Economics 1 
How do I get started?
Foreword: The procedures for this course are a little complicated, so it is very important for you to carefully read and follow the instructions given below. Your user name and password for Quia will be distributed at the mandatory orientation meeting on February 4, 2008. The procedures are not really that complicated, but this course will be somewhat different from other online classes that you may have taken and so it is really, really important to slow down at the beginning and carefully follow the instructions.
1. Internet Access and Text. You must have a working e-mail address and Internet access. This can be from your home, work, school, or public library. Your e-mail address can be with LAHC, Yahoo, AOL, EarthLink, Hot Mail, or any other e-mail address that you want to use for the semester. You should also buy the e-text or hardcopy text as soon as possible.
2. Introductions. Write a paragraph or two introducing yourself to the class. This is not a resume. Just tell us something interesting about you. Are you a single mom with six kids? Did you spend your holiday surfing Australia? Surfing on the web? Most importantly, complete the statement "I am taking this economics class online because ...." Your introduction with your e-mail address must be posted by midnight Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Please follow the instructions on the "Introductions" page. Failure to post by the deadline or to contact me will most likely result in you being dropped from the class. The Introductions Page (see the link on the class home page) will provide a source of study partners for you. Study groups are strongly encouraged.
3. Three-Letter Code. You should also choose a secret three-letter code that I can use in place of your name for posting grades to the Progress Report. You can use any three letters - not numbers. Some people use their initials. Using your initials is OK, if you don't mind that someone may know your grades. The three letters could be your dog's name, your boyfriend's or girlfriend's initials or any three letters that you want and that you will remember. To avoid duplication, please do not select these popular three-letter codes - GOD, SEX, and KEY. S3T, 5LT, 666, and 123 are not acceptable codes because they include numbers. Your private, three-letter code should be e-mailed to me along with your name and the class. Please use the e-mail format shown in red below. If your name is Jane Smith and you want your code to be abc, then in the subject window of your email to me you should type "1 Jane Smith abc" It will not be necessary to include your code on any future quizzes, exams or other correspondence. After your code is initially submitted, just use your name when communicating with me.
Why do I require you to post your introduction and email your 3-letter code to me within two days? Each semester I have a few students who sign up for the class, attend the mandatory orientation meeting and then just disappear never to complete a single assignment. I have found that by requiring an early response from each student I am able to drop at least some of those students who would have disappeared and add other students who want to be added to the class.
4. Weekly Quizzes. You will have a 20-question, multiple-choice quiz in each of the 14 weeks that are marked with an asterisk on the Syllabus. The quizzes are available under the Quizzes link on the class home page. The quiz questions will usually be posted at the beginning of each week, but no later than the due date of the previous quiz. You will usually be required to submit your answers to the quizzes through Quia by noon on Tuesdays of the following week. The due date and time for each quiz is at the top of the quiz. The procedure and link for submitting your answers is posted at the top of the quiz. Please read and follow the instructions carefully. The first quiz will be due by 10 a.m. Tuesday, February 12, 2008. After the due date, I will post the answers to each quiz at the bottom of the quiz. To see the answers, open the quiz (not on Quia) on the class web site and scroll down past question 20 where you will see the answers. The Quia (see below) website is strictly a way for you to post the answers to your quiz. You should rely on the Quizzes page of the class web site for the full text of the questions and for the possible answers. Download the quiz from the Quizzes page of the class web site, determine the best answers for the questions, and then log on to Quia to post your answers. DO NOT GO TO QUIA TO GET THE QUIZ.
5. Registering for Quia. To register on Quia, go to http://www.quia.com/web. On the right hand side of the page you will see "Student Zone" and an "Enter" button, click on the "Enter" button. Use your personal user name and password for Quia that was provided to you in class to log in. Then on the right side of the screen on the green bar you will see "Your Profile." Click on your profile and complete the form. Be sure to write your username and password in a safe place where you will not lose them. Congratulations! You are now registered with Quia.
6. Format for Email. I am teaching several online classes and I use e-mail for all of my classes including my regular lecture classes, so an e-mail from reelstudent@aol.com asking about the assignment for next week makes it very difficult for me since I don't know who you are or which class you are asking about. I have to go through all of my classes looking for someone whose e-mail address is reelstudent@aol.com. And sometimes messages will be sent from a friend's computer using the friend's e-mail address which isn't in any of my records. When you send an e-mail, please help me by making sure that I can easily determine which course you are in, the subject of your message, and who you are without opening the message. An example of how to complete the subject window would be "1 Quiz 1?? Your Name." Using this format helps me tremendously in keeping track of and organizing the more than one thousand emails that I typically receive during a semester. Thank you and I will try to help you by responding quickly to your messages.
7. Announcements. Check the Announcements link at least twice each week. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
8 Publisher's Web Site. As a final note, the publisher has a very handy web site at http://websites.swlearning.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0324288662&discipline_number=413l which has flash cards for vocabulary, quizzes and other useful tools to help prepare you for the quizzes and exams. I do not use the questions from the publisher's site for quizzes, but the publisher's quizzes and other exercises will help you to understand the material.
Questions or Problems? E-mail me (gvice@earthlink.net) or call me at 323 377-0671