New Century College at George Mason University NCLC 249 - Internet Literacy - Spring 2004   Section 002 Day: Tues  Time:  0430 pm -  0710 pm  Place:  Innovation Hall 327

This syllabus is meant to be read using a Web browser. You must click on the links to get the full content. Some readings may be subject to change because of the ever evolving nature of the Internet.
Instructor Judi Chamberlain	Day-by-day Schedule
Email me at: jchambe1@gmu.edu	Required texts
Office hrs: by appt.	Participation expectations
Course Description and Goals	Class discussion
Major Assignments and due dates	Honor Code and Plagiarism Statement
Class Policies  |  Disability Support Services  |  Course Resources
The work for this class must be original and should not be work done in the past or for other courses this semester.

Course Description (Please also see course home page): This is a 4 credit New Century College course. This course is the prerequisite for NCLC 350 Cyberculture and Virtual Community. The subject of study is the Internet: Web publishing, evaluating Web sources, investigating virtual communities, becoming knowledgeable about copyright as relates to the Internet, and other major Internet issues. A significant amount of class discussion will be online. You will learn some basic html, Web design principles and use some Web publishing software, but this is not a graphic design, programming or advanced Web publishing class. The major thrust here is academic - study and critique the Internet culture, discuss basic hypertext theory, and do a significant amount of reading, writing and critiquing. A great deal of your work for this class will be published on your course Web site. You will have the opportunity to revise some of your work if you follow these guidelines. Texts: Required Texts: Required Texts: Internet Literacy, 3rd ed., Fred Hofstetter, McGraw-Hill; Internet Literacy Web site w. online resources; The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman; GMU Student Technology Guide; Service Learning Handbook; New Century College Writing Guide ; Course Resources. Since this is an Internet Literacy class, appropriately, supplemental readings will be on the Internet. Students (in small groups) will also research current Internet topics to present to class. Supplies: zip disk or diskettes Experiential Learning Component: This course has a required experiential learning component, for which you and your group members will perform a technology outreach (i.e., design a Web site, teach Internet skills, perform Internet research) community service for a non-profit organization. You will meet with the organization members and submit a proposal. You are expected to contribute 45 hours of activities to fulfill the one (1) credit experiential learning component. You must successfully complete this component of the course in order to receive a passing grade, if, of course, your other grades for this course also add up to a passing grade. (Experiential learning opportunities) The work load is commensurate with the number of hours of credit received. The sharing of talent, knowledge, ideas and questions is an important element of a community of learners, so active participation is required in the class and with your group members. You will be expected to assume the role of mentor to your class members as you share your talents. Participation: Please review course policies. You will participate in some collaborative work. You are expected to do your share of the work and respect the views of other members of your group. Contributions in class and electronic discussion determine your participation grade. You will also assume responsibility for providing credible and current information related to the course topics. You are expected to come to class having read the assigned material, and with course work due for that class. (Always bring your course work on a disk when you come to class.) You are expected to post your work by the due dates. Quality of work, not just completing it, ultimately determines the grade you earn. I will not accept late work. If you think you have a valid reason for turning in an assignment late, you must provide documentation. Please feel free to meet with me anytime for clarification of assignments or other course assistance. Class discussion: We will engage in in-class and online discussion. Come prepared for discussions by keeping up with the readings and the assignments. Some of our class discussion, synchronous and asynchronous will take place online on Townhall (http://townhall.gmu.edu)  See instructions for registering for and using Townhall. Student groups will take turns leading class presentations and research relevant material related to the topic of the week.  Course goals:  become knowledgeable about the social, political, legal, ethical, commercial and psychological aspects of the Internet become familiar with basic hypertext theory learn how to research, analyze, and critique Web resources  understand and observe copyright laws  create Web pages using HTML code, work with Web publishing programs, and work with ".gif" and ".jpg" graphics files. engage in and critique communication on a variety of computer mediated communication mediums  gain real world work experience through the experiential /service learning component of the course - using your technology skills to provide some technology service (create or redesign Web site, do Internet research, teach Internet skills, etc.) for a non-profit organization. further develop your collaborative work skills and teach each other compose well written compositions for a variety of audiences and purposes articulate how your learning experiences in this course relate to the New Century College Competencies Important Dates Jan 20 Last day to submit Domicile Reclassification Application (for relevant students) Feb 3 Last day to drop with no tuition liability (full semester courses only*) Feb 3 Last day to add classes by 8 p.m. (i. e. add on optional experiential learning component) Feb 3 All individualized section forms submitted Feb 10 Last day to drop with 33% tuition penalty by 8 p.m. Feb 20 Last day to drop with 67% tuition penalty by 8 p.m. Feb 20 Last day to drop (full semester courses only*) by 5 p.m. Mar 7 - 14 Spring Recess Mar 16 - 23 Midterm grading period Mar 19 Incomplete work from Fall 2003 due to instructor  May 3 Last day of classes May 4 Reading Day