Whether you are new to online learning or you are a pro, every course has its own structure, pace, and types of activities. The following are some tips or strategies that will help you be successful in this course:

Establish a routine

Look through the syllabus, calendar and module layout, and establish a routine. Take time to get familiar with the routine of the class, and schedule your own work time accordingly - ideally multiple times during the week.

Each week, you should allow:

2-3 hours to cover assigned slide sets and related materials for the designated class. Be sure to read actively, take notes, and regularly review your notes before joining the Live Sessions and attempting the quizzes and exams.
2-3 hours to watch the narrated video lectures and take notes.
Less than 30 minutes each week to complete the pre-live-lecture quizzes.
2 hours to participate in the weekly Live Sessions on Zoom.

You should allow a total of 8 hours per week (or about 1.5 hours per day). Please note that you will be required to submit your pre-live-lecture quizzes by 7pm on Thursdays. But please don't wait until the last minute to finish everything. Pace yourself. Research has shown that distributing your study throughout the week, & regularly reviewing learning materials, can lead to better recall and improved learning gains over students who opted for fewer, more intensive study sessions.

Live Sessions

Each Thursday from 7:00-9:00 pm (CDT), you will be required to attend a virtual class in real time on Zoom. You can join the session by clicking on the Zoom icon on the Live Session page in each module. If you are new to Zoom, you may want to check out these tutorial videos ahead of time.

Your attendance and participation will count toward your final grade, per the details in the syllabus.

Attendance

Your attendance and participation will count toward your final grade. There are two ways in which you can earn points for the Live Session:

1. Participate Live: This option should be your preferred choice. When possible, you should attend and participate in the Live Sessions in real time. To get credit and track your attendance, type in the date and time in the text box of the Live Session page by clicking on the red "Submit Assignment" button at the top of the Live Sessions page. (Your self-reported attendance log can be cross-checked against the attendance tracker in Zoom.)

2. Make-Up (Watch Recording-Submit Written Summary): In the event your work or personal schedule makes it impossible for you to attend, please review the recording of the Live Session then answer the iClicker Cloud questions addressed in class in writing and submit your answers before the next Live Session through https://www.dropbox.com/request/8Vd0dzjiDOoOMQSioK1T.

Note: Be sure to utilize option 1 or 2 for each of the Live Sessions to receive full points. Regardless of when the session occurred, you must post your response based on option 1 or 2.

Etiquette for Live Sessions

Arrive promptly, as you would in a traditional, bricks-and-mortar classroom. If you join the online meeting late, you can distract other students, annoy your instructor, and miss valuable information. Strive to be on time.
Dress appropriately. Nobody wants to see you in your bathrobe or pajamas. Trust us.
Choose a good spot. Noisy environments and crowded places are likely to distract you and the others in the class.
Give the Live Session your full attention. Treat it like you would a face-to-face class. Take notes during the lecture, ask questions, and participate in all activities. Engage fully. Avoid doing other work, playing games, or visiting other sites during the Live Sessions.
If you have a question during the presentation or demo, please turn your settings to private and send a direct message to the instructor.
If possible, please refrain from eating during the Live Session.

Technical Considerations for Live Sessions

Make sure your device is plugged in and/or fully charged.
Shut down any irrelevant programs on your device to optimize your device's performance.
If possible, invest in a good quality, noise-canceling headset with a microphone.
Turn off or mute your microphone when you are not speaking. Otherwise, your mic will pick up background noise, which can make it difficult for others to hear what's happening in the Live Session.
Make sure the camera focused on you is set up at a good angle. Weird angles can become distracting to others.
If virtual meetings are new for you, you may want to check out Zoom's site for a series of helpful videos.

Communicate

If you have a personal question (grades, feedback, requests for special accommodation, etc.) please send me a private message via email. In the subject line, write "FIN 5372 online" before your subject. For example, if you have a question about a grade, your email subject would read "FIN 5372 online – grade inquiry."

Students are welcome to communicate with me. I will try to respond to all emails within 24 hours. The tail end of each Live Session is also a good time to chat.

All email sent by your professors will be sent to the email registered in your name at the University of Oklahoma.

If you wish to also receive course emails at another email address, go to your profile in Canvas and you can add 1 or more alternate emails to your account.

Tips and Strategies

If you are new to online learning, check out these tips.

CourseManagement_STUDENT.pdf