Last Update: 8/20/01 
OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
Under construction!  Second Draft! 
CONTENTS:
  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. SUMMARIES OF THE LEARNING MODULES
  3. DESCRIPTION OF ASSESSMENT SEQUENCES
  4. SUMMARIES OF THE LAB EXERCISES
  5. OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COURSE MATERIAL
1. INTRODUCTION:

   The following is a concise description of the online course COSC 120, Introduction to Cyberspace, and the Website that supports it.  The course is offered every semester by the Computer Science Dept. at Frostburg State University, part of the University of Maryland System located at Frostburg, Maryland.  The course is a practical, hands-on introduction to the use of the Internet and Web page development that is completely self-contained and has no prerequisites.  The course, for which this Web site was originally developed, is a regular on-campus, 3 credit course that is part of the standard curriculum of the University.  However, the course has been designed, from its inception three years ago, as one which an independent learner could study outside the framework of the on-campus course.  Furthermore, the course is modular, allowing independent learners to skip material they already know and focus on subjects of particular interest; for example, a student who has already mastered introductory computer science concepts could skim (or even skip) the first two learning modules or a student who is already competent at developing Web pages could replace some of the Lab assignments with more relevant exercises. Thus if an independent learner simply wants to learn the material, this "course" could be taken at any time, over any time period, from any place in the universe that has access to the Web!  You are welcome to do that. However, to obtain "credit" for your learning,  there is all kinds of "red tape" you must wade through and security measures I must maintain.  (Pardon my cynicism about formal education, but it seems it is like a giant spider that has its grips on acceptable learning; it complicates everything I do!)  To receive credit from FSU, you will have to register with the University, perform according to their timetable, take "tests" in secure environment, etc.  (Click here for course registration information; until we formalize registration, you must do this through the secretary of Computer Science Dept.)  I have been experimenting, since the Fall semester, 1999, with teleconferencing classes, and we will continue this using Microsoft NetMeeting (and, perhaps, iVisit), even though online classes for more than 10 students are still "easier said than done".  (See the comment on the announcements page.)  However, now that classes are essentially trouble-shooting tutorials, for which attendance is not required, NetMeeting has worked remarkably well because the number of students online at any one time has not been too large.  I have also been conducting online office hours for the last year as well; students are welcome to come personally to my office or contact me via the NetMeeting I host during my office hours; this has worked remarkably well.  However, it is still too early to effectively conduct a real online class because of limited bandwidth access (It is slow and frustrating if you are using a Modem.) and it is currently impossible provide multiuser voice chat. (We have succeeded to accomplish work-arounds for voice communications for multiple users, but it has never been very satisfactory and those resources are no longer available.  (QUESTION: if any of you know of a free multiuser voice chat that can provide private chat rooms, please let me know!)   Anyway we will continue to experiment with teleconferencing facilities with the long range goal of having audio/visual teleconferencing of class presentations.  This has been, a should continue to be, an interesting, fun experiment.

    The complete on-campus course consists of six "Learning Modules" (described, below in section 2), four "assessments" (equivalent to tests in normal courses, described in section 3), and ten lab exercises (described in section 4) that are integrated with a semester project which is the development of a Web site that is a gateway to Internet resources on the discipline in which the FSU student is majoring.  (An independent learner could study this material while focusing on Internet resources of any subject in which he or she is interested.)  Concisely stated, the student can expect the following from this course.

  1. WHAT IS COVERED: From the learning modules you will learn the vocabulary and concepts of cyberspace in general and the Internet in particular (with the main emphasis on the World Wide Web).  From the lab exercises you will learn how to use modern e-mail facilities and various Internet services, but the main focus is on the Web.  You will learn how to efficiently search for information on the Web and you will learn how to develop a basic Web site using an HTML editor.  If you complete the course, you can expect to be able to expand your knowledge of cyberspace and extend your skill at Web site development --- on your own!  In other words, completion of this course will open many interesting doors  beyond which you can explore, as a well founded independent learner. It is intended that this course, COSC 120, will be integrated with COSC 330 (currently called Graphical User Interfaces, but to be renamed to more effectively communicate its content, Web development); COSC 120 will probably be a prerequisite to COSC 330, and the pair will be part of an interesting Computer Science Minor that focuses on the Internet.
  2. WHAT IS NOT COVERED: You will not have to learn HTML; you will become familiar with it so that can modify it, but you will use an HTML editor to create all your Web pages.  There is not enough time to cover the creation of original Web graphics, video, or audio; instead you will learn to cut 'n paste graphics, video, and audio files as well as scan images that can be incorporated into your Web site.  Also, there is not enough time to cover advanced Web site design using DHTML, XML, or proprietary Web development tools like Front Page, Dreamweaver, Shockwave, Flash, etc.  (Of course, if you would like to do this on your own, you are encourage and assisted to do so; however, these are not part of the course curriculum.)  These subjects are presented in COSC 330, Web Development, to which COSC 120 is a prerequisite.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE LEARNING MODULES ("LMs"):

    The six "Learning Modules" (referred to as LM I through LM VI) are the subdivisions of the content portion of the course.  They are the hypertext equivalent of chapters in a typical textbook.  The learning modules can always be accessed from the "Navigation Panel" along the left border of every page of this Web site.  The first two learning modules are background material; they are concise summaries of content typically found in introductory courses on computers like COSC 100 offered at FSU.  The remaining learning modules focus on in depth treatments of the material surveyed in Learning Module I.

  1. I chose the name "Learning Module", instead of "Chapter" to emphasize the huge difference between the typical textbook chapter (traditionally a linear sequence of text and pictures) and a learning module (hopefully an nonlinear, interactive learning experience).  This is not the place to overwhelm you with words so I will try to concisely explain only the significant features below.
    1. Rather than treat you as a "spectator" (reading and memorizing), I try to get you involved even while presenting new material.  I use three techniques, Fill In the Blanks (FIBs), Self Assessment Questions (SAQs), and Thought Provoking Questions (TPQs),  along with Preassessments to try to accomplish this involvement.  However, doing this effectively requires cooperation from the student (on-campus as well as off campus) so it is important that you understand these mechanisms.  The FIB/SAQ/TPQ mechanism is explained in the study guide and introduced in LM I; PreAssessments are part of the assessment sequence which is explained, below, in section 3.
      1. In the on campus course I typically discuss the FIB/SAQ/TPQ answers during class time.  I do not lecture; I tell the on-campus students that "the lecture" occurred, before class, when they read my notes!  I use class time to discuss the content, with the goal of turning KNOWLEDGE (memorized stuff from me) into UNDERSTANDING ("converted knowledge" that you have internalized, not copied from my notes into your brain!).  This class discussion (ideally) would be a two-way flow of information as opposed to a one-way flow of a lecture.
      2. I try to simulate the on campus class discussion for the independent learner by (1) using announcements to add current comments that are relevant to the independent learner, (2) using debriefings to give feedback on lab exercises, assessments and other assignments, and (3) hints leading to answers for the FIB/SAQ/TPQ mechanism (not the PreAssessments!).
    2. I emphasize the (unfortunately surprising) idea that in Tony's class a wrong answer to my question is a GOOD answer!  (Before reading on, stop and explain why, in class, a wrong answer is a good answer.)  In class we should collectively be trying to uncover misunderstandings of the class members; if you can distinguish a misunderstanding we, together, can try to correct it.  Soooooo... students ask questions of me and I ask questions of them -- all with the dual goal of (1) uncovering problems so we can fix 'em and (2) converting knowledge into understanding.
  2. The learning modules are designed to form a linear backbone" for the course, i.e. normal study would mean "working through" the six LMs from I to VI, in order.  However, I have tried to make them modular, so you can try to skip some LMs (or parts of them) or can study them out of order (not recommended to someone new to the subject!).
....{unfinished}

3. DESCRIPTION OF ASSESSMENT SEQUENCES:

    As item 4 of the Minimum Expectations specifies, learning from your mistakes is THE essential learning mechanism of this course.  All assessment is focused on learning instead of grading.  In order to emphasize this they are called "Assessments" (and "PreAssessments") not "exams" or "tests".  It is important to read and think about the preamble to each PreAssessment; these can be accessed from the PreAssessment Hub..

  1. The subtitle of each preassessment and assessment significantly describes the subsequent questions as an "OPPORTUNITY to detect and correct things you don't understand!"
  2. Every assessment is actually a three stage process
    1. Answer PreAssessment questions as topics are presented and use it to study for the associated, subsequent Assessment.
    2. Take the Assessment
    3. Rework the Assessment to correct you mistakes and earn a "normalization" that will be added to your original Assessment score to give your your grade for that Assessment.
    An enlightening exercise is to identify the "nonsense answers" (answers that have no relevance in context of this course) on each Assessment.  (Note that PreAssessments have no nonsense answers, but assessments sometimes do.)
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE LAB EXERCISES AND COURSE PROJECT:

    The 10 lab exercises, are assignments that should require, on average, approximately three hours effort each.  The regular on-campus students begin each lab in a class environment once a week but normally need a couple of hours outside class to complete the assignment.  A concise description of the purpose and requirements of each lab is given on the "Lab Hub" which can also be accessed from the Navigation Panel, to the left of every course Web page.

    The semester project will be the result of integrating Labs 4-10 into a Web site that organizes and has links to all of the resources you find, during the semester, that are related to your major discipline at FSU, e.g. a Computer Science major would have a Web site with annotated links to Web sites, mailing lists, newsgroups, FTP servers, etc. that relate to computer science. Your finished project should be just the beginning of a valuable resources for your education; you should maintain and update it for the rest of your life!   A concise description of the requirements of your project is given on the "Project Specifications" which can also be accessed from the Navigation Panel.

5. FURTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COURSE:

    If you are interested in more details about the course access any of the following (all of which are accessible from the Navigation Panel):

  1. CHECKLIST FOR COURSE ACTIVITIES, a complete "how to" list of guidelines for doing everything in the course.  If you are contemplating trying to learn this material without enrolling in the on-campus course, this is where you should start.
  2. Syllabus of the on-campus course, COSC 120
  3. Study Guide being developed for independent learners.
  4. If you are interested in the design of the course access Design Decisions made for the current course.