any delay in communicating with me reduces your chances of getting help.

You must complete all course activities to earn a minimum grade of "D."

You must earn a minimum of 600 points to earn a minimum grade of "D."

Any proven case of plagiarism or violation of ethical conduct will result in immediate failure of the class. In this course, plagiarism includes but is not limited to: borrowing another person's ideas without acknowledgment; using paraphrased material without attribution; not citing quoted material; copying from any source and presenting the work as your own; downloading and using as your own any sentences, paragraphs, or entire documents off the Internet (including source code, scripts, graphics, or other Web elements); using anyone else's assistance (other than the instructor or a lab TA) to fulfill course requirements.

Since a major goal of this course is learning the "nuts and bolts" of Web site design, you must write all original code for your Web site project ("hard code"), and you should be able to explain and replicate all coding you use. Therefore, you'll find hard coding more time efficient than using a WYSIWYG HTML editor such as Netscape Composer, Macromedia Dreamweaver, or Microsoft FrontPage. If you decide to use an HTML editor (with instructor's permission only!), you will need to spend significant time cleaning up the extraneous code inserted by the software.

COMM 422 Tentative Schedule

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