Your grade for this course is based 40% on your weekly blog posts.  You are be assigned a day of the week during on which your post is due (before midnight). The assignments are as follows, based on the first letter of your last name:

A-C: Monday

D-H: Tuesday

I-N: Wednesday

O-S: Thursday

T-Z: Friday

The first set of blog posts are due on Thursday September 20th.

Your post can focus on any topics covered in class, or on related topics that you believe are relevant to the course.  You may also want to write posts that respond to your classmates’ posts.

The benchmark length for a post is 400-500 words.  However, we won’t be picky about this.  If you can say as much in fewer words, so much the better.  And you won’t get extra points for writing a long but flabby post.   After a while, you’ll get an idea of what a good, substantive post looks like.

In order to post, you will have to click on the log in link on the right-hand side of the page.

You are encouraged to comment on others’ posts, and that participation will be noticed and reflected in your final grade.

For an outline of the rest of the elements that contribute to your course grade, refer to the course syllabus.

BY DEFAULT, YOUR POSTS AND YOUR FULL NAME ARE PUBLIC TO THE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN HIDE YOUR NAME: When logged in, go to the “Howdy [Name]” link in the top-right bar, click “Edit My Profile,” enter your preferred nickname, and then choose “Display name publicly as”->[your nickname].  You can use any (unique, non-offensive) nickname you like.  The instructors can still see who you are.