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Lectures for HIST 103 DCE
The lectures for the course are packaged as PowerPoint files and loaded on CDs for individual study by students. Students receive the fifteen lectures on three CDs delivered by mail. The lectures contain the core content of the course, over which students are examined in quizzes. It is important to learn how to handle the lectures right away, become deft in handling them, and keep up with the work throughout the course.
You do not need to have PowerPoint on your own computer in order to play the lecture files. The come packaged with their own PPT reader.
When you insert a CD into your drive, just wait; a splash page (introductory page, index page) should open automatically on your screen. Make sure you have your speakers or earphones hooked up and your sound is not muted, because the content is delivered aurally. Follow the instructions from the splash page. This will lead you into the lecture files.
The lecture files consist mainly of two components:
1. Individual slides providing headings, outlines, key terms, and images 2. Sound files attached to the slides, which deliver the full content of the lecture, as recorded by Prof. Isern
The individual slides within each PPT file exhibit sound icons. The sound for each slide, however, opens automatically; do not click on the sound icon at the beginning. Later, after you have heard the narrative for a particular slide, you may want to review it. That’s when you use the sound icon; click on it to hear the sound again. At the end of each sound file you will hear the sound of sticks clicking once. That is your signal it is time to advance to the next side—unless you wish to linger and study the slide some more, or you wish to repeat the sound file. Move on whenever you wish.
When you reach the end of a lecture, press Esc, and you should be returned to the splash page. Close up from there.
The idea is that your progress through any lecture is self-paced. Advance when you wish, repeat what you wish, take your time or move along, take a minute to get a beverage from the frig or an hour to eat dinner, and resume where and when you wish.
Do study these lectures. Take some notes, too. It’s like you’re in a classroom, except that instead of moving at the pace of the group (or the lecturer), you move at your own pace.
Suppose you’ve worked through a lecture, and there are things you just don’t get? This could be because you lack the background to get them, or it could be because they are not well explained in the lecture. Either way, there is help available. Try these things.
• Post a question to your e-mail list. Ask your peers to help you understand whatever it is that is giving you trouble in the lecture. • E-mail your instructor with your question. • Ask Prof. Isern during his virtual office hours.
If you have technical problems handling the lecture CDs or files, do get in touch with your instructor right away. |