Unit 1 Intro

Unit 1 Introduction

Welcome

Welcome! At each unit I will provide a few words of introduction to give helpful hints and an overview of the activities and assignments. I strongly suggest you start with the "Introduction" in each section first.

You may have noticed the Gold Review symbol when you logged into this course. MUSC 116 meets the highest standards for online courses at Towson University and has received this special certification. I have made extra efforts for all aspects of this course to qualify.

In these next days you will set up the software (computer programs) and configure your hardward (your computer) for the course. Make sure that all the software is in working order and up to date!

You will receive an invitation from me to set up your two Dropbox folders. You will have a personal Dropbox folder that only you and I can see. You will also have a group Dropbox folder in which you will share and receive assignments from other students.

Please carefully check when assignments will be due. Dates are given in the syllabus and listed on the course unit pages. Be timely with your assignments. The penalty for late work is a grade of 0%.

I have saved you at least $100 by not requiring a textbook. I and others have provided many online materials for free, so please be respectful of our efforts by carefully viewing what we have provided.

One great benefit of this course is that your technical/computer skills will improve. Have patience with yourself as you are learning not only the content of the course, but the mechanics of receiving and distributing items via the Internet.

Blackboard

I realize that most of the online courses you take at Towson University are solely hosted on the Learning Management System. However, I am not just an online professor, but a digital professor. Blackboard is a great little "sandbox" for hosting text, but it does not provide for the digital media experiences that I seek in my courses. Let me explain to you the reasons for this:

Blackboard does not host music in quizzes well. When I started teaching on line several years ago it was impossible to created quizzes with played musical examples in Blackboard. What good are music quizzes and tests without music?
Blackboard is a software that you will not have access to after you graduate. I think that an important part of university education is to provide for skills and experiences that will be directly applicable to careers following the education. Every bit of software used in this course (and employed to create the materials for this course) is either free or readily available for a fee. It is not restricted to universities. This course models what YOU could do with online instruction in music.
The appearance of Blackboard pages is, well, ugly. The pages look institutional and even when a professor tries to "dress up the pages" the site does not allow for much creativity. The message is clear on Blackboard: function is valued over form and beauty.

Thus, I have choose to break away from standard online courses. I have put many additional hours into bringing you a product that will encourage creativity and learning. This has been on ongoing process and I am not done yet. Please let me know right away if you see things that I can improve (broken links, for instance). Thanks!

Due Dates

Due dates are listed for assignments, tests, and quizzes. These must be completed by 11:59PM on the assignment date. Readings, videos, and other items are provided in a suggested sequence. Don't get behind!

This course is patterned off a Towson University 15 week, face to face curriculum. Successful students allocate time each day for their coursework. Set up a schedule!

I am looking forward to working with you!

Dr. Ewell

Note

iSee David J. Moser, Moser on Music Copyright (Boston: Thomson, 2006), pp. 142-150.