Professor: Michael Renick

 Introductions  Syllabus Review  Classroom Review  Questions

 First, if you haven't read the Introduction page, my name is Michael Renick.  You may call me by my first name (Mike) or Prof, Mr. Mike, Prof. Mike or whatever you are most comfortable with.  I welcome each of you to IT 299 this quarter!

 Please take a few moments and type where you are located. Also, I like to begin each seminar with a weather report. What is the weather like in your area tonight?  We do this to ensure that our learning environment is stable and for students that may be joining us directly from another seminar!

 Great! Now we all know who our classmates are.  Last December, I relocated permanently from White Lake, Michigan to Longboat Key, Florida! I enjoyed the great Florida winter and am now enjoying the very warm and sunny summer!

 The reason that I asked about the time zone is because I want to make sure that everyone is aware that Kaplan University schedules are based on the Eastern time zone. When I provide a time, it will always be based on the Eastern Time Zone.  If you are not sure about what time it is in your time zone compared to Eastern, you can check the time at

Ok, I'm going to ask a question and would like you to respond only once to this question and answer honestly. Your answer is not counted in the grade. (smile)

 The first thing you should do in every class you take is read the syllabus.  I hope that everyone has or will read all announcements and the syllabus before getting started on the weekly unit activities.  I will post announcements frequently, so please be sure to check for new announcements each time you enter our classroom. You are responsible for the information that I post in this section of our classroom!  Pop Quiz – Do you know the answer to the following question?

Be sure to have these written down in case you cannot access the Internet or your computer.  There are several ways to reach me.   AIM: mikerenick  Cell Phone: Please keep in mind that I live in the Eastern Time Zone and ask that no calls come in after 10 p.m. E.T.

 I answer my at least once daily and many times more often. I do carry a Blackberry device. I have my AIM set up to go directly to my BB if I’m not online……so if it’s possible, I can respond in a very short period of time! I pride myself on being responsive to my students.  My AIM office hours are:  Wednesdays: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. E.T.  Or by appointment.  I am also available by phone. If you call an it goes to voice mail, please leave a message to I can call you back.

 Because the course does not cover new material, there are no textbooks for IT299. You are encouraged to utilize textbooks and notes from your previous courses. However, you should also expect that in completing the lessons and final projects, you may need to seek out information through research in the Kaplan Online Library and through Web-based research. Such research will be largely undirected in the lessons, but your instructor will be able to help you find useful sources.

How many of you have invested the time to read our Announcements yet?

Grade Distribution

 There are two weekly graded activities in our course:  Discussion Board Posts! (My favorite)  Assignment/Projects  There is one non-graded but highly recommended activity each week; our seminar! (A close second to my favorite activity) Now, let’s look at each one of these individually!

 Graded activity one: Discussion board posts..my favorite!  Your discussion board participation is worth 15 points each week for a total of 120 points. This is also 12% of your final grade.  Let’s take a moment and define what is needed for a quality post. Class, who can help me answer this question? Hint: I’ve posted the answer to this in the Announcement section of our classroom.  Three quality posts are required from each student weekly.  Kaplan has implemented new posting guidelines for our course.  Three quality posts are required each and every week.  Your first quality post must be submitted prior to Saturday evening.  You must provide posts on three different days of the learning week.

 Graded activity two: Assignments/Projects  These are worth between 50 and 100 points each. The total points for our projects are 550 which makes up 55% of your final grade.  There is also a final project which is worth 330 points. This is 33% of your final grade!

 Class are there any questions with regards to our two weekly graded activities and one non-graded?  Graded:  Discussion Board Posts! (My favorite)  Assignment/Projects  Non Graded:  Seminars – These are designed to help you succeed. Since this is your final course, you are responsible for the material presented and ideas shared! (My second favorite)

Final Project Options Web Project If you work on the Web Project, you will publish your Website to an Internet web server and provide the URL and any password information needed for the Instructor to access the website. You will include that information in a Word document and put the Word file, the revised specification document, and your analysis paper into a WinZip file. You will submit the zip file. Networking Project If you work on the networking Project. You will place your network design, all documentation, the revised specification document, and your analysis paper into a WinZip file and submit the zip file. Programming Project If you work on the programming project, you will submit your program, all documentation, revised specification document, and your analysis paper into a WinZip file and submit the zip file. Make sure that all files needed for the program to run are included in the Zip file. IT Employee Recommendations Project (Generalist Project) This project is only open to students who did not complete an emphasis area. ( i.e. did not major in Web, Networking or Programming.) If you work on the IT Employee Recommendations Project, you will submit your recommendations report, all supporting documentation, the revised specification document, and your analysis paper in a WinZip file and submit the zip file.

 After grades are posted to the grade book, which will occur by Sunday following each end of a unit, you can check to see what your current grade status is, based on 1000 total points, and how it falls in the grade scale as listed on the syllabus under Kaplan University Grading Scale.

ASSIGNMENTS/PROJECTS: DISCUSSION BOARD, FLA ACTIVITIES OR EXTRA CREDIT:  If your weekly assignment/project is 1-2 days late, it will receive a 5% deduction. 3-6 days will receive a 10% deduction, 7-14 days will receive a 20% reduction and work submitted more than 14 days late will not be accepted without prior arrangements between you and me via .  Late policy does NOT apply to the Discussion Board, FLA Activities or our Extra Credit activities. Late posts will not be accepted under any condition. Why is that class?  There will be no exceptions unless discussed with me, in advance.

 Your work will be checked for authenticity. Participation and attendance will be accounted for. I fully enforce Kaplan’s Plagiarism Policy. More can be found by following Course Home/Academic Success/Plagiarism in our course.  Please be sure that you cite your resources and follow Kaplan Universities guidelines as posted in this section. These guidelines apply to all submitted work; posts, and projects/assignments.  Every quarter, a good student makes a bad decision with regards to plagiarism. Please do not let this be you!

 As you plan for an upcoming vacation, you also need to keep in mind what you will need to do for this course.  You will want to do your weekly assignments Prior to leaving or during your vacation.  If you have a need to be absent during a week and you know this in advance, please communication this to me in an and you will be given access to the discussion board to post early.  No late work will be accepted after the deadline according to the late policy if late because of a planned vacation.

 For unexpected extenuating circumstances, work arounds can be made for all work. These circumstances must be communicated to me through .

 There are times when students need to request an incomplete in order to have an extension to finish missed course work.  This opportunity is available but comes with limitations.  First, incompletes must be requested by the student and approved by the professor.

 To qualify for a granted incomplete grade and extension, you must meet 2 criterion.  1) 75% of the course work must be completed and submitted.  2) Extenuating circumstances must be present. (Just as in late submissions...Vacation, not enough time, forgot, etc are not considered extenuating circumstance)

 Discussion is the greatest learning tool and one of my favorite places to share, besides seminar, is the discussion board.  Be aware of the expectations and the grading rubric for the discussion board

 DB Weekly Rubric (how to get top scores)  Each response MUST be six or more sentences in length for credit. All responses less than six sentences in length will receive 0 points!  Responses are on topic, original, and contribute to the quality of the discussion.  Responses make frequent, informed references to unit material.  Responses are clearly written.  Two or more thoughtful responses, per discussion question, to classmates that add value and advance the discussion. This means a total of three weekly posts per student are required! They must be quality posts to earn points.  Kaplan’s new posting policy: You must provide responses (posts) over a minimum of three days. You first post must be provided no later than Saturday of our learning week.

 Our weeks start on Wednesday of each week and all weekly projects are due by the following Tuesday, no later than 11:59pm EST.  There are no “graded” assignments due this week….Week 1. For Week 2, you will be required to participate in the discussion board (post) and complete the weekly assignment/project. All of these are due before the Week 2 deadline.

 Now, as mentioned before, if you have any questions please send me an or contact me through AIM during office hours.  In either case, please be sure to identify your course number and section to ensure a smooth communication and quick turn-around.  If you would like to review our weekly seminars, you can view them by entering via a special link I will provide after the seminar is complete. You will find this link in the Announcement Section of our Classroom!

 I will open the floor for questions from you.  Please raise your hand // so I don't miss anyone.

Ok, that’s all folks! Remember to post early in the discussion boards. This week we are getting to know each other and checking our navigation skills. Be sure to click respond to both discussion board questions in our Unit 1 Discussion board. Have a Great Night Everyone!