About online classes
About History 1301, 1302 and 2321 Online
(Updated January 9, 2016)
Mandatory Orientation for all LSCS students
Beginning Spring Semester 2014, D2L is set to prevent students who have never successfully completed the Student Orientation for Online Courses from accessing their courses. Students in the Need Orientation tab cannot see their courses until they successfully complete the orientation. Students need to go to their My Courses tab in D2L to access it.
Also a brief orientation specific to the O’Brien’s history class will be conducted online in D2L during the first few days of the semester.
Exams for HIST.1301 and HIST.2321 (online courses)
There are no required face-to-face meetings with the instructor in this course. All exams and quizzes are unproctored, which means you can take these tests at home. Exams will use Respondus Lockdown browser, which is free and easy to install. Go to http://www.lonestar.edu/lsc-online/13841.htm and scroll down to the bottom of the page, where there is a link for the Respondus software and then another link for a guide to installing. When you click on the link for the Respondus software, you will have an option to use it on a PC or Mac. After installing Respondus Lockdown, make sure you reboot your computer.
What the DL course is like.
Everything is done online. Discussions and class participation are emphasized, so students are not only conversing with the instructor, but with each other. You are expected to log in to the eClassroom (D2L) several times every week. These classes are not “Independent Studies.” (In the minimester and summer sessions much more frequent weekly logins are required.)
For either 1301, 1302, and 2321 a textbook, and supplemental books (see books listed below) are used. (A key to doing well is having your books BEFORE the semester starts especially for the a summer semester or minimester.) Also, lectures and other handouts are posted each week in folders. Quizzes are done online and are timed, but you can take them at home. Taking exams is mentioned above. Taking history online is not less work than learning in the traditional classroom setting. The online class has the same workload as the traditional class, but for some might seem like more work if you’re new to D2L or the online format. You will do much reading and writing.
One advantage to online classes is that the schedule for quizzes, exams, and discussions is a little more flexible. But you can’t wait to the end of the semester to do everything. There are deadlines every week of the semester, including during the first week. If you are a self-starter and motivated about doing school work, then you are a good candidate for History 1301, 1302 or 2321 online.
You must also be comfortable using computers and a web browser. Sometimes adjustments must be made to your computer or browser. If you do not have a reliable computer or Internet connection, it will be extremely difficult for you to take the class.
Purchasing Books
The books listed below can be purchased at the Lone Star College-CyFair Bookstore. Make sure you hold on to your receipt for the Foner text purchase in case something is missing from the package. You should call the CyFair store at 281-290-5950 before you make the trip. The other Lone Star bookstores may not carry these books, but you can call the CyFair store and ask them to ship it to another Lone Star campus that is closer to you. (There might be a small charge for this service.)
You can order online from the CyFair store by going to efollett.com. Make sure you have all the course information. The books are also found at amazon.com and other online sites.
Spring Semester (2016)
HIST.1301.5050 and HIST.1301.5051
1. Give Me Liberty!, Fourth Edition, Volume 1
Eric Foner
W. W. Norton & Company, 2013
ISBN (through college store): 9780393274141
ISBN (for other outlets) 9780393920277
Note: if purchased at the Lone Star College-CyFair bookstore, the text comes with the Voices of Freedom book. (See book number 2.)
2. Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, Fourth edition, Volume I
Eric Foner
W. W. Norton & Company, 2013
ISBN (through college store): 9780393274141
ISBN (for other outlets) 9780393922912
(Note: This documents reader will come free with the textbook when purchased new at Lone Star College-CyFair bookstore. If you buy Give Me Liberty! through another store, you will need to purchase Voices of Freedom separately.)
3. Peaceable Kingdom Lost: The Paxton Boys and the Destruction of William Penn’s Holy Experiment (Paperback)
Kevin Kenny
Oxford University Press, 2011
9780199753949
4. Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Battle for America (Paperback)
David S. Reynolds
W. W. Norton & Company, 2012
9780393342352
(Note: Books 3 and 4 are separate purchases.)