International E-Communication Exchange

International E-Communication Exchange

Student Handbook

Hosted by ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity

Welcome to the E-communication Project

Your participation on the project begins with your initial meeting with your own instructor/tutorwho will give you guidance on how this project operates. Any questions you have should be directed to your own academic lead. In addition there may be a number of other instructors/tutors involved at your university.

In each University students follow their own course of study. Although lectures, seminars and associated study materials in each University share common themes, they are not identical in content or presentation. The students’ common experience is in relation to the e-communication component.

Benefits to you

The design of the project is important in engaging students within this different learning environment. At partnered Universities, tutors/instructors have extensive experience of developing e-learning and supporting students through the process.

This e-communication discussion exchange will enable you to interpret and understand contemporary policy and popular concerns around crime, not only from your own national perspective but also through an international dimension, and will enhance and develop your independent learning skills.

You should include mention of your involvement in this project within your curriculum vitae/resume when you complete your degree.

Access and Passwords

There are a number of participating institutions in the UK and in the US. The project is delivered through WebCT Vistaat Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in the UK.

Log on to

Then click the button in the central panel (see Figure one).

Figure one: initial log-in page

Figure two: log-in page two

Figure three: log-in page three

You have been allocated a Username and Password and your tutor/instructor will assist you with logging on to the site for the first time.

If you have problems logging in please follow the following advice:

1. Check that you are using the correct username and password
2. If you receive an error message, the system may be down – try again later in the day or the next day
3. If you have tried the above please follow the advice given on the log-on page of WebCT for students.
4. If you can log on to WebCT but do not have the International E-Communication Exchange area in your list please contact Dr Helen Jones by email

Further advice about logging on and how to change your password is available here:

When you have logged on you will come to the entry page which looks like this:

Figure four: entry page

Click on the words ‘International E-Communication Exchange’ in the panel in the centreto enter the site.

If you find you are having difficulty accessing the WebCT area from your computer, you may need to makes some changes to your browser settings. There are instructions on the entry page (see above).

Some people experience problems because of pop-up blockers. You must make sure that your browser is not blocking pop-ups and that pop-ups are also enabled from any Yahoo or Google toolbar you might have.

Your Participation

Figure five: Home Page of IEE site

The project comprises of three discussion topics. The topics are released every two weeks in the area titled ‘Weekly Work’. In this area there will be a topic question with guidance, various articles, hyperlinks and other media, and a topic discussion area. You will have two weeks to discuss each topic within your discussion group. The first topic will not become visible until after induction week.

Figure six: Link to Discussion Area

Guidance on Posting

The suggested maximum length of posting is approximately 300 words.The WebCT sitecontains a ‘Showcase’ of examples of message style.

Figure seven: Message Showcase

You should plan the timing ofyour postingscarefully, maybe making one early in the week and one later on. Also remember that other members of your group may be in a different time zone to you. The WebCT system is based in the UK and so records postings in UK time: a message posted at 9am in Florida will be recorded as posted at 3pm on the WebCT system.

It is expected that you will conduct your own research and reading to inform your postings. There is support material on the WebCT site but you should consider this as a starting point.

The important point is that you respond intelligently to the other students in your group - we are looking for interaction and responsiveness.

So you are required to post a minimum of two messages(per person) on your group section of the discussion board each week. This process is repeated for another two discussion topics (six weeks in total). There is a consolidation week at the end of the project.

It is anticipated that students will post at least one original message per topic and the other messages will be in response to other postings from group members. We do not require essay length messages and you will not gain extra marks for overly long messages – indeed, you are more likely to lose marks for failing to be concise. At the same time you get no credit for messages which are little more than ‘I agree with Joe’. A suggested maximum is 300 words per message.

You should remember to keep your messages well-written and focused. You may use the ‘Student Coffee Bar’ in the Discussion Forum, the chatroom facility or email to talk with other students informally.

Remember that although we all use English sometimes spellings might vary!

Key rules:

• Avoid using all capital letters in a message, this is known as SHOUTING!
• Don’t assume people will know when you are joking, disgruntled etc..
• Peopleoften use "emoticons" to show their intentions, e.g. :-) means smiling, encouraging :-( means sad, disapproving ;-) just joking. Look at them sideways on and you'll see why. They look like faces. It's best not to overuse them or use the more obscure emoticons that others might not understand.
• Avoid what's known as "flaming", ie. being very critical or insulting of others.
• Most of you will be familiar with using e-mail, but it can be daunting to use a discussion board if you haven't used one before. You can use the section called ‘Student Coffee Bar’to practise.
  

The Project – An Overview

The project will run for seven weeks.

You will be put into discussion groups within the WebCT site. There will be around 500 students in total participating but you will only see your own group (approximately 10 students in each group) in the discussion forum and not every other group. This helps to maintain your own group relationship. If you want to send messages to all 500 students you can use the Coffee Bar area in the ‘Discussions’ section.

The WebCT site contains a range of supportive materials. These include guidance on your weekly work, marking advice, useful supporting materials (which includes a downloadable version of this handbook), a Frequently Asked Questions list (FAQ), contact details of the participating institutions, messages showcase which gives examples from last year’s students and discussion boards and chatrooms to enable your communication with other students. Use the icons in the central window to navigate your way around.

Figure eight: Home page of IEE site

Over the seven weeks students are expected to discuss 3 topics: i.e. two weeks per topic and two contributions per person per week.

The final week is a consolidation week to allow you to finalise your assessment. Most institutions require students to complete a 1000 word assignment about this project and you may be expected to include print-outs of one of your messages per topic. Further advice is available from your own instructor/tutor. You are required to complete an evaluation form at the end of the project.

Monitoring the Discussions

Your group discussions will be monitored by participating academic staff. Tutors/instructors will not participate in the debates but will intervene if the discussions are inappropriate.

Evaluating your discussions

You will be assessed on your participation and on the quality of your discussions. It is important to remember that you are assessed on your individual involvement.

Marking bands below are indicative of marks awarded by all participating institutions:

Top marks

All postings completed – or gaps explained.

All postings demonstrate a clear focus on the topics. Discussions are consistently theoretically grounded and informative of their country's position on the issue under discussion. There is clear expression throughout and sensitive use of language. Student is responsive to their partners. Discussions are supported by reference to source materials where appropriate.

Good

There may be some gaps in the exchanges or some weaker responses. Most postings are well focused and most demonstrate knowledge of theory and policy. There is evidence of responding to issues raised by the partners. Generally clear expression throughout.

Average

There are some unaccounted gaps in the exchanges. Discussions are not always clearly focused on the topics and there may be some evidence of repetition. Some discussions may be simply conversational or contain irrelevant material. There may be times where the student does not respond to issues raised by their partners. Discussions touch on theory or policy but do not elaborate. There may be a few unacceptable lapses in language use.

Below Average

The postings may be largely conversational although still focused on the topics. There may be significant gaps in the exchanges. There may be little evidence of theoretical knowledge or policy relevance. The student may not be responding to their partners on topic issues. There may be several unacceptable lapses in language use.

Borderline Fail

This would see significant gaps in the exchanges. The postings would be poorly constructed, they may not focus on the topics set and there would be no evidence of theoretical understanding. The student may not be engaging with their partners on the topic issues. Grammar and spelling may be poor.

Absolute Fail

Very poor exchanges which do not respond in any adequate manner to the topics set.

Making a start

Please log-on to WebCT and become familiar with the site. The discussion forum contains a ‘Student Coffee Bar’whereyouare free to post general messages and even post a photograph of yourself as an attachment if you would like to.

Good luck and we hope you enjoy the experience.

The International E-Communication Exchange Team - 2009

Informed Consent Form

Title of Research: E-Communication: Partnered Students Discuss Criminal Justice Issues

I.University regulations require us to obtain signed consent for participation on research involving human participants. Please read statements in section II through IV below and indicate your consent by signing and dating this form.

II.Statement of Procedure: Thank you for your interest in this research project being conducted by the IEE academic partners. The research project involves utilizing samples of student electronic communication for publication research and professional development. Students’ names will be kept confidential. The major aspects of including your work are identified in the statements below, including risks and benefits of participating. I understand that:

(1)Samples of my electronic communications during the Spring 2009 semester might be utilized for publication purposes by participating academic staff.

(2)Samples of electronic communications during the Spring 2009 semester might be utilized for professional (tenure and/or promotion) purposes by participating academic staff.

(3)Full citation of my work will come in the form of an anonymous cite (e.g., Student A), but in all instances the researchers will keep the names associated with the work samples confidential.

(4)I may discontinue my participation in this agreement/research at any time without penalties or repercussions.

III.Potential Risks of the Study: There are no risks involved with participating in this research.

IV.Potential Benefits of the Study: The data obtained from this research may provide criminal justice and/or criminology instructors insight into the differences in opinion regarding students’ perceptions and ideas about how and why the criminal justice system in different locations operate in the manner it does. The researchers might also benefit professionally with regard to tenure and/or promotion.

V.Statement of Consent: I certify that I have read and fully understand the statement of procedure given above and agree to participate as a subject in the research described therein. Permission is given voluntarily and without coercion or undue influence. I understand that I may discontinue participation at any time. I will be provided a copy of this consent form. If I have any questions or concerns I can call Dr Helen Jones at 0161 247 3458 in the UK.

Participant’s Name

Participant’s Signature

Date

1