Online Courses

Before you move forward with any online or hybrid/blended course, I suggest that you complete the short survey prepared by the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center (TLTC) to help you in your decision to pursue online learning.

Some of you may be unfamiliar with an online learning environment. While the subject matter is generally the same as a face-to-face (F2F) course the differences in platform and delivery are frequently a challenge for some students. Online courses require you to be self-directed and organize your work differently than your previous experience in F2F classes. Online does not mean less structure or work. It is not an “easier” course than one offered in a F2F environment.

It is important that you consider a number of factors before you enroll in an online or hybrid/blended course. Those factors include time management skills, learning style and technology skills and access. Online learning anticipates that you are an active learner … someone who is motivated, self-directed and stays on task. If you prefer a more traditional lecture style learning environment where you use class meetings as an organizing structure to complete your assignments then an online course may not be the best choice. In my experience, considering these factors is an important prerequisite to enrolling in a course that offers an online or hybrid/blended learning environment.

You do not have to be physically present in a classroom or attend at a set time, or place, to take one of my online courses. There are no scheduled class meetings in my online courses. If you are enrolled in an online course, you need to be self-motivated and stay on task. All of our course interactions will occur in the cloud using Teams and Blackboard. That said, however, you will have assignments that must be completed when due. We will use Teams as our primary communication and collaboration platform. Please DM me in Teams if you need to reach me or have a question. We use Team for our video conversations, when necessary.

If you are concerned with your comfort level with an online learning environment, please DM me in Teams. I am happy to discuss your concerns.

Before We Begin

There are several deliverables that you must complete before our course begins. You will find them below. Please complete them at least 48 hours before our course launches.

Teams

We will use Teams to support our course communications needs. Teams is part of the Microsoft Office 365 Suite. If you are unfamiliar with Teams, it is an online platform that allows for text-based discussion, video conferencing and/or audio calls. Teams is associated with your SHU-issued account and authenticates via your SHU network credentials. It is important that you Microsoft Teams Logo update your O365 profile before we begin. Please visit here for help updating your profile with current information, including your profile picture.

We have all experienced lost emails, misplaced documents and other organizational disruptions when using email to support a team working on a project. Having everything in one place helps us to work together, rather than jumping around between emails, IMs, texts and a bunch of other programs. Everything you share in Teams is automatically indexed and archived, creating a searchable archive of all of our work. I have used Teams to support communications (text, audio, video, file sharing, etc.) in my courses and have learned that it is a terrific communication tool that helps everyone be more productive.

Please complete the following steps in Teams no later than 48 hours before our class begins:

Update your O365 profile and be sure to include a profile picture that is easily recognizable as you.
Download the apps for desktop and mobile for a much better experience. When you have installed the apps please leave them active on your desktops (as you do with Outlook) so that you will receive course notifications.
If you have never used Teams before, visit the Microsoft Teams for Education – Quick Start Guide and video training for Teams.

Since Internet Explorer does not play well with Blackboard or this site and Google uses Chrome to track everything you do on the web, I suggest that you use either Firefox or Safari as your browser for all of your coursework.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to move to a fundamentally different set of delivery modalities, e.g., HyFlex, hybrid, remote, synchronous or unsynchronous or some combination of approaches to teaching and learning. We are increasingly working remotely in order to accomplish our work. That remote modality demands that we adjust our understanding of acceptable protocols for attendance and participation, whether a meeting or course attendance, engagement and participation.

While working together using a digital platform, e.g., Teams, Zoom, Slack, etc. it is important that you join the session with a live camera and muted mic. A live camera helps to create a sense of community and will help all of us to engage effectively during our discussions. If you only unmute your mic when speaking we can avoid feedback, unsolicited input from family, pets and others as well as any random noise. Please review the Protocols for Online Meetings and Classes for more information.

Please install and test Teams no later than 48 hours before our course launches.

Slack: DT&L

We will use Slack as our communications and collaboration platform in Disruption, Technology & Law. Slack is the platform you should use when engaging with DT&L issues including Introduction, Learning Contract, Gretzky, Projects, etc.

Introduce Yourself

Complete this deliverable by posting to the Introductions channel in our Teams workspace.

Introduce yourself to your classmates in the Introductions channel in Teams. In your post, please address the following topics or anything about yourself that you Keep Calm and Wave Hello would like to share with the class so that we can get to know you better.

What degree and concentration are you pursuing?
When do anticipate completing your degree?
What are your professional affiliation(s)?
Hobbies and interests?

Post your Introduction in the appropriate channel in our Teams workspace no later than 48 hours before our course launches.

Learning Contract

Complete this deliverable by posting to the Learning Contract channel in our Teams workspace.

Student Learning Contracts Please read through the materials included in this site including your course syllabus, my Course Policies and the Plagiarism page. Once you have completed your review, post in the Learning Contract channel in Teams that you have reviewed and understand the Course Policies, including your course’s requirements and the plagiarism policy as well as the Seton Hall pledge and your agreement to act in accord with those policies, requirements, and the pledge, while enrolled in our course.

Post your agreement to the terms of the Learning Contract in the appropriate channel in our Teams workspace no later than 48 hours before our course launches.

Media Test

You will work with a variety of different file types while working in our course. Please test the files below to view a sample video (with sound) and open a .PDF file.

Sample video/sound | Leadership Flyer

If neither work, you will need to install the appropriate software. Click theses links to find downloads for VLC Video Player and Adobe Reader.

When Will I Have Access To The Course Materials??

All course materials will be available at the ShannonWeb course site, the Bb course site and our Teams workspace. I generally make those sites live seven days before the first day of class so that you can complete all of the required pre-course deliverables. I will notify everyone when they are available.

How Can I Contact You?

I can be reached via any of several modalities … email, voice or your choice of video conference platforms, Zoom, Skype, Teams or Slack. As a general rule, I am available if I am online. If you are already enrolled in one of my courses then DM me in Teams or Slack (for DT&L) and I will respond. I will try to reply to email and voice messages as soon as possible but certainly no more than 24 hours after receipt. If you prefer a video conference (and who doesn’t?) please ping me with some convenient days/times and we’ll set it up.

So, you ask, what are the variety of contact points where you can reach me? You can reach me by email (john DOT shannon AT shu DOT edu), Skype (shannojh) or Twitter. Please DM me in Teams if you are already enrolled in one of my courses.

When communicating with me please include the following information: your name, the question or issue to be resolved, your course/section and any other necessary information.

In the event that encrypted communications are necessary I can be reached via email at jhs AT jhshannon DOT net, PGP: 3989ae5a3c24aa2e01829377485f035f386c5bfd.

When Are Your Office Hours?

Fall 2023 Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 10a – 1130a (click here to join via Teams); also, by appt, all office hours and other meetings will be held via Teams since observing social distancing rules in a small space is impossible. You will enter the lobby when you join my office hours. I’ll admit you when I am clear to meet with you.

Office: JH651

Communications: Teams DM (preferred) or email at john DOT shannon AT shu DOT edu

We can schedule an alternative meeting time if you are unavailable during my office hours. As you know, our course communications platform is Teams. Please DM me in Teams with some days/times when you are available, and we can schedule a video conference in Teams.

My office hours are subject to change every semester, so please check your course syllabus for my current office hours (see above). I generally schedule at least one hour a week using Teams video to accommodate those conflicting with my scheduled office hours. If you’re unavailable to meet in my office, you can make an appointment for a F2F meeting, or we can set up a video conference using Teams. I prefer video conferences because they give me more options when answering your questions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to move to a fundamentally different set of delivery modalities, e.g., HyFlex, hybrid, remote, synchronous, or not, or some combination of approaches to teaching and learning. We are increasingly working remotely to accomplish our work. That remote modality demands that we adjust our understanding of acceptable protocols for attendance and participation, whether a meeting or course attendance, engagement, and participation.

That said, I carve out space for thoughtful consideration of life. The practical impact of that desire is to keep evenings and weekends clear for family, friends, and other forms of social interaction. If you are going to ping me late on a Friday, then I will get back to you on Monday unless it is an emergency … a REAL emergency.

What Will We Use As Our Primary Communications Platform?

I use Teams as the primary communications platform for all of our course communications including class, office hours and other meetings. Teams is part of the Microsoft Office Microsoft Teams logo 365 Suite. If you are unfamiliar with Teams, it is an online platform that allows for text-based discussion, video conferencing and/or audio calls. Teams is associated with your SHU-issued account and authenticates via your SHU network credentials.

You can DM me in Teams or, if you are already enrolled in one of my courses, post a question to the #Course Questions channel in our course’s Teams workspace. I will try to reply to any communications as soon as possible but certainly no more than 24 hours after receipt. If you prefer a video conference (and who doesn’t?) please DM me with some convenient days/times and we’ll set it up.

If you have never used Teams before, visit the Microsoft Teams for Education – Quick Start Guide and video training for Teams.