Editing Building Successful Online Communities (Fall 2024) (section)

=== Your Presence in Class ===

There are many students who have eagerly requested to join the class, but there are not enough seats. I want to include as many students in the class as possible, we will automatically drop anyone who misses the first two class sessions and try to replace them with unenrolled students who do attend. This is consistent with college policy and with the course description in the catalog.

As detailed in [[#Case discussion|section on case studies]] and in [[User:Benjamin Mako Hill/Assessment|my detailed page on assessment]], your homework in the class is to prepare for cases and case discussion is an important way that I will assess learning. Obviously, you must be in class in order to participate. If you need to miss class for any reason, please fill out the case opt-out form so that we know you are not coming and will not include you in our cold call list.

In the event of an absence, you are responsible for obtaining class notes, handouts, assignments, etc.

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=== Devices in Class ===

Electronic devices (e.g., phones, tablets, laptops) are '''not''' permitted in class. If you have a documented need to use a device, please contact me ahead of time to let me know. If you do get permission to use a device, I will ask you to sit in the very back of the classroom.

The goal of this policy is to help you stay focused and avoid distractions for yourself and your peers in the classroom. This is really important and turns out to be much more difficult in the presence of powerful computing devices with brightly glowing screens and fast connections to the Internet. For more on the rationale behind this policy, please read [https://medium.com/@cshirky/why-i-just-asked-my-students-to-put-their-laptops-away-7f5f7c50f368 Clay Shirky’s thoughtful discussion of his approach to this issue].

Of course, we will discuss assignments and topics that involve referring to things online. Toward that end, you might find it convenient to bring a laptop or tablet to class or section. If you want to look something up on your device outside of a time I clearly point out as device-allowed, please ask me. I will always point out explicitly in class if it's OK to use devices. 

'''Except during parts of class when I explicitly invite device usage—I ask that you refrain from using your laptops, tablets, phones, and pretty much any (digital) device with a screen.'''
=== Office Hours ===

The best way to get in touch with me about issues in class will in the Discord server via asynchronous messages sent to one of the text channels. This is preferable because any questions you have can be answered in a way that is visible to others in the class.

We will hold synchronous, in-person office hours once a week:

: '''Ellie's office hour''': The hour after class on Wednesdays in CMU 333 (i.e., If the class ends at 3:20p as scheduled, it will be from ~3:20-4:20p. However, if the class ends early at 2:45, it will be from ~2:45-3:45p) 
: '''Mako's office hour''': Fridays 9-1am in the “Office Hours” voice channel on Discord

If my planned office hours do not work for you, please contact a member of the teaching team in the Discord server or over email to arrange a meeting at another time.
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