Welcome to JCOM 1500: Start Here!

Welcome to JCOM 1500: Intro to Mass Comm

Get started here...

Dear JCOM 1500 Students:

Welcome to the online edition of JCOM 1500—Introduction to Mass Communication, offered by the Department of Journalism & Communication at Utah State University. This is only the second time this class has been offered online, so it will be a learning experience for all of us. Please bear with me and, as always, when confused, ASK!

To make sure that everyone receives these instructions, they are being sent as an email to your USU Aggiemail account, as well as being posted here. If you are reading this on email, please click here now and finish reading this on the blog: Welcome to JCOM 1500.

As discussed in the syllabus, this is the same as the standard face-to-face Intro to Mass Comm class, but with some important differences. For one thing, because it is an online class, it requires considerable self-discipline and responsibility on the part of students. You HAVE to keep up with readings and assignments.

Before we get into all that, however, you all need to read these files carefully. There will be a GRADED QUIZ this week! on the syllabus and these opening instructions, because it’s essential that everyone understand how the system will work.

Most of your work will be done using materials posted on our own dedicated blog, Intro to Mass Comm. Some work (weekly quizzes, for example) also will be required on the JCOM 1500 site on USU’s Blackboard, which provides links to all course requirements and assignments, but most of our time will be spent on the blog for readings, links and discussions. It’s simpler this way.

If you look at the JCOM 1500 Index, which appears on the upper right-hand side of the blogsite, you can click on links and will be teleported to the complete listing of course materials and week-by-week assignments. Investigate this.

Assignment: The first requirement is to read the first five files in the blog index to get up to speed.
1. Welcome to JCOM 1500 Start here! (nice work—you’re already reading it!)
2. Syllabus
3. Info on the Online JCOM Minor
4. Dear Students: LISTEN UP! (Some good start-of-term advice.)
5. Please also visit Blackboard and make sure you can navigate our course there. These two links —Blackboard Tech and Blackboard Tools—give you information on using Blackboard. Please explore the various Blackboard tabs.

In case you're curious, here’s some background information about the instructor—me.

Please familiarize yourself with all this material by the end of Week 1. There will be a quiz!

Finally, once you’ve gotten yourself acclimated, click on Week 1 in the Index for the first week’s assignments.

A note about email and communicating: This is an online class, so nearly all communication with be on the blog and via email for individual questions. For questions, please use my USU address—ted.pease@usu.edu (not the Blackboard email). Every time you email me, please put JCOM 1500 in the subject line so your message isn’t misplaced.

OK?
.
Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff