syllabus

COM 333: Communicating through Internet

Hyper-Syllabus
University of Illinois at Springfield
Fall '99 -- Online

Course Description: This course is designed as an introduction to the Internet as a communication and research/reference tool. The class will cover an introduction to the network; essential terms and technologies; research methods and techniques; issues and policies; and key reference sites. All material for the course will be found on the Internet itself.

Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will:

Understand the basic technology, potential and impact of the Internet
Understand and be able to discuss ethical and political issues surrounding the development of the "information superhighway"
Be able to navigate rapidly and effectively around the Internet
Be able to efficiently and effectively conduct research through the Internet
Be familiar with citation styles for Internet resources
Be able to utilize a variety of tools to communicate on the Internet

Course Format: Students will use the Internet to access lectures, required readings, required discussion sessions, and present the final project. Online office hours will be kept by the instructor using the AOL Instant Messenger with the logon "RaySchroed".

Assignments

Com 333 Discussion Board - Student participation in weekly discussions and assignments will be presented on the WebBoard WEEKLY POSTINGS REQUIRED

Research Plan -- develop a brief research process report describing HOW you will conduct research on a topic of your choice (to be posted on the WebBoard) DUE THE WEEK OF October 18

Site Reviews - Review ten WWW sites that deal with the area or topic you have chosen for your final project DUE WEEK OF October 11

Vocabulary Assignment (due by end of term) -- Technology Glossary -- Complete the brief glossary assignment DUE AT THE END OF THE TERM

Final Project Research Report -- A research term paper on a topic of your choice that uses Internet resources as the primary sources of information -- must be complete and posted on the WebBoard by December 9

Grading

Final grades will be determined in the following manner:

Class participation in WebBoard discussions	30%
Technology glossary (due at end of term)	10%
Site Reviews (due week of March 8)	10%
Research Plan (due week of March 22)	20%
Research report (due May 7)	30%

Instructor

Ray Schroeder Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning, HSB-141, 217-206-7477 E-mail Ray Electronic Office Hours Will Be Posted -- AOL Instant Messenger "RaySchroed"

Class Schedule

Week of August 23: Introduction to the Internet; WebBoard Week One Discussion Question; Get the Most Out of Your IE or Communicator; How the Internet Works
How Many People Are Online -- NUA Surveys
Georgia Tech Semi-Annual Survey of Web Users: The Digital Living Room Consumer Index

Week of August 30: Introduction to Internet, Part 2; WebBoard Week Two Discussion Question; Liszt -- List of Listservers; Top Level Domains; Internet Address Finder; InfoSpace -- another address search site; Guide to Basic Emoticons


Week of September 6: Internet history and functionality -- Finding your way around the Internet: One; WebBoard Week Three Discussion Question

Week of September 13: Internet history and functionality -- Finding your way around the Internet: Two; WebBoard Week Four Discussion Question; Search Engine Watch

Week of September 20: Evaluating the Quality of Information on Web Sites; WebBoard Week Five Discussion Question; Evaluating the Validity of Internet Resources
Site Review Form (email to Ray by October 11)

Week of September 27: Using the Internet to Search Print Publications; WebBoard Week Six Discussion Question
Week of October 4: Electronic Discussion Boards; WebBoard Week Seven Discussion Question
DejaNews -- Usenet Web Site: People-Talk; Yahoo Message Boards; Liszt Usenet Read-Only Site; Sample Soap Opera Discussion Board Sites
Week of October 11: Real-time Communication on the Web; WebBoard Week Eight Discussion Question

Week of October 18: Intellectual Property Rights
Research Plan Reports Due (posted on WebBoard)
: Lecture Nine: Online Copyright and Citing the Internet
WebBoard Week Nine Discussion Question: University of Texas Copyright on Web Summary; Fair Use Harbor; Ten Big Myths About Copyright and more; Crash Course in Copyright; Fair Use Standards; Electronic Frontier Foundation (rights on the Internet)

Week of October 25: Internet in K-12 Education; WebBoard Week Ten Discussion Question
Ray's Teacher Resource Page

Week of November 1: Internet in High Education; WebBoard Week Ten Discussion Question
UI-Online: California Virtual University

Week of November 8

How Web Pages Work

          Lecture Twelve: Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML)
          WebBoard Week Twelve Discussion Question
          C|Net HTML Basics
          Rent-Free Web Space
          Intro to HTML from CWR (on-line tutorial)
          An Introduction to XML
          Introduction to SMIL


Week of November 15: Effective Web Pages; Yale Web Stylebook


Week of November 22 - Thanksgiving Break!


Week of November 29

Ethics on the Internet

Lecture Fourteen: Ethics on the Internet
CyberEthics: Web Clearinghouse for Web and Engineering Ethics; The Hacker Ethic -- an Alternative View
Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics: Ethics on the Internet -- SF State Student Project; Electronic Frontier Foundation -- try search term "ethics"


Week of December 6: Future of the Internet -- Information Superhighway; Lecture Fifteen: Future of the Internet -- Advent of the Superhighway; Internet2 Presentations
Week of December 13: Presentation of Final Research Reports
: Peer Evaluations of Class Papers
Class Evaluations

Ray's Home Page