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. Don't wait until the last minute to finish everything. Pace yourself. Research has shown that distributing your study throughout the week can lead to better recall and improved learning gains over students who opted for fewer, more intensive study sessions.

I asked one of my former star students to pass along a few words of advice for you on how to succeed in this course. She says:

Try to attend every Live Session and actively participate while you are there. Although you will have access to the PowerPoint slides beforehand, the lecture provides additional details and examples. (I suggest downloading the lecture notes from the Live Session page and annotating them as you follow along with the lecture). The in-class group work and discussions are a great way for you to see how the textbook concepts apply to real-world situations.
Keep up with the readings. Don't be tempted to neglect these and don't fall behind schedule. The readings contain more detail than the slides, details that could appear on the exams.
To prepare for the exams, review the notes you made from the readings and during the Live Session lectures. If you've been keeping up with the class along the way, then you will need only a day or so (5-10 hours) to get ready. You'll be allowed to reference test notes during the exam, but you'll have to upload your notes along with the exam.

Overall, just keep up with the readings and review the material before the exams and you should do fine!

Live Sessions

Each Monday from 7:00-10:00 pm (Central), 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.

Attendance

For Live Sessions 1 to 7, your attendance and participation will count toward your final grade. There are two ways in which you can earn points for these sessions.

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.)
Make-Up (Watch Recording-Submit Written Responses): In the event that your work or personal schedule makes it impossible for you to attend, please review the recording of the Live Session then provide a written response to the questions and cases discussed in class. You must submit your written response before the next Live Session.

Note: Be sure to utilize option 1 or 2 for each of Live Sessions 1 to 7 to receive full points. Regardless of when the session occurred, you must post your response based on option 1 or 2.

In Live Session eight, the groups will present Group Presentations. Thus, you should plan on participating live for session eight, if at all possible. If you do not believe you will be able to attend Live Session eight, please contact me as soon as possible.

Etiquette for Live Sessions

Arrive promptly, as you would in a traditional, brick-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 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. Be disciplined and fully engage. 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.
Make sure the camera focused on you is set up at a good angle. Weird angles can become distracting to others.
Shut down any irrelevant programs on your device so you (and others) are not distracted by them during the Live Session.
If possible, invest in good quality, noise-canceling headset.
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.
Do not turn off your webcam during the Live Session. The Live Session is a great way for our class to build a community. It is easier for us to get to know each other if we can see each other.
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 any general questions about assignments, class logistics, due dates, etc., please post a question in the Course Help Board in the “Start Here” module. You can post questions about the course to the Course Help Board throughout the semester.
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 “ACCT 5403 online“ before your subject. For example, if you have a question about a grade, your email subject would read “ACCT 5403 online – grade inquiry”.

If you have tech questions, please contact OU IT at 405-325-HELP (4357). You can also reach out to tech support for Canvas.

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 emails 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.

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