Two
Parts
This course is made up of Self Study and Live Classroom sessions.
You are currently in the Self Study part. Here you will have a combination of text, images and audio. The self study focuses on the material and requires you to memorize and familiarize yourself with the concepts. It is recommended that you spread the self study out over the full length of the course to keep it in line with what is studied in the live class.
The live classes highlight the important points, add to them, and, most importantly, give you opportunities to utilize the knowledge. Apart from making sure you know your stuff, the live classes will give special attention to your presentation skills. Knowing the stuff is not enough. You have to be able to synthesize the knowledge in a way that makes sense. The two parts aim to support that process.
Be Prepared
Be sure to come to class prepared: study the relevant sections in the self study. At the end of each class the teacher will tell you what to study for next class. If you miss a live class you must review the class Archive. The archives are available from the main login page (click "Back" at the top of this page).
Throughout the course we will rely heavily on the course section in the Forum, as well as the course email list. All homework will be posted either in the Forum or email list, as well as your questions or thoughts. Please make use of the forum as often as possible. There is a link to the course section of the forum from every page in the course (like at the bottom of this page).
Make
the Most Out of This
Online Education is great because you can do it from your home on your own schedule. But it requires motivation. Even though we try our best to guide you, we can not control the amount of time you study nor the environment you study in. So we are leaving it up to you to cover all the materials.
It is also your responsibility to create a peaceful environment during the live classes. Send the kids off to play and turn off the phone. Don't do other stuff like check your emails or fold your clothes during class. And most importantly, don't miss classes. It is easy to get distracted by unimportant things when you are not physically surrounded by other students. Before you know it this course will be over so juice it for all it's worth.
Tools
-
Discuss in Forum
Any
time you want to discuss the material or have a question, go to the Cartography section in the Forum.
If you have a flash of how something works, go there. Use it as your
notepad; use it to scribble an idea. Don't be shy. The more everyone
makes use of the forum the deeper your knowledge will go, so use it!
-
Feedback
In the Forum there is a post in the Feedback section for Cartography courses. Or you can send us an email directly. The course is constantly evolving based on student feedback.
- Blog
All members have a blog. A blog is a peculiar mix of private diary and public shout box. Writing in it helps you organize the knowledge you are learning. It makes the whole online experience richer when we have lots of lively blogs.
| Audio
This course uses Flash to play audio. Test it here: Download the Flash Player here. |
That's it! Enjoy the course!