QWAs

Questions Worth Asking (QWAs)

(1) How much time will I have to spend in taking this course?
(2) How often during the week will I need to use a computer with internet access?
(3) Is this a self-paced course?
(4) What advantages, if any, are there in taking this course over the internet?
(5) Since the course involves meeting a lot of deadlines, what do I do if an emergency comes up or I am ill?
(6) Since the course involves meeting a lot of deadlines, what do I do if I am going on vacation to escape the hazards and cabin fever of the cruel Minnesota winter, spring, summer, or fall?
(7) What do I do if I cannot meet a deadline because my assignment depends upon other members of my group and they have not posted their assignments on time?
(8) In providing typed responses for course assignments, how long should the responses be?
(9) If I do not understand the weekly assignment or material covered for the week, how can I get help?
(10) What is the point of the title "PhilosophyFirst" in the logo?
(11) Is this an independent study course where I am basically "on my own" and working in isolation?
(12) How much feedback can I expect to get in this course?
(13) What factors most clearly affect the grading in this course?
(14) If I have enough total points to get a final grade I am satsified with, do I still have to complete all the assignments?
(15) When I submit material for an assignment, how can I be sure that the submission was received?
(16) Once I submit an assignment, can I make changes even if the posting is not supposed to be a first draft?

Answers Below

(1) How much time will I have to spend in taking this course?
There are no regular class sessions; but you should spend the equivalent of this class time on the course (3 hours). So there are these 3 hours plus the amount of time an instructor expects students to spend outside of class. Altogether then, you should expect to spend 5 - 8 hours per week on the course.

(2) How often during the week will I need to use a computer with internet access?
Since the course requires your sending and checking messages at various times each week and meeting deadlines, you will need to count on several sessions each week on a computer with internet access. You may have access at home, at a campus computer center, at a public library (useful if you are away from your usual computer access), or elsewhere.
You probably can do a major portion of a week's work in one long session, but not all the work. At times, you may be able to work in a word processing program on a computer without internet access and then transfer a saved document file to an internet response form later.

(3) Is this a self-paced course?
No and Yes. Since there are deadlines to meet for group and some individual activities, you cannot work at the course any time you want. In that sense, the course is not self-paced. On the other hand, you have plenty of opportunities to fit your work in the course into your own schedule; and for some individual activities, you can work ahead of the weekly schedule if you so choose. In these senses, it is self-paced.

(4) What advantages, if any, are there to taking this course over the internet?
This venture into "distance learning" has much to offer in the way of convenience. By taking this course over the internet, you are not required to be on campus or to attend classes at a scheduled time. You can plan your work in the course, according to your own schedule--able to accommodate better other demands such as outside work, family responsibilities, problems in getting to campus, or conflicting scheduled activities.
The course offers opportunities to develop more familiarity with computers and the internet; and it shows the potential of the internet as an educational resource.
The course offers students the opportunity to try a different approach to learning, one likely to become more prevalent in the future. In addition to the excitement of trying something new, a student has the chance to evaluate the pros and cons of distance learning firsthand.

(5) Since the course involves meeting a lot of deadlines, what do I do if an emergency comes up or I am ill?
    Meeting deadlines and even posting material before deadlines are very important, since you will be engaging in group activities with your fellow students where time is crucial. So you should make every effort to complete your work on time.
    Yet there are likely to be occasional situations where this is impossible. In such cases, the teaching team either will fill in for a missed posting or will borrow a posting from another group.
    If you cannot meet a deadline because of emergency or illness, be sure to notify your instructor or a student intern as soon as possible.
    If you have an assignment due the seventh day of a week, you can request additional time (normally a day or two) to complete it. Remember though that you still have to make sure that you meet the deadlines for the next week's assignments.

(6) Since the course involves meeting a lot of deadlines, what do I do if I am going on vacation to escape the hazards and cabin fever of the cruel Minnesota winter, spring, summer, or fall?
A course, like normal work, is not set up so that persons can take a break whenever they want. For a course like this, in particular, taking a break at your convenience can be especially troublesome because of the deadlines involving interdependent group activity.
If you must take a break from the course for a week or two, then you have a responsibility to make arrangements ahead of time. In most cases, this will involve your doing assignments ahead of schedule. In some cases, you may be able to trade assignments with some other member of your group if this proves more convenient. But you need to check with the instructor about this.

(7) What do I do if I cannot meet a deadline because my assignment depends upon other members of my group and they have not posted their assignments on time?
    You should not be penalized for missing a deadline simply because other group members have not completed their assignments on time. On the other hand, if you do not post your assignment on time, this just passes along the lateness problem to someone else who also may be dependent on your work. So you need to observe deadlines wherever possible, even if your fellow group members do not.
   The instructor will be monitoring assignment submissions to make sure that needed information is available to meet deadlines. In most cases where necessary, he will provide you with additional information to help you complete assignments on time. Bear in mind though that he is not a perfect monitor all of the time. In some cases, you may receive additional time to complete an assignment.
    If you are a framework evaluator or problem solver, you should post your first draft, as best you can, according to the scheduled deadline even if your fellow group members have not met their deadlines. Presumably, you should have sufficient additional information available before the deadline for the final draft.

(8) In providing typed responses for course assignments, how long should the responses be?
    The first exhortation at the bottom of the page says, "Think paragraphs, not sentences!" That means that you should avoid overly brief responses. You cannot deal adequately with a complex issue in a quick sentence or two. You want to show that you have given a matter serious thought. And you show that best to someone else by providing an explanation in some detail.
    If you are a framework evaluator for moral frameworks or a problem solver for case studies, the two most difficult assignments for the group activities, your assignment might run anywhere from 1000 - 2500 words. For example, the problem-solver portion of the sample analysis of a case study runs to more than 1650 words.
    There's no point to padding your responses or repeating constantly to produce more words. Yet you do want to show that you have thoroughly considered problems posed.

(9) If I do not understand the weekly assignment or material covered for the week, how can I get help?
    You may find some of the assignments or background information different or difficult, in comparison with some of your other classes or reading. Don't panic! Remember that other students probably are facing the same problems. Don't expect to understand or remember everything in a first reading. You should expect to read some material over several times before it becomes clear.
    Messages within your group can be very helpful. Someone else may understand something you do not, and you may have information that someone else needs. Sometimes messages back and forth about a problem will clarify it.
    You also can contact your instructor for information through e-mail. Or you can arrange an on-campus appointment, if necessary. Remember that the teaching team is eager to assist you. So do not hesitate to seek help.

(10) What is the point of the title "PhilosophyFirst" in the logo?
"PhilosophyFirst" expresses the notion that thinking philosophically first about situations is a valuable tool in making better judgments. Rather than finding oneself suddenly immersed in a highly-charged situation where your judgment is dominated by your immediate circumstances, thinking philosophically first can help you to view situations from a broader perspective and to gain practice in knowing how to deal with a situation.
Cynics may say that it is only the real world that counts and that philosophical thinking does not amount to much--especially when it is no guaranteee of what people will do in the real world. But this is much like women or men athletes saying that, since the actual games determine the final standings, practice and team meetings are a waste of time.

(11) Is this an independent study course where I am basically "on my own" and working in isolation?
Not really. The weekly activities are structured enough that you should know what you need to do in the course rather than having to invent activities on your own. In addition, there are group activities where you will be interacting with other students (even if it happens that you are doing this over the internet rather than face-to-face) in a dialogue. Think of this as a conversation with your fellow students. Of course, how much of a conversation takes place depends upon the participants. Remember: "More discussion is better than less discussion!" You probably will feel more involved and motivated in taking the course the more you participate in the discussion opportunities, in the class group as a whole and in your six-person discussion group.
Finally, communicate with your instructor as needed. He is there to assist you.

(12) How much feedback can I expect to get in this course?
    The instructor will try to answer e-mail messages promptly, although they cannot be on-call constantly, waiting for messages. You can be pretty sure of a response within 24 hours. Your best hope for an immediate response would be an e-mail message during the internet office hours (Wednesdays, 7 - 9 p.m.).
    For grading of group activity assignments, you should receive a grade and individual comments within 7 days of the Wednesday completion date for a week's activities. Because of time constraints, the individual comments will be rather brief and will concentrate more on major reasons for not receiving a perfect score. The grade itself provides the most positive support for work well done. Occasionally, you may find additional comments about the group activity work in the group postings for messages.
    For grading of individual activity assignments, you should receive a grade within 14 days of the Sunday completion date for a week's activities. Normally, there will be no individual comments, although there will be general comments about the assignment in the whole-class group postings for messages. Even though individual assignments may involve more points than group assignments, you usually will not receive individual comments because of time constraints and because there is no repetition of assignments (as is the case with some group activities). If you have specific questions about the grading, you can send an e-mail message to the instructor for answers.

(13) What factors most clearly affect the grading in this course?
There is not one correct answer for each assignment task; but there are more adequate or less adequate ways of dealing with each assignment task. So your grade is not based on whether you come up with a single correct answer or on whether you come up with the answer that the instructor supports. Rather, your grade depends upon how well you make use of the analyzing tools presented in the course, how deeply and thoughtfully you probe the issues involved in an assignment, and how well you explain and defend the positions you take.
Since you normally have open-ended essay-type assignments that call for judgment on your part, there is no precisely neat way of stating what constitutes an excellent answer to a question. And it is unlikely that you will present answers so perfect that no one can find any shortcoming in them. On the other hand, you should have enough information to point you in the direction of what constitutes relatively adequate answers to questions.
    The most likely shortcomings that hold down grades are (1) departing from the instructions for an assignment, (2) failing to complete every part of the assignment, and (3) being too brief. In order to avoid these shortcomings then, you need to (1) read over the background information and instructions for an assignment carefully (several times if necessary), (2) make sure that you completed each and every element of the assignment, and (3) explain your position in detail rather than relying on a sentence or two to solve every issue.
    As you proceed with the course, you should get an increasing grasp of what is expected in terms of grading. Remember this point especially if you are struggling in the beginning. Remember also that other students probably are facing the same struggles as you. So you are not alone.
Final Advice About Grading: Stick with and finish the course!!!

(14) If I have enough total points to get a final grade that I am satisfied with, do I still have to complete all the assignments?
Missing assignments is a quick way to dig a hole for yourself in the grading (in addition to possibly messing up your fellow group members' work). So you want to complete all the assignments.
At the end of the term, the instructor may waive up to one individual activity (counting no more than 15 pts.) and/or two group activities (each counting no more than 10 points). But any such waiver is not guaranteed. The instructor's decision will be based upon assessment of individual circumstances that pertain to any missed assignments.

(15) When I submit material for an assignment, how can I be sure that the submission was received?
When you use Post Article to post a message to a group or use Submit on the standard submission form to send material to your instructor, you should get a confirmation message that the transmission occurred.
For group message postings, you should be able to see your message in the group listings fairly quickly. There are instances where the procedure takes more time however. So you may have to reload the screen several times before the message turns up. If you have the confirmation message however, you can be pretty confident that your message was sent.
NEVERTHELESS,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP COPY OF ANY MATERIAL YOU WANT TO TURN IN FOR THE COURSE!!!
The system may foul up; you may foul up; the instructor may foul up. It's not a perfect world.

(16) Once I submit an assignment, can I make changes even if the posting is not supposed to be a first draft?
You may receive comments on your submission before long from the student intern (most likely), the instructor, or another group member. If these comments lead to your wanting to change your initial submission, you have a day or two past the deadline to post new material.

Click on the Information icon below to return to the Basic Information page.