CYBERCINEMA - COMING ATTRACTIONS!
A PREVIEW OF FILM 101
Update: 17 August 2010
WELCOME to CyberCollege! And
thank you for your interest in Film 101 Online (CyberCinema). Film 101
satisfies general-education requirements in the humanities and is
transferable to other colleges and universities. Typically Film 101
online closes early in the registration period. If you are already
enrolled and have determined you are ready and eager for the class, read on.
(Also, read through the preview below if you are just shopping around for a
good class—or if you know you want this class but it already closed
and you are going to SURF regularly to sign up for the waiting list in case someone drops.)
COURSE ACTIVITIES, ASSIGNMENTS, AND NAVIGATION. CyberCinema is a fully online "Introduction to Film" course, so instead of coming to a MiraCosta College classroom for 48-51 hours during the semester for lectures, screenings, discussions, presentations, exams, and other traditional classroom activities, we'll use an Internet learning environment (a virtual classroom) called Moodle for learning activities, assessments, and communications with one another.
As a CyberCinema student, you'll read and study the course text (Louis Giannetti, Understanding Movies, Eleventh Edition: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2008), and you'll read Tidepools: Transparency (2009 edition) for examples of images and story ideas relevant to film studies. Tidepools, the college journal of art and literature, is available only at the campus bookstore (very inexpensive, about $14; all proceeds of sales go to the costs of publication and student scholarships). Go to the online college bookstore by clicking on one of these: Oceanside Campus Bookstore OR San Elijo Campus Bookstore or call the campus bookstore to arrange for purchase and delivery (760-757-2121, extension 6630). You will need both of these texts at the beginning of the class in order to complete assignments based on them. You'll also screen several films, using your local libraries, and friends, and video merchants to help you locate and borrow (or buy) the assigned films and using your local movie theaters to screen current releases. During the semester, you'll also complete writing assignments, participate in discussions and other learning activities, and read and review film Websites.
For more information about the class content and policies, read the Film 101 Syllabus. For a general idea of the semester's learning activities, consult the Film 101 Assignment Schedule: Semester Overview (changes may be made during the semester, as needed, but usually these are minor changes). When you get into Moodle, you will have easy access to the syllabus and assignment overview; and you'll get detailed instructions on your assignments week by week. Most assignments and quizzes are due Thursdays and Sundays, and you can submit work earlier than the Thursday or Sunday deadline, if an earlier submission date works better for your schedule. top
IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS: TECHNOLOGY AND TIME. Bookmark the MiraCosta College Distance Education page, where you'll find what you need to know to succeed in any online class.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: To double check your readiness for success in an Internet-based class, read through the CyberCosta Orientation Page and click through the site: Getting Started with Online Classes.
(1) Test your potential as an online student by taking the Technology Questionnaire now. Make note of your score so if you are asked, you can report to me on your technical readiness (if the score is low, please consider dropping the class to make room for students who are ready for the technology and discipline of an online class).
(2) Note that our Moodle classroom requires a particular browser (this information may not be available on the campus tech requirement page); use FIREFOX if you want to earn highest points on assignments and avoid computer glitches this semester in Moodle.
(3) Read through the Technical Requirements page. If you have any technical questions at any time during the semester regarding your own computer or software, you will need to contact your own service provider or technical assistant. If you have technical questions about Moodle or the MiraCosta server, you can contact the Student Help Desk. top
TIME REQUIREMENTS. How much time should you schedule for this course? Most students report spending 7-10 hours per week for reading, finding, and acquiring films; for screening and clipping films; for studying, writing, researching, and communicating with me; for completing assignments, tests, and projects; and for engaging in substantive discussion about film with Film 101 classmates. You may complete your assignments, discussions, and projects in less time, or you may want to spend more time. Nine hours of film study per week is an estimated average time commitment required to achieve learning objectives in a 3-unit transfer-level course (this average is based on the standard definition of one college unit as equivalent to three hours of learning activities, and Film 101 is a 3-unit course).
If you have enrolled in this class because you think it will not ask you to spend as much time on your learning as other traditional classes require, please drop now! Online classes typically ask more of you than do onground classes.
WELCOME TO FILM 101! If you are a skilled learner, independent and disciplined, and adept at computer and Internet work; if you have the type of computer, software, and internet connectivity you need to complete online activities without getting booted out; and if you have made arrangements in your schedule to reserve 7-10 hours each week for film study this semester, welcome! If you enjoy online challenges and activities, if you love learning, if you like reading and writing and watching movies, and if you are ready and eager to spend some of your valuable time on learning as much and as well as you can about film, you will achieve your learning goals, and much more.
Plan to make satisfactory progress by completing reading, screening, and other assignments, quizzes, and tests by the deadlines. Plan to log in to your section of Moodle two or more different days a week to get messages and announcements, to read lectures, to participate in academic forums and other discussions, to take quizzes or exams, and to submit assignments and quizzes by or before the Thursday and Sunday deadlines.
Logging In to our Moodle Classroom. You can enter the Moodle classroom through the Moodle link at the MiraCosta College Distance Education page (just follow the links to the fall semester and your section of Film 101). At the Film 101 Home Website, you will have a link to your Moodle classroom that becomes live before the semester starts (you can also get to this Film 101 Home Website when you are in BlackBoard, but that's all you can do through BlackBoard because this is not a BlackBoard class). It's best to bookmark your Moodle classroom once you get there, and use that bookmark to come to class. When you sign into the Moodle system, be sure to use your name as registered when it asks for your name (your username for getting into Moodle can be different), and use the email address you want me to use to contact you during the semester. Then you can come to class (log in) using the "enrollment key" (password) I send to you before classes begin, in an email message sent to the email address you gave to SURF. If you have not received an email from me by the first day of classes, be sure to email me at film101@miracosta.edu. You must have enrolled yourself into our Moodle classroom by the end of the first day of classes, or you will probably be dropped from the class as a "no-show" to make room for students on the waiting list.
You'll find that this class is both fun and fulfilling, especially if you focus on the learning activities. It is a challenging class that turns out to be easy, especially if you take time for the learning activities. Read what former CyberCinema Students have said about the course, which has been offered online at MiraCosta continuously since the spring semester of 1998, so that you understand the nature of the class.
Please drop now if you aren't prepared to give 7-10 hours a week to your learning here (reading, writing, watching movies, etc.) so other students who do want this experience have a chance to sign up.
If you are ready to learn, and you understand that the online course workload recommended is 9 hours a week, which includes the 3 hours of "in class" time you normally dedicate to a 3-unit class, I'm ready to go the extra mile to help you succeed. Feel free to contact me any time during the semester, unless you have a technical question (in which case you need to refer to your own computer or software help desk or to the Technical Requirements page, or to the Student Help Desk). I hope you're as excited about becoming a cybercinema student as I am to become your cybercinemaprof. I'm looking forward to meeting and learning with you this semester. See you soon in cyberspace! -Gloria Floren- top
Created 04
December 1997.
Revised 17 August 2010
Contents Copyright 1997-2010 Gloria L. Floren. All rights reserved.
MiraCosta
College,
One Barnard Drive, Oceanside, California 92056. U.S.A.
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