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Forces of Nature

Chat times for 2024
Summer 2024 To Be Arranged

Dr. Christe Ann McMenomy

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How help your student survive an online science course

Parent's Guide to the Forces of Nature Course

How help your student survive an online science course


PARENTS: PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS GUIDE!

Many common concerns are also addressed on the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page for this course, so be sure to read it also!

Scholars Online courses are a cooperative effort between the teachers, the students, and their parents. Like the proverbial three-legged stool, if one leg is broken or missing, the stool will topple over. You are a necessary and important part of this course, and your student will need your guidance to apply the study skills and self-discipline needed to survive the class.

Forces of Nature Website Organization

For both maintenance and security reasons, there are three online environments for this course: course materials, Chat, and the MOODLE. Most pages will be organized by links in the Moodle to course homework pages, and links from the homework assignment pages to all other website pages required for a given assignment, so students can navigate from one environment to another easily.

Expectations of Student Performance

Students are expected to complete reading assignments, experiments, and lab reports prior to each chat session, and to come prepared to discuss material. This is not a lecture course. Students are expected to bring the experiences they have to chat so that we can discuss them; if a student has not completed the assigned hands-on work, there is nothing to discuss. We know that summer schedules are busy, and we try to accommodate students who miss must miss one assignment for circumstances out of their control, we need your commitment to help your students find the time to do the work for this course in order for it to be successful for everyone.

Students frequently underestimate the amount of time required to complete experiments, partly because they have fun playing with the equipment, and partly because doing labs requires time for set up and clean up. Please make sure that you student has several time slots a week to complete the reading, experiments, and lab reports. These cannot be done during chat!