Long post on the state of the class

As some of you have already noted, I've added to your kindle paper feedback a summary of your grade in the class so far.

At this point we have three major elements you will be graded on: quizzes, exams and your Kindle papers. The syllabus also lists blog posts, but after looking the blog I have made an adjustment on how I'm weighting grades. The syllabus states grades will be weighted as follows:

30 percent: Papers
40 percent: Exams
20 percent: Chapter quizzes
10 percent: Blog assignments

I would like to amend it to:

30 percent: Papers
40 percent: Exams
30 percent: Chapter quizzes

I’d like to count blog assignments/posts as extra credit. Basically, if you’ve been a frequent, intelligent participant on the blog that work will move your grade a few percentage points in the right direction. In other words, if you’re looking at 88 percent (B) but you have been on the blog a lot, I’ll consider that 88 a 90 and you will have earned an A instead.

Changing the weighting doesn't make a big difference, but FAVORS everyone in the class. Generally, everyone's quiz scores brought their grade up. If calculating your grade based on the weighting that's stated in the syllabus gives you a better grade, that's how I will calculate it. But right now that's not the case.

What I have learned from this experience is that I need a better way of evaluating blog posts for grades. BTW, if you are looking for extra credit there a few posts below you can comment on for points.

As previously mentioned, I will also offer extra credit for a second writing assignment. The topic will be the Long Tail, focusing on the retailing concept popularized by Wired editor Chris Anderson in his book, “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.”

Before signing off, I’d like to offer my sincere apologies for some of the problems we have encountered in the class this semester. I realize it has been frustrating for all of you, and for good reason. It has been frustrating for me as well. As I have been developing elements for the class I’ve run into some technical issues, and it has been difficult to find the help needed to correct them. The good news is that just this morning I was provided a copy of a user’s manual for D2L, the system FVCC uses for providing online instruction. I should be able to troubleshoot problems on my own in the future instead of having to track down support.

I don’t mean to whine (but I will whine anyway) but the lack of technical support really made it difficult for me to teach this semester. I have two other jobs and for about three or four weeks most of my efforts in this class were directed at trying to sort out technical problems rather than focusing on instruction.

We will keep things simple the rest of the semester. We have three more chapter quizzes to go: Media Economics, Public Relations/Advertising and Ethics and Media Law. We also have a final exam. And you will have the opportunity to earn extra credit either on the blog or with the Long Tail writing assignment. Give me a couple days and I’ll get that assignment to you. In the meantime, get some background on the Long Tail here.

Good luck with the rest of the semester,
Rob