FALL 2006 2 HEY NEW STUDENTS! Wanna drop the class dontcha?? DON”T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. I remember my very first day logging on, I was so excited because it was my first online class and I didn’t know what to expect, so I started reading all the packets and assignments and I thought to myself Lisa your dropping now! BUT I didn’t and I’m so glad I didn’t either. You have to understand we all felt the way you did the first day of signing on. You probably think Professor Fey is crazy, oh believe me I did! But she’s not! It’s going to get really easy and it’ll be faster then you think. Everything that you are going to learn is truly going to stun you. When you read the chapters try to enjoy them and compare them to your everyday activities. The work is going to seem like a lot, especially if you’re taking other classes (I had 4 all together) and it does get overwhelming but it is so worth it in the end. I chose the exam option, I found this easier for me because of the time needed to do the reports it was hard for me to squeeze that it with 3 other classes. Make sure you pick the one that suits your schedule. A lot of the work in this course is very time consuming to make sure you have enough time to complete it ALL. Most importantly you have to log on everyday. Make sure you respond 5 out of the 7 days to earn your attendance points, they are extremely important for keeping your points high and your grade up. Mrs. Fey offers so much extra credit opportunities in most of the seminars. Take advantage of them. You must ALWAYS read the threads, anytime you see something unread, open it and read it! Here is a little example of how to set up your week: Day 1-read your DQ and post it right away, also put in your response. Day 2-read as much of the material as possible Day 3-START YOUR APPLICATION PROJECT don’t wait until the last minute, BIG mistake if you do Day 4- make sure you’re on, reading all threads, responding and checking for SURPRISE HOMEWORK or extra credit Day 5- complete AP and submit Day 6- take exam at campus Try to have fun! Most of the things Mrs. Fey makes you aware of are stuff that you’ll never hear from anyone else. Take a big breath and remember that it is really simple to get adjusted; we wouldn’t be telling you if it wasn’t the truth. Best of Luck, Lisa Yousif __________________________ Dear future student: You should be so glad that you have the opportunity to take this class! You will learn more about the environment, the earth, water, food, people, natural resources, and energy sources than ever before. You will learn things that you have never thought of and get some answers to questions you have always had. This class is intense! It is very fast-paced and there is a lot of information every week. I was an exam student so I took an exam very week instead of doing a seminar report (you will learn more about this later). The best way to prepare for an exam is to READ! READ! READ! Read the text, read the responses to the discussion questions from your fellow students, read the objective questions, and read the lecture notes. The Application Projects are real hands on activities that definitely take time. Most involve research on the Internet or contacting your local community offices to get information about your local environmental agencies, policies, or even just tracking your own behaviors at home. These were all very interesting to me and the work seemed worth it in the end. This class takes a lot of time. When the professor says to plan on spending 3 hours outside of class for every credit hour that is an understatement. The first week of class is going to be a rough one. It will seem as if you are not going to get the deadlines for assignments figured out, how to work the computer to upload files, how to manage your time to get everything done but by the second week you should realize that it all just takes planning and that it can be done. My advice to you would be that you schedule more time than you think you will need to get assignments done because you will need it. Read all of the materials and don’t panic. You will hear Professor Fey say that and it is true-don’t panic. Just know that you will be very busy with this class but it is worth it in the end. I am glad I took this course. I learned a lot that will help me to become a better consumer and a better environmentalist. Enjoy this time and be open to learning as much as you can during this time. You have been given a great opportunity to become a more informed citizen. Good luck to you and before you know it you will be writing this letter to the next newcomers:-) Don’t give up!!! Christine Springer ______________________ Dear future student: Welcome to environmental science! In the next eight weeks, you will learn lots of informative information about the planet you live on, Earth. Here is some advice; do not panic! This class may seem very overwhelming the first week but I promise you it will get easier as the weeks go on. You will develop a system that helps you get all the work done. When I took this class, I did the reports every week instead of the weekly exams. I personally enjoyed this even though it was a lot of work. However, every student did the application projects which were very interesting. Some of them required a lot of research and some of them you had to keep track of certain habits you have. You will know what I am talking about when you get these application projects. My suggestion is to read, read, read! Also, make sure you respond everyday on the discussion boards. Attendance is a big chunk of your final grade! If you choose to do the reports, give yourself plenty time each week to complete them. You do NOT want to wait to the last minute to complete the reports. For those of you who are going to follow in my footsteps, here is a suggested “homework schedule” that worked really well for me: Day 1 (Monday) – Read chapters! Day 2 (Tuesday) – Do Objective/Guide questions and your assigned discussion question Day 3 (Wednesday) – Do application projects Day 4 (Thursday) – Do the web resource and summary and final thoughts Throughout these next eight weeks, you will learn so much information about your environment that you never knew and it will impact your life. You change start helping protect your environment once you learn some ways on how to. You will learn how to conserve electricity and water which I found the most interesting and fun thing I learned this semester. I am honestly trying to conserve more ever since I started taking this class. This class really has opened up my eyes! Good luck future students! Remember, don’t panic the first week! You will do fine and it will hopefully fly by like it did for me. Sincerely, Brandi Dyer _________________________ Dear future student, I know that right now, after looking at the syllabus you probably are feeling overwhelmed. I felt that same way when I started the class. Stick with the class and it will get easier. You have a professor that will help you a lot over the next few weeks. This class will teach you a lot of things that you probably never realized about the earth and how our actions affect it. The best advice that I can give you is to keep up on the readings and participate. When you participate, it not only helps your grade out but it also helps conversations among the class. If you are not sure about something do not be afraid to post your question on the discussion board. There are usually people in the class or the instructor that are willing to help with answers. I did the reports each week, which may seem like a lot of work, but when you get into a routine it gets a little easier. Always remember to start your application project early, because often they require a lot of research, or contacting people. Just breathe and remember that it only gets easier from here. Best of luck, Angela Burke ________________________ Hello Future Students! I know exactly what you¡¦re thinking! Okay, so I¡¦m not a mind reader but I have been right where you are thinking the same exact thing ¡V What in the world did I get myself into!?!?! Honestly, it¡¦s not that bad. This is an amazing class; I cannot even begin to explain to you how much it will open up your eyes and make you realize what¡¦s going on in the world around you. Not only will you be coming away with valuable information, but you will also want to share that information with friends and family. This is truly more than just a class ¡V it¡¦s like a life lesson about the environment. You¡¦ll also be amazed at what else you learn that¡¦s not found in the text book. Professor Fey post some amazing and unbelievable articles in the DB. The workload is not bad; yes at times it can become overwhelming and time consuming. But it¡¦s defiantly manageable as the former students and I are living proof. I know as your reading this you can't imagine how it could be manageable. The first week however is the worst; it's very crazy. Trust me though; it gets easier as you get a routine down. Definitely create a schedule/routine. Make sure you¡¦re capable of being dedicated to this class and able to devote time to it. As the other former students will echo, make sure you READ! READ! READ! Make sure you have the deadlines down; because although the assignments change, the deadlines don¡¦t (until week 8 - but by then you'll have this down to a science :) ). Knowing the deadlines for items, being devoted/reading and having a schedule is the underlying key to success in this class. This is not a class you can and will want to slack off in. If you do get stuck, post your questions to the DB. Professor Fey and your classmates are here to help you, together you'll be able to make it though this journey. Take advantage of the option of doing the seminar reports and taking the exams. I did both depending on how busy my week was. The seminar reports work great for those who are not good test takers; whereas the test are great for those who don¡¦t have the time and are not great communicating in words. However, I cannot express enough that you must READ! READ! READ! The application projects will be time consuming; but the hands on experience it provides you is remarkable. I especially enjoyed the ones that had me looking at my own community/household. Most of the application projects involve research online or contacting your local officials. Also, make sure you read ALL the threads, Professor Fey often DBSH that helps out your grade. Make sure you participate in the discussion boards as well; I know those points seems like they won¡¦t add up to much but they really do! You¡¦ll hear Professor Fey tell you often to DON'T PANIC! As hard as it is to believe it's really true! Just remember, when things get a little hectic (okay, so maybe hectic is an understatement) to just breath. You'll make it though this class! K we all did ! And before you know it, you too will be writing your letter to the future students. Have fun! Sincerely, Karen Storks P.S. DON'T PANIC! You'll do just fine! __________________________________ Are you ready for an adventure? This class is like no other class, it keeps you involved, you will learn something new every week, and it should make you think twice concerning environmental issues. To top it off you have an awesome professor, she is there for her students every step of the way. The normal week consists of lots of information that needs to be read, from your textbook, to websites, to links, and from the discussion board conversations. Take the time to read as much as possible, you will not be disappointed, and it will keep you on top of what is going on in class. With this class, she lets you have 3 different options of how you would like to complete this class. I will only be discussing with you about taking the exam every week. To be honest I did this because I find it difficult to write reports. The thought of doing that every week was too much for me to do. The toughest part about taking the exam is finding the time to go to the school to take it; this can be done on a Thursday or Friday. The biggest problem that I had was with holiday’s or the semester is ending, I would be given little notice that I could not take the exam on a Saturday, which was the only time that I really had available. Another tip is to read the entire application project as soon as possible, sometimes you may need to contact people, or go to the library, or you might need the extra time through the week to complete the assignment. Do not wait until the last day to look and work on the application project! The last comment that I have for you is to participate with your class, get your assignments done on time, and listen to your heart. It may all seem overwhelming at first, but you will adjust with it in time. Give yourself the next 8 weeks to this class, and I am sure that you will not be disappointed, and you will walk away with a deeper understanding of our environment. Remember have fun and enjoy learning. Nancy Kidd ___________________________ I think it is only appropriate to begin the letter by letting you know that it gets better! You’ve probably read the letter that Prof. Fey provides on the first day of classes and you’re also probably feeling a bit panicked, stressed, and wondering how in the world you can manage this (especially if you have a full course load and a job to balance). Well calm down, you can do this!! I won’t lie to you and tell you that the assignments are quick and easy – they’re not. I chose to do the seminar reports each week because my school and work schedules did not work with the Learning Center schedule at South Campus. Seminar reports are definitely time consuming but they after the first two or three weeks I was able to adjust. But you do need to have some serious time management skills and be self motivated. If you choose to do the seminar reports, I will warn you that you need to be fairly specific and detailed in your answers, but for the most part she tells you where in the book to find the answers you just have to then put them in your own words. This has definitely been an eye-opening course. You probably won’t come out of it being the perfect consumer or environmentalist but you will definitely have a greater appreciation for the environment and hopefully begin doing some things that will decrease the strain that you put on the environment, energy, and other resources. One of the assignments I most enjoyed was the week we studied energy and being able to calculate for myself the amount of energy I waste and how much money I can save by cutting back. So to end I’d advise you not to panic, I’m sure it all seems overwhelming right now and you’re probably getting a headache just thinking about it, but if you complete the course (and I strongly urge you to do so) you will not regret it. There is a lot to learn through this course. Umeka Lovett-Fox ________________________ Dear Future Students, Don't procrastinate!! That's the best advice I can give you, and it's the key to doing well in this class! I'm giving you that key, so now it's up to you to decide whether or not to use it. If you wait to long to start your Seminar Reports you WILL NOT do well in this class. Take some time each day to put aside to work on it, you will be VERY happy that you did. Francette is a wonderful teacher and will help you out any way that she can, but it's up to you to do the work! Be sure to read over everything the week entails, especially the Application Project, which usually consists of travelling somewhere, or extensive research throughout your community. If you wait until the last minute then you won't be able to keep up, I can't stress that enough. If you keep to a consistant schedule, you'll be perfectly fine, and you'll be able to take in all of the information that comes your way without any problems. Get ready to learn a large amount of things that will SHOCK YOU going on all around you that you would have never even thought about. It's staggering! From the amount of pollution we're putting into our environment, to what we're eating and drinking, all the way to how our amazing planet operates, I can assure you that you're in for a fun and informative ride that will change your life!!! Best of luck to you!! Cordially, Michael McKiddy _________________________________ Welcome, future students. This is going to be the most informative class you will take, in my opinion. The first week was chaotic, especially if this is you first online course. It was a bit overwhelming at first and I thought about dropping, because I did not think I would be able to handle the schedule. I am content with not dropping the class. I was taking four other classes and working full time, but I stuck with it, and it all works out at the end. The professor provides two options for the exam each week. I opted to take the exam, except for one particular week. For me the exam worked the best, because I felt that I was better at taking exams, but do what is best for you. Every student is required to do an application project every week. These assignments taught me a lot about my community, some of the projects require you to do plenty of outside research. Some might need you to contact you're local electrical, water, or city officials, so make sure you start your research early. Overall the projects were informative and beneficial. They have taught me a great deal about my community and have helped me change my lifestyle, to better benefit the environment. Participation points account for a good amount of your grade, so do not forget to participate everyday. There are many opportunities for extra credit, such as the surprise homework, so don't forget to read every single thread, trust me I learned the hard way. Do not forget, I can not emphasize this anymore, but READ everything. Professor Fey is an awesome professor she gives students many extra credit opportunities, definitely take advantage of that. Overall this was a great learning experience, it was bit overwhelming at times, but you get the hang of it after awhile. The information that I learned from this class has helped me in my everyday life. I learned to look at the world differently, and appreciate the earth and make sure that future generations get to experience the same things I did. Good Luck! Eva Owraha ________________________________ Dear future student, Welcome to Environmental Science class! I am sure after reading the syllabus you are confused, you don’t know where to start and how to start. Please don’t panic. It took me a while to realize where everything is and how to do the assignments. During this class you will learn how everything on this planet is connected and depends on each other. You will learn about the pollution, water, energy, population, food ect. Basically you will get the knowledge about environmental problems, their causes and solutions. Now, I would like to give you a few tips based on my experience. Whatever you do, don’t panic. I am going to be honest and tell you that class is not easy. It covers a lot of material and it takes a lot of time to do assignments properly. However, you can do it! Professor Fey is very cooperative and she gives you different options to complete your assignments. I choose to do the seminars because Learning Center hours did not go well with my school work hours and family. Seminars take a lot of time to be completed. They include questions, applications, web sites, learning lessons and summaries. Often you will have to do researches on the websites or in the community to do your applications. Please allow yourself plenty of time, and do not copy and paste, because everything needs to be written in your own words. During the class you will have some extra credit assignments. I am not sure if you will have the same as we, but if you do I would highly recommend going to Waste Water Treatment Plant. This was an amazing tour for me and I learned a lot. As I said previously, take a time, organize yourself, read and be persistent. At the end you will be happy that you took this class, because it teaches you about the environment and what you can do to protect it from destruction. At the end of the class you will understand why is so important to protect the environment. Good luck and enjoy! Sincerely, Anela Basinac ___________________________   FALL 2006 1 Dear Future Student: I am writing this letter to hopefully give you a little insight on this class before you begin a huge adventure! If you are wondering if this class takes up a lot of time and is a little challenging, let me set the record straight, it is! I myself have a very busy schedule. Balancing two jobs as well as 18 credits this semester, I found myself becoming frustrated and fed up as if I didn't want to finish the course. I stuck it out seeing as how I chose option number one, taking the exams. This is definitely a wise choice if you have a busy hectic life. With option one you are able to manage your time wisely and eventually you will develop a routine to which you are comfortable with. Week one will scare you but that's a good thing, it will prepare you for the weeks to come and it get's easier, believe me. The work load is definitely a big one and takes hours upon hours to finish, but as long as you sign on every day, read every single thread or post that is shown, respond to a post, and attempt the exam (if you chose option one, if not then attempt the seminar weekly reports) then you should be able to pass this class no doubt. That's what I did and it seemed to work out just fine. Between the exams and the assignments, both are hard don't get me wrong, but that's why you have your other classmates as well as the discussion board to guide you and help you out! If you are taking this class and it is your first online class, I highly suggest you re-think about taking another course in order to prep you for this course. I've had two online classes prior to this one and having those two classes helped me understand this class and how it worked. Professor Fey does a great job when it comes to giving you your evaluations for the weeks and answering any questions you may have. Everything in the evaluation is broken down to give you a better understanding of what you should work on in order to better your score for the following week. Like I said earlier read every post in the discussion board, suprise homework as well as extra credit will be there helping you improve your grade. To tell you the truth I only took this class because I had to in order to meet my requirements in order to graduate on time. Environmental science really wasn't my scene but after eight long weeks I got a better understanding of how this world works and what it must go through in order for us to enjoy and have a happy healthy life. I wish you best of luck when starting this adventure and don't forget, never give up! Once it's all done and over with you'll be happy you stuck it out. I know I was. :D ____________________________ Hi. Environmental Science is a course that I think most of us figured would be very easy. To an extent, it was. Do not be fooled though. The on-line version requires a great deal of time spent online. If you read all of the discussion board posts, and print out each week's seminar lectures, guidelines, discussion questions, and application project instructions when they first become available, you will do well in this course. As far as the instructor, Professor Fey has been a great help. If you ask for help by way of the designated forum, or by private e-mail to her, she responds immediately and provides help. If you choose to fall behind in reading, and lose touch with the discussion forums, you are likely to fail this course. There is extra credit opportunity available. This helped me. The extra credit is educational and "hands on." I recommend you take advantage of it when it becomes available. Just sign on each day, and follow syllabus guidelines, and you will be fine. I wish you the very best of luck in this class. Ray Krzeminski, former student, 2006. ____________________________ Letter to Future Students: This class has had the most interesting information I have ever covered in a college course. It is fun to learn about the world around you and about all the interactions in our environment, that make up our environment and that pollute or damage our environment. There is a lot of work to be done in this course. I had to do the weekly reports which are EXTREMELY time consuming because I could not make it to the South campus to take advantage of the test option. My work on the assignments took up time at work, time at home after work, and ALL weekend long! My husband complained about never getting to see me and it is an online course, so I spent my time at home in front of the computer. The first week will blow your mind with all the information that you have to read through to get started. I know I printed up what looked like a book and it was really scary. After the first or second week, you are likely to develop a routine that keeps you moving somewhat efficiently. I would not recommend this course if: 1. It is the first online course you have taken. 2. You have a full time job. 3. You have a vacation planned during the semester. 4. You have other courses. 5. You have any combination of #2, #3 and #4 and you cannot take the test option. The good news is: If you can get through this course, you will really have a great sense of accomplishment and also have a whole new volume of information that can be applied in your everyday life. You will be amazed at the many things that are happening in the environment that most people are not commonly aware of. You will also be surprised at the damaging things people are aware of, but do nothing to reduce or eliminate even when it is our health at stake. There will also be a good amount of information given that will give you insight in the changes and differences we can make to improve the environment for ourselves as well as for other species. Read through ALL of the postings on the discussion board. There are opportunities for extra credit and surprise homework on the discussion board, and if you don’t read it – you won’t know about it – because your fellow students are prohibited from notifying others of the location of the posts should they find them. The discussion board may also provide you with information you could use in completing your assignment because almost all of the material for each section is thoroughly discussed on the board. It is also fun and interesting to see everyone’s input and opinions on all of the topics. You will also be provided with learning experiences if you can take advantage of some of the extra credit activities that are offered. I volunteered at an organic harvest festival and met a lot of really nice people and learned a lot about organic vegetables and the methods of storing and preparation. It was worth the experience, but I had to take the day off of work to make up for the time I spent on the extra credit activity so I would still be able to finish my weekly assignment. It is no fun using earned vacation time to complete assignments! Good luck with the course! Tricia Bagnell _________________________ Dear Future Student, Welcome to Environmental Science. I hope you know what you are getting yourself into. I have just reached my last week in the class and really, really, really need a vacation. I took ENVS because it was a required course for my program. I took it online because I thought I could handle 8 weeks of anything. Hopefully, this letter will give some valuable advice to all of you future students. If you have more than 2 classes, work full time, and have less than 30 to 35 hours per week to dedicate to this class, drop it now!!! We (the other students and Ms. Fey) are not kidding when we tell you how much time this class really takes. I have never experienced a more difficult class in my entire college experience. If you are not that good / interested in science (I am an English and History major) do not take this class online. Take it on campus and suffer through the 16 weeks, because it will be easier and save you more time. I also decided throughout this class to write the seminar reports rather than taking the exams. I thought this would be a good option since I enjoy writing and are not really that great at taking tests. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would take the tests. The writing assignments are time consuming. The questions are difficult and require much thought. The websites are impossible to navigate and find articles on. I would also make sure that if you are taking this class you are able to be online for at least few hours EVERYDAY. You need to read all discussion questions, all student questions, all articles, basically all threads. This is very time consuming. If you are planning on squeezing all your work in on the two days you have off work (like I did – since I work 14 hour shifts) plan on being up all day and all night and not getting even half of the work done. Overall if I had to describe this class in one word…difficult. It is an interesting class though. It will forever change your views on the environment you live in. this class will also make you see the errors of your ways and make some lifelong changes. You will find out things about your city, your air and your water that you never knew, (and probably didn’t want to), and you will be shocked at some of the practices that go on in your own backyard. Good luck! Jamie Combs __________________________ Wow what a long 8 weeks. Let me just say that it’s worth it though. I have learned so much about my planet and the things going on around me, and in the atmosphere. I can honestly say that this knowledge is something I can and will take with me the rest of my life. The first week is hectic as can be, don’t panic. I have two kids, I work and am taking 14 credits this semester AND my computer crashed from a virus the first week and I wasn’t able to upload anything to Ucompass. What a mess! But I didn’t give up. I opted for taking the test and doing application projects for the duration of the course. This really helps with a hectic schedule. Make sure you devise a plan, or get a rhythm down as soon as possible. The quicker you can get a routine, the better. Professor Fey gives you plenty of extra credit to keep caught up as well, just incase. Let me add too, that the awareness that is brought about in this class is invaluable. Even if it seems overwhelming at first, which it probably will, stick with it. I did, and I’m certainly glad that I did. Rhiannon S. Stottele ____________________________ Dear Future Student, The environmental class your about to take is journey. It’s one big rollercoaster. This class is 8 weeks long, and will be the most time consuming thing ever. You are given 3 options as to how you want to go through this class. You can take tests at the school while participating online, do seminar reports while participating online, or both. You will be give a number at the beginning of the class and this number will be the same throughout the entire class and you will use when answering the discussion questions. It is important that you read EVERY SINGLE thread on the message board. Read all students questions and response, Professor Fey’s response, and all articles. There will be surprise homework somewhere on the message board, and if completed by the due date, you can earn extra credit points. You can also earn extra credit point by going on a fieldtrip of sort and write a review of what you experienced. The first week will seem like you will not be able to go any further. It does get easier, and it will be easier to manage your time along the way. Like I said above, this class is very time consuming. I would not recommend this class if you’re are working a full time job and going to school full time all at once. I also wouldn’t recommend taking this class if this is your first time taking an online class. This class will require 40 hours and more. This is about the 7th or 8th class I’ve taken online. But it was the hardest for me. I was not prepared for what was to come. Even though this class was required for me to take, and I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, I still tried and never dropped the class. I’m very glad I took it. I learned so many things that I never knew before. The information I learned blew me away. I can’t believe I wasn’t aware of the things I learned. Everyday I learned something new and interesting. I learned things that I can take with me and use for the rest of my life. This class was a real eye opener. I learned so many different opinions, points of views, and beliefs. Even if you’re not successful in getting a good grade in the class, the information you learn will stay with you for the rest of your life. Everyone student and Professor Fey, make this class a great experience. Sincerely, Rebecca Agauas ____________________ Alright well when I first joined this class and I had to read the letter to a future student, every student said the same thing. They said that this class was a lot of work but they learned a lot. Well I'm going to say the same thing!! This class is a lot of work so be prepared! You have to have a lot of self discipline and it is really worth it when you put the work into it! I would suggest getting things done early so that you don't become overwhelmed. You should start the application project well in advance because it usually takes quite a bit of time to do it. Definitly do not wait until the last minute to complete it. I would suggest starting it on Day 1 or Day 2 of each seminar. I would also reccomend going on campus to take the exam every week. This worked out very well for me so if you are a very busy person who is looking to save time then this would be the best option in my opinion. Also, be sure to study all of the discussion questions. If you do this, it will definitly help you on the exams each week. This class might seem overwhelming at first but just hang in there. Do one thing at a time and don't procrastinate. You really will learn a lot that you will be able to apply to your own life and that you will want to apply for your own life. Nicole Griessel __________________________ Hello Environmental Science 1500 Student! First of all, if you are panicking right now (like I was on the first day), there is no need to. Just relax and get your autobiography turned in on time so you can get an assigned student number e-mailed to you. Once you have your student number you can answer the corresponding Discussion Question and turn it in on the Discussion Board. Answer the same number Discussion Question EVERY week by the third day. Speaking of the Discussion Board--READ EVERY THREAD. This not only will help you learn, but will give you points towards your weekly Evaluations when you find the hidden Discussion Board Secret Homework (DBSH) and sometimes some Extra Credit. If you do not find the DBSH and do not complete it on time, this counts as a missing assignment, some are worth up to 30 points! So make sure you read every thread and keep checking them each day for any unread items. This is the easy part. The most difficult part of this class in my opinion was the Application Projects. The first week was a piece of cake, but afterwards they took a lot of research--including calling city departments and going to the local library for information. The good thing about these Application Projects is they are anything but boring, you will find out a lot of interesting information about your area that you would never believe to be true. Some more personal opinions: If possible, do the Time Saver option. I tried the Mind Saver and after a few weeks I changed to the Time Saver. The Seminar Reports were taking approximately 50 hours a week for me to complete, which was very hard to accomplish with a full time job and other classes. With the Time Saver I spent about 32 hours a week. The Seminar Reports seemed like a guaranteed good grade for me, but they are graded hard and are due on day 6. I was finding it very hard get them completed on time and it is absolutely unacceptable to turn in late Seminar Reports, you will receive a zero if you turn them in after midnight on day 6. Don’t get me wrong, the tests aren’t easy, but they take less time (about 1 ½ to 2 hours to complete). I’m not a great test taker, but I’ve gotten by with credit for other assignments and extra credit. Just don’t give up–8 weeks flies by and because there are plenty of extra credit opportunities, it is impossible to fail. If this is your first online course–don’t be afraid to try another one. I’ve had numerous online courses before this one and I must say this has been the most difficult. This is the first online course that I’ve had that requires you to take the exams at the campus, but the good thing about that is there isn’t a time limit, where most exams taken online give only 1 hour to complete. This class took all my time and devotion. I was lucky that my other courses this semester weren’t as severe because I wouldn’t have made it, but if you are motivated and dedicated enough you can do it! I know that there are people who are juggling several jobs and over 15 credit hours who have done it–so you can too! You may have to make adjustments to your schedule and make sacrifices but it will be worth it! You will walk away with 4 hard earned credit hours and a better person (the material covered will do this to you!) Believe it or not the material gets easier to understand as the class goes on and is interesting information. Just believe in yourself and remember that it will be over in 8 short weeks! Good Luck! Ashely Forsgren _________________________ Brace yourself....and get ready to sweat! This course is a tough one! You will learn something even if you don't get an A in the class. Heck, you will learn lots of things even if you don't pass the class! BUT if you are looking for a good grade and an easy class....close the screen, back away from your computer, and quickly head up to the campus to drop this course. I speak from experiance here! It is amazing how much this course demands from you. After taking this course twice now, I will be amazed if I get a passing grade. I have went up to the campus weekly to take the test. I went on a field trip to a power plant (which was awesome,) I am going to squeeze in a last minute trip to a farm....all for the fun and learning of it....yet still...I may not pass. Why? because I am horrible with homework this semester. It isn't the postings, I can do that and be intellectual about it. It is mostly the reading and the application projects. But hey, if you can stick with it....good for you....read other people's letters for tips. If you have even a glimmer of doubt - don't walk, run! :-) Hope you learn as much as I did, heck, I hope you learn more! Catherine  Siebert __________________________ Dear Future Students You have just entered the ride of your life Environmental Science. This class so much is going to coming at you at a very fast pace that you are going to think you are in a race. There are many phases in a online class you have your assignments, workload and activities and exams. First, let me start with the assignments. When you first start the class you will be given a number that will remain with you for the rest of the class. This number you will be assign will determined the number of question you have to do in the discussion questions. For example if you are given number 22, you will do number 22 in the discussion broad every week. Real simple, most of the times you will read a section in the book and be required to give an summary of what you read in your OWN WORDS. This is very important that you don’t just copy from the book because Ms. Fey is looking for you interruption and understanding of the material. During a 7 day week you are required to sign on at least 5 out of 7 days and post or reply to other student’s comments. Then you have your workload. It’s important that if you are working that you prioritize your week according. I found myself falling behind many of nights because I didn’t do this. Working and going to school is no easy task so many different things are pulling at you and require your attention that if you are not careful one will get neglected. This is not a hard class however; it shouldn’t be taken for granted. You must do the work in order to pass the class. Work consists of as mention before signing on 5 of 7 times and participating in daily discussions. Depending on the option you select going to South campus taking a weekly exam which I STRONGLY RECOMMEND, then replying to summaries of those that elected to do a report. There is also the surprise homework which could be posted anywhere they only way to find it is you must read every comment posted because it could be ANYWHERE. Finally, take advantage of the extra credit. It’s not hard and you will learn so much. I did one and I must admit I had a blast I learned so much. This class will definitely change your outlook on things. It will open your eyes to other things and make you realize just how valuable this earth is and how we need to take care of it. You will find yourself being more conscience to your environment. This can be enjoyable class if you come with an open mind and the willingness to learn. Enjoy your 8 weeks and have fun it will go by quick, good luck! Bryant Wright _______________________ Future Student, What can I say; this class really pushed my limits when it came to time. I work 60 hours a week and was enrolled in another class at the same time. I can say that I learned many interesting facts. The parts that really interested me were the local ones that helped to put energy and water us into perspective. The pace is grueling for a person with a full time job and family at home, and there isn’t much forgiveness when it comes to timelines and deadlines. I would have actually considered changing my class choice the first day if I would have known it was going to be as demanding. I will also say if you can get to the college to take the weekly exam it does save time. I did this and was not that horrible. I do know make sure you pay attention to details when studying for the exams it will help allot. With much work and dedication you can make it through. Sincerely, Stacey Campbell __________________________ Welcome to Environmental Science 1050. This may all seem very confusing at this point, but after the first week it is an easy routine. Before taking this class I had four online classes and this one at first seemed to be by far the most confusing. After the first week I found it was no more confusing than any other. There are two things you should do if you want to succeed in this class. The first one is you must read the book and lectures. I don’t know how anyone to do well in this class without doing the readings. The second thing is to set aside time each day to do your assignments and readings. If you set time aside you will be able to stay on top of the assignments and you won’t fall behind. There is a lot of work, but the topics covered are so interesting you won’t even notice. You will learn some disturbing things about how human activities are negatively effecting the environment and what we can do to reverse these effects. I chose the Gas Saver option which was perfect for me because I work full time. Here is how I structured my week: Day 1-Print off the weeks assignments, start reading the book and respond to an article on the DB Day 2-Finish reading the book, do the DQ question and respond to a DQ Day 3-Research for Application Project, look for extra credit if I haven’t found it already and participate on the DB Day 4-Finish Application Project and participate on the DB Day 5-Take exam at South Campus and participate on the DB Day 6 or 7-Respond to a summary This class may seem very confusing, but it’s not. All you need to do is relax and dive in because it will get much easier as the week moves along. Professor Fey is very quick to respond to emails if you have any questions. Good Luck, Michael Cunningham ___________________________ Welcome Future Students! First off all I would like to congratulate you for picking this class as an online course. I know most of you are already panicked and confused but trust me it¡¦s not bad as it seems to be and you will get the hang of it as week goes by. Let me simply warn you by saying this class is not going to be easy and will require lots of times from you. Throughout the eight weeks course you will learn bazillion thins related to our earth, food, population, people, water, and energy sources. Every week will be a new knowledge week where you will gain so much, and you would want to share that piece of information with your family and friends. The one top most important thing in your mind should be in order to succeed for this course you have to READ, READ, and READ! IF you can¡¦t tell this to yourself perhaps this class is not meant for you seriously. Then as you start the week¡¦s assignments, you will be given an opportunity whether to take the weekly tests (in which you have to take the exam and do an application) or become a Report student where you have to do the objective/guide questions, application, and the article every week. For me, I chose to do the reports because I am not a science student who can remember the things easily and then go take the exam but rather for me the reports seemed the right option. But you do what you think you are comfortable in doing. As every student has a different way of learning things. Okay, now that you have decided whether you want to be an exam student or a report student you can start making your weekly table as to what you would do each as the week begins. For instance, if you are an exam student then you will have to do a Discussion board question which is assigned to you during the first week and the questions are usually due by Wednesday midnight (at least was for our class). Then comes the weekly applications, which requires an extensive research, contacting your local, visiting your local libraries, visiting some plants, and so forth. Since they take lots of time from you, you have to get it started if possible by Monday or Tuesday else you will be fall behind and feel overwhelmed by those questions that you would start procrastinating (you don¡¦t want to do that!). These applications are due every Saturday¡¦s. So, mark your calendar or anywhere where you know what¡¦s being due each day everyday. So, basically that is all you have to do take the exam, do the application, answer the DB question given to you, and the most important thing is the homework feedbacks which is the major percentage of the class and all you have to do is leave a meaningful comment to your peers or if you thought something was interesting for 5 days out of 7. You can choose the days you like and that will give you enough participation points. If you decide to be a report student like I was then you have got no time to waste. I did slacked a bit when I use to do the study guide questions though they don¡¦t seem that bad doing the 25 questions but remember they have big chunks of sections to each questions and that can take up lots of time. You seriously don¡¦t want to leave things to later and think you can come back to it later; else you will fall behind and feel it will be so hard for you to keep up with the class. On Monday¡¦s try to answer your DB question, which is due on Wednesday, and get started on your objective guide questions they are usually 20-15 at times total of 15 questions so make your schedule that you will do at least 5,7 or 10 the max everyday so by Friday you¡¦re done with it. Meaning after you¡¦re done with the questions do the applications which requires extensive research, make sure you understand what¡¦s being asked from you. Let¡¦s say if you can¡¦t understand something e-mail Prof. Fey or ask your peers they are very helpful and will boost you like a true friend to the question being asked. Make sure you have time left to go back to the questions you answered to see if they have been answered completely and then look if you haven¡¦t copied or paraphrases anything. If you do, you will be given a FIRST WARNING but after that there is no warning simply kicked out of class. So, make sure you don¡¦t even come close to the first warning by Prof. And then choose the article you wish to do and then get ahead start for the application by Wednesday or Thursday because they really ask for lots of time from you. And lastly do not EVER EVER forget to post a meaningful comment to your peers or to something interesting you think to earn you some participation points which holds a heavy percentage. Then, there¡¦s no way left for you to be panic or confused. And yes, always make sure you read all of the students answers to look if Prof. Fey has posted a Surprise or an Extra Credit question. Just make sure you do the planning and follow on that path and don¡¦t ever procrastinate. Keep telling yourself, YOU CAN DO ITƒº. All of good wishes are with you all. Sincerely, Karishma Sharma _____________________________ Dear Future Students, I know what you’re thinking? The schedule for this class is crazy and there is no way you will have time for it. I felt the same way as I searched through the registration booklet trying to figure out when the last day to drop this class was. First of all, calm down and stop panicking!!!! It’s not half as bad as it sounds the first week. By the second week you’ll have a routine that can’t go wrong. First start out by choosing which option is best for you. One option is taking a test every week, doing the application project, and responding to another students thoughts about the week. The second option is writing a seminar report and posting your thoughts on the Discussion Board. You can change your mind through out the semester so if you don’t like the option you have chosen, just change it. I chose the first option because it was convenient for me. At first the word project freaked me out too but it’s not at all what you think. The application projects were really interesting and believe it or not sometimes fun!!!!!! As for the tests, read the assigned material and read EVERYTHING that is on the Discussion Board. If you have never taken an online class the board is basically a section where you post your responses to comments of other students. Ok this is how the week goes: First you are assigned a question every week that you must answer and post to the Discussion Board by Day 3. This question comes from the book and sometimes requires a little bit of research on the web which Mrs. Fey always provides a source. Besides the question you have to respond to another students question or an article at least five days out of the week. During this time I can’t stress enough that you should be reading every single message that anybody posts because questions appear on the test from the Discussion Board. Another reason to read everything is that Extra Credit and Discussion Board Surprise Homework appears all the time which has a specific due date and you have to find it yourself. Don’t worry, it’s easy! You get 20 points for attendance which is the Discussion Board and these points are so important because they help you pass or help you fail. There is no way you’ll pass the class without participating and you don’t even have to log on at a certain time, just make sure you do it everyday. Other pointers are, start your application project early. DO NOT wait until last minute because you might just have to go the library or contact someone from your city for extra information. Just remember to start a routine and everything will flow from there. Good Luck Chauntael Shamon __________________________ Summer 2006 This science class is very intense. In this class we learned many different aspects of the environment including energy, water, food population, global warming, and species. The course load is tremendous, but manageable. There are many assignments to do if you chose not to take the weekly exam. Taking the weekly exam greatly reduces the work for the week. The objective/guide questions are very in-depth and the application projects are very interesting and informative. The exam is not too hard if you read and comprehend all of the required reading for the week and participate in the discussion board daily. It is very important to participate in the discussion board at least five days of the week. My impression of this class in the beginning was very overwhelming. However, once I got into a routine the work wasn’t so bad. I learned a lot of new information about the environment as well as my community. The information we learned in this class was very interesting and it also helped me in my daily life as well. The best advice I can give is not to get overwhelmed with the course load and don’t give up on the class. Setting up a good schedule in the beginning is very helpful. My schedule was based on taking the weekly exams as opposed to doing the full report. Day 1- Complete all required reading and finish assigned discussion question – post it to the discussion board. Days 2-6- Work on the application project. Make sure to leave plenty of time for research. Attendance 5 of 7 days per week. This is a very important part of you final grade! Make sure to read all new posts. Surprise homework will be randomly mixed into the posts. Overall, I am very happy that I took this class. I learned a wealth of knowledge that will help me in life and help me to preserve the environment. Jennifer Knobel ENVS 1050 SS2006 ________________________ To those students just starting Environmental Science 1050: This is a very interesting class about all aspects of the environment. I have learned many things about the sustainability of the earth, ecosystems, pollution, water and different types of waste. I have been also made to think about my use, reuse, misuse and recycling efforts of the environment. After reading the welcome letter and syllabus, you may be thinking that you got in over your head. The class is time consuming but I have learned more about the science of the environment than I had in the past 4 years of high school. I chose to do the seminars and as long as you give yourself plenty of time to complete them, you're OK. I felt that writing down all the answers to the questions, doing the application project, using the web resources and writing the summary reinforced all the information from that weeks seminar for me. My advice is to read all of the posts, you learn a lot from everyone’s input and you may find a secret homework assignment that helps with your points. Be careful when you are getting information from the web that you put everything in your own words and also relax, you will learn a lot. Anthony Velez __________________________ To the Future Students: This course was very time consuming and very interesting. You will learn about all kind of things having to do with pollution, population, food, energy, water resources, ECT…You will learn about a lot of interesting facts, especially the opinions because you will have some debates going on as well. This class was very difficult so you essentially teach yourself and set up a routine that will suit you everyday. The nice thing about the online class is the instant messenger! It is there at your convenience whenever you need help or just need to ask a question from a student or the instructor, the instant messenger is very helpful. I found the applications in the homework helped me find out interesting facts about my community. I found http://scorecard.org/ to be very fun and interesting. This site helps you find different sources of pollution in your community and it has showed me a lot about my community! I could not believe the facts I found, they were helpful and taught me a great deal about what kind of pollution is in the air I breathe in. During this whole semester this is my favorite site because it is very informative and has taught me a lot. In the beginning, the class is a little hectic, but you tend to get into the groove of things, and things settle down and you are able to work better. As you start the course, you will learn that you will have to post in the Discussion Board everyday 5 times a week to earn attendance points. Make sure you read all of the posts made on the Discussion Boards and check your class email daily for any updates. I have enjoyed being in this class and making the friends I did. Just relax and you will do fine in the class. Good luck in the upcoming semester and keep on learning! Jennifer Wright ENVS 1050 SS2006 ________________________ Thus far in my life this is the most involved, demanding and fast paced class I have ever taken. Mind you it was a summer class and therefore it was condensed into an eight week mind-melting brain freeze, but I have taken many condensed summer classes and none of them were like this. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this class is overly excessive and unfair, it is not. The subject is extremely interesting and I feel I am walking away from it not only wiser but more considerate of my surroundings. However, most classes I have taken will exaggerate the expectations in the course description and syllabus. This class does not. Did you see the insane amount of hours expected of you on the course description? Believe it! The work required to successfully complete this class is not extremely difficult, the amount of work is. Anyone who makes the decision to put forth enough effort to pass will do so. If you took this class in order to get an ‘easy A’ get your money back while you still can. Choose the option to take the test at the college each week, you will thank me later. I attempted to write the weekly papers only to screw up the first two weeks and be forced to readjust to the testing method on week three. The time you save in the testing method will be huge even if you have to drive two hours to the college in order to do it. So cancel any magazine subscriptions you currently have, send the kids away to camp, put the pets in a cryogenic freezer, and stock up on Red Bull energy drinks. You're gonna need every minute you can spare for this class. All kidding aside you will learn a great deal from this class. With as much time as I have had to put forth in order to survive in this class I am still pleased I chose it. It may be one of the few classes you take which will truly re-shape your thinking and improve your attitude towards many of your daily activities. …as long as your brain doesn't explode first. Jeffrey Ries ________________________ Let me start by saying I wish you the best of luck in this course. No matter if you are taking the course because it is a requirement or if it’s because you have a genuine interest in the subject, I think you will find it eye opening. The quantity of work required to complete each of the seminars is overwhelming. You may want to consider taking the exams if your schedule allows; unfortunately, mine did not. The seminars require a lot of research, phone calls and in some cases visits. The time investment required is not an exaggeration. It will be hard to fully comprehend all of the seminars as a result of the quantity of work you must complete. I would recommend that you read everything thoroughly on the first day of the seminar as it will require planning to complete. There is a lot of information to cover in just 8 weeks –be sure to pace yourself. I again wish you the best of luck. Karen Thompson-Hooks _______________________ This class is very paced. If you are going to commit to this class you really need to have your study habits in full gear. You will learn many interesting facts about our enviromnet and how it affects the earth. Even if you don't care for the environment the things you will learn will make you think twice. I really did care but I realized what we are doing to our earth and it will suprise you. DO NOT..I repeat DO NOT wait till the last minute to finish your assignments...you will regret you even joined this class. I did a few seminars and mostly exams. If you do not have much time during the week I suggest you take the exams because the work load will be cut down by alot. Don't be scared when you first read the syllabus, it really is not that difficult when you get a couple days in. Don't panic, that is the worst thing to do. Be calm and take it one day at a time. Take advantage of asking questions with your classmates..they are in the same boat, help each other out. Know that there will be alot of sacrificing especially if you had a busy week. Friday and Saterday nights might be homework nights. If your behind for that week don't let your friends distract you to go out!! If you plan during the week you will be fine. Get the work done and you will feel good, but then you start all over again. You will be in 5th gear and in the fast lane for eight weeks, don't pull over to take pictures!! The first week will be the hardest, but trust me I work full time and I managed. Relax, learn some good stuff and for you young ones, this will be a great learning experience because it will teach you how to manage your studies. If you get through this class...then most of your other classes will not be so tuff. This is my last class before I graduate after 4 1/2 years of school, you can do it!! Good Luck to you all, and welome to the elite!! Thomas Durakovic ________________________ To Whom It May Concern: Congratulations on choosing to enroll in Envs 1050. You will find this class very interesting, and very very time consuming. I took this class because I thought it would be a plow-off: wrong. Be prepared to work, the homework is very time consuming and tedious. You will learn about the environment, food, population, and pollution. The most important thing I learned was how to manage my time, and you will need it if you're taking other classes or working. Now don't get scared this class isn't that bad. The work is relatively easy just very time consuming. I read a letter from another student at the beginning of this semester, and thought about dropping this class. I am glad I didn't because I learned a lot of interesting things. A couple of things I can tell you to help you is first and foremost don't do the seminar reports. Take the exams, they are fairly easy if you do your reading and the discussion questions are a great study guide. A good way to setup your week is to get your Discussion question in Sunday night. Make your first post and post your DQ Monday. Make a post every day and do you application project throughout the week. Take the exam Friday or Saturday and have the weekend to your self. Good luck to all of you. Thomas Stockton _________________________ Hello You are about to take off into one of the most interesting classes you will ever take. This class has taught me how to be wise in dealing with our enviornment. I really enjoyed learning about how we can improve our earth. I have a lot of advice for you. First, make sure you use time management. I cannot stress it enough. It is very important to get into a weekly role and stick to it. I suggest that you do the weekly reading and take the exam every week. I never did the project. I hear that they are are VERY TIME consuming. Make sure you check all the messages on the Discussion Board. The professor sometimes hides extra credit and surprise homework within the threads, so always check them out. Make sure you attend class everyday. The attendance points are a huge part of your grade. The first week, spend time getting use to the website. It will be helpful. Overall, just do the work on time and with effort. After a few weeks, you will be on a role, and the class will fly by. Good Luck! Joey Orr __________________________ Dear future student, Welcome to the class. This class is very difficult. I'm glad that I've been able to get through it. If you're able to learn on your own without any physical human interaction, then this is the class is for you. You're able to IM other students and the instructor if you need help. You have to do a lot of work, about 20 questions per week. Each of these questions contain sub questions, making it somewhere around 80 questions every week. On top of this, you also need to work on an application project. This usually entails a lot of research about where you live. You might have to spend a lot of time on this since you'll have to make phone calls and search the web. The easiest part of the week is the web resources assignment for the week. You only need to read the articles from one of the listed sites, quote two facts and two opinions, and provide a summery of the site. Another easy part of the class is the daily posting. As long as you contribute to the discussion, you'll get a good grade on it. There are also the discussion questions, which are normally just providing a summery of a section from the book. It's good to learn about the various things you can do to save money and help with the environment. If it's not for the environment, you can save a few bucks here and there. One thing that really interested me was how electricy is made. This class is already helping me out with some aspects of my nutrition class. You can apply a lot of the things you learn in this class to a lot of things in your life. I wish you good luck and good grades, Anthony Grubowski __________________________ You will hear this often...DON'T PANIC! This class is very time consuming so be prepared and make sure to set aside plenty of time for research. You will learn so many things from this course that you will take with you for the rest of your life. I am a vegetarian and we do quite a bit of recycling in our house so I thought I knew a thing or two about helping our environment, but this class has opened my eyes to so much other information that I never knew was out there. Or you know, but look the other way! All I can say as far as advice is hang in there-the first two weeks will be a challenge, but after that you will have a routine down-just keep up with it. There were a few weeks I was so busy with work and my other classes that I was unable to complete some of the projects so I am not taking with me the grade I should be. That aside I am taking much more knowledge and concern for our environment. I am also passing it on to family and friends so get ready and hold on tight. This is one course you will be glad you took! :) Andria Shepherd   Winter 2006 2 Hello everyone! Welcome to Environmental Science 1050! I have to say that this was the most informative and interesting class I have ever taken. I was never really interested in the environment or thought I had time to care. Well, this class changed my life in that aspect! I have learned that I don’t need to have time to help the environment! There are so many things a person can do in their everyday life that positively effects and lessens the impact on the environment for you and future generations. This class will be somewhat overwhelming for some of you in the beginning! Especially if you have never taken an online class before! However, I urge you to stick with it! Once you get through the first week or two you will be glad you stuck around! Every single seminar (or week) in this class will teach you something you probably never knew before. The lessons you learn may change your life like they did mine! Professor Fey does a great job relaying all this new information in a manner that you can understand. Through projects that are completed throughout the seminars, you will be able to apply these learned concepts to your everyday life! Just make sure that you read ALL the threads in the discussion board along with the entire link for your seminar packet (may sound foreign now, but once you start you will understand)! A lot of extra credit opportunities and surprise discussion board homework (not extra credit L ) hides within the threads and seminar packets! Always make sure that you get all the points for your weekly attendance! That way, if you do not get to study as much as you would like to for your exams or weren’t as thorough as you would like on your seminar reports you will still get a good overall grade for the week! So, sit back and enjoy the ride! I know I did! Jillian Kennedy ____________________________ Hello new students, and welcome to ENVS 1050! This class will definitely teach you something you will always remember. I have learned more from this class than any other class I have ever taken in my life. The knowledge you will gain will not only stick with you forever, but make you want to take action! The work load may seem a little overwhelming at first, but once you get past the first week, you will get in a routine, and it will be a breeze! The assignments and exams will not be difficult for you if you keep on top of everything and don't fall behind! If you plan on taking the exams make sure you read and understand all of the assigned material. Do not wait until the last day! This is definitely not a class you can procrastinate in! Make sure to read all the captions, look at all the tables, guest essays, etc in the text! Also make sure you read everything in the DQ and keep your eyes peeled at all times for any extra credit or surprise homework! I would honestly recommend taking this class to anyone! Karen Didia ________________________ Hello new student! I remember raising my eyebrows in skepticism when I read on the first day that this class would change my life, but I cannot tell you how true that statement is! This class is very, very interesting, but is a lot of work. The biggest variable to how much work you’ll have to do is whether or not you choose to take the weekly exam or do the weekly seminar reports. I chose to do the seminar reports. My biggest reason for this was that I know I do not do well on written tests. I also know my study habits, and knew that I was not disciplined enough to sit down and read and study to be appropriately prepared for the exam. Even though the seminar reports are a lot of work, I believe I scored better on them than I would have on the exams (my grades on the seminar reports ranged from 85% to 100% if I did the extra credit). The reports are not hard, they are just time-consuming (answering the Objective/Guide questions takes one or two days). I averaged several hours of homework a day. Another key is to participate in the online discussions. Even though I scored in the 80’s for most of my seminar reports, I will most likely still get an A in the class since I had 100% participation. She’s not that picky…a few relevant reflections and comments each day are all that’s required, and you’ll actually probably find that you find the articles and discussions so interesting that you don’t mind reading them and spouting off your opinion anyways! Also, if you have the time, do the extra credit…it makes a huge difference in your grade! I didn’t do as much of it as I should have simply due to time constraints. I have to add that Professor Fey keeps on top of her class more than any other online instructor I’ve had. All emails and questions are answered the same day, and grading is kept current so you always know where you stand. She also participates in the online discussions with you, which shows how involved she is, which I love. I truly enjoyed this class, and will take what I’ve learned from it with me always, and have promised myself to educate others with the information I’ve been lucky enough to learn in here. Good luck! Shanna McMahon ______________________________ Welcome Future Student! This Environmental Science online course is a lot of work, but in the end you will learn so many things that you probably would never of known. The first week is a bit difficult, but after the first, the rest of the weeks just keep on getting better. In order to take this class you will need to be an organized person. The assignments throughout this course are due on certain due dates, and you have to remember what is due when. I strongly suggest you keep a schedule because all of the weeks are practically the same just new material. Many of the assignments are fun, and you will learn tons! This course requires a lot of your time, so be prepared. I work full time, go to school full time as well, and had enough time to get all of my work done. You will read the course syllabus, and if you are a busy person I suggest you take option 1, and take the weekly exams. There is a lot of class participation, and conversations going on, but it stays interesting, and are always learning something new. Your class participation is a huge part of your grade. You may get confused in the beginning, but everyone is here to help, and if you post a question in the discussion board within an hour or so, if not the professor, one of the students will come to your aid. The number one thing that I have to suggest you do is read ALL of the posts in the discussion board including all subthreads. In order for the professor to make sure you are reading everything, she hides surprise homework within the discussions. This is a tough class, but Professor Fay provides a lot of extra credit just in case! Don’t drop this class; in the end you will have learned so many new and interesting facts! This moves so quickly, it will be over before you know it! Sincerely, Deana Allen ____________________________ Hello everyone!! Well, if this is your first online class, you’re in for a surprise! The things people warned you about aren’t all true. Yes it’s a lot of work, but if you find it more convenient to do work at your own time, then this is for you. This was my third online class, so I knew what to expect. I found that with work and taking a class at campus, the online class helped out with my schedule and allowed me to get more credits without actually having to go every week. But don’t get me wrong; the workload isn’t less, it mostly about time management. The first week is always the hardest. You’re learning what’s due when, what the teacher is actually expecting from you, and deciding whether or not you can do the class. I know we started out with a lot more students than we ended up with, but the ones that stuck with it are glad they did. This class has a nice perk to it that my other online classes didn’t. The professor allows you to choose between options each week of how you want to proceed with the workload each week. I have to admit that I always chose taking the exams. I found that it was easier for me with having less work from the projects to have done. Though, it was sometimes hard getting down to the campus to take the exam, the workload was easier with my life’s schedule. The exams weren’t hard if you studied for them. They were all multiple choice, but I found myself a few weeks unable to study for them and my grade definitely showed that. I used to book to study for the exam and found that it worked very well for me. I suggest not waiting until the last minute to finish your work. At times it may not sound like a lot, but once you get into it you’ll find it takes more time than you anticipated. I know I have! The class is actually very interesting. I’ll be honest, when I signed up, it was just another required class for my degree and thought it was going to be quite boring. I’m headed for a law enforcement degree and didn’t think that I would be that interested in environmental science, but actually it really catches your attention. The things you learn are about things that affect you. I love learning knew things, especially when I can relate to them!! I even found myself saying, wow I just learned about that when listening to the speech President Bush gave or that discovery channel program. I could watch it and actually have a solid opinion and know what everyone was talking about. You will find the class very interesting, I believe. Just stick with it, it’s over before you know it and the professor is very helpful and nice. Good luck with your class—I’m sure you’ll do great!! ~Michelle N. __________________________ First of all: BREATHE. Things may appear crazy and hectic right now, but it gets easier - I promise. When I first started this class, I was worried I was the only one feeling a little lost and overwhelmed, but everyone feels like that - you're not alone! Secondly, this class is time consuming. It seems like a lot of teachers say that, but this class really does take time and patience. You have to participate in the DB 5/7 days, with quality answers and responses. On top of that, there's the application project(s), and either seminar reports or studying for the test. *PLUS: "Surprise Homework" found in the Discussion Board. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this class if it's your first time taking an online course. That's not to say you couldn't get into the swing of it, but I would recommend a little "practice," first ... even if that means using Macomb's website to test out an online course a couple times. Once you get the hang of things, you'll hopefully find yourself in a routine each week. For example, my routine was this: DAY 1 - Read packet under "Course Material," to get a feel for the week. Then I would participate in the DB for my attendance points. DAY 2 - work on DB ?, participate in DB for attendance points, begin application project if time allowed. DAY 3 - post DB ?, reply to another classmates DB ?, begin / continue application project DAY 4 - make sure to get attendance points, and continue application project DAY 5 - study for the test, try and finish application project, participate in DB DAY 6 - take test, finish application project if incomplete. Good luck, and stick it out, you'll learn a lot of interesting facts through out the sememster, even about your own community. ___________________________ Hello Future Students of ENVS 1050! Welcome to Environmental Science! Depending on what kind of person you are, you will love or hate this class. It’s very easy to get caught up in procrastinating and not starting your work at the best time. Above all, start your work on Wednesday! Don’t wait till Saturday, it isn’t going to happen! There is so much work to be done in the seminar reports that you cannot wait until the last day or two to do it, or at least to expect to get a good grade. If you don’t have a lot of time in your schedule, this would not be the class for you to take at that time. The first week of class is going to be very frustrating and you will probably panic. It’s not bad after the first week, you just have to get used to how everything runs and what your goals are each week. That aside, this class had a wonderful amount of information in it. I’m not a science major, so I was taking the class just as an elective, but I was nevertheless in awe at all the things I was beginning to learn about our environment, and how poorly we are taking care of it. You may read this and nod your head saying “Oh, I know how that is, I’ve heard it in school and on the news and I already know.” I can already tell you, “No you don’t!” Professor Fey teaches an unimaginable amount of information in the eight week period she has with you, and it’s so interesting to read. The articles she posts in the discussion board are both informative and fun. Speaking of the discussion board, it’s one of the most important things in the class. Participation (attendance) can easily make or break your grade. If you aren’t doing well on the seminar reports/exams, then attendance points can definitely help you. Strive to get perfect attendance throughout the course. There is also (as you have probably read from other papers or heard from other students) “Discussion Board Surprise Homework”. Well, I made the mistake of not reading everything on the discussion board, and even though I knew about it, could not find this surprise homework throughout the whole semester, which was a 5 point loss a seminar. Read EVERYTHING! Posting and starting conversations with people not only is a requirement, but it’s so much fun. I made a friend in this class through the discussion board, and we talk on instant messenger now and everything. Post, post, post! Above all, the biggest thing I can say to you is don’t panic. Sticking with the course until the end can be the best thing you can do, especially if you are worried about if you should drop, or not passing, or anything relating to that. This course will teach you so much about something that a majority of the world knows little or nothing about, and does about the same to help its cause. I hope you do well in the class and learn just as much as I did! Stay calm, learn as much as you can, and participate! David Mety ________________________ Hello Environmental Science class! You are now going to be taking this online class. I have to tell you, it is going to be a lot of work, but it is a very interesting class. You will learn a lot of things about the environment and where you live, etc. that you probably would never have known if you didn’t take this class. I really enjoyed this class! You might be overwhelmed the first week, I know I was. I was so lost and so confused, and thought I was the only one. But trust me, everyone is like that. You will get the hang of it by the second week. You have to get into a routine and you will be fine. But, be careful though, don’t procrastinate. I admit I did do that sometimes and I always regretted it. I waited until the last minute to start my application projects or start studying and in the end it only made things so much harder. So, my advice is to start doing your work right away. You will be given a choice of taking an exam on campus each week or doing the work that was assigned that week instead. You can do either or every week as long as you let the Professor know ahead of time. I did both depending on my schedule. Some weeks I did the work and other weeks I took the test. I liked having the option of doing either one. You will be required to participate online in the Discussion Board at least 5 days a week. You will post your comments, opinions, answers, etc. That is an easy 20 points each week for attendance. Make sure that you do participate in the DB because those points can really help your grade. My advice to the new students in this class is to hang in there. Don’t worry if you are panicking the first week because you are lost, everyone else is in the same boat. You will get used to it and this class will fly by. The end of the eight weeks will be here in no time. Lisa Herrera _______________________ So you’ve signed up for this particular online class. You say to yourself, “It sounds easy, I can pretend to care about the environment and probably BS the rest of my way through it.” Guess what...NOT gonna happen!! Aside from having to do weekly reports or taking weekly exams, you have a weekly application project (sometimes two) and daily postings as well. Not to mention all the reading and researching!! Do NOT waste any time in this class, you WILL regret it. Prof. Fey teaches so much in so little time that you will be amazed in the end (if you stick it out until then) how much you’ve learned and how much it will impact your life. This class is very fast-paced and if you have a busy schedule already, you might want to rethink this particular class. Not to discourage you, or to say Ms. Fey is a bad instructor, but trust me, there’s A LOT to do in very little time. I had 3 other classes this semester too and I was lucky to get any sleep at all! I think we started out with around 25 students, and ended up with only about half of that in the end. Actually, I had attempted to take this class before and had to drop by the first 2 weeks too, because I was so overwhelmed. I was seriously thinking of dropping this time around too….I have no idea how I made it this far! So...yes, it is very hectic at first. Actually, for me, the whole 8 weeks was pretty hectic! But if you really try your best and honestly want to learn more about the environment and what you can do to make a difference, this is the perfect class for you. Prof. Fey has interesting discussions on the discussion board and exciting application projects. For the application project, there will be lots of research and calling around to ask people questions, so make sure you don’t wait until the last minute. I did this a couple times and had to take a day off work during the week just to make up for it. I wish everyone the best of luck and hope that, in about 8 weeks, you not only be glad you made it through the class, but you will walk away with an open mind and better understanding of our environment. Oh, one more thing...have fun!! Mai Vue _______________________ Well, first things first you think this class is really really easy you are mistaken.It is not the hardest class i have ever taken but it is very tedious and if you are not computer literate you have a problem,But this class is really cool in the sense that you learn allot about the environment you would have never thought or knew about.One thing that i can pass on to you is that don't start the projects late because it will make you stresses out.Also take advantage of asking your classmates questions, 9 time out of 10 they will respond, on that note good luck. Adam ________________________ Dear New Student, Let's see, so it’s your first day and you are probably wondering about this class. Let me just tell you honestly that you will be complaining about this class for the next eight weeks. It is super confusing to get through all of the letters and webpages and explanations to understand what you are supposed to do. I know my first week I messed up because I got lost in what I was supposed to do. Basically it is like this: there is a project seminar every week. If you take the exam (which I recommend) then you only have to do the application part of the seminar. This application project is extremely time-consuming. They usually involve scrolling through websites and searching for information. Google will become your best friend for these projects. You also have to post on the discussion board five days a week. The weeks start on Wednesday and end on Tuesday. Also there is surprise homework in the discussion board. A secret is to use the “threaded” method of viewing the discussion board and find where Professor Fey has posted. Check to see what she has posted and the surprise homework will be within that. So I know this is all very overwhelming, but take a deep breath. Remember that in eight weeks you will be done with this class. Be prepared to devote lots of time to this class and getting those projects done. I would drop this class unless you absolutely need it. If you want to learn about the environment, buy the textbook and just read that, save yourself the hassle of this class! Good luck! Sincerely, Laura Claus ______________________ Dear future student, Congratulations on enrolling in environmental science! If you have never taken an online class, then I suggest that read everything very carefully and more than one time if you need to. The first week of class is very overwhelming and you will probably be thinking, "What did I get myself into?" After the first couple of weeks, you will get into a routine and you won't panic anymore. The first couple of weeks were really tough on me because I am taking three other classes. Good Luck and I hope that you succeed! Shelly Rata ________________________ Dear Future Student, I won’t lie to you in this letter. You will either love or hate this class. I personally was not a big fan, but let me tell you why. If you are like me and don’t have a lot of time to spend doing the required reading for the class, GET OUT NOW! You will most likely be better off taking the class on-site instead of online. I should have taken this class on-site. Professor Fey is a very knowledgeable about environmental issues. You can learn a lot from her, but you will need to spend a lot of time (Up to 20 hours per week) doing the reading, and posting to the discussion board. Time management is key in this class. I can’t stress this enough, if you tend to slack off, especially with the readings or postings, you WILL NOT do well in the class. Although it may seem like there is an insane amount of work, (especially in the 1st week) you can manage it if you manage your time wisely. DO NOT wait until Sunday night to start working on your assignments like me. If you do, you WILL NOT make it through. You can save some time taking an on-site exam every week, but make sure you have done the reading from the textbook, otherwise you WILL NOT do well on these exams. There is also “Surprise Discussion Board Homework”, and after 8 weeks I still have no idea what this is or where you find it. I didn’t get any of the points for it during any of the 8 weeks. (It was only 5-10 points per week). I don’t want to sound completely negative about this class. You can enjoy it and learn, as long as you are doing the reading and posting on the discussion board. However, as I have said above, if you tend to slack, and not do what is required, I WOULD NOT recommend this class to you. I hope this letter has given you a better understanding of what to expect. Good Luck! Erik Anderson ________________________ Winter 2006 1 Dear Future Student, Welcome to environmental science! This course will teach you so many new things! If your reading this, it means it is your first day of class. Don't PANIC! Relax it isn't as bad as it seems right now. Although it isn't as bad as it seems, make sure you set aside plenty of time for this class. If you don't have the time this class will not work out for you. This class takes a good amount of involvement. This course was not like any other online class I have taken, Professor Fey really interacts actively within the classroom. Once you get into the swing of things it won't seem that bad. I recommend that you read everything, sometimes twice. This information is very useful! When you start working on your seminar reports, make sure to take a close look at the application project portion. Sometimes these projects require information that you cannot obtain from the Internet. Choose your time wisely, study, read and stay involved and you will be just fine. You can do it! :) Best of Luck, Andrea Mamrot ________________________ Dear Future ENVS Student, My first suggestion to you is, really, don’t panic! When you read the syllabus you will most definitely feel overwhelmed, but not to worry, it gets better. After the first week, or two, you will slip into a routine and you will wonder why you ever felt overwhelmed in the first place. I chose to do the seminar reports, which take up much more time than just taking the exams, but now that I am nearing the end of this course I am very happy with my decision. I recommend that if you are not good with taking exams, then the seminar reports are the way to go. Now I would like to offer up some advice. The most important thing that you do while in this course is to manage your time. Make a strict schedule of due dates and DON’T wander away from it. You absolutely have to manage your time to make it through this course, otherwise you will get behind. I think it was the second week of class that I got behind on my seminar report and I was so close to dropping out, but I am so happy that I didn’t. I have learned soooo much; I can’t even explain to you the extent of some of the things I have learned. I feel inclined to make a difference in this world by helping our environment, and I owe it all to this class, and of course to Professor Fey. Make sure you turn your assignments in on time; anything late will be marked down!! After being in this course for so long I feel like I need to tell everyone, I mean EVERYONE that I know about all of the information and knowledge that I have retained. If everyone knew about even half of the material that is covered in this course, our earth would be a much better, cleaner, and healthier place to live. Another piece of advice, READ! Read everything that is assigned to you, read everything in the discussion boards, don’t leave any thread unread. It is important to read everything in order to stay ahead in this class. Plus, extra credit opportunities sometimes hide in the discussion board, and it is always a disappointment if you miss them. Professor Fey posts Surprise discussion board homework every week, look for it, it is an easy 5 points and you learn a lot from it. Also make sure that you add as much to the discussion board as possible. I loved being able to communicate with everyone in the class, we shared our ideas and opinions and we all got to know each other pretty well, aside from the fact that we don’t know what one another look like. This course has really opened my eyes to the problems that our environment faces, and I believe that it will do the same for you. Professor Fey helped mold me into a better person, and honestly I didn’t think eight weeks could make such a difference in my life, but it did. There will be times throughout the course when you will think that you just can’t do it anymore, but you can and you will, and when you are writing your letter to the next group of future students you will be so proud of yourself for sticking with this course, and very happy with the amount of information that you have learned in such a small amount of time. This class is a revolution; I believe that it should be taught nationwide as a requirement to all high school and college students because it would make a huge difference in the well-being of this world. So be happy that you joined this revolution, and don’t panic or freak out, it will get better, I promise! Good luck! Sincerely, Mary Maniaci ____________________- Dear Future ENVS Student, Congratulations on taking this online class as it will be full of learning opportunities and development- but be aware it will challenge you maybe more than any other online class. You will expect to spend 15- 20 hours a week on this class. Biggest piece of advice I can offer is make sure you set aside time for this class. You are going to learn a lot in this class but it will only come with hard work. I am fortunate to have taken this class because I have increased my knowledge and awareness of the environment dramatically. So get ready and prepare yourself for a great learning experience, but make sure you give yourself enough time for it. Good Luck, Matthew Smigielski _______________________ May 8, 2006 Letter to Future Students of ENVS 1050 To Whom It May Concern: Welcome to Macomb, welcome to ENVS 1050, and if this is your first on-line class welcome to the wonderful world of cyber-classrooms. If you are feeling a bit nervous, that’s good; it means you care about the quality of your work. My first recommendation to you would be to read the letters from previous students. Since they have already walked where you are headed, you can make greater progress heeding their advice. Some students will give you general information on how to make your experience in this class successful, others will give you specific information as to how they managed their time, what option they chose for examinations, and systematically outline their experience in this class. My second recommendation is that you read everything, at least twice! If you have difficulty reading the web pages for any reason, copy them, and paste them to whatever word program you are using as “Unformatted Text”, and then adjust your needs accordingly. For me, I have over-40 eyes, so fine print is a struggle at times. Lastly and most importantly, believe what the professor says. If the professor says, students need to commit 24 hours a week to be successful in this course, than commit 24 hours a week to the class. You might even want to do a time study the first week to see how much time you did invest so you can adjust your schedule accordingly. If the professor provides or recommends a checklist to make sure you are on task, print it and use it. If the professor says you need to complete A before you move on to B, than believe it and complete A before you tackle B. It has been my experience that everyone at Macomb, especially the professors, wants you succeed. My first day 1. Signed into class 2. Read Course Announcement and followed said instructions 3. Open and read packets under Course Materials, printed (downloaded) as recommended 4. Linked to recommended website, read first day handout/syllabus, facilitator’s biography. 5. Read at least one note from a previous student, made notes of comments that were of interest to me. 6. Wrote my autobiography in a word program, used spell check, saved and uploaded into my folder, then posted my autobiography to the appropriate discussion board. (*Note uploading to the folder for this assignment is optional, you can just copy and paste to the appropriate discussion board, if you are reluctant to upload however, some assignments will require you to upload so you might as well practice). 7. Re-read Syllabus, downloaded recommended software. Practiced with said software. 8. Started recommended reading 9. Checked e-mail, had an e-mail from the professor. Downloaded e-mail attachment electronically “signed” said attachment and uploaded to my folder. 10. Enough for one night. ****** It’s been seven weeks, hard to believe I started writing this letter on the first day, so I thought I could really help out a future student. This class has been moving so quickly I haven’t had time to post, since. Looking back, here are a few more things to mention: In addition to recommendation from the professor, I liked using the study materials available through the textbook publisher although I didn’t always have the time to access them. They offer pretests, post tests and other helpful study materials. Choosing the time saver option, I took exams the entire 8 weeks. Depending on when you take this class however, you need to check with the LRC for variations in hours due to holidays, end of semester, spring break, etc. Read through the application project on day 1 of each seminar. Sometimes the project requires collecting data for an extended period of time, contacting organizations especially municipalities that are only available M-F, 9-5. If you wait until the end of the week chances are you will not be able to complete the project. If you don't understand something, ASK. Check the Discussion Board every day and Read every post made by Professor Fey. Do all the available extra credit. Since this class moves quickly, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or that you’re falling behind. Doing the extra credit work helps mitigate that feeling. Having taken numerous classes at Macomb, this class has done the most to impact how I live my life. From deciding whether or not to purchase an item, to how to properly dispose of what I do have, since the information you glean in this class as well as how you apply it will impact the future for all of us, this class is formidable. Be brave, nothing of value comes easily. It is the height of absurdity to sow little but weeds in the first half of one's lifetime and expect to harvest a valuable crop in the second half. ~ Percy H. Johnston __________________________________ Dear Future ENVS Student, Okay first things first, take a deep breath. You are probably thinking “What did I sign up for?” Actually you signed up for a very exciting class. The material is never boring and really keeps you motivated to push on. The work load is overwhelming for the first week. When you get all of your information from the first day I really suggest printing it out and highlighting important deadlines. An even better plan is make up your own checklist so you know what is due when. Mrs. Fey posts surprise discussion homework every week. It is super important that read all of the stuff that each person posts; this way you can find the homework. Also, by reading these posts sometimes another student will ask a question that you were wondering yourself. This will save Mrs. Fey from having to reply to the same question. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes other students can be a big help, if they can’t Mrs. Fey is always on top of the situation. Mrs. Fey also hands out extra credit; the catch is that you have to find it. It is not really hidden, but it is in threads that should be reading anyhow. I can’t stress this part enough you must read all the threads. My final piece of advice is the most important: I took this class technically twice; I dropped the first time after week two. The first time I attempted to take this class I also had three other classes and I was working full-time. Instead of listening to previous students and Mrs. Fey I chose to do the reports. This was my downfall!!! The reports are not difficult but they are very time consuming. Since I already had time restriction I just overloaded myself and was forced to drop the class. The second time was the charm; I took the former students advice and went ahead with taking the tests on campus. This option is the best, the exams are not “easy” but if you read and understand the material you will do just fine. If you can push your way through the first week, you will make it!!! Good Luck Learning Anthony Stonik _______________________ Dear Future ENVS Student, Perhaps you’re wondering how in the world is reading all these letters going to help me, but they really do help and I suggest you read them all. It really gives you insight on how all of the other students reacted to their first day of class. Okay so you may be feeling very overwhelmed right now reading over everything, but trust me it’s not as bad as it seems. I know you’re probably thinking “I am not going to be able to do this, this is just too confusing, and I think I should just drop the class.” DON”T DO IT!!!!! Just take a deep breathe and relax, believe me it will get much better and by next week you should have everything down pat. You just have to get into a routine. You have three choices you can choose from as to how you would like to complete this course. Option #1 is The Time Saver and you have to take a multiple choice exam on campus, complete the weekly application project, participate in discussion board discussions in addition to the Discussion Board Surprise Homework, and complete the weekly discussion question. Option #2 is The Gas Saver and you have to complete a weekly seminar report as it is explained at www.sciencescene.com/EnvironmentalScience/TitlePage.htm and you also have to participate in discussion board discussions. Option #3 is The Mind Saver and it is a combination of the first and second options. You can decide each week which option would be appropriate and most convenient for you. I choose Option #1 The Time Saver and I did this for every seminar and it worked out perfectly for me. You should print the seminar packet each week and then read all of the assigned reading assignments the night before the first day or at least by the end of the first day so you know what is going on and so you can either start taking notes for the exam or start working on the seminar report. Make sure you turn in assignments by their due date and also check and read all the posts in the discussion board for each seminar because Professor Fey posts surprise homework in the discussion board also known as DBSH. Also, don’t wait until the last second to work on the Application project. Start it early enough in the week in case you have to find information at places other than the internet. This class was so informative. I learned so much each week I thought my head was going to explode (in a good way). Nothing was ever boring and it was exciting to learn about our environment and what actually goes on in our environment and how we as humans have put a damper on things in the environment. So, before you panic and go crazy just calm down and read over things a few times until you get the hang of what is actually going on. YOU CAN DO IT!!! As long as you make it through this first week you will be able to get through the next seven. And yes it may seem like a lot, but it goes by so fast. I can’t believe we are already on the eighth week and it’s about to be over. So I want to wish you good luck with this class and whatever you do don’t doubt yourself; if you do and you decide to drop the class then you are missing out on some very interesting environmental issues at hand. GOOD LUCK!! Sincerely, Krystyn Walendzik ________________________ Not sure where to post the letter? Dear Future ENVS Student, You have probably read the syllabus for this class and are thinking to your self can I handle this. A word of advice, don’t feel overwhelmed. Just relax read everything over and breath. It is not as bad as you think. We all thought that the 1st day. The first week is probably one of the hardest. Professor Fey offers a lot of extra credit, so take advantage when ever you can. It will definitely help your grade. Keep an eye out for her discussion board surprise homework. If you decide to take the option of taking the test every week make sure you do all the reading. All the questions are from the reading. This class might seem over whelming but it is very interesting and teaches you a lot. This was my first on-line class and I have to say I was thinking to myself what did I get into. As, soon as you get a pattern going it should not be that hard. You will spend at least 15-20 hours a week on the work in this class. No Joke! So make sure you have the time to put aside for this class. That was my biggest mistake. As long as you turn in the assignments on time and prepare yourself you should have no problems. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. I did really bad on a seminar because I started way to late and my grade really showed for it. Just relax and make sure you have the time for this class. You will really enjoy it if you decide to stick around. Take my advice, stay in it you will not regret it. Good Luck to You, Lyn Cooper __________________________ Dear future student, Congratulations on enrolling in environmental science! If you have never taken an online class, then I suggest that read everything very carefully and more than one time if you need to. The first week of class is very overwhelming and you will probably be thinking, "What did I get myself into?" After the first couple of weeks, you will get into a routine and you won't panic anymore. The first couple of weeks were really tough on me because I am taking three other classes. Good Luck and I hope that you succeed! Shelly Rata ___________________________ Welcome to ENVS 1050, This class will fill your brain with new information until it feels like it will pop. :0) Just kidding Honestly though, in this class there is a lot of work to be done but as long as you read everything through and stay on top of things you will do just fine. My one suggestion to anyone in this class is make sure you set enough time aside for the reading assignments and do not put off the objective questions, these help when it comes to taking the exam. Also, get involved...go on the extra credit assignments and do not stop at the end of this class, continue to learn and stay educated. Good luck to you, Christal Krause _____________________________ Dear environmental studies student, I want to let you know that this class is very time involved. When I signed up for this course I did not realize it was going to be so time consuming. However, if you learn to manage your time better you should be pretty productive in this course. The topics covered in this class are very interesting, and each week you will cover something else. If you plan on taking the weekly exam I would recommend reading the assigned chapters and paying close attention to the facts. Also, for exam takers there is a weekly application project that you must do. The application project takes up some time so do not wait to the last minute to do it. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone and everyone. This class opens your eyes to the environment and makes you more aware of the problems at hand. This class covers the topics I was expecting. Have fun and use your time Wisely! -Bridgette King ____________________________ Dear Future ENVS student, Did you sign up for this class because you thought it would be a breeze? Well think again!!! This class requires a lot of you time to get the work done. The good thing is it is not that hard of a class though. First off, you get to decide if you would like to take an exam on campus (can be taken on Friday or Saturday at the South Campus Learning Center.) along with doing a project OR you can do a report each week. Half the semester I did the exams and half I did the reports. I liked the reports better I felt that I learned much more. The reports are very involved though. You will spend many hours on it. Which ever option you choose thought DO NOT wait till the last minute to get started. Sometimes you may be asked to contact local officials to answer questions. Another thing is that you have to participate in the discussion board each week. All you have to do is post 2-3 messages 5-7 days a week and you will receive a easy 20 points. Posting messages can be very helpful towards your final grade. Overall, if you came to learn then this is the class for you, it has much to offer, just be prepared to work. Good luck, Adam Kammerer Winter 2006 1     Fall 2005 2 Dear Future Students, The first week of environmental science is very tough. It will be a rough week. But after that you have have a routine. I was not very interested in science until, I took this class. You learn so much about the environment and some of it will make you upset and grossed out. Therefore some of the choices will affect the way you live. This class is very time consuming, but if is very knowledgeable. Make sure to always look for extra credit assignment and DBSH, these little assignments can boost up your grade. Also get all of your attendance points that helps your grade A LOT. Just because there is a lot, try not to get discouraged. Keep on doing the work and trust me you will learn so much about our environment and how to take care of it. Good Luck in this class and do not fall behind! *Sara Walsh* ________________________ Dear Future Student, Ah, so you joined an online class thinking it would be easy, right? Well, you’re right and wrong. Don’t expect to get an A if you don’t put much effort into it, but do expect it to be easy if you are willing to take the time needed to be put into it. This environmental science class will be very useful to you if you are willing to take the time to complete the seminars, readings and application projects. You may only be taking this class in order to fulfill a general education credit, but you will leave the class with a whole new understanding of the world around you. What can you expect to do in this class? Well, the class is set up around seminars that more or less allow you to teach yourself in using the textbook and answering the questions within the seminar and completing the projects. It will take you the entire week to complete it, but if you just do a little each day, they are not very overwhelming and you will find that you can complete it much more easily. Leaving it to the last day is not a good idea, so if you are that sort of student, you are going to have a hard time with this class. The first few weeks will seem stressful and quick, but once you get the hang of what you need to do and hand in each week and day, it will become a lot easier for you and your fellow classmates. You can expect to learn a lot of information that you probably didn’t know before about life on this earth. You will learn a new appreciation for the planet and the habitats within it. You may even have FUN learning this stuff! Who would have thought!? Yes, it’s possible to have fun while learning and I think that this class can really provide that for you if you are willing to put in the effort to get it. My final words of wisdom? Keep yourself up to date. Check the discussion board daily. Read each and every message on the discussion board along with each and every email. If you have questions, feel confused by anything or feel like you are getting behind, email the instructor so they can possibly get you back on track. Do the work completely; don’t forget a single question and start on the work as soon as you can - never leave it to the last day or two. Good luck and have fun! ~ Katie Kondek ____________________________ Dear Future Student, The fact that I am writing to you means that I have made it through the eight packed weeks of Environmental Science. When I first logged on eight weeks ago and began reading the syllabus my first thoughts were this is nothing like the other online courses I have taken. The thought did cross my mind whether or not I wanted to continue with this course, but after reading letters like this one from past students I figured if they can do it so can I. My advice is not to panic, the initial set up and first week is the hardest, but you can do it. After you read the syllabus take a deep breath and do one step at a time. If you manage your time you can get everything done as they are due. I chose to do the Application Project and exam each week, this worked out best considering I take another class, have two children, and work part-time, see now if I can manage you can too. To manage your weekly assignments I recommend you begin your assigned readings immediately on day one of each week and knock out your Discussion Question first and get it posted by day three. What I learned while doing the Application Projects is to do all the online research first, print up any articles or info pertaining to the assignment and then begin your report, that way you will know and be able to plan if you have to go to the library or make some phone calls to find out additional information. I recommend to CD-ROM that comes with the text as a study guide for the exams you can take practice quizzes for each chapter which help prepare you for the exams. It is crucial that you try to post everyday on the discussion board the points really help your overall grade. Read all the threads on the discussion board its worth it if you find surprise homework that could get you extra credit points. I also earned extra points by participating in the Clinton River Clean-up one Saturday morning, I got a little dirty but, it was worth the extra points and to know I made a little difference in the environment that day. I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you but, just know this will be one of the most eye-opening classes you will ever take, and I’m not just saying that because Professor Fey is grading this, I mean it. I now understand how important it is to learn about our environment and what we can do to protect it and ourselves so we can all have a healthy future. I know I am far from an expert but, if I can educate some people to at least recycle or conserve energy than maybe they can pass it along and slowly things can change. Well I hope I have encouraged you to take the time and complete this course it’s worth it (just remember its only eight weeks out of your life, that nothing). Best wishes to you all! Good luck, Jennifer Whittey ____________________________ The one thing I can about this class with 100% certainty is this; you have to put forth your best effort. Is this class difficult? Without a doubt. Is it impossible? Absolutely not. You get out of this class whatever you put into it. There’s been weeks where I’ve studied my butt off and my exam score reflected just that. There’s been other weeks where I’ve slacked off and, once again, my exam score reflected such. When reading the syllabus, don’t get overwhelmed. It may seem complex and confusing, but it really isn’t. Just pick the option that’s best for you and you’ll eventually fall into a routine like I did. Take it one task at a time and it’ll be a lot easier to digest. Remember that not only Professor Fey, but your fellow online classmates are there to help you. This was definitely one of the more difficult courses I’ve ever had to take, but whenever I got a good exam score or a good project score, it made the grade that much sweeter. The class is set up to run very smoothly and Professor Fey does a great job of keeping you up to date on everything going on in the class. So take a deep breath, dive into week one, and before you know it, you’ll be writing a letter just like this. ~Brandon Kosal ______________________ Dear Future Student, Welcome student! I imagine by now you've already viewed the syllabus and some of the other welcome materials and are wondering what you have gotten yourself in to. Science probably isn't what your degree is for and you are thinking "jeez, how much time will I need to commit for this?" The answer is a lot, but there isn't a need to panic. The coursework definitely seems like a lot at first, but once you get in the routine, the weeks fly by. The class will force you to do a lot of work and reading, but by doing that you do a learn a lot. That is really the point, to learn information. I will probably retain more from this class than most others I will take. The information provided is actually interesting and a lot of the projects will show how it applies in your own neighborhood. Each week you can either take the exam or do the seminar report. The seminar seems like a lot to do, but if you have the time, I think it is easier than the exam. Another recommendation is to do the extra credit. I didn't take advantage of it and now I wish I would have. It sounds like a cliche, but you really do get out what you put in. So, congratulations student, be prepared to put in a lot of work, learn some neat stuff, and hopefully earn a good grade! -Matthew Moore ___________________ Dear Future Student: This class was very much an eye-opener. I never thought I was so sheltered, but you will learn so much important useful information. Until I took this class I thought that science was boring and useless in my life, but in this course I learned that it is everything but that. The assignments are pretty easy if you manage you time well. You need to plan starting day 1 of the week. Many times for the application project you will need to contact local officials for information regarding the seminar and they are very hard to get in contact with. Many assignments tell you to find information from the library, which I was never successful at. I went to two different libraries and never was able to find the information I needed, which required more time on the internet, which can be very time consuming depending on the topic you are researching. The most important part of this course is organization. Don’t get overwhelmed. If you break the entire assignment into smaller sections to do each day of the week it makes getting it done much easier. I never took the exams so I can’t comment on those, but the objective questions are easy if you do the reading assignments, which I usually did Tuesday before the questions were available. The only other thing I find important would be to download the ifran program the first day of class. I had some problems getting it to work on my computer, which I felt a little stressed about. There are always people on the discussion board that are more than willing to help, just post the question. Good luck and stay organized! Laura Bastien ____________________ Dear Environmental Science Student: So right now you are probably being bombarded with e-mails, clicking so many links your taskbar is filled with new internet windows, and are desperately trying to find the number for tel-registration so you can drop this class. Well first thing is first, STOP! Take a breath, get up from the computer, go to the kitchen, and come back in five minutes. Seriously, go, right now, what are you still doing here? Alright, now that you’ve calmed down and hopefully got a snack, pay close attention to the next sentence. This class will not be as hard as it seems. Right now you are probably thinking it’s going to be this hectic the entire 8 weeks, but I can assure you it’s not. Actually if anything, it’s way more structured than a typical classroom class. The assignments will make you do a lot of research. So don’t just sit back and do it the last day, you WILL have to find things out that you won’t be able to from your PC. You will have to phone people or visit in person to find your information. Don’t be scared though, it’s really not a lot of work. As long as you do a little bit each day and read the chapters you will do just fine. This is a really good course, and the eight weeks will fly just like that. Take advantage of the information and actually try and learn something, not just reading to answer questions or pass the exam. Adam ____________________ FALL 2005 1 To the future students of ENVS 1050, Okay let me start off by saying that this week may be very overwhelming to you. After you get the first week over it will become a lot easier to handle the work load. When I took this class I though this would be a very boring and easy class. After the 8 weeks my mind was totally changed. During every week I found my self talking to people about the issues that were discussed in class. I was always interested in the environment but after this class I realized I didn't care as much as I thought I did. I have actually changed many of my habits that were just wasteful. Most of the things that I changed were very simple things; really they didn't even mess with my daily life. This class will really open your eyes about the world around you. It will make you realize that something needs to be done about our future and even one person can make the difference. Ms. Fey was a great teacher, she was very helpful. She always made sure to interact with the students. Also she was very good about getting grades back to you quickly. I think you will find that she is a wonderful teacher. In the class you have a couple of option on how you want to complete your assignments. 1.) You can take an exam every week and do the application project 2.) You can do the seminar reports every week without exams 3.) You can do a mixture of both – one week the exam or one week the seminar report I did the first one. I found that with the schedule of this class already that doing the seminar reports was just to time consuming. Really the exams weren't that bad. They ranged from 80 to 100 questions with no time limit. Also if you plan to take the exam please e-mail the teacher by day 2 that you are planning to take the exam and what day and time you will be there. The days you can choose from are day 5 and day 6. I really think it is important to do the response to the discussion board. It was great interacting with the other students and also 20 points a week can have a good impact on your grade. P.S. Make sure that you read every post in the Discussion Board for the week. You will find little surprises that will benefit you (DBSH - Discussion Board Surprise Homework). Most of these surprises are additional points that range from 5 to 30 points. MaryAnn ________________________ Hello new Environmental Science 1050 student! Let me first tell you that you are in for a whirlwind adventure. Right now I can see you being exactly just like me. You are panicking because you have no idea what is going on! For your first week make sure you check your e-mail because the facilitator is gracious enough to give you day by day instructions. Follow them very closely and you will be fine! If I made it you can. Let me offer you a couple pointers so you can succeed in this class. First off, organization is the key to success. It is no different here. You will have a heavy, daily work load. Make sure you participate daily!! It is 16% of your grade. I can not stress that point enough!! All those little points add up, and you will need them. This course is the most informational course I have ever taken. It makes you think about the way the world works, how we live in it, and the things that are wrong and what we can do about them. You will learn how those things that you always said "I wonder how that works" really do. You will have a choice on how you want to do things as far as testing. I did the weekly paper. It is a lot of work, but if you are like me you have other choice, and I did all my work on the computer and never had to go to the school. So when all else fails, take a deep breath, and remember that you can do it. Your facilitator is also there to help you out, and by all means communicate with your other classmates because that is what an on-line class is about. I was a student that did the weekly paper. If you chose this option say goodbye to your saturday night's.:)This is what I did: Day one: read over my seminar and weekly letter, participate and do a little bit of my seminar Day two: participate and do a little bit of my seminar Day three: participate, due discussion question, and the last of my study questions Day four: participate, due my application(s) Day five: participate, due my research article(s) day six: participate due my summary and final thoughts day seven: finalize, post my seminar and final thoughts, turn in my seminar to my student folder James _______________________- Hello new 1050 student, This will be a very intense 8 weeks, it will also be a very enlightening 8 weeks. The things I have learned are amazing. It is important to get a routine going especially if you have more than one class. There is alot of reading, and responding to your personal question and to other classmates answers to their questions. Some folks like to respond alot, others won't it's to your benefit to respond. Prof Fey is quick to respond to your questions so definitely ask, she knows how to get around this set-up. Once again let me say you are going to learn so much about your community and the world, my jaw dropped a couple of times with the things I discovered. Best wishes for the class and new year. Cathy Smith _______________________ Listen to Prof Feys advice DON"T PANIC I will tell you a little about my Environmental Science online experience. Week 1- totally lost, confused Week 2- still totally lost, now panic attacks Week 3- I FINALLY figured out what exactly what needed to be done weekly Week 4- I have set up a check list of what needs to be done and now follow the system. I then wonder if I should have dropped this class because it is now the middle of the semester and I am just understanding how to do this class. Week 5- I know exactly what to do and I am having fun with the work that needs to be done Week 6- I follow my routine Week 7- I follow my routine Week 8- I now get this nice and wonderful Application project that I have no idea what I am to do. The directions are there, but this is not in my routine, so I panic again. I would like to say that I am so glad that I stuck it out and stayed in the class. I did enjoy the applications and I learned so much. The material I learned was actually interesting and it is something you can use in your every day life activities. Literally before you know it the class is over. In between the craziness of you trying to figure out what you are to do, you WILL have fun in this class. I would like to give the students who are taking the weekly test my routine guide. (Some days I would do different things) Day 1- start on application, post my DQ Day 2-respond to soapbox Day 3-respond to classmates DQ Day 4-respond to soapbox Day 5-respond to class mates summary/thought Day 6- post application, take test Day 7- Read next weeks material **I also looked for the surprise DQ and any extra credit The test- all I have to say is go over the guideline questions and read the DQ's posted by your classmates. That is exactly what is on the tests. Jamie ___________________ Hello, ENVS 1050 student. I will begin my letter by suggesting you prepare to devote yourself to hard work. This course requires a lot of you but it is a wonderful class. I found this to be a challenging course, but I loved it and I learned so much. First, you will want to put yourself on a strict schedule. You will want to log on to class every day/night. Attendance points add up quick and are very important. Always read the Discussion Board and read ALL posts and threads, this is where you find homework and extra credit. Use the Objectives/Guide questions as your study guide. You have the option of taking an on-campus exam, a seminar report to type out, or a combination of the two. I opted for the exams, they were not hard and a lot easier than typing a lot of stuff out! Check out the application projects ahead of time, because some of them will require a lot of research. Do not get too frusturated or overwhelmed at first. Once you get into the swing of it, it'll go by quicker than you can imagine. You will learn so many interesting, useful, and sometimes scary information in this class. It will probably change the way you view the earth and our lifestyles as well. Last but not least, good luck. And have fun. Errin ____________________ Hello, Welcome to Environmental Science. If this is your first online class get ready for a wild ride. You will be on your computer for at least 2-3 hours every day, 5 days a week. You must participate everyday to earn attendance points which add up rather quickly. There are 8 seminars with applications and examinations assigned for each. You may choose to take the test each week or to answer a series of questions. I took the test 7 times and answered the questions only once. The exam is the best way to go because the questions literally took me 5 times longer to complete. You will have to read everything on the discussion boards because the info there does come up on the tests. Also there is hidden surprise homework worth anywhere from 5-30 points. Start your applications early because many of them require visits to the library. All in all I learned a great deal from this class. It was very interesting and a wonderful learning experience. Good Luck! Patti _______________________ Hello Future Students, This class can seem very overwhelming at times, especially in the first week. After a couple weeks you’ll develop a routine and everything gets easier from there. In this class each week there is a choice of either taking an exam or typing a report. I decided to do the reports, but I highly recommend taken the exams. The seminar reports are very time consuming and it’s a lot of work to deal with. In my case I was on the computer for at least 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Be sure to read all of the posts in the discussion board to make sure you don’t miss anything and surprise homework/extra credit are also found there. Along with reading the posts you must participate in the discussion board 5 out-of-the 7 days to receive attendance points. Don’t wait till the last minute to start any of the applications because some require you to go to the library and call city officials. All of the material you learn in this class can be used in everyday life. It will open your eyes to what kind of hazards our environment and ecosystems are being introduced to on a daily basis. Also what important information you need to know about playing a part in protecting these surrounding areas. Stick with this class and I know you’ll be glad you did in the end. Good Luck!! Christopher _______________________ Hello, and welcome to ENVS 1050! I will begin by saying don't give up, hang in there. Your first week in this course is going to be very intense, but once you get into a routine you'll be fine, and the weeks will fly by before you know it. You will have a few options in the course, to either take an on-campus exam, post a seminar report, or a combination of both. I took the hardest option, which was typing out a seminar report every week, because I couldn't take exams on campus due to my hectic work hours. But I somehow made it through! Also, start early on the application projects, some of them can be time consuming. Make sure to participate in the Discussion Board every day, it's so important and will really help your points to add up. This course is very interesting, you will learn a lot about the earth and the environment, and you will be more aware of what you're doing to affect the environment, as well as what is going on around you, at work, at home, etc. Stay strong, this course is a lot of work, but you can do it! Good luck!!! Candace _______________________ Hello Environmental Science student, Welcome to a very intense 8 weeks! Do not be discouraged by the instructions and reading material at first - you might seem to be all over the place, but you’ll get used to things and find yourself in a pattern soon enough. Here are a couple of tips on how to manage certain aspects of the class: Read the discussion boards daily, and post often! Attendance is based on posting on the boards 5 days per week. Also, you’ll find Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH) and extra credit buried in the boards somewhere. It’s really important to keep your eyes open in this area. Seminar Reports can be quite time consuming. I did these every week, and at times they take quite a lot of time to finish. I can’t say how they compare to taking the tests since I never took them, but just a bit of input if you’re considering this option. It’s not something that’s due on Day 6, so you start on Day 4. It really can become a week-long project, and something that should be started at the beginning of the week. When doing Application Projects, don’t wait until the last minute! Many times you’ll have to call local departments for information that you can’t find elsewhere. These Application Projects can also become quite time consuming, as it’s not always easy to accumulate the statistics you need. The sooner you start these, the better. Overall, expect to work hard throughout this class. It is a 4 credit class, and what is demanded of you is definitely more than other classes. If you stay on track, read the discussion boards, and just look past the initial week of figuring out what is where, you can end up learning a lot both about the environment in general, as well as the area you live in Amanda __________________________ Dear New Environmental Students, You must be in your first week of class and pulling your hair out. This week things will feel completely unorganized and you will feel as if you have to make a choice whether to drop this class or not. Don’t worry, it takes a little while, but eventually you should get the hang of things. The workload is extreme for this class. It takes a lot of time, research, and coffee. Even if you’re an online class veteran, be warned that I am too and this class takes the cake for workload. The assignments vary in their workload though. I was an exam/application student, which was supposed to save me time. I can’t even imagine the time and work that would have to be put in for the full seminar students, but it did seem to work for some people. Although the applications are frustrating and difficult, you really do learn a lot of information that’s significant, especially for us people that live in America. You will be shocked, disgusted, and grateful by the end of this course. The applications really put a lot of things about the way we live in perspective. With most classes you may ask yourself when will you ever use the information you learn. In this class, most of everything you learn can be applied to making your everyday life better for yourself and the rest of the world. The discussion questions aren’t as difficult as the application because the information is right in your text most of the time. Participation points are easy to earn as well. The exams, on the other hand, I found to be very difficult even when reading the entire chapters, studying, reading the lectures, and reading all the discussion questions. I found all of my evaluations to be fair, but I did have to keep track of my own attendance points and track them on a daily basis because sometimes some were missing. If I were to repeat this class again, this is the advice I would take. This is a very stressful class. In order to keep up and keep your sanity, you must have structure and routine. There are times I wish I would have utilized my days at the beginning of the week more, but I had other classes as well. It’s crucial that you take a look at the seminar and application, as soon as possible so that you know what type of research you will have to do and when you will be able to dedicate your time to it. Although this class only requires five participation days, you will probably need to log on every single day and do some reading. Always make sure you earn your 20 attendance points. It is easy to do and will be helpful to your grade. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t find some friends in this class that lived in my area the first week so that we could help each other out with research. If you are the last one to visit the library there will be no good books left. Read everything on the discussion boards. If you don’t read everyone’s replies, you will never find the surprise homework. In order to do better on the tests I would read the chapters more than once. Sometimes the questions consist of details such as estimates that I would have never thought to remember. If you’re reading this and wondering if you can handle this class, here’s an example of my life. I work about 45 hours a week and take about 15 credits a semester. I was able to manage a social life about one or two weekends a month if I took extra care to dedicate my time to the beginning of the week. I worked very hard and I think my grade will be decent. If your life is similar to this and you have the determination, go ahead and learn what will be some of the most vital information you have ever been exposed to! Andrea _________________________- HELLO New ENVS 1050 Student, The next 8 weeks will be very crazy and possibly intense. You will have a heavy workload, but it can be manageable by working out a routine for every week. During week 1 you will probably have no idea what you are doing and what needs to be done. Week 2 will get a little a better, and so on. By week 8 you will have the hang of things just in time for the class to be ending. My advise is to stay on top of everything and you will be fine. You will have to be online 5 out of 7 days a week. You may even have to check things out online on the other 2 days, just to make sure you have not missed out on anything. There are many things that you need to do to get your points and make it through this course. First off, make sure to read the assigned chapters from your text. This is highly important to get through the week and the test. Second, 5 out of 7 days you will have to get your attendance points. You can get these by replying to someone's answered question, helping a student out, and replying to different topics that is posted by the teacher. Third, you will have an assigened number for the 8 weeks that corresponds to a certain question in each week's seminar. You will have to answer the question and post it into the Discussion Board (these are what you can reply to from other students to get attendance points as well). Fourth, You will have an application project that is due every week that has to do with what the current topic/seminar is about. Fifth, you can take a test each week or do a report that goes into the application project. I decided to take the test..it is a little bit more of a time saver. By not taking the test, your application project will be a lot more work. The points will be put in an evaluation for that seminar for points from 1-100. Keep in mind there are several ways to earn extra points throughout the 8 weeks. The teacher will post a hidden discussion board special homework, labeled DBSH. They are hidden...so you must search through all post to find them. These are worth extra points. There is also extra credit points that are sometimes hidden as well. These are all different, sometimes just answering a question to going and voluteering somewhere. These can be woth a whole lot of extra credit points. Keep your eyes open for both of these!!! They can be easily missed!!!! This is a great class that has a lot of information. There are a lot of interesting things that you will learn throughout these seminars. You will look at the environment in which you live in very differently. Work hard, study, keep on top of things, and more importantly....have fun!!! Good Luck, Jamie : ) _________________________________   Summer 2005 Letter to Future Students Environmental Science was a challenging yet rewarding course. The first few days I felt very overwhelmed and thought maybe I should drop this class while I still have the chance, but I hung in there. The Professor assured us that the first week is always the hardest because there is so much information to go through. She was right. I am a seminar student because I like to write and it was more convenient than driving to south campus to take the test. Once I figured out the format of the seminar report and knew what was due when, it was smooth sailing. Start your work early in the week and pace yourself. Do not wait until the last minute to do all your work. It is impossible. Some assignments require making phone calls to governmental offices which are only open during the week. Plan on a minimum of 25 hours a week working on this class. Day one of each week begins on Monday, not Sunday. So you week will be Monday through Sunday for each seminar. The assignments for the following week will be made available by the Saturday prior to the next seminar beginning. You will be assigned a number. You are to answer the Discussion Question (or DQ) correlating with your number due by midnight each Wednesday. If you choose to do the seminar report, you must answer in writing all the objective questions. There are usually twenty questions. It is due by midnight Saturday. If you are an exam student, you must let the professor know by Wednesday if you will be taking the exam and you have to work around the South Campus Learning Center’s schedule. You still need to review the objective questions to take the exam so I thought why not just write the report? You must also post your “Final Thoughts & Summary” to the Discussion Board by Saturday night which is also to be included in the seminar report that you will submit for grading. In addition, you will need to post to the Discussion Board at least five out of seven days. Your responses must be thoughtful and relate to the question or statement. You will earn attendance points each day you log in and respond. Sometimes you can get lost in the DB because you get so involved. You really do develop a rapport with fellow students in the DB. It is very important to read all threads and sub threads. Sometimes you will find extra credit assignments inside a sub thread. Take advantage of the extra credit assignments, big or small. Extra credit is not hard at all, just thought provoking. A few points here and there can make the difference between a grade of a B and an A. We toured the Detroit Edison Plant, Semco Gas Company, and had a chance to volunteer to clean the Clinton River. The Clinton River clean up was the best. Environmental Science opens your mind to how we directly and indirectly affect our environment. Our environment is what we breathe, eat, and drink. We ingest our environment, no matter what. Nothing goes away in our environment. It always resurfaces. That is why we need to take precautionary measures. You will start to seriously think about the products you use at home and how much electricity and water you really use. You will want to buy organic fertilizer and start reading the labels on your bottled water. You will want to start carpooling and buy an electric car. You may want to leave the planet Earth all together and start living somewhere else! Or you will decide that our Earth is very precious and we need to do all we can to protect it. Good luck and have a great semester! Jennifer Shalayko To all of you we did enjoy this class, it was a wonderful that we learnt a lot about our earth, what is our responsibilities know to fight for this earth, to make everything good around us sustainable, we learnt about our environment we learnt how we take care of that environment how we keep us happy by living in this earth, in this class you will love the information that you get to know about you global environment and about your local environment, I hope after this class we all hand our responsibilities and keep our earth in good shape, by watching our behavior first and then direct the other what is good for our environment, you as a student either way you are in the environment science field ( as a Major study ) or in other field and as an educated person you will be after this class handling a giant responsibility to protect the environment to make us living healthy and happy. Thank for all of you and the professor who was working hard with us to make everything understandable for us. Nada Welcome Students! Well, you are probably wondering now that you have read through everything, what you have gotten yourself into. To tell you the truth, it really isn’t that bad as long as you get into a routine and stick to it. I started out real bad in this class for basically one reason. I forgot that class started and it was already day 3 (Wednesday) when I remembered-my fault. This class consists of either taking a test with application project or doing a seminar report. At first, I chose to take the test. Then I realized that they were not going too good for me so I decided to try and do the seminar report. I learned so much more from doing the report and retained the information better than from taking the test. For this class you have to be disciplined and organized. Attendance counts for a lot of your grade so make sure you post! There will be Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH) so make sure you are reading everything. There is also extra credit offered. Again, Make sure you read EVERYTHING! Every week, in addition to attendance points, you will need to answer a “discussion board question” that corresponds to your student number by day 3 (Wednesday). Also, you will need to post your final thoughts about each seminar to the discussion board by the end of each week. At the end of your class, week 8, there will be a group application project. For this week, I felt very disoriented. I didn’t have my same routine. But, don’t fret, you will get through it. Other than that, as long as you work well with your group, it will be fine. Now that you are done reading this, it is time to get started. Don’t fall behind, keep calm, and make sure you breathe. :o) Former Student, Valerie Page Letter to a Future Student First thing, if this is your first online class, you may want to rethink this. If you decide to go ahead with it, make sure it is your only class. If this had been my first online class I would have been too frustrated to finish. Your first online class gets you used to navigating the site and helps you to learn how things are done. There is just too much information in this class to be struggling with learning the site and how things work. With that said, the first two weeks of class, you will feel very overloaded. Do not get too frustrated, it does get better. It just takes awhile to figure out what is required, when it is due by, and where to post it. Take a deep breathe and jump in. If you decide to stick with it. When the professor says in her welcome packet that this class requires 24 hours a week, she really means it. She also has the words intense bolded, she also means that. This class is a lot of work. I would also recommend going on all tours that are set up and doing any of the extra credit activities. Not only do you get extra credit for them, they are also very educational. The book has a lot of very good information in it. This class is full of things that may scare you or things that you really did not want to know. I think for the most part, it could be considered a life changing experience. Unfortunately, it also is a lot of work and at times it seemed like I was not able to deluge further into things I would have liked to have. I would recommend the tests myself. I did have to use quite a bit of time off from work to accomplish taking the tests but it was worth it. My family may not agree but it seemed to be the least stressful answer. The seminar reports take up a lot of time. I only completed one and I did not do very well on it. The test was a better option for me. It seems like the class got easier but I think I just got better at navigating the site and at spreading out the work load. I would not wait until the due date on anything. It is your best interest to get it done and turned in as soon as you can. Other than that, enjoy your class. Remember it will get better. Former Student Danielle Allen Welcome New Student!! I am a former student of Professor Fey’s Environmental Science class, which I can say that it was the most challenging class I ever taken. I am a senior at a different university and when I took this online class at Macomb I said to myself that it should be an easy class because 1) is an environmental class and it cannot be that hard and 2) it is online, the class needs to be easy. I can assure you that it wasn’t hard but it was demanding. During the first week of this class I was overwhelmed with everything that I needed to do and especially how many instructions I had to follow in order to get the homework done. I also tried to do the seminar the first week, but after I did three questions I realized that it would take me forever to do it and I decided to take the exam on campus instead. The exams are multiple questions and you would find that anything that can be asked from the chapter would be. Since I choose to take the exams, I needed to do only the application projects and to post a discussion question each week. The application project takes at least six hours every week and you need to get a lot of information from different sources, which would not always be easy. I think that the most important part of this class is the participation in the discussion board. On the discussion board you can talk to your classmates and this would help you when you need to do the last application project as a group. It is also important to “budget” you time in a way that you do something each day, because otherwise you will fell pressured by the time and would be hard to enjoy to material. The professor is very helpful and every time I sent her an email I got a response within 24 hours. Also, she allowed me to take the exams on Saturdays, instead of Thursdays or Fridays. My recommendation is that if this is the first online class that you are taking, it is better to wait and take it a later time. It is hard to get used to the online setting and to deal with this class in the same time. I would also recommend not taking this class if you are working full time and taking additional classes. I know it may seem a lot but I can assure you will learn more that you think and if you like challenges this is the class to take. Good luck with this class. Best wishes on this new beginning!!!! Former student Roxana Welcome to environmental science! The next eight weeks will be the most difficult, stressful, informative and rewarding weeks you’ve probably ever had. First of all, I just want to say, relax. This first week (and the last week) will be the hardest. Once you get down the procedure, it gets better. Not easier, but better. Don’t let these letters from former students change your mind about taking this class, by the end of the semester you will be happy you stuck it out. By the end of the first week, I was practically in tears. This was my first online class and I was so confused, overwhelmed, and stressed. It was nothing like I imagined an online class to be. If you took this class as a “blow off,” you’re in for quite a surprise. I took environmental science in high school two years ago and figured this was be a refresher course. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This class is so much more in-depth than the class I took in high school and I barely used any of the knowledge I had acquired then. I chose to take the tests on-campus every week but one. At first, it seemed like such a pain to drive all the way out to South Campus when I live 15 minutes from Center, but it was worth it. I don’t think I could handle the stress of the seminar reports every week. The one week that I did do the seminar report, I was on vacation. It took a lot more discipline to force myself to work on the report, especially since I’m a procrastinator and was visiting family I hadn’t seen in 6 years. That’s another thing, if you’re a procrastinator, you may have a hard time keeping up. I’ll admit that there were times that I’d still be reading the text the morning I was supposed to take the exam or I’d be logging on at 11:30 to submit my DQ or participate for the day. Whatever you do, don’t fall behind! Through the ups and downs of this class, I’m really glad I kept with it. There were times that I wish I would have dropped, but I’ve learned so much valuable information that I will take with me. Now when I hear people discussing environmental issues, I have an opinion. And when I read the newspaper, I spot out articles that are relevant to the things we’ve discussed in class. It’s really made me realize how bad of a state our environment is in and how if we don’t do anything now, it will continue to get worse. Best of luck to you---you’ll need it! Brittany Ochtinsky This class has been one of the most time-consuming and demanding classes I have ever taken. My first instinct was to drop the class and run! I am glad I didn't. The work is hard and there is much of it. The best advice I could give to a student just taking this class is to start as early in the week as possible and prepared to feel overwhelmed. Professor Fey demands a lot of her students but the things you will learn will apply to every aspect of your life and may change your perspective on the world. This class will provide information regarding the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat and other fascinating things. I have learned so much about our world and I understand so much more about the environment. It is imperative that you read the Discussion Board (everyday, I suggest) to comprehend the information better and to learn from your peers. Professor Fey is very generous with extra credit, but believe me, you'll need it! Hopefully, you will have a class like we did where everyone helped each other out and had a few laughs along the way. If you feel overwhelmed and like you just can't do it, don't worry, we've all been there and you will get through it. Pretty soon, you will be writing a letter like this encouraging the next round of students! Good Luck! Crystal Welcome future student, So you want to take an Environmental Science class. Well you will learn plenty about our earth, some good and some bad. When you are done you will wonder what is in your bottled water or in the air you breath, you will be conscience of how much energy you use or how much useless driving you do, you will even be wondering what is in store for future generations. This class will enlighten you on how much we really take for granite and how much we as individuals can do to change the resources we are using up. But you will not learn this by only putting in a few hours a week. I started out on my first week putting in approximately 21-25 hours on one seminar (there is one seminar a week). Each seminar consisted of Objective Questions, Discussion Board Question, Application, Web Resource and Summary and Final Thoughts. I did all the Objective Questions and I learned plenty! But I wonder if I took the tests instead if it would have saved me time. Each seminar was approximately 15-20 pages long and when I read that from a previous student I thought “Oh yea right”. They weren’t kidding! This class takes a lot of time and energy to complete. I admit I wanted to drop but my husband talked me into staying and I’m glad I completed it. Make sure you read all the threads (there is a lot of reading here), and respond to get your daily attendance points. There is extra credit work hidden in some of the threads. I suggest you do as much extra credit as you can. I went to the DTE plant in St. Clair, which took with travel time approximately 4 hours not including the summary I had to write afterward, but it was very interesting. I also cleaned up the Clinton River for three hours it was very rewarding, but then I had to write a summary about that also. Although I got to meet some of my fellow students and was able to put faces with their names. Every one was very nice. The applications are different every week. Some you can do on the web and some you have to use leg work to find the information from your local library, township, water department, historical society, Lansing etc. I know a lot more people and have a lot more friends at the township hall now. Just when I thought I had it down pat and we were entering the last seminar a monkey wrench was thrown into the whole thing. We found out we had to work as a group. The tough thing about that was getting seven people together at one time to work together. Our group leader was great and things seem to be going smoothly so far. This is my first on line class and I was assured by other classmates that not all of the on line classes are this much work. I don’t know if I would ever take another one again though. This class seemed like it consumed every bit of the 8 weeks and most of my summer. Laura Note to Future Students Dear future classmates I know you are probably freaking out right now after reading the syllabus because we have all been there and done that. I will be honest this class is a lot of work but this is my last week of the class and I can’t even believe it has flown by so fast. If you were like me and have no idea about the environment you will learn so much and it is all very, very interesting and worth your wild to stay in this class. The only thing that I didn’t like was we only had eight weeks to learn about everything, so I don’t recommend you have more than two other classes like I had because it is very time consuming but worth it. To help you out a little with choosing what option you want to do it all depends on your schedule and how much time you have, I recommend choosing the third option like I did so that way if you cant make it because you are sick or you are out of town the seminar reports come in handy. Those are very long; mine were usually 15 pages sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. Although, I liked doing the reports better because I am not a test person and hate studying for them. I mean the seminars were long but I could do them at 2 in the morning if I wanted to, so I would just do a couple things a day since you get 6 days to do the whole report. So like I was saying it all depends on your schedule and by week 3 you will have your own schedule down and it will be so much easier. I know it is a lot of information to take in on the first day when you get your handouts but just like the teacher says calm down, take a deep breath and just breathe you will get through it and it will fly by. Pretty soon you will be like me writing a letter to the next future classmates wondering how your class flew by so fast, so good luck and stick it out! Natalie   I’m coming to you from Professor Fey’s Environmental Science class, which is coming to a close.  This journey has been a rollercoaster ride, having had its ups and downs, as is with any journey.  The journey has been challenging, thoughtful, surprising, frustrating, but lastly REWARDING.  I believe the toughest journeys are the most beneficial, and I’m starting to realize that with this class, through all the tears and sweat (ok not literal tears).  I have learned a tremendous amount and will walk away with allot, which you can too.  Some advice, I do recommend you read these letters carefully, as they’ll be guide for your new journey and you’ll be able to look back and relate to this letter. Step back:   You’ve just read the syllabus and are now reading these letters – step back and take a deep breath.  Allot of these letters will say “DON’T PANIC,” you should listen to them, and breathe.  I found panicking only made it seem worse than it really is. Evaluate:  Why are you taking this class?  Is if or an easy A in science?  If it is for an easy A, move along.  This class is not geared toward and easy A, as no class necessarily is.  This class is geared to enlighten and challenge you in regards to the issues and concerns of Environmental Science.  The information absorbed here will set off emotions you may not have known existed, for example how you feel about pollution once you learn the facts and how YOU (one person) CAN make a difference.   Time frame:  What is the timeframe you’re taking this class, winter (Christmas), or summer?  I find these the seasons to be the busiest in my life.  I took this class in the summer, and I did lose allot of my summer – BUT, it was worth it now that I look back.  This class WILL take up allot of your time, there is a lot of reading, posting and investigation.  I had a second online class in conjunction with this and wished I would have balanced my time better; this class consumed 80% of the allotted 100%.   Extra Credit / Surprise Homework:  Search for ALL of these, this is the best advise I can provide.  Read all threads and you’ll come across these, they’re EXTREMLY helpful, for some students it had been identified to increase their grade greatly.  Also, they’re great experiences; especially the DTE, Semco, and Clinton River clean up excursions.  I personally attended the DTE and loved it!  You may even get to meet and interact with your classmates which is always fun!  I personally enjoyed meeting mine, I had a great class.              Tests & Seminar Reports:  You have an option to take a weekly test or write a report.  The first week I wrote the report and mine was almost 15 pages long, from there on I took the test.  I only chose to take the test due to time constraints, I felt it worked better for my schedule; two online classes and working full time.  Though, I will say (so will others) you will absorb more from completing the reports.  The choice is yours. Application Projects:  These are due in conjunction with your report if you choose to write one or with the test.  The AP’s are due by the 6th day, so start on day 1.  There will be times you’ll need to contact your city officials or offices (seriously) and investigate via the internet.  There will be a group project, don’t fret when this one comes up.  Yes, the routine will be different, but it’s not as tough as it may seem – just start early, your group is counting on you.     Attendance:  Be sure to get your attendance points, these can boost your grade significantly, and this is the easy part, so why not.  Read all threads and post on the article or question with quality; be sure it’s quality or you won’t get credit.  Respect:  Just because this is an online class and the class isn’t personalized does not mean disrespect can take place.  When posting a response to another classmates thread remember there is a person behind the thread, treat them as you would if it were a face to face conversation.  Professor Fey means business, she has a NO tolerance policy for disrespect, and I can agree.  It’s easy to miswrite your actual meaning or tone.  Thus, carefully read your post before submitting to see how you might interpret it; if it sounds rough or harsh reword it.  Professor Fey:  She is kind, challenging and helpful, so ASK.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions and don’t wait till the last minute to do so.  Don’t drop this course after reading these letters, really when you’re done you’ll be glad.  I have had 5 online classes, including an Ancient History class, and this one has been the most challenging, but with challenges there are GREAT REWARDS.   You’ll find yourself spewing your newly found knowledge to anyone who will listen.  I would try to enlighten everyone with what I learned/encountered, and still won’t stuff it about my new found knowledge of water!  Now go back to tip #1 and breathe, you can and will survive this and any other class, it’s only 8 weeks of 52. GOOD LUCK and remember DON’T FRET this only makes it worse ;), you’ll do awesome, but only if you stick with it!!!!!   Best wishes in this new endeavor. Michelle Tylka Former Student      Letter to Future Student You are currently reading one of my last assignments in Professor Fey’s environmental science class. I do not think any of the letters you are going to read will be sugar coated. This is my 5th on-line class and without a doubt the hardest class I’ve taken at Macomb so far. I would also have to admit that it was also one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken. You have a normal 16-week class crunched into 8 weeks and you can really feel the pressure at times. This class will take a lot of your time. The format was a little strange for me at first but you should get the hang of it quickly enough. The first week I decided to do the seminar report. The report turned out to be about 12 pages worth of work. I have taken the exam on campus every other week only because of how time consuming the rest of the class was. I did learn more doing the report than I did taking the exams. It will depend on what you are looking to gain from the class. There will be a lot of reading, read everything!! Respond to postings every day for those attendance points, they can help a great deal. There are hidden homework assignments and extra credit. In addition, to really gain from the class, reading and responding to your peer’s postings will add to the experience. One of the best things I am taking away from the class is the interaction with the other students. I recommend taking advantage of every extra credit point that is available to you. Start your week as early as possible. I did not learn that until the last couple of weeks and it made a huge difference, I did not feel as stressed out as I did in the beginning. On a final note, the class has been a great experience. The things you will learn about our environment will at times shock you, you may be saddened by the things we have done and continue to do, but you should feel hopeful that you, just one person could make a difference. I hope I did not scare you and I wish you the best of luck! Former Student Wanda   The letter to future students Virginia Barnowski #02 SS05 First I want to start by saying, don’t let the first week get you. That first day when you read the syllabus do not panic. It will seem overwhelming at first, but it does get better. Second thing prepare for a lot of work, if you do the seminars. You will learn a lot working on the seminars, but it will take between 15 –20 hours a week to do them well. Plus the daily discussion board, extra credit (do them!!), researching the information for your seminar. If you are still reading and not dropping the class, let my letter not scar you away. This is good class for the most. Many of you have signed up for class for the same reason we did when we took the class, “I need a science credit”. I believe that this is a good class to get these credits. However, if you can take the test, the class will not take as long as working on the seminars, but this is a semester summer class and the learning center just is not open the same in the summer, as you will have for the fall semester. But I have to believe I have learned more by working though the seminars, and I have enjoyed learning some of the information!!! Plus plan for the last week as a group project, I really wish I had own sooner, it just give you more time to work into your schedule for that last week, and if you are taking this eight week class close to Christmas you would want to include in your schedule. Finally extra credit points, my classmates and I took some opportunity to take a few of the extra credit tours to the energy plant, water plant, and a few are cleaning up the Clinton River this coming weekend. These are great extra credit points and great experiences. Do them!!!! If there is one thing I can pass on, start early on the seminars and do not wait, it will take most of the week to complete them and if it doesn’t take the week you have the seminar finish before Friday by starting early. Enjoy this experience it will change you. You will probably be shock at how much energy you use, how water you use and overall how much we can waste as a nation. You will learn about how energy is produce and how drinking water is treated. You will learn how the environment reacts to the population. I will admit I learned a lot in this class and I’m taking several things away as I leave. First I need to understand how my actions of refuse, reused, recycle and reduce affect the environment. Second where my renewable resource come from, how long they will last and how I can apply the four R’s to these questions. Third I will need to do more than just sitting around talking about the environment, I need to put my feet in front of me, and education other by my actions. I know I can only change myself first and hope people would learn from my actions. Good Luck the eight weeks go pretty fast but when you finish you are happy you have reached the end. Virginia This class has taken a majority of my free time for last eight weeks. It was a bit overwhelming at first and I was contemplating dropping from it for lack of time but I needed the course, so I stuck it out. The first week is the most confusing and overwhelming but after you get the routine down, you should be okay after that. Remember to read all the posts, there are hidden extra credit assignments in them and you would be wise to do all extra credit assignments for the points. I did the seminar paper the first week only ;because it took so much TIME and effort that I really didn’t have the time to do it again for the rest of the seven weeks, as I work fulltime, and have other classes to work on. If I didn’t know my other class so well I would have dropped one of them so I could do the work in this class. That’s how much time you will spend on this class. Every one of my weekends but one for vacation was spent on this class for eight weeks! Also, make sure you respond respectfully to your classmates and respond often, you get a lot of your points from DB’s postings. The final Seminar 8 group project is also a lot of work for everyone involved and will require a lot of research on your part. Doing well on it means grades for you and your fellow classmates. For the remainder of the weeks, I took the exams and did the application projects which I did fair on but needed all the extra credit points I could get. I did learn a lot from this class about the environment and the issues which affect me and future generations that I knew nothing about before this class. The best part of the class was doing the volunteer work for the CRWC with a few other classmates to get extra credit. It ended up being a great experience. Best of luck to all of you in the class. Katherine Bittner 1 Winter 2005 Hello Future Students! You will love this class. The amount of information that you will learn is enormous and extremely beneficial. This has been one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken. You will learn how you affect the environment as well as how the environment affects you. It is very time consuming and you will need to develop a routine to keep up. You will have to contact your city offices as well as other utilities. My experience was that everyone was more than eager to talk to me. I also used my local library and they were a great resource. I had other classes and this class took up minimally 3-4 hours a day. I chose to do the exams over the Seminars and it worked really well for me. This is the schedule I used. Day one – Read the assignment and answer/post DQ questions. Post to articles Day two – post on DB, read/study, review and start research for Application Project Day three – Application report and post to DB Day four – Finish Application report, post to DB, study Day five - Study and post to DB. (Always check for surprise homework and extra credit) Exam day! Start all over again. It sounds like a lot and it is but the material was interesting enough that it was almost like solving a puzzle. Your awareness levels will be elevated and you will leave this class wanting to make a change in the world and your life. A couple of pointers: Post, Post, Post – people are friendly and the conversations are interesting Read everything, the text, the websites, the boards, your email - even if you think it is not important trust me it is! Use the CD or the website associated with the book, the tutorial exams are helpful for studying Much of the information on the DB applies directly to your application reports or gives you links to find info If you don’t understand something or can’t find it ask your fellow students for help. In closing I will not miss the amount of work but I will miss learning something new about the world I live in. I know if you stick it out past the first two weeks you will be glad that you did. Good Luck and enjoy. Alana Kicinski Dear Future Student, Welcome to Environmental Science. This is probably one of the most interesting and informative classes I have ever experienced. It was also my first on-line class. The first week seems so overwhelming and I thought I would never understand it. Now, I can't believe I was so freaked out about it. If there is something that you don't understand just post it on the board someone is always willing to help. Professor Fey is great about answering questions and if she doesn't have the answer she will help find it. I have had more interaction with students in this class than a regular class. Word of advice, read read read everything. Don't worry, the reading is very interesting. Make sure you post everyday. Plan on spending an average of 3 hours a day in this class. I worked, took another class and visited my sick sister and it was extremely overwhelming for me. I had a difficult time keeping up with the text reading and I did pay for it. I almost dropped the class and I am so glad that I stuck it out. I opted to take the exam instead of doing the questions. Professor Fey does post surprise discussion board homework (SDBH) - if you are reading the discussion board (DB) you'll have no problem finding them. The information that is received in this classroom is life changing. I didn't realize how naive I have been to what has been happening within our environment. Even though this class is over for me the learning still continues. I am getting myself more involved with my community. I am going to attend our lake association committee and become more educated and involved. It is extremely important to follow the directions, do the work, post on the DB, comment on a fellow classmates summary and final thoughts and you will do great in this class. Good luck and I hope you enjoy this class as much as I did. Most importantly, hopefully you will become a conscious and active person regarding our earth. ~Cecilia Angyal DON'T FREAK OUT - you can probably panic a little (just kidding)! The first week is very, very overwhelming but it will get better, I promise. You have options in this class on how you would like to complete it. I chose to take the tests and work on the assignments. Even in choosing this option there is alot of work. You must be able to devote a lot of time and effort to this class if you want to succeed. Prof. Fey is wonderful. She contributes to the class daily and responds to your questions very quickly (not like some other professors). She is very active in the class and really makes you think about the environment. This, by far, has been the most interesting class I have taken. I have learned (literally) so much about our environment (some good things, some bad things) in this past eight weeks. I wish I had taken this class in high school. I think that everyone that takes this class and pushed thru the eight weeks will do nothing but benefit from it. You will learn (in depth) things that you hear on t.v. and in the media used mildly (ozone days, global warming, etc.) You will actually know what they are talking about. I highly recommend this class. There is a lot of work (which most all is very interesting) but you will leave the class knowing an enormous amount of information about where we live. This class definately opens your eyes to what is going on around you - and it will even give you information on how to protect yourself and your family from environmental dangers. I enjoyed the class very much and I hope you will too!! ~Wendy Pierce To all newcomer, Environmental Science 1050 is a great course to take. This is your first week so let me try to help by saying, stay calm. I know that the first day handout is a a lot to read, but it will flow naturally after two weeks, I did for me. The way that you can take the test instead of doing the whole seminar really really save me a lot of work. Your best thing to do is to stay on task and participate, participate, participate, I cannot stress that enough. Read everything, there some hidden points somewhere in all the discussion boards. Well I hope that I was informal, and remember to stay calm and participate. :) Have fun, Kevin Monroe Welcome to Environmental Science Everyone. The first week seems utterly confusing and you will wonder what you have done. Don’t Panic. There really is structure in this class and you will find a rhythm and make it work. You will learn many wonderful things in this class. So many things right under my nose that I wasn’t even aware of. I think that is great. Some of the topics you learn don’t always seem positive, but you will feel a better and smarter person for knowing them. You will be able to make better choices for yourself and your family to live in a healthier environment. How can you beat that! As I mentioned, structure is very, very important because as we all know we all have a million other things going on in our lives. The better prepared you are, the less stressful it will be. You must be prepared to put in a good 30 hours a week. Depending on your schedule and what comes easier to you, you will have the option of writing a report each week or taking an exam. If you are short on time, the exam has seemed to work for everyone. But you better study, they aren’t easy. Overall, I think it was a great class. I wish I had more time to absorb all the interesting things we learned. Good luck, you will love what you learn and you will be great! Katherine Quint Dear future environmental science student, As you begin reading this letter, I’m sure you might be considering dropping this course before it even starts. There is a lot of work that needs to be done throughout the next eight weeks. I know I thought about dropping. But, I am glad I didn’t. I was taking three other courses and working at the same time. I didn’t know if I could handle it or not. My family chipped in with the housework and running around and here I am during the final days of the course. It’s almost finished. Now, I use the word finished very lightly. Even though the course is complete, I will use what I have learned for the rest of my life. You will be amazed at what you will learn in this class. There are so many aspects of environmental science. You will increase your knowledge base when it comes to conservation, sustainability, biodiversity, pollution, and the list goes on and on. I know that in the final days of this course I have realized my life has changed. I am much more aware of the air I breathe, the foods I eat, and the ground I walk on among many other things. My family and I are making an effort to reduce, reuse, refuse, and recycle more than we ever have before. Don’t drop the course. You won’t regret it! P.S. Be sure and look for the DBSH each week in the discussion board. Besides the points received for that, there are opportunities for extra credit throughout the course. Take advantage of them if you can. ~Colleen Baumgarten Letter to Future Student: This class will be like no other you have experienced. I went into this class not interested in science much but hoping I would learn something about the environment. I learned a lot more than I thought I would. The first week was kind of hectic because you do not know how the layout is set up but after the first week, things run much smoother. I chose to do the questions every week but I would recommend to others to try both if they can. A strict schedule is necessary to stay on track and always watch the discussion boards and read everyone’s comments. Any surprise homework or bonus points will be on the boards. Plus great ideas on websites to visit or ways to reuse came from everyone. The class made me really aware of the environment and how we can help it. There were a lot of good ideas about what we can do as individuals to leave behind a better earth. Good Luck! Andrea Mazzocco Hello, to all future students. When you first sign up for this class, you will be shocked by the heavy amount of work required. If you want to do well, you must make sure to set aside many hours each week, and not wait until the last minute before beginning any assignment. I also recommend that you do not take this class if you have a hectic life, including working full time; I often felt incredibly overwhelmed, and I do not even work. The following are a few suggestions on how to be successful in this class. 1. Read all that is on the discussion board, because almost every week, surprise homework, usually worth 5 points, is hidden, and you will also get information that helps clarify some of the seminar material. 2. Make sure to post to the discussion board at least five out of the seven days of the week, and check to make sure you are getting all of your participation points; the maximum number is three per day, or 15 per week, not counting the discussion question or summary post. These really add up. 3. Begin working on the weekly application projects early, as they sometimes involve calling people and doing lots of research in order to obtain information. 4. Back up all of your work on a floppy disk or a memory stick, rather than just saving it on your computer. I learned my lesson the hard way. During the last week of class, when things were very hectic, my computer crashed, and I had not backed up any of my work, so I was very worried all my files would be lost. Luckily, my uncle is a computer whiz and was able to get me back up running—with files—and I only lost two days. I strongly encourage you to back up all of your work! Despite all the work that this class requires, it is definitely a great class to take! I often found the issues talked about on the discussion board and during each week’s seminar to be quite eye opening. You will likely be motivated to make several life changes, encouraging your family and friends to do the same. There are not many classes that have this effect, so hang in there, and in eight weeks, you will be glad you did. Brian Rohrkemper I am sure that right now you are thinking, I can't do this I need to drop this class. Don't! Take a deep breath, relax, and read through some of these letters. First, although this class does require a little more work than a typical online class, the energy you put forth is well worth the rewards you're going to receive. Each week (seminar) in this class, you're going to learn things about the world you live in that will amaze and even upset you sometimes. Ultimately, besides earning a grade, you're going to learn how to live a little better on the Earth. I do have a few suggestions though to make the class go a little more smoothly for you. 1) Although you are required to log in and participate only 5 days each week, I recommend that you do it the first 5 days of each week. The reason for this is the due dates of your projects and exams fall on the 5th day, it's not going to do you much good to be participating in the discussion board which is designed to help you learn, after you've taken your exam or done your application project. 2) On the 6th or 7th day, log in and print out the next weeks objectives. As you read your textbook and the discussion board, take notes on this print out. It makes a great study guide. Also, check to see what is required of you for the application project that week. Sometimes it will take a little more effort and you'll want to be prepared for the research some require. Last minute surprises are not a good thing. 3) Get your discussion question done early. For the benefit of yourself and your classmates who may be eagerly awaiting your answers :) Most of all, enjoy yourself. If you have questions ask for help. Good luck! ~Brian Wood   Letter to Future Student Future ENVS 105 Students: Hello All!! Before getting started by first word of advice would be: realize it gets MUCH easier as you go along. The first day after looking at previous students reactions I was in doubt weather to take this class or not. The first week had to be the worst. I was so stressed out because I felt I did not have enough time to finish the project and then complete other home work. But, as time went by it was like a routine to log on everyday and do the postings and my discussion question. You get to the point where if you don’t go on its like you forgot to do something for the day. I wasn't sure first which I wanted to pursue in terms of the tests or the homework. I felt that the homework was much easier then the exam but WAY more time consuming. So I split it between the 8 weeks by doing some seminars and some exams. Overall, I think someone should try out both methods and see which one they like best. But, beware if you choose to do the seminars be able to spend at least 30 hours a week online doing stuff for them....no joke. But, now that this short 8 weeks is over all I can do is look back now and say wow. You will retain so much information from the book and Prof. Fey that you will want to go and tell friends and family about all the interesting things you never knew about the environment. Prepared to be shocked with a lot of the seminars. I found myself in amazement that I never even knew some things existed before. I would recommend this class to everyone. Good luck to all future students and don’t panic- it will get much better *P.S. - Look for the surprise homework—it helped me out and I’m sure it will do the same for you:) Jennifer Rziemkowski I think I will have to agree with Jennifer that the first week of getting used to the routine is the worst. You honestly don't feel you will survive, I know that feeling. But if you take the classes as 8 mini lessons, in smaller increments, you will be able to mentally survive this class. I wasn't able to take tests because of my work schedule, so I had to accomplish the seminar reports which are very time consuming and with my schedule I barely could survive. Be sure to explain yourself fully in the answers because professor is very strict in the grading of these reports. Also be sure to read the directions if you are to perform one or two of the application projects of that seminar. Also, take time to give a nice explanation in your discussion questions because the whole class reads it and you don't want people to assume that you aren't taking this class seriously as they are. Students will point out your mistakes and professor will check to see if you correct those mistakes in your seminar reports. So be sure to do those things if those situations arise with yo. That was my motivation to do well on all my work especially my summary that is posted to the DB as well. Overall, this class enlightened me on many topics involving the environment. I didn't know how talked about this subject is until I started taking this class and in conversations with friends/family and at work, topics that we evaluate in depth were major concerns by them. This class will help you understand your surroundings better. If you take anything from it, take the knowledge of all the problems we have around us, in order to help make a better America. Thank you, Jessica Mousseau Welcome to ENVS 1010! This class is not for the faint of heart. Be ready to be shocked at what you learn, and the amount of work you will put in to learn it. I am assuming you have already read your options in the class work. I suggest taking the exams unless you have about 30-40 hours a week to spare. I opted for the exams for I work full time as well. An important word of advice is to go through and research the answers to the seminar objectives anyways if you take the exam option. This will help you immensely on the exams. Learn the difference between Fact, and Opinion well for this is an important concept in this class. Post, Post, Post. The Discussion Board is a large part of your grade. Log on everyday and respond to at least 3 people with something more substantive then ¡§Good job¡¨. Post well thought out responses. Get into a weekly schedule and stick to it or you will get behind. This class has a large workload even if you take the exams, so you will not have time to catch up! Research is a large part of this class; make sure your sources are valid. There are two sides to every issue. Every opinion may be valid, so keep an open mind. Don¡¦t be afraid to be controversial, but do not be offensive with your opinion. (I am guilty of that one ƒ¼) As long as you are respectful controversial statements can spark up some great debates that are a great learning tool. Read all threads, you never know where the surprise extra credit or homework will be! It will drop you at least one letter grade if you do not do them! My last advice to you is ¡§DON¡¦T PANIC!!!!!¡¨ It will be over in 8 weeks, and it will go fast. Clifford Knasinski Welcome to Environmental Science! I’m sure you have now read over the syllabus and many pages of important course information that Professor Fey has provided for you. DON’T PANIC! This course is VERY overwhelming at first, but if you stick it out and just relax (deep breaths are important) it will be okay. When I first looked over the course packet I decided to go with the Exam Option. If you have a very busy schedule (other classes and work) then I suggest taking this option. I was a full time student taking 5 courses at my university and this 1 online class here at Macomb plus working a part time job…so if I could do it, you can do it! I made up a checklist and posted it by my computer of what I needed to do and when it needed to be posted. If you chose to take the Exam Option: Day Seven (Tuesday): 1. Print off the week’s seminar 2. Participate in Discussion Board Day One (Wednesday): 1. Read assigned reading from the text and lecture notes 2. Look over Objective Questions and your particular Discussion Questions. Keep these in mind when reading the assigned chapters. 3. Participate in Discussion Board Day Two (Thursday): 1. Answer your Discussion Question and post it to the board 2. Review the end of the chapter questions. 3. Start on the application project(s) Day Three (Friday): 1. Participate in Discussion Board 2. Review others Discussion Questions and respond Day Four (Saturday): 1. Complete your application project(s) 2. Make a study guide for Monday’s exam 3. Participate in Discussion Board Day Five (Sunday): 1. Submit your application project(s) to your student folder (MY FOLDER) 2. Respond to classmate’s summary and final thoughts 3. Participate in Discussion Board Day Six (Monday): 1. Application Project is due 2. Comments on other student’s summary and final thoughts are due 3. Go to the learning center @ Macomb's campus and take your exam A few pieces of valuable information: 1. Make sure you participate ANY five out of the seven days of the week. The attendance alone (20/20 pts) each week will do wonders for your grade 2. Start your application project early. It may require you to contact local city officials or go to your local library 3. Pace yourself and your time. There is a lot of time and dedication that needs to be applied to this course, but it is definitely worth it. 4. Look for the Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH) and extra credit that is posted within student threads. This is VERY helpful and will definitely be beneficial to your grade. *Make sure you read ALL threads* 5. If you think of dropping out or changing classes…don’t. I did at first too. It will all come together slowly but surely and the professor is very helpful and gives great instruction. Don’t worry you’ll do great! Good Luck. Laura Adolph 2Winter 2005 Hello future Environmental Science students. I hope you are ready to learn a lot from this class, because you will! When I first started this course and was reading the letters from former students, two things kept going through my head throughout these 8 weeks. The first thing that was mentioned several times was not to panic. The second was a note from one student that said he used his Environmental Science Textbook was more than any other book. So first, do not panic. The first week is the most difficult, but you will get through it. You need to just make sure you set your schedule and establish a routine. It gets easier as each week passes by – and be assured, these 8 weeks will just fly by. This last week has also been difficult because I have 4 other classes and my exams fell the same week we are doing our group project and I found it difficult to chat (meet) with my group. So if possible, try and keep your last week a little more open than I did so you can be available for group chats on the project. I do my class work throughout the day, every day, and I log on as many times as I can, it helps to keep current on reading the new messages posted. I chose to take the exams in the interest of saving time. By saving time that means you will probably be working on this class for about 30 hours per week opposed to many more. Taking tests are not my strong point, however to make up for it, I made sure that I had 100% attendance (which was the easiest part of this whole course) and I made sure that I submitted all of the assignments on time and did as much of the extra credit I could. Second, I purchased a new Environmental Textbook. I’ve only used it for the past 8 weeks and you would think I had been for a year! This is my second year of going to MCC full time, and this is the most used book I have. The great thing about this class is that so much of the information you will learn will apply to your every day life. It is a lot of hard work but it is worth it. I hope you appreciate this course as much as I have. Good Luck, enjoy the class and have fun with it, I did. Francesca Quasarano Letter to Future Students- My name is Shelly Mabe. It was a pleasure to take this online class. It was my first online class so I had to get organized very quickly. This class is quite the bumpy start but well worth taking. I learned so much about the environment. Most importantly, I learned things that will help me live healthier thus help my children and family live a healthier lifestyle. In this class you will be given a lot of information in a short amount of time. It moves fast so be sure to READ, READ, READ AND TAKE NOTES WHILE YOU READ! I would suggest taking the tests on campus. You will save time and cut your hours immensely. You will need AT LEAST 30 hours per week to do well in this class if you take the exams on campus. YOU WILL NEED MORE TIME IF YOU CHOSE NOT TO TAKE EXAMS ON CAMPUS. Make sure you READ ALL THE POSTS that are posted to the discussion board each day. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU CHOSE ‘THREADED’ as your Discussion Board style. It makes for easy reading. Read all of Ms. Fey’s posts. You will find extra credit opportunities hidden in some of them. IN THIS CLASS EVERY POINT COUNTS!! Don’t be afraid to post your thoughts even if they are contrary to popular opinion. Even if that opinion is challenged, the discussion is part of the learning process. I had a few of my opinions “shot down” but learned a great deal in the process. I should say that I had a few of my opinions substantiated also. Take the risk when posting to the DB. It is fun and can be an amazing personal growth experience! I am happy to have taken this class. Yes, the first week is bumpy and the last week is also, but the ride is worth the quality information learned. I did not get bored and I do not regret having taken the time for this experience. I’m better prepared to have intelligent conversations about our environment. I would recommend this class to others but I would caution them to take it when they have the time and energy to devote to studying reading and writing. Shelly R Mabe To the future students of Environmental Science. This will be the hardest and most interesting journey of your academic careers. One would think that there is not much about the environment that you do not already know. NOT! This class is chock full of good information that you can take out to your communities. The one bit of mental advice that I would have is, “Don’t let it get you depressed”. You will read numerous times “Take the tests it is easier”. Well I am one who did not take the test at all. It was a very difficult task to handle and I would not recommend it to someone who cannot budget their time. I had to budget because I am horrible at taking tests and probably did better in the class because I answered all the questions. “30 hours a week, you’ve got to be kidding me. That is for people that have no life, I can do it in less”. My thoughts when I read the letters in the first week. Believe it, you will spend between 20 to 30 hours a week doing research and working in this class! It sounds like a lot of work, well it is, but the benefits far outweigh the time spent. The first couple of weeks are the hardest. It takes a while to get into a rhythm that will get all the assignments done. READ EVERYTHING. Leave no stone unturned. Many times the discussion that your fellow students have will help you complete your own work. There are also some surprises that you will have to figure out for yourself. Good luck in the class and don’t get discouraged. At the end of it all you will have a much better grasp on the environment and how you can affect positive changes. ~Patrick Lewis Hello future students of ENVS 1050! You are about to begin a journey into environmental science that will almost surely leave a lasting impact on you. The way it is structured, you will be spending at least 30 hours per week on this class. This is not an exaggeration as I thought (maybe was hoping) when I read the letters from prior students. However, the information is extremely interesting and relates to all aspects of our lives so the time will pass by quickly. In no way do I regret taking this class. The first week or so is hectic because you are trying to get a handle on what you are supposed to do and when it is due. You really will get into the swing of things by the middle of the second week. Here are my suggestions: Be sure to change your view in the discussion board to threaded. This is recommended in the syllabus too. I waited about a day – day and a half to do this. It makes a HUGE difference in being able to follow a conversation, and to quickly identify what you have not yet read. Speaking of reading, be sure to read EVERYONE’s posts. This is important for many reasons. First of all, reading these posts is actually helping you study. Second of all, Professor Fey will post surprise homework and extra credit based on your classmates responses to different questions and you will never know in advance where that will be. And finally, you are responsible for responding to the discussion board 5 out of seven days (Be aware – it is not five times. If you respond to several posts in a single day that still counts as 1 day’s participation). Reading everyone’s posts will give you inspiration for your response that is required for participation. Since we are talking about participation already, I will let you know how I handled it. I tried to read most of the material, at least skim it before I went to the discussion board. This way, I was familiar with the different topics that were posted. When I read a fellow classmates post, I would turn to the corresponding page in the text to see if I could add more information to the post. If it was a really interesting topic and the text’s information was exhausted, I would look for more information on the internet. Here is my most important recommendation: If you usually do fairly well on multiple choice tests – definitely take the on-campus test instead of the seminar report. I did not bother to ever write a report. I knew someone that only did the reports and by the time that she completed them, they were roughly 20 pages long. I was already spending enough time on the class and I opted to take about 30 minutes to take the test instead. However, be aware that the tests are very comprehensive. They cover all of the material IN DEPTH – so be sure to read everything very closely. I always made sure I had a chance to re-read the chapters the night before the test. This helped put everything into perspective after my classmates and I took apart the topics all week in the discussion board. I have to say that I thought the grading was very fair. “A’s” and “B’s” are definitely possible. Good luck, have fun and make a difference! Susanne Bobzin Boy, I can't believe how the 8 weeks flew by. Looking back on the class activities and the participation, it sure was rough for me. I found out the hard way, that this class does need 30 hours of work a week. I had a very hard time keeping up with all the work load, and even trying to get online every day. But, my knowledge has grown lengths, all thanks to the long hours and hard time I spent trying to get the work load in. For the very last week I decided to take the exam on campus. I wish I would have known how much easier it was than to try to tackle all the questions. I would have taken the exam every week, I just didn't think that my time would have allowed for taking it. The discussion board plays the biggest role in the class. Every student must, and does participate, and it has helped me through many tough spots in the class. Luckily everyone is more than willing to help and everything gets smoothed out. The very first week, the class seems overwhelming and the work load seems a ton, but if you are able to set aside some long hours, you will have no problem finishing the semester. The best part, is that the work load does get a little lighter as the weeks go by. ~Joel Ricketts     Summer 2005 I’m coming to you from Professor Fey’s Environmental Science class, which is coming to a close.  This journey has been a rollercoaster ride, having had its ups and downs, as is with any journey.  The journey has been challenging, thoughtful, surprising, frustrating, but lastly REWARDING.  I believe the toughest journeys are the most beneficial, and I’m starting to realize that with this class, through all the tears and sweat (ok not literal tears).  I have learned a tremendous amount and will walk away with allot, which you can too.  Some advice, I do recommend you read these letters carefully, as they’ll be guide for your new journey and you’ll be able to look back and relate to this letter.  Step back:   You’ve just read the syllabus and are now reading these letters – step back and take a deep breath.  Allot of these letters will say “DON’T PANIC,” you should listen to them, and breathe.  I found panicking only made it seem worse than it really is. Evaluate:  Why are you taking this class?  Is if or an easy A in science?  If it is for an easy A, move along.  This class is not geared toward and easy A, as no class necessarily is.  This class is geared to enlighten and challenge you in regards to the issues and concerns of Environmental Science.  The information absorbed here will set off emotions you may not have known existed, for example how you feel about pollution once you learn the facts and how YOU (one person) CAN make a difference.   Time frame:  What is the timeframe you’re taking this class, winter (Christmas), or summer?  I find these the seasons to be the busiest in my life.  I took this class in the summer, and I did lose allot of my summer – BUT, it was worth it now that I look back.  This class WILL take up allot of your time, there is a lot of reading, posting and investigation.  I had a second online class in conjunction with this and wished I would have balanced my time better; this class consumed 80% of the allotted 100%.   Extra Credit / Surprise Homework:  Search for ALL of these, this is the best advise I can provide.  Read all threads and you’ll come across these, they’re EXTREMLY helpful, for some students it had been identified to increase their grade greatly.  Also, they’re great experiences; especially the DTE, Semco, and Clinton River clean up excursions.  I personally attended the DTE and loved it!  You may even get to meet and interact with your classmates which is always fun!  I personally enjoyed meeting mine, I had a great class.              Tests & Seminar Reports:  You have an option to take a weekly test or write a report.  The first week I wrote the report and mine was almost 15 pages long, from there on I took the test.  I only chose to take the test due to time constraints, I felt it worked better for my schedule; two online classes and working full time.  Though, I will say (so will others) you will absorb more from completing the reports.  The choice is yours. Application Projects:  These are due in conjunction with your report if you choose to write one or with the test.  The AP’s are due by the 6th day, so start on day 1.  There will be times you’ll need to contact your city officials or offices (seriously) and investigate via the internet.  There will be a group project, don’t fret when this one comes up.  Yes, the routine will be different, but it’s not as tough as it may seem – just start early, your group is counting on you.     Attendance:  Be sure to get your attendance points, these can boost your grade significantly, and this is the easy part, so why not.  Read all threads and post on the article or question with quality; be sure it’s quality or you won’t get credit.  Respect:  Just because this is an online class and the class isn’t personalized does not mean disrespect can take place.  When posting a response to another classmates thread remember there is a person behind the thread, treat them as you would if it were a face to face conversation.  Professor Fey means business, she has a NO tolerance policy for disrespect, and I can agree.  It’s easy to miswrite your actual meaning or tone.  Thus, carefully read your post before submitting to see how you might interpret it; if it sounds rough or harsh reword it.  Professor Fey:  She is kind, challenging and helpful, so ASK.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions and don’t wait till the last minute to do so.  Don’t drop this course after reading these letters, really when you’re done you’ll be glad.  I have had 5 online classes, including an Ancient History class, and this one has been the most challenging, but with challenges there are GREAT REWARDS.  You’ll find yourself spewing your newly found knowledge to anyone who will listen.  I would try to enlighten everyone with what I learned/encountered, and still won’t stuff it about my new found knowledge of water!  Now go back to tip #1 and breathe, you can and will survive this and any other class, it’s only 8 weeks of 52. GOOD LUCK and remember DON’T FRET this only makes it worse ;), you’ll do awesome, but only if you stick with it!!!!!   Best wishes in this new endeavor. Michelle Tylka You are currently reading one of my last assignments in Professor Fey’s environmental science class. I do not think any of the letters you are going to read will be sugar coated. This is my 5th on-line class and without a doubt the hardest class I’ve taken at Macomb so far. I would also have to admit that it was also one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken. You have a normal 16-week class crunched into 8 weeks and you can really feel the pressure at times. This class will take a lot of your time. The format was a little strange for me at first but you should get the hang of it quickly enough. The first week I decided to do the seminar report. The report turned out to be about 12 pages worth of work. I have taken the exam on campus every other week only because of how time consuming the rest of the class was. I did learn more doing the report than I did taking the exams. It will depend on what you are looking to gain from the class. There will be a lot of reading, read everything!! Respond to postings every day for those attendance points, they can help a great deal. There are hidden homework assignments and extra credit. In addition, to really gain from the class, reading and responding to your peer’s postings will add to the experience. One of the best things I am taking away from the class is the interaction with the other students. I recommend taking advantage of every extra credit point that is available to you. Start your week as early as possible. I did not learn that until the last couple of weeks and it made a huge difference, I did not feel as stressed out as I did in the beginning. On a final note, the class has been a great experience. The things you will learn about our environment will at times shock you, you may be saddened by the things we have done and continue to do, but you should feel hopeful that you, just one person could make a difference. I hope I did not scare you and I wish you the best of luck! Former Student ~Wanda Williams Welcome new student!   Former Student    To all of you we did enjoy this class, it was a wonderful that we learnt a lot about our earth, what is our responsibilities know to fight for this earth, to make everything good around us sustainable, we learnt about our environment we learnt how we take care of that environment how we keep us happy by living in this earth, in this class you will love the information that you get to know about you global environment and about your local environment, I hope after this class we all hand our responsibilities and keep our earth in good shape, by watching our behavior first and then direct the other what is good for our environment, you as a student either way you are in the environment science field ( as a Major study ) or in other field and as an educated person you will be after this class handling a giant responsibility to protect the environment to make us living healthy and happy. Thank for all of you and the professor who was working hard with us to make everything understandable for us. ~Nada Farhat Note to Future Students Dear future classmates I know you are probably freaking out right now after reading the syllabus because we have all been there and done that. I will be honest this class is a lot of work but this is my last week of the class and I can’t even believe it has flown by so fast. If you were like me and have no idea about the environment you will learn so much and it is all very, very interesting and worth your wild to stay in this class. The only thing that I didn’t like was we only had eight weeks to learn about everything, so I don’t recommend you have more than two other classes like I had because it is very time consuming but worth it. To help you out a little with choosing what option you want to do it all depends on your schedule and how much time you have, I recommend choosing the third option like I did so that way if you cant make it because you are sick or you are out of town the seminar reports come in handy. Those are very long; mine were usually 15 pages sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. Although, I liked doing the reports better because I am not a test person and hate studying for them. I mean the seminars were long but I could do them at 2 in the morning if I wanted to, so I would just do a couple things a day since you get 6 days to do the whole report. So like I was saying it all depends on your schedule and by week 3 you will have your own schedule down and it will be so much easier. I know it is a lot of information to take in on the first day when you get your handouts but just like the teacher says calm down, take a deep breath and just breathe you will get through it and it will fly by. Pretty soon you will be like me writing a letter to the next future classmates wondering how your class flew by so fast, so good luck and stick it out! ~Natalie Potter Letter to Future Students Environmental Science was a challenging yet rewarding course. The first few days I felt very overwhelmed and thought maybe I should drop this class while I still have the chance, but I hung in there. The Professor assured us that the first week is always the hardest because there is so much information to go through. She was right. I am a seminar student because I like to write and it was more convenient than driving to south campus to take the test. Once I figured out the format of the seminar report and knew what was due when, it was smooth sailing. Start your work early in the week and pace yourself. Do not wait until the last minute to do all your work. It is impossible. Some assignments require making phone calls to governmental offices which are only open during the week. Plan on a minimum of 25 hours a week working on this class.  You will be assigned a number. You are to answer the Discussion Question (or DQ) correlating with your number due by midnight each Wednesday. If you choose to do the seminar report, you must answer in writing all the objective questions. There are usually twenty questions. It is due by midnight Saturday. If you are an exam student, you must let the professor know by Wednesday if you will be taking the exam and you have to work around the South Campus Learning Center’s schedule. You still need to review the objective questions to take the exam so I thought why not just write the report? You must also post your “Final Thoughts & Summary” to the Discussion Board by Saturday night which is also to be included in the seminar report that you will submit for grading. In addition, you will need to post to the Discussion Board at least five out of seven days. Your responses must be thoughtful and relate to the question or statement. You will earn attendance points each day you log in and respond. Sometimes you can get lost in the DB because you get so involved. You really do develop a rapport with fellow students in the DB. It is very important to read all threads and sub threads. Sometimes you will find extra credit assignments inside a sub thread. Take advantage of the extra credit assignments, big or small. Extra credit is not hard at all, just thought provoking. A few points here and there can make the difference between a grade of a B and an A. We toured the Detroit Edison Plant, Semco Gas Company, and had a chance to volunteer to clean the Clinton River. The Clinton River clean up was the best. Environmental Science opens your mind to how we directly and indirectly affect our environment. Our environment is what we breathe, eat, and drink. We ingest our environment, no matter what. Nothing goes away in our environment. It always resurfaces. That is why we need to take precautionary measures. You will start to seriously think about the products you use at home and how much electricity and water you really use. You will want to buy organic fertilizer and start reading the labels on your bottled water. You will want to start carpooling and buy an electric car. You may want to leave the planet Earth all together and start living somewhere else! Or you will decide that our Earth is very precious and we need to do all we can to protect it. Good luck and have a great semester! Jennifer Shalayko Welcome to environmental science! The next eight weeks will be the most difficult, stressful, informative and rewarding weeks you’ve probably ever had. First of all, I just want to say, relax. This first week (and the last week) will be the hardest. Once you get down the procedure, it gets better. Not easier, but better. Don’t let these letters from former students change your mind about taking this class, by the end of the semester you will be happy you stuck it out. By the end of the first week, I was practically in tears. This was my first online class and I was so confused, overwhelmed, and stressed. It was nothing like I imagined an online class to be. If you took this class as a “blow off,” you’re in for quite a surprise. I took environmental science in high school two years ago and figured this was be a refresher course. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This class is so much more in-depth than the class I took in high school and I barely used any of the knowledge I had acquired then. I chose to take the tests on-campus every week but one. At first, it seemed like such a pain to drive all the way out to South Campus when I live 15 minutes from Center, but it was worth it. I don’t think I could handle the stress of the seminar reports every week. The one week that I did do the seminar report, I was on vacation. It took a lot more discipline to force myself to work on the report, especially since I’m a procrastinator and was visiting family I hadn’t seen in 6 years. That’s another thing, if you’re a procrastinator, you may have a hard time keeping up. I’ll admit that there were times that I’d still be reading the text the morning I was supposed to take the exam or I’d be logging on at 11:30 to submit my DQ or participate for the day. Whatever you do, don’t fall behind! Through the ups and downs of this class, I’m really glad I kept with it. There were times that I wish I would have dropped, but I’ve learned so much valuable information that I will take with me. Now when I hear people discussing environmental issues, I have an opinion. And when I read the newspaper, I spot out articles that are relevant to the things we’ve discussed in class. It’s really made me realize how bad of a state our environment is in and how if we don’t do anything now, it will continue to get worse. Best of luck to you---you’ll need it! Brittany Ochtinsky Welcome Students! Well, you are probably wondering now that you have read through everything, what you have gotten yourself into. To tell you the truth, it really isn’t that bad as long as you get into a routine and stick to it. I started out real bad in this class for basically one reason. I forgot that class started and it was already day 3 (Wednesday) when I remembered-my fault. This class consists of either taking a test with application project or doing a seminar report. At first, I chose to take the test. Then I realized that they were not going too good for me so I decided to try and do the seminar report. I learned so much more from doing the report and retained the information better than from taking the test. For this class you have to be disciplined and organized. Attendance counts for a lot of your grade so make sure you post! There will be Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH) so make sure you are reading everything. There is also extra credit offered. Again, Make sure you read EVERYTHING! Every week, in addition to attendance points, you will need to answer a “discussion board question” that corresponds to your student number by day 3 (Wednesday). Also, you will need to post your final thoughts about each seminar to the discussion board by the end of each week. At the end of your class, week 8, there will be a group application project. For this week, I felt very disoriented. I didn’t have my same routine. But, don’t fret, you will get through it. Other than that, as long as you work well with your group, it will be fine. Now that you are done reading this, it is time to get started. Don’t fall behind, keep calm, and make sure you breathe. :o) Former Student, Valerie Page Welcome New Student!! I am a former student of Professor Fey’s Environmental Science class, which I can say that it was the most challenging class I ever taken. I am a senior at a different university and when I took this online class at Macomb I said to myself that it should be an easy class because 1) is an environmental class and it cannot be that hard and 2) it is online, the class needs to be easy. I can assure you that it wasn’t hard but it was demanding. During the first week of this class I was overwhelmed with everything that I needed to do and especially how many instructions I had to follow in order to get the homework done. I also tried to do the seminar the first week, but after I did three questions I realized that it would take me forever to do it and I decided to take the exam on campus instead. The exams are multiple questions and you would find that anything that can be asked from the chapter would be. Since I choose to take the exams, I needed to do only the application projects and to post a discussion question each week. The application project takes at least six hours every week and you need to get a lot of information from different sources, which would not always be easy. I think that the most important part of this class is the participation in the discussion board. On the discussion board you can talk to your classmates and this would help you when you need to do the last application project as a group. It is also important to “budget” you time in a way that you do something each day, because otherwise you will fell pressured by the time and would be hard to enjoy to material. The professor is very helpful and every time I sent her an email I got a response within 24 hours. Also, she allowed me to take the exams on Saturdays, instead of Thursdays or Fridays. My recommendation is that if this is the first online class that you are taking, it is better to wait and take it a later time. It is hard to get used to the online setting and to deal with this class in the same time. I would also recommend not taking this class if you are working full time and taking additional classes. I know it may seem a lot but I can assure you will learn more that you think and if you like challenges this is the class to take. Good luck with this class. Best wishes on this new beginning!!!! Former student Roxana Ciungu Letter to a Future Student First thing, if this is your first online class, you may want to rethink this. If you decide to go ahead with it, make sure it is your only class. If this had been my first online class I would have been too frustrated to finish. Your first online class gets you used to navigating the site and helps you to learn how things are done. There is just too much information in this class to be struggling with learning the site and how things work. With that said, the first two weeks of class, you will feel very overloaded. Do not get too frustrated, it does get better. It just takes awhile to figure out what is required, when it is due by, and where to post it. Take a deep breathe and jump in. If you decide to stick with it. When the professor says in her welcome packet that this class requires 24 hours a week, she really means it. She also has the words intense bolded, she also means that. This class is a lot of work. I would also recommend going on all tours that are set up and doing any of the extra credit activities. Not only do you get extra credit for them, they are also very educational. The book has a lot of very good information in it. This class is full of things that may scare you or things that you really did not want to know. I think for the most part, it could be considered a life changing experience. Unfortunately, it also is a lot of work and at times it seemed like I was not able to deluge further into things I would have liked to have. I would recommend the tests myself. I did have to use quite a bit of time off from work to accomplish taking the tests but it was worth it. My family may not agree but it seemed to be the least stressful answer. The seminar reports take up a lot of time. I only completed one and I did not do very well on it. The test was a better option for me. It seems like the class got easier but I think I just got better at navigating the site and at spreading out the work load. I would not wait until the due date on anything. It is your best interest to get it done and turned in as soon as you can. Other than that, enjoy your class. Remember it will get better. Former Student Danielle Allen This class has been one of the most time-consuming and demanding classes I have ever taken. My first instinct was to drop the class and run! I am glad I didn't. The work is hard and there is much of it. The best advice I could give to a student just taking this class is to start as early in the week as possible and prepared to feel overwhelmed. Professor Fey demands a lot of her students but the things you will learn will apply to every aspect of your life and may change your perspective on the world. This class will provide information regarding the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat and other fascinating things. I have learned so much about our world and I understand so much more about the environment. It is imperative that you read the Discussion Board (everyday, I suggest) to comprehend the information better and to learn from your peers. Professor Fey is very generous with extra credit, but believe me, you'll need it! Hopefully, you will have a class like we did where everyone helped each other out and had a few laughs along the way. If you feel overwhelmed and like you just can't do it, don't worry, we've all been there and you will get through it. Pretty soon, you will be writing a letter like this encouraging the next round of students! Good Luck! ~Crystal Gibson Welcome future student, So you want to take an Environmental Science class. Well you will learn plenty about our earth, some good and some bad. When you are done you will wonder what is in your bottled water or in the air you breath, you will be conscience of how much energy you use or how much useless driving you do, you will even be wondering what is in store for future generations. This class will enlighten you on how much we really take for granite and how much we as individuals can do to change the resources we are using up. But you will not learn this by only putting in a few hours a week. I started out on my first week putting in approximately 21-25 hours on one seminar (there is one seminar a week). Each seminar consisted of Objective Questions, Discussion Board Question, Application, Web Resource and Summary and Final Thoughts. I did all the Objective Questions and I learned plenty! But I wonder if I took the tests instead if it would have saved me time. Each seminar was approximately 15-20 pages long and when I read that from a previous student I thought “Oh yea right”. They weren’t kidding! This class takes a lot of time and energy to complete. I admit I wanted to drop but my husband talked me into staying and I’m glad I completed it. Make sure you read all the threads (there is a lot of reading here), and respond to get your daily attendance points. There is extra credit work hidden in some of the threads. I suggest you do as much extra credit as you can. I went to the DTE plant in St. Clair, which took with travel time approximately 4 hours not including the summary I had to write afterward, but it was very interesting. I also cleaned up the Clinton River for three hours it was very rewarding, but then I had to write a summary about that also. Although I got to meet some of my fellow students and was able to put faces with their names. Every one was very nice. The applications are different every week. Some you can do on the web and some you have to use leg work to find the information from your local library, township, water department, historical society, Lansing etc. I know a lot more people and have a lot more friends at the township hall now. Just when I thought I had it down pat and we were entering the last seminar a monkey wrench was thrown into the whole thing. We found out we had to work as a group. The tough thing about that was getting seven people together at one time to work together. Our group leader was great and things seem to be going smoothly so far. This is my first on line class and I was assured by other classmates that not all of the on line classes are this much work. I don’t know if I would ever take another one again though. This class seemed like it consumed every bit of the 8 weeks and most of my summer. ~Laura Kron   First I want to start by saying, don’t let the first week get you. That first day when you read the syllabus do not panic. It will seem overwhelming at first, but it does get better. Second thing prepare for a lot of work, if you do the seminars. You will learn a lot working on the seminars, but it will take between 15 –20 hours a week to do them well. Plus the daily discussion board, extra credit (do them!!), researching the information for your seminar. If you are still reading and not dropping the class, let my letter not scar you away. This is good class for the most. Many of you have signed up for class for the same reason we did when we took the class, “I need a science credit”. I believe that this is a good class to get these credits. However, if you can take the test, the class will not take as long as working on the seminars, but this is a semester summer class and the learning center just is not open the same in the summer, as you will have for the fall semester. But I have to believe I have learned more by working though the seminars, and I have enjoyed learning some of the information!!! Plus plan for the last week as a group project, I really wish I had own sooner, it just give you more time to work into your schedule for that last week, and if you are taking this eight week class close to Christmas you would want to include in your schedule. Finally extra credit points, my classmates and I took some opportunity to take a few of the extra credit tours to the energy plant, water plant, and a few are cleaning up the Clinton River this coming weekend. These are great extra credit points and great experiences. Do them!!!! If there is one thing I can pass on, start early on the seminars and do not wait, it will take most of the week to complete them and if it doesn’t take the week you have the seminar finish before Friday by starting early. Enjoy this experience it will change you. You will probably be shock at how much energy you use, how water you use and overall how much we can waste as a nation. You will learn about how energy is produce and how drinking water is treated. You will learn how the environment reacts to the population. I will admit I learned a lot in this class and I’m taking several things away as I leave. First I need to understand how my actions of refuse, reused, recycle and reduce affect the environment. Second where my renewable resource come from, how long they will last and how I can apply the four R’s to these questions. Third I will need to do more than just sitting around talking about the environment, I need to put my feet in front of me, and education other by my actions. I know I can only change myself first and hope people would learn from my actions. Good Luck the eight weeks go pretty fast but when you finish you are happy you have reached the end. ~Virginia Barnowski This class has taken a majority of my free time for last eight weeks. It was a bit overwhelming at first and I was contemplating dropping from it for lack of time but I needed the course, so I stuck it out. The first week is the most confusing and overwhelming but after you get the routine down, you should be okay after that. Remember to read all the posts, there are hidden extra credit assignments in them and you would be wise to do all extra credit assignments for the points. I did the seminar paper the first week only ;because it took so much TIME and effort that I really didn’t have the time to do it again for the rest of the seven weeks, as I work fulltime, and have other classes to work on. If I didn’t know my other class so well I would have dropped one of them so I could do the work in this class. That’s how much time you will spend on this class. Every one of my weekends but one for vacation was spent on this class for eight weeks! Also, make sure you respond respectfully to your classmates and respond often, you get a lot of your points from DB’s postings. The final Seminar 8 group project is also a lot of work for everyone involved and will require a lot of research on your part. Doing well on it means grades for you and your fellow classmates. For the remainder of the weeks, I took the exams and did the application projects which I did fair on but needed all the extra credit points I could get. I did learn a lot from this class about the environment and the issues which affect me and future generations that I knew nothing about before this class. The best part of the class was doing the volunteer work for the CRWC with a few other classmates to get extra credit. It ended up being a great experience. Best of luck to all of you in the class. Katherine Bittner 2 Fall 2004 Future Students, Greetings and salutations from an ENVS 105 veteran. When this class first began, and I read the letters from former students my initial reaction was that there was no way I’d be able to complete this course. The repeated reminders about the workload and the length of Seminars and from my review of the course outline had me very apprehensive right from the start. However, to echo what many other letters from former students say, DON’T PANIC. At least not right away, and don’t let what seems like an insurmountable mountain of research and reports discourage you. As the semester progresses the Seminar Reports will cease to be as frightening, and you will find they are not impossible to accomplish. In fact, you may find yourself feeling more confident in your abilities, and more self-assured in what you can do. You will find that the seminars in the course are as varied as the students who are taking the class with you. But just as all students are individuals who are seeking to expand their knowledge and united under that theme, you will find by the end of the course that the Seminars are all related in that they all concern the earth, her environment, and her people. As much as the seminars vary, so do the projects inside them. Initially this may seem frustrating because this makes it harder to settle into a ‘groove’, however, some of the projects you accomplish in this class are incredibly informational, and may cause you to look at everyday things in a whole new way. Time management cannot be stressed enough! Do not wait until the last minute to complete the Seminars. As I’ve said, though my attitude about the class changed as time progressed, and I found I could accomplish the tasks, it still requires time, effort, and initiative. A week may seem like a fairly large amount of time to accomplish a seminar, but don’t let this fool you. When you throw in distracters such as work, sleep, meals, and ‘me time’, that week gets shortened by a long shot. You will find that you are working from deadline to deadline in this course. Depending on courses you’ve taken or jobs you’ve worked, this may be a new, or relatively new concept to you. Don’t let it stress you too much, just whittle away at the seminars and you will find these deadlines can be met. Participation points a large part of your grade. Additionally there you may run across opportunities for extra credit. Ensure you read ALL the threads, as throughout the semester there may be additional research/homework that counts toward your grade, and if you just ‘blow by’ the threads you may miss them. Every point you can earn is important for your final grade, and you will receive points for participating in the discussion boards. Read the threads and articles that are posted, in addition to assigned text from the book and any lectures for the seminars. Be advised, sometimes the “Unread Threads” counter may be wrong! A way to make sure you read every thread is to check the discussion boards even if it doesn’t specifically state there are unread threads. Participate by sharing information you obtained through your reading and from any personal knowledge you bring to the class with the rest of the students via the discussion boards. Not only will this gain you participation points, more importantly it will help broaden the horizons for the entire class. One of the key ingredients in making this class better was the professor/facilitator. She is very approachable with your concerns that cannot be answered on the discussion boards, and her teaching style definitely fosters a rich learning environment. She presents materials in unique ways, and at least to me, in ways that open my mind to different perspectives and ways of looking at things. Beware, this class will more than likely cause many of you to want to affect immediate changes, scream in frustration at our society and the world in general, and may eventually make the world (and its future) seem somewhat bleak. Keep in mind this isn’t the intention of the class. However, after taking this class I have found certain aspects in my life that can be altered without a major lifestyle change, and will benefit my future family, the planet, and me. In summation, I chose to complete the seminars rather than take the exams, I cannot comment with authority on the difficulty of the exams. However, with regards to the Seminars, again, at times the workload can seem overwhelming. However, once you find your pace, you’ll notice that the class is passable if you study and manage your time well. Good Luck, Amy Beth Meinke An open letter to the students of Environmental Science: First, welcome to a course that has a lot of information just waiting to be gleamed and used in your daily life. This class has been one of the most beneficial classes that I have taken that has actually had a greater practical use in my daily life. It is one that, if you let it, it can get one depressed at the state our Earth is in. You will learn many new and interesting facts about our planet and how it is formed and how it works, what is being done to it, and how we can prolong its usefulness for generations to come. Talking about facts, one of the first things you will need to learn is the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are generally held beliefs, or close agreements, of competent observers as they observe an action of the same event. Opinions are most everything else that is not backed up by facts. Remember this – you will be using this information for a lot of your class work. Now, after reading the syllabus and other letters, you are asking yourself why you took this course. I am not going to tell you not to panic – sometimes panic is good if you let it in, enjoy the effects – but then you have to let it go. Again, there is a lot of work and research that will need to be done for this class. The results are very rewarding, though, if you take each seminar and each project assigned and accomplish it in an open and honest manner. Generally, you will be surprised at the outcomes and you can then use these results to improve upon your effect on the world. As a student in this class, you will have no problems if you are organized and you can get yourself into a routine. Once you do this, after the first week, the remaining seven weeks will fly by as you learn more and more. You will actually look forward to coming into this virtual class and interacting with your fellow students. Use them, ask questions if you are not clear, and have fun. The Professor loves this interaction and any humor that can add to the learning experience to get the point across and relieve any tension you might be feeling. I do warn you not to fall behind, though, because it is tough to recover and maintain a good grade. Each seminar is set up to facilitate the learning of the assigned readings and weekly teachings. I have found that the “gas saver” option has worked the best for me. If your time is valuable, you like to stay up late at night or get up early in the morning, and you can type in a fast and legible manner, then this option is for you. You will have to spend your time wisely, and again – you must be organized and get into a routine. You can be at home and enjoy its creature comforts while saving on gas and the pollution that your car emits if you drive to take the test on-campus! Do not run from the letters that are written here. Most of the class has lost their minds by the time they have written their letters and they are glad to be at the end of the course. However, this class has had one of the most practical applications of any of the courses I have taken so far in my pursuit of knowledge. You will be able to use this knowledge for yourself, your family, friends, and co-workers. We are all on this planet and we have to learn to use it wisely for our children and ourselves. Take the knowledge everywhere you go and share it with others. We all have a stake in the outcome of our actions while we spend our time here, so why not make the best of it. Good luck and remember to have fun and have an open mind. ~Ron Stockwell I am sure if you are reading this you are probably wondering what did you get yourself into? This class is demanding and is not to be taken lightly. You must pay attention and read and have QUALITY responses to the general Discussion Board postings every day if you want to succeed in this class. Seminar reports are a huge task and must be worked on a little each day or else you will spend your Monday nights in front of the computer until midnight. But don't be scared. The workload does tend to ease up a bit after the first few weeks and then the last week is just crazy. You will take a lot away from this class. Probably more than any other on-line class you have ever taken. This is my 5th one and by far the most involved. So pay attention, learn something, and try to have fun in the Discussion Board postings. The professor likes that and if you make the professor have fun it makes the class a whole lot more entertaining. Good Luck! Fred Heck Hello my name is Julie and I welcome you to your on line class. This class was much more then I expected but I am glad I got through it ok. There is a lot of work to do but you lean a lot from it. Just when you feel you might get a break it starts all over again. Just keep with it and once you finally get the hang of it, it will be over. Some thoughts I have for this class is don’t take many other classes or at least classes that are extremely demanding. This class never ends with the work. You are reading and writing and researching and putting it together then you start all over again. Start your work asap, I always tried to print everything the minutes its available at work and start it on my lunch hour. The quicker you can start the better chance to have a partial weekend free. Always ask questions because there is always someone else with the same question or that has the answer for you. Plus it’s fun to talk to people with different backgrounds. In the first week you meet everyone. Remember to read all discussion points and go on everyday if possible you never know if there is a day you can’t or forget to. Really read what people have to say and make notes and comments to get others to respond as well. Finally remember to enjoy the class, talk to everyone, and never think the seminars are easy and put them off. There is always a lot of work but the end result is the best. You will learn so much and hopefully will enjoy it as much as I have. Study Hard! Julie Kniga Hello future students- My name is Nicole, and I am just completing what is probably one of the most demanding classes I have taken at Macomb (online or on-campus). Even though it was consuming, I am very glad I stayed with it (and believe me the first week, I almost dropped). I think the best advise I can give you is 1) stay with the class, you really will learn ALOT! 2) don't take many other classes along with this one, you will NOT have time to do too much (unless you have no job and you don't sleep) 3) I really enjoyed the class, the students and the prof. However I found that the prof seems to make some of the directions in the packet a bit confusing sometimes (sorry prof), it usually is not as bad as it seems though. ASK QUESTIONS, although she's tough she is very understanding and very fair (and her online comments are pretty funny). There were are couple times I didn't ask questions when I needed to! Again, ask questions!! No one will think you're stupid, and the prof wants you to learn-she will be helpful. 4)Start the weekly applications early- The work isn't hard, just time consuming, and researching can be very frustrating sometimes. 5)DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO START-you will not get it done. If you choose to write the seminar report, allow yourself time. The typing can be just as time consuming as the actual project (sometimes my papers were like 15 pages long or so). I am glad I completed this course, I honestly learned more in the class that I have in most others. It will seem very difficult at first but after the first week or so you will catch on, and start to enjoy it more. When you get the first assignment packets-don't freak out-it is not as bad as it seems, remember it gets better. One more thing-READ ALL DISCUSSION BOARD ENTRIES you will miss out on some points if you don't. ~Nicole Ramaci Hello future students.      As a veteran to online classes, I can tell you with some level of expertise that this online class will be different than others you’ve dealt with. A lot will be asked of you, but you will come away with a better understanding of the environment, our resources and how you can do your part to protect and conserve both.      Be organized! Set a plan of attack on what task you will accomplish each day and stick with it. Read everything posted in the DB and participate every day; this is a very important part of your grade! I printed out every week’s assignment material so that I had it handy and could easily read everything. I also chose to take the exam each week due to my schedule. Studying the discussion & objective/guide questions helps. I also used the CD that came with the textbook to review the chapters discussed each week. The bottom line is don’t panic, get into the groove and stay motivated. Ask classmates and the Prof. for help when needed. It’s only 8 weeks and if you stick with it until the end, you’ll definitely have a reason to be proud of yourself and major bragging rights as a graduate of Prof. Fey’s Environmental Science course. Best of luck!! Anja Ocker Dear Future Student, Hello, My name is Didi and I am just completing what has been a very challenging and enlightening course. You are about to embark on a learning experience that is unlike most others. You will learn much more than you expect and perhaps change the way you think about things along the way. My advise to you is get yourself organized. Start from Day One each week and get motivated. The course only lasts eight weeks so don't think you can wait, because you simply cannot. This is a course that is jammed with useful information and you will have to work if you wish to be successful. Your textbook is very well written and will prove to be a useful tool. Read all the postings in the discussion board as there is important information there, and sometimes bonus points to be had that you won't want to miss. Get on the computer and post everyday. If you miss a day, you miss a lot and you lose points, so don't do it. In closing, don't be intimidated. Get organized, be prepared, be motivated and you will be successful in this class. Good luck! Didi DeBoer Hi. My name is Dana Lazechko. Environmental science is not a subject that is high on my Favorites List. However, the topics and facts discussed in this class were definitely interesting and I did find myself sharing a wealth of information with my friends and family. I have learned to appreciate the environment we live in; how it came into existence; and where it is possibly headed (depending on whose opinion I believe). Which brings me to the next subject… The Discussion Board. Boy, are you going to get used to reading all those entries and reading all the information on numerous websites! Make sure you are not taking any other classes when you take this class because it consumes a majority of your waking hours doing the assignments and posting to the Discussion Board. The homework is more than enough to keep you awake way into the night and the research will make you crazy, to say the least. However, when you are finished with this course, you will definitely have a better understanding of your city, our county and the world as a whole. Professor Fey is remarkable, intelligent and a great teacher. But she’s tough and expects more out of you that you knew you had in you. Be tough, stay strong and be sure that in the end, if you finish the course, believe me, you can do anything! Dana Hi, my name is Malgorzata Lubinska This was my fourth online class, and it had the most work ever. Environmental science isn't my favorite subject and is not something I'm interested. You have to find way to have more time for this class- you will need it. Read everything and responds to the general Discussion Board posting. If you have any problems I'm sure the teacher and students will help. Seminar reports are not one day work!.. you will need more time. Remember don't give up keep trying and finish this class. After this class I see the world a little different. I know I have a better sense of my community and my surroundings. We started from the atmosphere and worked our way down to water quality and food. The water usage project was the most revealing. My water usage was about the national average but I was surprised with how much water I use. It has changed my attitude toward over using water. I no longer run the water when I brush my teeth. The most important thing I learned from this class was the difference between the American and European culture and style of life. In Poland our mass transit is more developed than in the US -especially in Michigan. Many people in Poland do not have cars so they use less gas. This causes less pollution. Also in America, many people bath/shower and wash their hair each day. They also frequent dry cleaners which are not usually good for the environment. Food in America is often wasted where in Africa people are starving. Because the US is so wealthy it can invest in technology for genetically superior foods. Poorer countries must rely on the US and other nations to help them with their food crisis. I feel like I did some fuel savings by taking class online.I now I'm aware of what an online class can save me. I calculated that I drove 920 fewer miles and saved over $50 in gas and that doesn't even include my car insurance and wear and tear on my car! I have a whole new appreciation and respect for the environmental scientist. They analyzed data, facts and opinion. Then put it all together. Because they have brought genetically engineered food to the world. They challenge ahead of them is to convince other nations of the safety of these foods. I'm confident this may be the answer to the lack of food supply in poorer countries. Fro me this was very difficult class since English is my second language. I have been in this country only 2.5 years and the scientific words are not easy for me. This class has challenged me like no other class I have taken. It has been very interesting and I have learned so much, but perhaps too difficult for someone new to English. First off, Welcome to the wonderful world of environmental science. Throughout this course I’m positive that you’ll develop quite an arsenal of useful information regarding the cares and concerns that surround the integrity of our environment. I have to admit, Ms. Fey’s course was the most challenging online course I’ve taken so far. Be prepared for long nights hacking away trying to find information to include in the many reports you’ll be doing. The best advice I can give is to stay on task the best you can. You’ll be overwhelmed right from the get go, and it doesn’t let up till the eight weeks are over. Good luck if you’re trying to juggle additional classes and work such as I tried to do. It’s also essential that you read every post that hits the discussion board; there is where you’ll do a majority of your learning. And trust me, if you miss one day, you miss a lot. You’ll find that if you stay focused and dedicated to the discussions you’ll do fine in the class. Good luck. Nicholas McGinnis   1 Fall 2004 Hello New Student of ENVS, There is a circa 1970’s song lyric that reads: “I’d love to change the world But I don’t know what to do. So I’ll leave it up to you.” In Environmental Science, you will quickly learn that none of us can leave change for another to accomplish. The Earth belongs to all of us and the greatest changes we can make now are learning to respect, preserve and sustain for all those who walk the path ahead. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? Like something we already know. Surprise…there is a lot to learn and you have the chance to learn it here. Don’t miss out! As an online class, compressed in to a shorter period time, the curriculum is very busy. And informative. I chose the weekly seminar projects more often than the exams, because it fit my schedule. The projects are a lot of work, yet offer great learning opportunities…including reaching out to the people who are currently managing local environmental operations. If you follow this route, I suggest you begin working on your projects right away. They take a lot of time, yet offer learning. There are many interesting lessons to be found here. From how the weather begins to how Nature manages her own. You will find yourself exploring the prehistoric earth, in terms of how resources from so long ago, are part of your everyday life now. It is intensely fascinating. Most of us who began the class, even experienced online students, found the first week to be a lot of fast activity. I mention this only in the context that you ought to hang in there…you’ll find a lot of help and support from fellow students…and by week two the schedule fits easier. Just like adjusting to most online classes. Best wishes to you for an enjoyable eight weeks. Share what you learn with others in your life, as education is the first step to understanding and preserving our planet. ~Debra Guina Hello New ENVS 1050 Student, Hold on to your hats this is going to be a wild ride! I am not trying to sugar coat things for you. This is a highly demanding and challenging class, but it is worth it. I took this class with four other classes (two of the others were online courses), I have a job and a family. It was very hard for me to balance everything, but I did not give up. I hope you do not either! The information you will gain will be so worth it in the end. You need to remember a few very important tips. They are all in Ms. Fey's syllabus, but this will just reinforce them. It is an absolute must that you participate in the discussion board. You will not only learn a lot about the environment, you will learn a lot about your fellow students. Best of all you will gain attendance points that will really help you in the end, especially if the tests and/or projects are difficult for you. The next tip is read all or as many of the links on the discussion board as you can each week. Ms. Fey often puts secret discussion board homework out there and the points serve as extra credit. It is very helpful to your grade! Each week you have to complete a discussion board question. Make sure you do it by the scheduled due date and follow up after you post your response. A lot of times people ask you questions and they will help you formulate a better response. Each week you also have to complete an application project and a test, OR an application project, web project and discussion guided questions project and formulate it into a report. I always opted to do the latter. I was not able to take the test on South Campus on test day. A word to the wise, never wait until the last minute. Try to do little bits of the report everyday. They really take a long time to complete. My schedule sort of dicated to me that I only had Thurs and Fri to work on the projects. That made for a tough end of the week! As tough as they were, I felt I learned just as much if not more by doing the reports vs. the test. I heard the tests were tough. Hopefully someone else will give more specifics on the tests for you. Just when we all got used to the flow of work weeks 1-6, things were changed. We did a group project the last two weeks. This is tough. Everyone's schedules are so different. If your class has a group project assigned, be considerate to your teammates and start it asap. I wish you the best of luck. Hang in there. If you are having a tough time, remember it is only for 8 weeks. You can make it through. The knowledge you gain will impress and probably shock your friends and family!! Good luck!! Michele Allmacher Hello student of ENVS 1050 Get ready it going to be a long semester. This semester will test your ability to multitask. If you are take this class with other classes you might want to rethink it. You will need to spend about 20 to hours a week on this class, If not more. You will learn a lot of stuff you didn’t know and a lot of stuff you might not want to know but all of it is good information to know. I always wrote the reports which were time consuming but I know that I learned a lot more and it work better for me. The report is a 5 section report usually 18 questions, discussion questions, application, web report, and a summary. Things to keep in mind. 1. Always participate in discussion board. The 20 point a week can be a great grade savor. 2. Read all posting you may find extra credit points and surprise discussion questions. 3. Stay on top of your homework if you get behind it hard to cache up. 4. Good luck you do fine if you stay on top of your work load and not get discouraged. It only an 8 week class. You lean a lot about our planet and yourself. Krista Ladd Letter to future students of Environmental Science. Here it is all laid out for you. This class is hard and I recommended taking this class by itself. I took it with another and it was the hardest semester I have ever had. You have to be willing to have at least 25 hours a week devoted to this class, and you have to read everything even the smallest detail in this class can make a big difference. When you first walk into this class you are going to want to run for your life. The first week or two you are going to feel overwhelmed and wanting to get out. But trust me when I say this class is worth staying in, you will learn a lot about yourself and your surroundings. You will have to think of things that you never wanted to and never new it existed, this class will change you life and the way you think about your world. It will be hard no doubt but it is worth all the work for the knowledge you walk away with, I know it change my out look on my life and our planet. Sincerely yours Former Environmental student Good luck ~Dana Madley Hi, my name is Pamela Dew and I want to say that the first week will seem overwhelming. But remember it is the week that you get organized and familiar with the class. Read everything and use the disk provided with the book. This helps with the exams if you chose to take them. Either way you will learn a wealth of information that you never thought about. The discussion questions can be a source of study as well so make sure you read and post on the discussion board. If you have questions do not hesitate to ask, because someone else might be needing the information also. You should have acquired a routine by the second week and this will make things go smoothly. I have spent no less then four hours online whenever I signed on. Try not to fall behind, because you will feel the pressure of the class. This has been a fun class for me even with all of the work. You will be learning things as a group and that the fun part. Remember as long as you keep on track and turn in your assignments on time the experience will more than you can imagine. HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK! Sincerely, Pamela Dew Welcome to Environmental Science! You are about to enter THE class that you will learn the most from, for the entire semester! Now DON'T PANIC!!!!! While the class is demanding in time and requirements... you CAN make it easier on yourself! I took the class with FOUR others - 3 online, while starting a new full time job and raising a family...So IT CAN BE DONE! My first reaction was...maybe I should quit...DON'T! What you will want to do is ORGANIZE and ASK QUESTIONS. READING IS A MUST. READ EVERY POST, EVERY CHAPTER, ALL DISCUSSION BOARDS, it will help in more ways than you think! I took the exam the first two weeks, and was unprepared, due to time constraints. Be sure to let Ms.Fey know you want to take the exam by the first day, before midnight! Because I forgot to let her know for the following 3 weeks, I did the FULL SEMINAR report...WHAT A LOT OF WORK!!!! However, if you have the time and enjoy writing, researching, the Seminar report teaches you even more than the exam. Ms. Fey offers DBSH (Discussion Board Surprise Homework)and EC (Extra Credit), but you need to FIND it. That's why it is so important that you read ALL POSTS! If you are unsure about an assignment or need additional help, posting to the discussion board - BEFORE- emailing Ms. Fey is a good idea. Many of your classmates ARE in the same boat as you and NEED things clarified. By posting it allows others to respond or ask additional concerns. If some of the directions seem like a "foreign language" to you...just aren't making sense... keep asking until you understand it. I found in the last project, that while I thought I was making myself perfectly clear to classmates, their interpretation of what I wrote was a bit different than my meaning, so I NEEDED to clarify. I also found on the exams that the "Obvious" facts/stats are not necessarily what Ms. Fey will ask on the exams. I went in completely "prepared" only to find questions about things I didn't think were as "important" as the other things I studied. So be prepared for anything! I know much of this can come across as scarey...and should be reassuring...be REASSURED... you will be able to do this! And you will be glad you did. :) ~Valerie Corbett Well, today is the first day of the ride of your life; its only one semester ;)! The first week will be so completely overwhelming you won't know what to do with yourself. Just relax and realize that once you past the first week, it will all come natural from there. You will need to make a hard decision though regarding your time spent on this class. You will have a few options to explore, but try to make the right one quick so you can become comfortable with you weekly schedule. Heres a tip: make sure you do the Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH). Also, don't forget about the Extra Credit. You will find that every week there will be a DBSH waiting for you somewhere hidden in the threads. FIND THEM! They are worth usually 10 pts. The extra credit definitely comes in handy too and it will not always be with the DBSH! One more thought, no matter how hard this class gets, you can do it! The amount of useful information you will learn in this class will astound you. I can't believe the amazing things I have learned in only 8 weeks. Stick it out no matter what, I guarantee it will be well worth it in the end. GOOD LUCK!!!!! ~Lindsay Richardson Hello first let me start off by saying don't be intimidated by the amount of work you see it's not that bad. You defiantly can't wait until the last minute to do the seminars because you won't get them done in one day. I chose to take the tests and do the questions, i took the first few tests and decided they weren't for me and stuck with the reports after that. I'm not saying the tests where hard just some people aren't test takers I'm not one I don't know why I tried to fool myself into thinking I was at the beginning. The seminars at times are hard but you will learn a Ton of valuable information about your every day lives. Participation is important make sure you read all the threads and find the surprise homework every week. I was blessed to be in a class where everyone was involved in some great conversations, you'll find that you can learn from other students not just the instructor. I was very intimidated the first day of class, but I'm very glad I stuck it out because I learned a lot of stuff! Like I said before the stuff you learn is useful for your every day lives, you can make the earth a better place and you can become a better person. I actually think everyone in the world should be forced to take a course like this we would have a lot better and safer place to live! Good luck to everyone the most important things I can tell you are don't give up, participate, and don't wait until the last minute! Oh yeah and enjoy it because some of the stuff was fun! ~Thomas Nevin Dear Future Student, Run…run like hell!!!! Just kidding! ;) Early warning, though, the first couple weeks might cause you just a little seemingly undue stress. Don’t panic, don’t fret, and try not to drop at any cost. This course will teach you more than you ever thought a class would. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll learn a lot in a Government course, or a Humanities course, or a Philosophy course, but this class is going to teach you some REAL important things. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a whole new respect for yourself, the environment, the people you share your environment with, and the planet as a whole. You’ll also know what you need to know to begin your own war against pollution. GO PLANET! My other warning, is read the syllabus VERY carefully. I missed a LOT for the first half of the semester because of my own laziness. This class can be exceedingly easy if you just take the effort and apply the energy you’ll require to do the work. It’s going to take a lot of time out of your week, too, but not as much as you’re going to think. CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD! DO YOUR DISCUSSION QUESTION! SEARCH FOR THE DISCUSSION BOARD SECRET HOMEWORK. MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR APPLICATION PROJECT. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE OPTION 1. The exams require a lot of reading, and you might come away with a little more information if you do the research papers, but the exams are going to be far less taxing on your brain, and your schedule. Take it from someone who seriously struggled with the course, knowing the whole time that it was all due to my own decisions and laziness. In order to do well in this class you will have to do the opposite of everything I have, which means you will have to apply yourself, read the syllabus, pay attention to the threads (And that means all of them) in the discussion boards (all of those, too.) Make sure you ask questions on anything you don’t understand. This class is very dependent on the communication of the students. Ms. Fey is the instructor and facilitator for the class, but that doesn’t mean that you should depend on her for everything. You will learn best if you set yourself into a communal mindset, because that is where most of the information comes from. Post any and all questions, no matter how dumb or insignificant you may believe they are to the discussion boards, because that is where you will find the most aid. Plus, Ms. Fey is far more helpful when you post there, than if you send her an e-mail. The only time you should send her e-mail is if you have something personal that you don’t want the rest of the class to read. And by personal, I don’t mean asking her a question that you think is silly in regards to the syllabus or something similar. Anyhow, enjoy the semester and good luck. Though, you won’t need luck if you actually read this, and the syllabus. You’ll have everything you need right there, and everything else will just fall into place. Former Student, Joseph Elliott I am about ready to get my bachelor’s degree so I’ve taken my share of hard classes. I found this to be one of the most time consuming classes I’ve ever taken. You will learn a lot if you take it…just be prepared to devote many hours to this class. I chose to take the exams every week. But even after choosing the time saving way to go about this class, I still found myself at times very stressed and confused. The reading material was very interesting, however. I never dreaded having to read the chapters. I learned so many interesting things, and I know I will apply what I learned to my life. I am glad I chose to take the weekly exams. Some of the application projects were really enjoyable to do. I especially learned a lot from the ones that were a self-analysis. We had to look at how much we used of various things such as electricity and water. You never really notice how much you use until you are asked to take careful note of it. I always used to try to conserve, but now I try even more. Be sure to not get behind in this class. I had times where I got behind because I had to devote more time to other things, and it made for a very difficult week. I would often check the new seminar the day she posted it so I could see what was expected of me that week. Then I could plan accordingly. Some application projects took a lot of time so be sure to pay close attention to this if you are a test taker. Also, the amount of reading varies from week to week so be sure to leave enough time for that as well. Make sure you read everything on the discussion board! You will learn a lot and you will often find extra homework that needs to get done or extra credit opportunities you may want to take part in. I wish you luck! I remember how overwhelming the first week was. The second week will be much less confusing and overwhelming. I hope you enjoy your experience! ~Tiffany Nelson   1 Winter 2003 WOW! That is going to be your first reaction when you read the letters-it was mine! I considered dropping the class, as I am sure many of you are, but I am truly glad that I did not! This class takes a lot of time, and a lot of typing, but is it fun and entertaining. Here are some survival tips! 1. Read Read Read!!! Read every post of every discussion board, all the notes, and all the assigned book chapters! The information is not hard to read, and is really your best tool in keeping up with the class. The discussion board posts are vital, because they will have the professors ideas as well as the opinions and ideas of the other students. And, the professor. sneaks in surprise questions for extra credit here that you will miss out on if you don't read everything!! They are hidden, and usually worth 5 points! 2. Do not wait until the last minute to work on your assignments. It is too easy to get behind if you start leaving everything to the last minute. The seminars contain applications that require extra research, and that takes time. You may need to call people and that sort of thing so you need to have working hours available to do so. 3. Post Post Post!! You will get your attendance points based on your discussion board posts. These are very important because they end up being a good portion of your grade. You can't get an A if you don't participate!! Its easy and fun, so just do it! I did the Seminar Reports every week. While they did take up a lot of time, I enjoyed doing them, and I think that I retained alot. The key is to start early in the week on the Seminar Report, and do a little (or a lot) each day!! If you leave it to the last minute you will NOT get done!! My seminar reports averaged between 12 and 17 pages ( but maybe I was a bit lengthy) so keep that in mind when you are choosing between the reports or the on campus exams. Overall, I would definitely recommend this class, and this particular instructor, to everyone! A word of warning, though...this is NOT a blow-off class, as the on-campus version is sometimes called! It requires a big chunk of your life, but only for 8 weeks! After the first week or so, the pain of the course dulls, you get into a routine, and it is smooth sailing after that!! Roderick Webb Hi, My name is Joann Lenaway. I am telling you right now that you will learn more in this class in 8 weeks than you learn in a 16 week class on campus. The first thing you need to do is to make sure you and this class are compatible on the computer. It took me at least 5 days of the first week to get into the routine, and it is a routine. I have a full time job, three children, a husband and I tutor, and this class took me at least 30 hours each week to complete. I am taking another on campus class and I haven't even had time to read a chapter in it yet. I download all of my materials on Wednesday, and start working on it at that minute. I spent at least two weeks staying up until 2:00 A.M. which is okay for some, but I'm 46 years old and like I said I work full-time, so this was a hard class. Do ALL of the extra credit that you can find because I have yet to get one part of the seminar with a perfect score yet. I have spent time on the phone calling numerous places for answers to the application projects. But, even after all of that, I can honestly say that this is one of the few books that I have paid for in college that I have actually used, in fact, the edges are curling up. I probably won't be able to resell it. You will learn things that you never knew, and you will be able to use that information to enlighten the people around you, and actually sound smart. You also really need to rely on the group members for help. You almost become a little extended family, and we even had our little family disagreements on the discussion board! But we all have respect for each other's opinions and I for one, could not have done it without them I thought on week 8 I would give it all up, and my class members were with me all the way. So, thanks to them and a great big thanks to Professor Fey. You'll get to know her and love her yourself by the time you are done with this class. GOOD LUCK!!! Joann Lenaway This class has flown by, I can't believe I am sitting here in the last week of class! Number one rule: Don't panic! It will all be ok, the first week will be the worst. It will get better I promise. You will be busy, and this class is very time consuming, but you will learn more than you ever thought possible. Expect to devote about 30 hours a week to this class, and I mean that, every week for the full 8 weeks. It really does fly by though, you will be in the same place I am, not believing that it is over. I have never learned so much from one course, and you don't even realize that you're learning it. I was having a conversation one day, and realized that I was passing information on that I had just learned in this class. It's fun! Make sure that when you are sending your seminars in that you get Prof. Fey's auto response, if you don't then it means she hasn't received it. That is very important! Also make sure that you are participating in the discussion board conversations, not only are they very interesting, but those conversations also count for attendance points, which can either help your grade or hurt it severly! Just make sure that you keep in mind that it is a 4 credit hour class, and that it is going to be a lot of work. More so than a 3 credit hour course, but it is worth it! Amy Miller Hello everyone My name is Jessica Schaffner, I want to start out by welcoming you to this class! The first rule when starting this class is don't panic, I promise things will get better! I think I have learned more from this class then any other I have ever taken so hang in there its worth it and Ms. Fey is a great teacher! The first week is kind of hectic especially id you are new to ucompass but hang in there, if you have any question make sure to post them because if you have a question about something 10 to 1 odds half of the class has the same question. the second rule of the class it to post, this means commenting on others work, this is considered your participation grade and even if you aren't doing well on the exams or reports(whichever one you choose to do) you can raise you grade substantially by just posting and its easy to do! I choose to take the exams at south campus, for those of you that have busy lives I would suggest doing this its a great time saver. For those of you that choose to take the exams this is how i arranged my week: Wed- read all of the assigned text, and look at you assigned DQ, keep this in mind while reading. Thrus- this is the day where I would answer my DQ and post it to the board, I would also review the end of chapter questions. this is when you should also get started on the application project, because you may need to call local officials. fri- post, and review others DQ and respond. sat-complete you application project sunday- you can submit you application project and also if people have written their summary and final thoughts you can comment on one to get you points for the week. mon- today is the day where your application project is due and you comments on another students summary and final thoughts are due, you will also have to go to the learning center to take your exam , but make sure to check the hours that they are open. I know that right now you thinking can I do this? Belive me this class is great I've never learned this much in 8 weeks before and you'll love including your family in on interesting facts that you have learned throughout the class, I know I did! Good Luck and Remember don't panic and things will be fine! :) Jessica Schaffner P.S. spellcheck is a great feature use it! Note to Future Student: My name is David Birdsall and reading our letters will prove to be a great tool to you as a student. This class is a rough one but well worth the fight and staying in the game. In this class you will be given all types of information that you will be shocked at what you are reading. This class moves fast and has a lot of good and valuable information to offer. You will need at least 30 hours a week to do a good job in this class. Your new best friend for the next 8 weeks will be your computer. Make sure you post and answer all of Mrs. Fey’s writing they are well worth reading I have never learned so much in 8 weeks. I wrote the seminars every week it was a lot of work but I learned so much in week lots of information. I worked hard and long but it was well worth it. Participate and this will help you learn and ask a lot of questions. Read all postings all the time. DBSH is the extra credit and is always well worth it. Mrs Fey will help you get started DON’T PANIC JUST DIVE IN, work out a plan and stick to it. This class is defiantly know blow off belive me. I spent many nights up late working on questions and answering e-mail. This was a great class I really am surprised about how much I have learned. GOOD LUCK DON’T PANIC IT WILL BE OK! AT LEAST BY WEEK THREE YOU WILL HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL I DID!!!!!! KEEP YOUR CHIN UP AND DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!! Sincerely David Birdsall Note to Future Students: My name is Lori Mason and reading our letters will prove to be a valuable tool. We are trying to help guide you in the right direction on how to have a positive realistic approach of the workload you will have to complete in Environmental Science. In this class you will learn a world of information. Each seminar will surprise you and reaffirm how little you know about the environment and the concerns Americans and the World faces. However, you must keep up with the pace. We were told in the beginning that on the average we would work 25 hours a week. Well, I have been adding my time up and I would say it was 30 hours every week. Professor Fey does give you options when it comes to the end of your week. You can write a paper or test on that seminar. I would suggest you try both and decided which is best for you. I ended up taking the test and glad that I did. How to Manage Seminar Posting 1.Seminars: Know what day opens the start of your Seminar. Read the direction entirely and then print off a hard copy for yourself and use as a checklist. Seminars are posted to http://www.sciencescene.com/ 2.Discuss Question: Write your answer to the Discuss Question that is assigned to you and post as soon as possible. You will need to use your book – find out where your topic is located and read all the information in order to form a solid answer. Your classmates as well as the Professor will let you know if your answer was correct. 3.Chapter Reading: Read your chapters and lectures thoroughly! I can’t tell how important this is. I think I was skimming at first and did not help me. In this class read slowly and all of the information. 4.Study Guide: While reading I would have my Objective/Guide Question out and add the page numbers on the sheet of the topics. Your either going to write a paper on these topics or you will be tested on these topics. 5.Study guide: I would then condense my answers to a study guide – writing out the answers to the Objective/Guide Question which really helps to solidify what your learning. 6.Participate: Participate on the discussion board. I always posted two a day and they need to be quality. You can raise a C grade to a possible B grade in the end. (Super Important) Five days! 7.Read every posting – You will miss not only your participation grade, but excellent information that you would not have know about. 8.Extra Credit is offered on almost every seminar – I highly recommend that you try to complete what ever she post. You may need the extra cushion. 9.Comment: On another student Final Thoughts. If you ever have a question post it. Professor Fey always gets back to you. I would recommend the Discussion Board vs. E-mailing her. You will learn more than you ever dreamed of in this class. I personally did and have learned to manage time better. I will not kid you it will at some point feel overwhelming but just pull yourself up and commit to the class and you will be fine. Additional Thoughts: learn what a fact is and what truly is an opinion. I would not suggest taking to many other classes at the same time due to the fact you will put in 25 – 30 personal per week. Professor Fey is a wealth of information! Good Luck to you! Lori Mason Hello future students, My name is Nicole Satterfield and I can't believe I actually made it this far. One of the most important things to realize about this class is that you will need to put in 25+ hour a WEEK in this class. This is very true for this class. I recommend that you don't take too many classes with this one. This class will give you more information than you can imagine. However, the information you learn in this class you will use in the real world. The information you learn will shock you and disgust you. This is a fun class but requires alot of work. Here are a few pointers I believe will help. 1. Read everything! 2. Decide on if you want to write the seminar reports or take the exams. I recommend taking the exams if you don't have much time. 3.If taking the exams, read the chapters, discussions questions,lectures, and objective questions. These will be VERY helpful. 4.Respond to other students work and the discussion board alot for participation points (this will help or hurt your grade). The responses should be more than I agree with you or good job to get points. 5. Do your discussion question ASAP to get full points. 6.Do the application problems ASAP, because you will have to contact people in your city or county for information, which can be hard to do at the last minute. 7. Read all the THREADS, you can get points by finding the surprise homework or extra credit. THIS CAN HELP, but you have to find the threads. ABOVE ALL DON'T PANIC. It may take a while to get used to the class, but about week 3 or so, you'll start to get the hang of things. DO NOT GIVE UP , you can get so much out of this class!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!! Nicole Satterfield Dear Future Student: When you read in other Letters to Future Students that this class will take 24 to 30 hours per week, believe it! This class is not particularly difficult, except that it will take all of your time for eight full weeks. Now, was it worth it? Absolutely! This will be one of the most valuable classes you will ever take in college, if not the most valuable class. Everything you learn in the class will be useful to you in your life, now and well into the future. I highly recommend this class to everyone! A couple of things you should remember when taking this class: don't take another online class at the same time. If you have a job, don't take any other classes with this one. If you are taking classes on campus, only take one class (unless one is cake, then maybe you could take two, but only if you don't work). If you have a family, only take this class! Also, ABSOLUTELY DON'T PANIC. The first week is tough (as far as getting used to the schedule). After the first week, you will develop a rhythm. If you are stuck, post a message on the discussion board. Somebody will help you (and a lot of times, others are in the same boat). Always read all of the posts. I suggest using the "Threaded" view for the discussion boards because you can see at a glance any messages you have not read. (I found the "Linear" view to be extremely unhelpful.) Professor Fey gives you chances for extra credit and surprise homework extra credit. Do these. They will help out on your grade! Also post quality messages on the discussion board for your attendance. You can end up with a decent grade if you have good attendance. An "A" is this class is do-able if you put the time in. And eight weeks goes by fast in this class. Good luck! Sincerely, Catherine Militello Hi everyone! My name is Rachelle Redford and the first piece of advice that I have to give you is: READ EVERYTHING! Without reading everything your chances of becoming lost and confused are very high. Also make sure you participate in the discussion questions. Not only are the discussion questions important to your grade but they are important to your learning experience. The first week of class will be very CRAZY! If you stay focused and ask questions when confused you will do fine. Remember Professor Fey and your classmates are here to help. Make sure you use them as much as possible. Also you should try as soon as possible to get into a routine. Always keep on track. If you fall behind it will be difficult to get caught up. Everyone should plan to set aside at least 30 hours per week. This is not a blow off class. It will take no less then 30 hours per week to complete the required assignments. Now take a minute and say hello to your computer. It has just become your new best friend for the next eight weeks. Really it may sound bad but its not. Here I am writing this letter to you on the last day of class and it is actually a little sad. I have met some really interesting and fun people in this class. I promise that if you keep on task and turn in your assignments on time you will have fun and learn more than you could ever imagine in this class. GOOD LUCK! LEARN LOTS! HAVE FUN! Sincerely, Rachelle Redford 2 Fall 2003 Letter to Future Student Whew! Where to begin, well I took this class because I figured it would be a quick and easy four credits. It was quick, but it sure wasn’t easy. This is the first online class I’ve taken. I thought I could do a lot of the work at my job, because the tests I run are pretty much automated and I have lots of time just sitting here. The syllabus says about 24 hours per week for this class. I spent a whole lot more time than that. But to be fair, it's because I am a slow typist. The seminar reports take a lot of typing and a lot of time on the web doing research. I did the seminar reports for the first five seminars and took the exams for the last three. It was much simpler to take the exams, but that is for me. I can read something and remember most all of what I read. There is a lot of reading with this class. If you can type well, but have trouble remembering facts, the reports may be for you as you can constantly refer to the articles when typing your report. It all depends on your learning style. Just be prepared for a lot of work. One caution though, there is a lot of attrition in this class. We started with, I think, eighteen students and ended with eleven. Don’t be embarrassed to call it quits if you got in over your head, but try and stick it out- it really is a worthwhile class.         As to a methodology, I started at the beginning and just plowed my way through each seminar. I found out the hard way that is not the way to do it. I devoted so much time to the report, that I sometimes had to scramble to get the parts of the project done that are due before the Seminar report. Tip #1, read the whole seminar, and plan your time as to when you will work on each part. Tip #2, set up a chart to guide you on the parts of the seminar report. Twice, I forgot to do a part of the report, just because I got so involved with one part as the deadline drew near, I completely forgot another part. A guide would have caught that. Tip #3, PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION BOARD! This was easy for me as it was my favorite part. There is secret homework that Ms. Fey hides in the discussion board and it’s worth 5 extra points. It only takes a few minutes to respond to it, but you’ve got to know where it is hidden. One week there was only one student who responded to the secret homework. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind either. I got up on my soapbox a few times during this class. Some of your fellow students may not have a very good sense of humor, but Ms. Fey does. Tip #4, It says in the syllabus to write your responses and reports in word and then to copy and paste it over. That is sound advice. I could not believe the atrocious grammar and spelling mistakes in some of the responses. Spell check would have caught them.         Lastly, about Ms. Fey, she is tough but fair and she knows her stuff. If you get stuck, don’t be afraid to post a question to her. A lot of times a fellow student can help before Ms. Fey even sees the question. And don’t wait until the last minute! That’s about it. Be prepared for a fun ride and to learn a lot. We talked about everything from God to different colored moths. Joe Martelle I would like to introduce you to the most educational class I have had so far in college, Environmental Science. In this class you will learn more about the environment than you have learned in your lifetime. Don’t panic when you see the workload take a minute and read everything without skipping any information. This class is very time consuming and a lot of research and patience in finding information. The eight weeks are very intensive but very educational and interesting. Ms. Fey will teach you things you never even heard about the earth and how we as humane affect it. My advice to you is to plan your week accordingly and do not wait till the last minute to do things. Make some kind of schedule that will fit your available time to finish the assignments. I always read on Sunday, posted my Discussion question on Tuesday, and whether you decide to do the seminar report or take the exam make sure you study from Sunday till Thursday and work on the seminar report from Sunday till it is due. I can’t tell you enough times read all threads and don’t skip any there is surprises in there for you every week. Always participate in the discussion board it will help you earn points you need, and even if you get a D on all the exams or seminar reports you can pass the class. I thought this was not for me but I stuck in there and glad I did. I work forty hours a week and take full time school and this class seemed like full time to me. Your classmates are the best resource for help on questions, application projects, or anything you need help with in the class. I can’t stress to you how much you need to be on top of things at all times. I loved the application projects I learned a lot about the city I live in and how they run things. You will just have to wait and see what I mean. Your first day sit down and read the syllabus and all the information she provides for you, and take time to read the notes from previous students they will help you out a lot. Good Luck and remember give it a chance and you will love the class. This is the website were all information and assignments will be: www.sciencescene.com Environmental Science Survivor To future Students, I must say, that this was a real interesting class. I just wish I could have had more time to spend on it. I recommend taking this class by itself. It was definitely the most time consuming class of any online class I’ve taken, and I have taken several online classes including English. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this class. I found the applications very interesting and learned a lot about my community. Before I took this class I didn’t even know how polluted the air is here in my area (Shelby Twp.). One of our applications helped show me that. Several of the applications helped me to see how much energy and money could be saved just by doing things like switching to different light bulbs, getting more energy efficient appliances, and several other things that can be done. Scheduling time to do the work is important. I read everything on day 1, I started the objective guide questions on day 2 regardless of whether I took the exam instead of doing the report, because you should know this stuff before taking the exam. Those took me anywhere from 2 to 3 days to do, depending on how much time I had on each of those days. The discussion questions I did on day 3. By day 5 I would start the application project and would have that done by or on day 6. Then day 6 I would do the web project and the summary and final thoughts. I would definitely recommend not putting everything I mentioned off until the last day. I could not even imagine trying to do everything in one or two day’s day nor do I thing it’s possible to do that. I definitely recommend this class since everyone could make a difference in our environment. Overall I would say this is one of the most interesting classes I have taken so far. Good luck to everyone. Jeff Herrick Welcome online student to Environmental Science Environmental science is the study of life, earth, air, water, and resources. The weeks you will be in this class you will learn more about the plant and it’s people then you may know, but the deeper learning will take place within yourself. You will find that you will grow and see the earth in a different light. If this is your first online class, my first suggestion is to drop the class and wait until you have more online experience. Using blackboard is not the easiest thing compared to other online applications that are used. But if you’re goals are set high and you are ready to work then you are in for a ride. The workload is burdensome and unforgiving. If you have any other classes you may want to wait and take this class alone. The time you will spend in reading, discussion boards, and research will take up at least 30 hours a week. You will be given a choice of test or seminars. I chose the seminars due to my work and schedule of other classes. The seminars are filled with questions and application that will broaden your horizons. You will not just read information from the text, but you will investigate your community and see how the water is, you will find out how is polluting your air and how many neighbors you really have. You will learn about the customs and cultures of other lands and see how different they really are. My overall impression of Environment science is mixed. I had to take the class for the credits, so I did not come into the class with any excitement about the subject matter. But now that I’ve taken the class I found I gain more insight into the environment that I ever thought I could. My suggestion to all new students would be 1 – If this is your first online class, wait for a bit more online experience. 2 – Take this class alone. The workload will demand much of your time 3 – Keep up with the discussions and homework. A little lack with turn into a bit headache. 4 – Always have a back up computer somewhere in case yours fails. I lost days because my computer died. Get ready for one of the hardest classes you will take in college. Actually it is not as hard as it is time consuming. I spent an average of about 2 hours a night plus another 30 to 40 hours a week doing the seminars. You will be able to choose from the test option and the seminar option. I chose the seminar option because I am not a very good test taker. I did good in the class so I would say that it is a good class to take if you have extra time. If you put in the time it takes, you will be rewarded with an A or B in the class. You need to be online daily and respond to the discussion board. Then you will have to do the seminar project or the test with parts of the seminar. It's really hard to explain without completely going over the syllabus. Basically what you need to do is read over the syllabus very carefully and do exactly what it says. Professor Fey is strict on following directions. If you do this you will get a good grade in the class. Be prepared for alot of hours online and for a great deal of learning. I learned so much about our environment and how it is in danger of destruction. My brain is officially full. Have fun and don't fall behind.  I was very nervous when I first started this class. I was very overwhelmed and very confused. The best advice that I could give to a future student would be to stick with it, finish the course. The first couple of seminars that I did were a little shaky, but by the middle of the semester I pretty much had figured it out. A person taking this class must be motivated, organized, and a self-starter. If one can master these three qualities, this class will be a breeze. My favorite part of this course was the discussion board and looking forward to other students mailing me back. I would not suggest this class to anyone that has not taken an online course in the past. The blackboard setup will be confusing for the first couple of weeks, but you will figure it out. I also wouldn’t suggest taking this course in eight weeks, due to the fact that it is very time consuming. Time management is the key to succeeding in this class. This was by far the hardest four credits I have ever taken, but now that the class is almost over I have a feeling of great pride and accomplishment in my heart. I never thought I was going to be able to do this and learn the required materials, but I did and it was very worth it.  Good luck Kara Bowman. For future Students: This class has been very interesting and I have learned more things probably then I have in the past year that I can relate to my life. First of all, you need to have a set schedule. Well, before I explain that, READ ALL THE THREADS!!!! You may not even know what threads are, but you’ll understand. I remember the first week of this class; I didn’t keep up with reading everything that was posted, so I fell behind and was kind of lost in the class. Well for scheduling, I usually start the class on Sunday to get a head start. Read all the threads that Fey posts and maybe reply to a few (depends on how many she has on the board). Usually the discussion questions are to be posted before a certain day (Tuesday perhaps), which I usually get done on Sunday because I know that it won’t be late, and I’ll receive the points for sure. Also, you are to respond to at least a couple of the other students DQ, this helps everyone become involved in the class. And as for the rest, the objective/guide questions are pretty time consuming so you’ll want to do a little bit each day so you’re not overloaded at the end. The application projects can be time consuming too if you can’t find the right information. Usually Fey gives enough cites to use, so that helps out a lot. Other than that, it is a challenging course because it is condensed within 8 weeks. Good luck and you’ll need it. Hopefully you’ll be able to survive the whole way through :-) !!! Sarah Zuziak Well, what can I say...This was my first experience taking an online course and just like the course catalog describes them, it was VERY demanding. You will have to be very disciplined to achieve an "A" for the course. Be ready to spend many, many hours in front of your computer! First, make sure you read the course syllabus thoroughly the very first day of the class. I had to refer to it many times thoroughout the course of the 1/2 semester. Second, make sure your read ALL of the threads on the discusiion board. Not only do they hold information regarding extra credit (sometimes it's offered), you will learn A LOT from your fellow students. The discusion board is also very helpful when you are in need of some clarification regarding the class or a particular assignment. Thirdly, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO START YOUR SEMINARS!!! You will need all the time allotted to do a good job on the seminars. For every seminar you will be offered two options for completing them. One option involves completing a large project, the other option involves doing a smaller, but still time-consuming project and taking a multiple choice test in the Learning Center. I chose the test option for the entire class. It worked best for my schedule. You will need to determine what works best for you. I also suggest making a schedule the first week of the course. It will help you stay on track to be able to complete all reading and tasks in time. I did not make a schedule and really regret it. Prof. Fey will probably give you access to former students letter that included an excellent schedule. If you don't see one like that, ask her for it! Don't get discouraged, you will fall into a groove and get used to the class and the format of the website. Good Luck!! Jenny Gentz This class was two handfuls!!! But the rewards of hard work and time management pay off in the amount of useful information you can learn from it! We are the generation that is faced with all of the topics and concerns that you will read about in this course, it is important to have the knowledge and the background to make accurate and responsible decision (i.e. voting). The best advice I can give for a future student is to try your hardest. You will spend the next eight weeks at the computer, but if you accept that and put your all into it, this classwil be an easy A (or B :)). Time management is crucial because there are so many deadlines and they seem to fall one ontop of the other. I recommend going online morning, noon and night. It is esaiest becasue you can respond to only a few things at a time, otherwise, you will have to read 60+ links...and that takes even longer. Another bit of advice is to stay cool! The weeks I was stressed and frusterated are the weeks I did the worst work. Stay focused and keep trucking and you will coe out on top! Kelli York To Future Students: Well, what can I say!?! I guess the best person to learn from about this class is a person who did not do well in the class. Guess that makes me a prime candidate. This class requires lots of time and focus, two things I did not have this semester. I would have had the time if I was able to manage it. Without time management I do not see this class as an option for study. Do not get me wrong it is not all bad. The discussions that transpire throughout the course are absolutely wonderful. I would have to say the discussions were my favorite aspect of the class. To successfully complete the class, PARTICIPATE in the discussions. I put emphasis on participate, because this is key to succeeding in the class. Not only does discussion elevate your grade, but it also gives great insight on particular topics. I did not have a plan for getting my work done on time, and because of this I did not do well in the class. I do not know what else I can offer to help with taking this class. Stay focused and keep going no matter what, because it might turn around!! 1 Fall 2003 Welcome EVS 105 students! For this class, you will have a big workload, but don’t panic you will get through it. The first weeks are very tough and seems a bit chaotic, especially if you have not taken on online class before. The great thing about this course is that you can do the work either from home, your office, or even out of town. Also, it is very convenient if you have a busy schedule. But let me make it clear, this class is definitely not a breeze. If that is in your head, get it out. Ms. Fey gives quite a workload, but in the end, you will be very knowledgeable about the environment that you live in. You will be doing Seminars, which consist of objective questions, discussion questions, application projects, web resources and summary and final thoughts. Also, there will be Discussion Board Surprise Homework (DBSH) and some optional extra credit. Yes, she gives an option for some extra credit, but you must have the “extra” time to do it. This class is very time consuming. I must have spent at least 30 hours of week online. The application projects that she gives weekly, consists of you finding these answers either on the web, or by phoning, or going down and speaking to government officials. By doing these application projects, you will learn a tremendous amounts of information on the city that you live in. I highly recommend that you log on at least 5 of the 7 days. After Professor Fey has checked your Seminars, she will evaluate them and send them back to you. The evaluation should be looked at carefully because she will type in red what was wrong with each section. From this you can improve on your next Seminar. Professor Fey does take attendance and this is how she takes it. When you log on, you must respond to a thread in order for it to count as attendance. (not by saying, yes I agree.) If you log on and do not respond to a thread, she has no way of knowing that you were on. So it is important that you respond to threads at least 5 out of the 7 days in order to collect your full attendance points. Always read the Discussion Board threads carefully, do not skim over because Professor Fey will put in the DBSH and extra credit under that certain thread. She will not label these threads DBSH or extra credit. It is completely up to you to find it and do the work. If you log on quite often and read each thread, you will not have a problem. As you might already know, the first week is very overwhelming. It seems like there is so much to do, and so little time. Don’t panic, you will find time. Once you get into a routine with what works best for you, then each week will become easier and easier. I set up a schedule that I followed every week. Day 1- Print up all homework. Do my discussion question, and work on the Objective Questions. Go online and read Professor Fey’s links and respond to them. Day 2-Finish Objective Questions and work on Web Resources and the Application Project(s) Respond to threads. Day 3- Post Discussion Question and continue working on Application Project(s). Respond to threads and discuss with class any problems that I was having with application project. Day 4- Work on Summary and Final Thoughts. Also, tie up loose ends on the Seminar. Respond to others Discussion Questions. Day 5- Finish Application Project, and respond to threads. Day 6- Post Summary & Final Thoughts. Submit Final Seminar Report to Professor Fey. Day 7-Relax and get ready for a new week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to wish you good luck, and keep all of these thoughts in you mind. Everything will be fine, and you will make it through. It is not as bad as it looks. You will learn a tremendous amount of information and will be very knowledgeable about the environment. Good Luck and remember to stay focused! Jennifer Vora Hello new student, I would like to say don't panic but you will no matter what I say so let me give you some very good ideas that will help you get the most out of this class. This was a fascinating class that brought the issues of natures struggle to survive the exploitation of the human race. There are many interesting aspects of the course concerning the air we breath, water we drink and the food we eat. If I were to pull one major theme from the entire course it would be the fact that earth really is an island in space and we have no way of escaping it to find a better place to live. Therefore we had better take care of it. This was my first on-line class and it took a great deal of getting used to for me and I would have to say that there is still much to learn. There are some things that I would like to suggest that I began doing in order to make things flow better for me. You will be going through a great deal of information and you will need a good system that works for you to short it all out. Before you get started it will be helpful to create a file on your desktop for the class and then create a folder for each weeks sesson. Within that folder create sub-folders: links, lecture, discussion question,application project, objective questions etc. 1)You will be recieving assignments every week and I suggest that you copy and past them to a word document so that you can look at them without having to make your way through all the pages to get back to them. 2) Your instructor will be providing you with links that are helpful in finding the answers that you will need to complete your assignments so you should copy and paste those addresses on to a word document for easy access later. 3) You will probably have problems with some of the links that your instructor provides for you so do a web search and find 4 or 5 links on your own that are related to the subject matter for that week. 4) I would suggest that you try to set up a buddy system by getting to know your classmates as soon as posible because you never know when you will need them. People working together can sove problems that a single person does not have a hope of solving. 5) Trade e-mail addresses with fellow students and try to set meeting times when you can be on line together. 6) Between the text book and the pages provided on the internet there will be a great deal of reading so start right away! 7) You will be graded on your participation on the discussioon board (DB) so while you are reading the text book use a high-lighter to mark anything that you find interesting or confusing. 8) Be prepared to use the text book to back up your comments on what other students say. 9) Be prepared to contact people outside of the class to obtain needed information. (I wasn't prepared!) 10) Lets run through a normal weeks assignment. a) Day #1 get reading assignment and read the first chapter assigned while making high-light marks. b) Days #2 go to the discussion board and make your comments based on your reading. c) Day #2 you will be assigned a student number which will direct you to choose a discussion question from a list provided. Copy the question to a word document and place in it in its proper file. If you have read enough of the text book material to answer it go ahead if you are sure but make certain that you site the text page number after your answer. You should now continue your reading of the text and every hour or so go to the discussion board and try to give some input. d) Day #3 you will do well to finish your assigned reading on this day and begin to go over the application project for that week. Not all questions can be found in the text so refer to the links provided either with the application project or on the discussion board. e) Day #4 you will now have to decide to complete all of the web material or opt out and go to the campus and take that weeks exam. (I took exams)If you do not take the exam you will have to finish the entire seminar project but be careful how you choose because I have found that seminar question are often in compound form. This means that to answer one question you will cover several aspects of that question within the question which can amount to 3 or 4 questions within the one question. This can add up quickly so give careful consideration before taking on the full seminar project. I would also like to suggest that you become self reliant when it comes to problem solving both within the seminar itself and without. If you have a problem with making a certain program work from the links provided don't complain about it. Go and find the web page yourself and download what you need. I wish you the best of success in this class and I want to remind you to stay on top of everything by always checking in to the discussion board each and every day. Professor Fey is a very firm but fair instructor and if you go to her right away with problems you will be glad that you did. Good Luck ! David D. Royer (Hazel Park) Students of ENVS online, Unfortunatly, I must say that this was one of the most difficult online classes I have taken yet. Although it is alot of work, I have gone away with more knowledge than I ever expected. After the first week or so, the class becomes more of an educational journey than just a grade. The first week may be the most difficult, but give it time and plan a daily schedule. The assignments got frustrating at times, but I always seemed to get through them in the end. The application projects were the most difficult as well as the most time consuming, but they gave me a better understanding of my community and its environmental factors. It is important to plan a weekly routine, so that you can get a little done each day. This would be completely impossible to complete in one day, so don't procrastinate. Leave at least 20 hours per week to work on this class and the assignments. Although everyone's schedule is different, the following was my weekly routine. Day 1- Read over the seminar. Look over the chapter(s). Begin the discussion question and web research. Day 2- Do the application project. (Often applications will require contacting city official through telephone or email, so it is wise to do this during the week when offices are open. Also, give it enough time so that people can return your messages.) Day 3- Do half of the objective guide questions. Day 4- Do second half of the objective guide questions. Day 5- Complete the application project, if not yet finished. Day 6- Write Summary and Final Thoughts. Proofread the report and submit. It is very important to be involved in the discussion board. I created a chart in the beginning of the class, so that I could check off everytime I posted. This helped me to make sure that I had posted something at least 5 out of 7 days. The discussion board is not only a grade, but also a way to interact with classmates and learn more than what is in the text. Also, it is important to check the discussion board for suprise homework from Prof. Fey. Overall, I learned alot from this class. I think this class has taught me more than any college course I have taken yet. It may seem like 8 weeks is forever and it will never end, but it does. Don't panic and be open to learning. Professor Fey is an excellent instructor and she is there to help whenever you need it. Have Fun!! Tracie Grucz Future ENVS105 Students, The most important thing I will say to you is that you HAVE to set aside at LEAST 24 hours a week for this class. When I say this it is not meant as a joke. You really have to do this if you plan on succeeding. This is a very interesting course. I learned quite a bit. If your are like I was and environmental issues are new to you, then you will be amazed at the information that is provided in this course. And you will love every minute of it if your able to get past all of the time that this class requires and it is a lot. As all of the letters that I read said, DO NOT PANIC. I will be over faster than you can blink :-). Well not that fast but hold on, you can make. Make sure your responses on the discussion board are quality or you will not receive attendance credit for them (Mrs. Fey reads all of them). Attendance is very important. In many of the previous students notes to future students they provided some pretty helpful schedules, I will suggest that you make a schedule or you may find yourself lost. Read all discussion board entries, you do not want to miss out on the discussion board suprise homework or extra credit assignments. Also review everything that you submit to the instructor in the digital drop box (after you have submitted it) just to make sure that it is a complete file. To all who may read this letter, relax, relate, and relesase. Good luck to you all and stay focused it will be okay. --The most important words I read from several previous students were "DON'T PANIC" and "DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE." Some (heck almost all) of the application projects require more than web research alone. You WILL HAVE TO CALL PEOPLE!!! Whether it is environmental groups or city officials, you need to be able to get hold of them, which means calling during office hours, which means don't put this work off until the weekend or evenings! --For myself I chose to take the tests rather than do the seminar reports. This means I submitted my discussion question to the discussion board, did the application project(s), took an exam, and responded to someone else's seminar summary. I found that if I read the chapters and highlighted important information that I could go back over it 1/2 hour before the exam and do fine (I am generally a good test taker). --It is important to organize your time and post quality discussion board responses 5 out of 7 days a week. Also make sure to read ALL the posts, not only to find the DBSH (Discussion Board Surprise Homework) and extra credit assignments (Like volunteering for the Clinton River Clean-up), but also to learn a lot from your fellow students. --Here is a general outline I tried to follow (remember I took the exam): Day 1 -download and print out Seminar. Look over everything and determine where to get information for application project. Start reading and highlighting chapters. Day 2 -finish reading/highlighting chapters and answer discussion question. Start gathering information for application project. Day 3 -Do application project. Day 4 -Finish application project. Day 5 -Look over objective questions as study guide for exam. Day 6 -Look over highlighted text and take exam. Respond to someone's discussion board summary. Day 7 -Relax, regroup for the next seminar and remember NOT TO PANIC. --One final note, about 1/2 of my class dropped out within the first couple of weeks. This class does require a large time commitment. If you are not up to devoting a bare minimum of 25 hours a week to this class then drop it now. --God Bless, Good Luck, and Live Lightly on this Earth! Jennifer Gorham This was my fourth online class and must say it was by far the most demanding workload and time wise. You must stay on top of things in this class there is no room for procrastinating or falling behind. The Seminar Reports, which there are 8 of, are very involved and can be demanding. I would suggest getting a ring binder printing all the information for each week’s assignments and put it in the binder. This class requires staying organized the ring binder will definitely help. Each report you will be doing between 13 and 22 questions on the chapters for the week. Do not under estimate the required time for these questions the answers can be quite involved. You will be doing a Discussion question each week this question is not to bad but still requires time to research and do it. The application part of the report can require a considerable amount of time so be sure you get started on it as soon as you can each week. Another thing, which is required, each report is web research you will be provided with web sites to research and do a small write up on. The teacher will send back evaluations each week informing you where you made mistakes or need to improve. Be sure to pay attention to these. This can help you improve each week on your reports. You most also get online 5 out of 7 days a week to participate in the class room discussion board this is a critical part of the class which you are graded on I strongly recommend participating in this. This class requires between 20 and 30 hours a week this is no exaggeration, which is what makes it so difficult. If you’re a good student and fast you may be on the low side of that or maybe even a little less but I would be sure to allow for enough time. I have one more thing on Environmental Science 105. I’m married, have a 9-year-old daughter and have been working between 50 and 55 hours per week. I would strongly not recommend taking this class and another class at the same time if you are like me or in a similar situation I think it would be crazy. The Macomb Community College Science Department did a good job developing this class. Overall I would suggest taking the class I learned a lot in it and Professor Fey did a good job teaching the class Greg Roehm Summer 03 Dear Future Student, You are in for an Experience! the first week, you are in a panic, trying to figure out what the heck you are doing! (May I suggest writing down when everything is due- the discussion question, the application, etc.) By the second or third week you will get into a groove and everything will fall into place. I tool the exams ( which were given on Fridays). Thye were multiple choice (tough but not difficult - if you READ the information and go over the objective questions and the discussions, the test is not bad) You must remember to keep up with the discussions in the Discussion Board. They can get pretty interesting ( the ingredients in a twinkie and what will happen when a ^ ft Carp gets to the Great Lakes), and there may even be extra credit hidden in there. Remember to give yourself extra time for the last seminar. There is a group project which will be a little more time consuming. Not difficult, but it takes time. The one thing you will need to do for this class is budget your time. If you think you will be able to blow through this class becasue it is on-line you are mistaken. I wish you luck. Prof. Fey is fair and understanding ( and funny too!) Liesl Dear Future Student, You are about to experience a very interesting eight weeks. The first week you will panic and decide whether to go on with the class. Hang in there and go on with the class, the work load seems a bit frightening at first but as the weeks progress you will work yourself into a routine schedule and your life will calm down once more. I can't emphasize enough that you must read the assigned material. Participation in the Discusssion Board is where you will find most of your interesting facts. It will also bring you humor needed to get through the weeks ahead. I, myself, made the decision to submit seminar reports instead of taking any exams from reading other students letters to future students. I found the first report to be overwhelming and then I worked it into a schedule it also became routine. I have no nowledge of how the tests are but I would definitely read the rest of these letters to get input. I want to also stress to read your weekly evaluations. These will explain what you need to do to better each seminar report. Make sure you follow your assignments and all should could smoothly. Enjoy your next eight weeks, I'm sure you will find it as interesting and educational as I did. Shari Dear future students, Are you tired of reading about the incredible workload yet? Without a doubt, a consistent theme you’ll come across while reading these letters is the overwhelming first week from adjusting to this workload. And that you’ll eventually establish your schedule to get it all accomplished. This is accurate. The amount to be done is significant and cannot be ignored. But I wanted to give you a different idea of what you have just gotten yourself into. You are possibly about to learn more about yourself and the people around than you originally anticipated by signing up for an environmental science class. In this course, you will have the opportunity to learn about how you think, how others think, how you act (and react) and how we all impact the world as individuals as well as a global population. My advice is simple. Participate in the discussions and don’t be afraid to question yourself or your classmates or even the instructor. The most enjoyment you’ll receive from this course will be in the discussion boards. It is also in these messages that you will learn the most. You may be surprised to find out how people are willing to “open up” and share what they think on multiple topics that you don’t get to talk about on a regular basis. However, with that all being said. Am I glad the course is finished? Absolutely. Are my wife and children glad the course is finished? Yes! After two months, I will finally get to spend more than two hours a week with them! Would I recommend this course to other people? I would, without hesitation. I wish the best of luck to you all! Enjoy yourselves! And PARTICIPATE! Sincerely, Steve Burgin Dear Student, I know it may seem like everything is hitting you at one time. Slow down and take it one day at a time it will get better trust me. You’re about to experience a learning environment that you may not have expected. During the next couple of months you will work, work, and work. Don’t get discouraged though it gets better and better every week. Dedicate yourself to this course or it will overwhelm you. This course will teach you more then you imagined when you decided to sign up for it. I chose to do the seminars instead of the test. The seminars are stressful at times, but if you don’t wait until the last minute to begin them you should be alright. You would get evaluations every week on how you’ve done on your seminar. To get a good evaluation you must answer all of the objective question knowledgeably, do the application project, and the other stuff should be no sweat. Join the DB that’s where you probably gain a lot of your knowledge from. Every one of your classmates has different views you can learn a lot from them. Print out the assignments for the week and make a list for what day you’re going to accomplish each task. My suggestion is to start on the application project as soon as possible. I found the application project and the objective questions to be the most time consuming. The easiest points you can get is in the DB so please I beg you participate this can’t do anything but help your grade. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. Your life is about to take a drastic change. Tell you family and friends good bye for a couple of months and say hello to your new family. The last thing I must tell you is this class is time consuming, but you learn so much more then you have probably learned in any other online class. I’ve taking five online classes before this one and I must tell Professor Fey thank you for giving me my monies worth. P.S. Don’t Stress out take it one day at a time and Saturday about 11:00 p.m. if your seminar report is not done then you should stress out. GOOD LUCK Nicholas Dear future ENVS 105 students, I hate to sound redundant when I tell you to prepare for a lot of reading, but if I didn't tell you about it, I would be doing you a great injustice. DO NOT ignore the reading assignments, if you do; you will fall behind. You may not want to do it because it can be grueling at timess, but it is all very interesting. This class forces you to see the environment and yourself in a whole new light. You are forced to think in ways you have never thought you could. The cool thing about this class is that you can either complete a seminar report or take the test at the end of the week, there are opportunities to get extra points, if you find them. That is why you have to read every entry to the DB (Discussion Board). You also have the ability to speak your mind and have a healthy debate with your fellow classmates and instructor. After you have completed this class, you may have developed a sense of paranoia, but that's okay. I think every one in this class has, including myself. Just relax, stay cool,and remember this class is only has hard or easy as you make it. Robyn Spring 2003 Midmester Content Formatted Only -  (No Other Changes)  Note to Future Students I am an Elementary Education Student at Oakland University with a major in science. I have learned a tremendous amount about environmental science issues this semester and I highly recommend Professor Fey’s EVS 105 course. Please plan on committing at least 24 hours per week to this course (It may feel like 24 hours per day). I averaged about 30 hours per week because I am compulsive. I would suggest setting up a schedule for yourself so that you do not procrastinate – there is no way to dig yourself out of that hole in this class. Read all of the Discussion Board entries because they are very helpful and Professor Fey “hides” assignments and extra credit in the Discussion Board. You only have to answer the Discussion Question that matches your student number but you have to do all of the Objectives/Guide Questions. Here is the schedule that I utilized: Everyday: Read the Discussion Board Entries and submit one quality response (Required 5 days a week) Day 1- Download all of the assignments and start working on the Discussion Questions and the Objectives/Guide Questions. Check the complexity of the Application Assignment (sometimes phone calls to government and other officials are required.) Day 2 –Complete your assigned Discussion Question and the bulk of the Objectives/Guide Questions. Day 3 – Post your assigned Discussion Question on the Discussion Board by Midnight. Finish all of the Objectives/Guide Questions and work on the Application Assignment. Day 4 – Complete the Application and Website Assignments. Day 5 – Write up your Summary and Final Thoughts (S&FT). The summary should be extensive and the Final Thoughts should include an “Informed Opinion” Day 6 – Post your S&FT on the discussion board by midnight. PROOF-READ your Seminar Report and send it to Professor Fey via the Digital Drop Box by Midnight. Day 7 – Read the chapters for next week. I made an outline for my Seminar Reports so that I would not forget anything: Objectives/Guide Questions Discussion Question #2 Application Assignment and Application Summary Website Summary, 3 Facts with Explanations, and 3 Opinions with Explanations Summary and Final Thoughts Other Tidbits: Ask questions on the Discussion Board – your classmates may be able to help you. Create a separate folder in your Microsoft Word for EVS 105 because you will have a lot to keep track of. Save the websites that you go to because you will need them again in other seminars. You need to access http://www.sciencescene.com/ to find the readings and assignments in the Science Course Support link. Professor Fey primarily uses the Course Information, Discussion Board, and the Digital Drop Box (under Tools) on the main website http://macomb.blackboard.com/ Professor Fey said that the most important advice is - “DON’T PANIC.” I had already panicked so I’d say that the most important advice is to keep a sense of humor – it will help you find a sustainable future. Jean Ferguson Wow! Where to begin! First of all this class has really flown by, it feels like the course just started. I will tell you of the two science courses I have taken online, this course was definitely the hardest and most time consuming. Expect to be living online for the next 8 weeks but do not give up. You will be writing a great deal over the period of the next 8 weeks, seminar reports are about 20-30 pages a week depending on the topic. There is no way you can let things go until the last minute in this course and you have to be responsible and keep up to date on everything that needs to be done. One of the easiest and funnest things to do in this course to earn points is participate! We share so many fun conversations on the discussion board, and we get credit for it. What more can you ask for? Most of all, you will learn from this course. I learned answers to questions I have had since I was little. I also learned practical knowledge that I can put to use everyday. This course definitely should be required by every college student because you do learn so much practical information. If I only leave you with one piece of advice it's don't panic! Leave notes, ask questions, and you are sure to get a response. In the online community we're all here to help each other, and more than likely someone else has the same question you do!! Good Luck! Abbey Moler This was probably the most educational class I have ever taken in college. I have learned so much about the environment, that I thought never enven existed. But don't be fooled this is also one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. SO they tell you 24 hours a week, felt more like every waking moment to me. You will spend at least 30 hours online with this class. The first week is very hectic but DON"T PANIC everyone is trying to figure everything out you are not the only one. REad over the welcome letter and make a calender to keep track of what you need to do, and always work ahead if you can it will really help out. Do not, I repeat DO NOT leave everything till thursday or friday. You need the whole week to get your reports together. What i did was: Sunday: Print out all info needed Monday: Read Tuesday: Do Discussion question & work on Objective questions Wednesday: Work on application and web resources Thursday: Work on objective questions Friday: Finish up objective questions and look over paper and turn in by Midnight. You need to have your own schedule of doing things and make sure you stick to it. Also always read every thread on the discussion board. It is so helpful, and is needed for attendance. If you do not read every thread, trust me Professor Fey will know. And never be afraid to ask any type of question. I though some of my questions were stupid, but everyone was willing to help. So don't get frustrated, keep up on work, and ask questions and you should be fine!!! Good Luck!!!! Heather Nagher Welcome to Environmental Science: Well I am going to start this letter by saying that this class is not easy. I can not lie to you and tell you that it is. It takes up a lot of time the syllabus says 20-30 hours try 40. My advice to you is to pace yourself do not try to do the whole report in one day. Once you finish the seminar report for the week start the next weeks reading do not wait you will regret it. Be very thorough on you objective questions and really summarize what you learned in your summary and final thoughts. If you really work at it you can suceed. This class is very intereasting you. I personally really lacked on my participation in the discussion board which really hurt me. Go on to the discussion board 5 out of the 7 days and submit quality responses. You should utilize the DB to ask questions to things that you are having problems with. Final words of advice: Stay calm do not let yourself get overwelmed you will do fine if you pace yourself. Good Luck!! Stephanie Velasco The first rule of thumb...don't panic! But, if you do, which you will, don't worry about it. The first week is the craziest and when I say crazy I mean crazy...but, eventually you get into the flow of how the class operates and before long it will be over! However, be prepared to spend a GREAT deal of time (24-35hrs) per week. Do NOT wait until the last minute and DO participate in the discussions. The discussions help to understand the concepts for the week not to mention they are a LARGE part of your grade. Plus, it works to your benefit because the more that you participate the more you understand the different view points of everyone. Also, be sure to do all the readings, they are the only way to ensure that you know what everyone is talking about. I think that even if you do not enjoy science you will like this class. It deals with not only the major issues of our environment but it also will also help you to understand what you can do to help make the environment sustainable...yep, that's right just one person DOES make a difference. It may seem like this class lasts forever and the pain may be excruciating (LOL)...but eight weeks is nothing and if you stick with it you will be glad you did! Besides, Ms. Fey is a great instructor that really knows her stuff :-) Good Luck! Jennifer Thom The first thing I would like you future students to know is that this class is alot, and I mean alot of work. If you do not have good work ethics think twice or perhaps three times about taking this course along with alot of other classes. I spent about 30 hours a week in this class, this includes gathering info out of the text and the internet, calling and going to different places to gather information for the application projects, giving responses on the discussion board and finally pulling my hair out from frustration, :) jus kidding. The first week is not only confusing but it is fast, it seems like everything gets thrown at you at once and you may seem overwhelmed but do not panic, do one thing at a time and you should succeed, however be prepared to give extremely well thought out answers to Professor Fey because she will catch you if you are slipping, she is a tough professor but she is also a kind person too. The second week becomes a little less difficult and by the third week this class becomes a routine. I always started my seminars the first day they were available and I suggest you all do the same, you will need the time, especially if you want to provide quality work to get a good grade. This is a very informative class so take the time to read everything, you will reward yourselves with a better understanding of the world and a great learning experience. I would like to wish you all good luck, you certainly will need it. Aleksandar Stefansoski Hi, I can't believe it's finally over. This will be the fastest 8 weeks you'll ever experience. Because of the intensity it's important to get organized and try to work ahead. DO NOT PROCASANATE. No kidding the class will take a minimum of 24 hours a week and then some. Don't be nervous, just fasten your seat belt and ride this roller coaster. I guarantee you will enjoy this class. There is so much feedback that you normally don't get in a class room but because this online everyone will voice an opinion or help out. Truly a rewarding experience. Make sure you give at least one quality response or entry to the data base for a minimum of 5 days. This is a big part of your grade. I've said in the beginning of this class I believe this EVS 105 should be a required course just so that we may coexist on this planet and to realize what it is we are doing to it. I know this course has been a real eye opener for me. I believe after this course I've become a better citizen and consumer. I'm sure you will find the same. Good Luck Tamara Forbes Well you have decided to take Environmental Science. That is your first step in succeeding in the class, and learning valuable information that you will keep for the remainder of your days. This class can be fun at times, hard at times, frustrating at times, and more importantly, knowledgeable. There are a few steps you can take to make the class more fun, knowledgeable and enjoyable to you. After you have read the syllabus and posted your biographical information, I would advise you to make a list of everything you would like to gain from the class (more than what you said in the bio, in a list format). Try to include at least ten things on this list. You will enjoy the checking them off, one by one, as the class moves forward. The first week is usually the hardest week of any class, but it can also be the most important. I like to start a class off on the “right foot.” This means making sure you make all deadlines, read everything, read it again, ask questions, and get a feel for how the class works. I made the mistake of starting on a bad note; I would advice you not to follow in my footsteps in this area. Even if you are a student who is use to getting high marks, a step in the wrong direction at the starting line could have you seeing grades you never thought you would receive. As I touched on before, it is important for you to complete all assign tasks that are given to you. This includes reading all of the materials (don’t just skim it for your objective guide question answers), reading all of the posts, and completing everything on time. Perhaps the most important thing is to complete everything on time. To help you complete everything on time I would advice you to form some kind of schedule. We started on a Sunday for I went by the following schedule: Monday- read the materials Tuesday- post my DQ on the board. Wednesday- start application project (because these usually take time). Thursday- try to finish application project, start object guide questions Friday- I set aside a large portion of Friday to finish my seminar report. Do the website section, which is the simplest and least time-consuming, and do your final thoughts and other items that need to be done/finished. Really try to stick to your schedule. Even if you have to give up on some things you want to do (going to the movies…dinner…) are those things really worth a low grade that will stay with you for a long time? With such a short class, it’s really important not to fall behind. I would also advice you to try to find a friend in the first week of class. I actually did not do this in this class, but I did it in others and wish I had. This could help you incase you get stuck on something; have a question about a due date, and to talk about the class. One last, minute peace of advice: Don’t debate an issue on the board with the professor… it’s not worth it; just hold your tong…I mean fingers (get the joke?) if you want to end the class on a better note. RESPONSE FROM CLASSMATE TO THE LAST STATEMENT ANDREW MADE;   The Great Debates were a wonderful part of the course. - It added a bit of spice :o) I do not think that Professor Fey wanted to "squash" any of the debates - she just wanted us to provide valid references to support our opinions. Jean:   Thanks Andrew Gerrard First off dont panic, i did a little bit but you will get used to the class after the first or second week. You will learn alot in this class it is very informative, you think you learned alot in one chapter and it turns out the next chapter is even more interesting. To help you out in this class on day one you should download what you need to and print out all the questions and read through the chapters and what the professor posts in the forums. on the second day respond to some peoples responses. start answering your discussion question and post it by day three. What I liked to do what have the Discussion question answered by day 2 and post it on the 3rd day and leave my responses to peoples answers till saturday. On day four start answering your objective/guide questions and type them up and start doin the application usually its a good idea to look at it on sunday because it might be a week long exercise, I did that a couple of times. Make sure you also post your exercises when they are due deadlines are very important. have all your stuff typed by friday and turn it in. also participate in the duscussion in the dicsusion board dont be afraid to ask questions they are here to help you out. And everyone is very helpful. I think that is about it good luck! I almost for got remember to save your work even if you have already sent it and got a grade you never know what might happen. good luck! LeAnne Rumsey I’d start off by telling you not to panic, but part way through your first seminar report, you probably will anyway. Most of us have had at least one class where the prof tells you that it will take you 20 hours a week to accomplish your work and it only takes you 2. THIS is NOT one of those classes. It consistently took me 25+ hours a week to complete my seminar report, but not before I tried to start one at 8am on the morning it was due and get it finished before midnight. Guess what…you could tell when you looked at my grade exactly how long I had spent on it. I definitely suggest that you begin the reading for the next week as soon as you finish your Seminar Report for the current week. This will make it much easier to answer your Discussion Question and the Course Objectives. Once the information for the seminar was posted, I started to type out all the questions and got my paper formatted so all I had to do was insert the answers as I found them. Participation can make you or break you; it is up to you to decide what you’d prefer. You need to participate at least five days a week (and not something lame unless you don’t want the full amount of credit/any credit) and posting your assignments does not count toward your weekly participation points. It also helps to post questions (just don’t ask the same question somebody else has—it makes people cranky) so you can get feedback from your classmates and Ms. Fey. You also shouldn’t feel like you’re a suck-up because you participate frequently or offer assistance and encouragement to other students; this helps the class function as it is designed to, and it may be all one of your fellow classmates needs to feel like they can make it through another week; you will have a feeling of camaraderie with your classmates by the time you are through. It will also help if you can have a good sense of humor. Read all of the postings. This will keep you in the loop with everybody else, and keep you from asking a repeat question. Really…read all of the postings. It will help your grade because you will understand things more thoroughly, you will find things you feel compelled to respond to which will help you out with participation, and it will boost your grade (you never know what kind of SURPRISES may await you in the threads.) You should read the lecture notes, and everything else, very thoroughly so you post things in the correct location at the correct time. Also, answer questions thoroughly if you really want to get the maximum amount of points; I was never penalized for writing too much, just too little. Keep in mind that there is no spell check (as of Spring 2003) for this program, so type your responses in Word, and then copy and paste them into the Discussion Board so that you don’t post things that are grammatically torturous with multiple misspellings. (That makes people cranky, too.) Be prepared to think about things and learn things that you may not want to believe. This class was an eye-opener for me as there were many things (ideas and whatnot) that I took for granted, and no longer do. You will find yourself questioning things you do, things your friends and family do, things our politicians and city officials do, and things people around the world do; you may even feel that you want to reach out and slap someone out of sheer frustration. If you hang in there, you will learn a lot about things you may have never thought about prior to this class. You may also find that you become more organized and less of a procrastinator. Overall I enjoyed this class…but I definitely worked my butt off. Melissa Mitchell This was probably the toughest course I have ever taken. Don’t be alarmed though, because it was worth every agonizing minute. I think that I learned more in this class than in any other in my educational history. (I am not trying to earn brownie points J) The discussion and objectives/guide questions provide an outline of what you will be learning in the class. As long as you read all material and adhere to a strict schedule for homework you will do great. The application projects help you understand the material because you have to do some research. Seminar 8 is the toughest! If you think an online course is going to be easier than a traditional course you are wrong. You learn everything you would learn in a 16-week course in 8 short weeks. You will have to earn your grade. Definitely utilize the discussion board. There are a lot of interesting conversations you can participate in and learn from. If you bomb the first seminar do not give up, use it as a learning experience. You can learn from your mistakes and ensure that you will not make the same ones again. My biggest problem with the first seminar was not taking the workload seriously. You have to set aside time for the amount of work in this class it is not something that you set aside until the last minute. The best advice I can offer is to not panic and definitely do not give up. You will learn so many things in this class. You will also learn how one person CAN make a difference. We do many things every day that harm our environment. You can learn how to help protect it. GOOD LUCK!! Annette Secor To Future Environmental Science Students: Things that I recommend that you should do to be successful in this particular class: -Get a head start on the reading. -Develop a routine for accomplishing tasks. -Provide thought-provoking answers with sources and specific information detailed -If you don’t have a lot of time, I recommend you take the tests instead of completing the Seminar Reports. The syllabus states you will spend 24 hours a week on this class; it took me about 60 hours per week to complete all tasks, but I type slowly. -The VERY MOST IMPORTANT thing in this class is You Must Participate in order to be successful in this class. - Keep an open mind and be willing to take criticism, as you will get it at some point during the semester. - Remember, we are all here to learn and will frequently have different points of view. You need to respect the views of others. This class is full of controversial issues, and at times, an overabundance of information. I strongly suggest that you pace the work out evenly over the week so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Don’t fall behind in your work, as it is very frustrating to have to play “catch up” for the rest of the semester. If you are a student who is employed full time or going to school full time, this course may be very challenging for you due to the amount of time you have available for the class. Good Luck (I may or may not see you next semester- it depends on my grade!) James Mitchell Jr. To sum EVS 105 up with on one word, it would have to be OVERWHELMING. I read all those previous letters that warned of the time committment and the work involved, but I was sure that I would be fine since I liked to work under pressure. I have since learned that this class pushed me harder and further than any other course I have yet to take. But on the positive side, EVS 105 has opened my eyes to the world of environmental science. I have learned to really become conscious of my affects on the environment and how I can change my behaviors in effortless ways. I am sure that by this point my family and friends are tired of hearing me preach about the use of styrofoam, and using less water, and driving less, and so. They would be glad that my time with EVS is over. However, I am sure that the information that I obtained from this class will stay with me for a lifetime. The last suggestion that I can make to you future students is use the resources like discussions and outside articles as much as possible, they will give you an advantage over just reading the text. Also, be open to the idea presented. I was a skeptical at first and now I am bordering on being a full fledged tree-hugger! Good luck to all!!! Kathryn Clark Spring 2003 I will keep this short and to the point as you will need all the extra time you can find for this class. There is a lot to be learned in a limited amount of time. You may not like this class very much at times, but at the same time it is a really good class and Professor Fey is very knowledgeable and she teaches you a lot. However, all of that knowledge requires time and you must invest at least 20-25 hours per week—no joke! This class is a real eye opener to the world we are living in and it is definitely worth the time spent educating yourself and others. The key is organization, establish a routine and stick with it. Good Luck! Barbara Evans Welcome to EVS 105, boy are you in for a ride. The first thought that will come to your head is this will be great, only 8 weeks and its online, so it should be easy. Well boy are you wrong! This class is a huge workload with atleast 15 hours a week in the class. Every week there is a seminar due with objective questions, discussion questions that you will have a chance to talk about in the discussion board, application projects and web research. After each seminar you will write your summary and final thoughts about it. I know this class doesnt sound like alot of fun, but its amazing how much you will learn from it. Some advice I can give you is to stay focused, don't give up right away, I promise it will get better. Another good tip is to keep organized with your tasks, otherwise the will catch up with you. Good luck and have a great time! Rita Maakaron Welcome to EVS105, Well where do I begin to tell you about this class. You need all the time that you can get. You have to be very patient and organized because in this class you need both. You are looking at a very busy 8 weeks. You should always begin to start early on the seminars. I did the seminars every week so I don't really know what the tests are like. But, You do learn a lot from this class and it will help you with your decisions in the future. One word of advice do not give up and make sure you read all the threads. Professor Fey will help you out with anything and everything that you need so don't be afraid to ask for help. The first week will be a little over whelming but you will get use to it. Good Luck and enjoy your online experience. Nancy Safadi Dear future student, Time, time, time! That is what you need for this class. It is alot of work but it is very informative. However I would highly suggest that you give yourself at least 3 hours a day to do the work and read the chapter. This is my second online clas and I will never take another online class just because I realized how hectic it was to juggle 2 online classes at once. So I would really recommend either to take one online class or not take them at all. This class is very time consuming and expect to stay home a few weekends!Trust me I did! OOHH yea and don't do the same mistake as me and take a vacation during the class because you will get extremely behind! Don't be scared but ENJOY! Good bye all and enjoy class! -Bila Ognjanovski- This class will be challenging and very rewarding. Be prepared to put a lot of time into it. You will spend at least 25 hours a week on this class. I am not kidding! The material is not overly difficult, but it is time consuming. You will get the choice of doing a seminar report and application project each week or take a multiple choice test and do an application project each week. Either way, you will need to thoroughly understand the discussion questions and guide questions. Start early each week on the first day on the application projects. You will sometimes have to do research for these or count how many times you flush the toilet or record what you throw away for three days. Sometimes they take much longer to complete than you think. Read all of the threads in the discussion board and make sure you answer someone else's thread at least five days out of seven. Other work submitted in a day doesn't count toward attendance. You will be glad you took the course. I am not a science person, but I have learned a lot about the environment and would definitely recommmend this class. It has really opened my eyes up about conservation. Good luck and have fun! Samuel Farmer Future Students, You officially made it to your first day of EVS 105 online. Don’t back out now. To be bluntly honest this course is VERY tough. It is extremely time consuming and takes a lot of extra effort and thought. If you do not have 25-30 hours of your week for the next 8 weeks to dedicate to this course I think you should consider dropping the course. Each week is comprised into an individual seminar where you will read 2-3 chapters of the text on your own at home. When you complete the readings you will answer 15-23 Guide Questions that will help to make sure that you understood all the material that you read. You will also be required to answer 1 Discussion Question that you will share with your fellow students whom you will look onto for encouragement and other ideas. (Your fellow classmates are a HUGE part of this course. You will always have 10-20 others with you at each step in this wild journey) for the seminar also you will be required to perform application projects, which you will develop into your report. These can range from a variety of activities that will help you understand the material on a more personal level in your own home. The objects of the Applications are to relate what you are learning to your own life. You will also be required to do a lot of research on the Internet. In fact, one of your projects for your seminar report is to find a website and report on what you learn and how it ties into the week. Finally you will combine everything you learned for the week into your final thoughts and summary of the seminar. If that does not sound like a lot of work to you – it is. It is NOT something that you can do tow hours before it is to be submitted. I would suggest that as soon as you receive that week’s assignment that you start working as soon as possible. This way if you develop questions along the way you can ask Professor Fey or the other students with enough time. The worst thing you can do here is to panic. The first week will be VERY tough. You have to get yourself into an EVS routine each week. As each week goes by you will feel more confident about your reports for you will be used to doing them The information that you will cover is very interesting whether you are a science nut or history nut. It is very fascinating. I hope that you find this course to be a challenge as I did, but a great learning experience as well. Good luck to you with the next 8 weeks. DON’T GIVE UP! All the hard work and dedication is worth it in the end! Ellen Scandirito Future EVS student, Hello new student. If you are like me I was only in this class to get the science credit I needed. I was and am no science major but this class has changed my view points on many things. I know reading this you may be skeptical just as I was while reading my note from a past student. The work load in this class is tough. You have two options to either complete the seminar or take the exams each week; I have rotated and done both throughout the semester. The exams are about 65 multiple choice questions but you must read and look over the discussion and guide questions in order to be able to pass these. It is no easy grade. When taking the exams you still must do the application project each week which is a very time consuming but also an enlightening part of the class. I never expected I would care about the issues that were presented in this class but it really hits home. This class ties everything into your world and makes you see things you missed before. The workload is tough but don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Professor Fey is more than helpful if you have any problems. One last piece of advice read all of Professor Fey's threads on the discussion board. Good Luck. Melissa Rebic Be prepared to learn a lot about the Earth and our environment, that you most likely never knew. At the beginning of the course you will be given the option to perform weekly seminars or take weekly exams. I chose the seminars but wish I would have chosen the exams! The seminars involve many, many questions whose answers can be found in the text. The seminars also include some funner activities called web research and application projects. If you do not have A LOT of time (these seminars take quite a while!), then you should proably chose the exams. The 2 most important things to know about this class are to make sure you have lots of time to work on the seminars, and also to be active in the discssions. I learned a lot from other students, and really enjoyed some of the posts, it is worth taking the extra time to fully participate. Well, I guess that is it- good luck!! Amber Ososky FALL 2002 Content Formatted Only -  (No Other Changes)  Dear EVS 105 Student, Although this class is about Environmental Science, you will be amazed when you cross over into other subjects as you travel through the next eight weeks. We covered at some time in the class religion, government, social studies, and economics - just to name a few. If you think this class will be easier because you're online, you will find out that's not the case. It's a time consuming class so be prepared to spend 25-30 hours a week answering questions, doing research, and writing seminar reports. The reward is that you'll learn a great deal! You'll learn about the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, the cycles of living and dying, the trash we throw out, the people that make up our world, and the natural resources of our planet. Remember that you are not alone taking this class. You'll have a great professor to guide you and other online students who are willing to help if you just ask. So if you want to lose weight (because you won't have time to eat),  save money (because you won't have time to shop), become reclusive (because it's you and the computer), and learn more in eight weeks then you've ever learned in any class you've ever taken - this one's for you because it's got something for everyone! Sincerely, Barb Ziarko New EVS 105 Student, You're in for a great learning experience. You may feel a little overwhelmed at first--the first week is the hardest--but you'll soon get accustomed to the format of the class and the seminars will stop seeming less like homework and more like interesting, important information that everyone should know. You will learn about water, air, waste management, population control and much more. You will be given your choice of either taking four exams (and completing an application each week) or completing a seminar each week. There’s going to be a lot of hard work, regardless of which path you choose. If I had this to do over again, I would still choose the seminars. You learn valuable information this way and I believe it’s a lot easier to remember it if I write this information out. If you make the decision to go the exam route, you can use the objective/guide questions to help you review. If you decide to go for the seminars, though, here is what to expect: They consist of 5 parts: 15-20 Objective Questions, 2 Discussion Questions (except in the first week; you’ll have more), Application, Web Resources and Summary/Final Thoughts. The Objective Questions review the content of the reading assignments (book and lecture notes). The Discussion Questions can also review some of what you’ve read, but they may also ask your opinion. You have to post your answer to these for the class to read (and hopefully comment on) each week. The Application is the best part of the seminar (in my opinion anyways!) It varies each week and you'll be doing anything from counting the light bulbs in your house to contacting a local official about water pollution in your community. The Web Resources section goes fairly quickly. For this section, you have to look up three web addresses mentioned in the seminar, summarize them and give facts and opinions stated in this site. The Summary and Final Thoughts is the easiest part of the seminar, because there's always so much to talk about with each of them! I know it’s very easy to freak out at first, but don’t! There is definitely a lot of work to this class; it takes a time commitment of at least 25 hours a week. But this will be the quickest 8 weeks you’ll ever have. You’ll learn valuable information about the negative impacts we all have on the environment and, more importantly, what measures we can take to turn this around. There are many lifestyle choices that this class has encouraged me to make. I’m going to start buying much less, especially products with excessive packaging, for starters. You get an evaluation each week, which has your grade and usually comments on it as well. You can also see how you are progressing in the class, by each of your seminar grades being posted and calculated to show your overall course grade each week. This is definitely a very helpful part of class. Attendance is required 5 days a week in class. This may be difficult to get used to at first (it was for me!) but once you start contributing to the discussions, you actually begin looking forward to chatting with everyone. It’s going to be hard for me not to go check the Discussion Board each time I get on the computer. I know I’ll miss it. Finally, you really will have a great time in this class. Everyone is very supportive. You have an excellent teacher and the students are always more than willing to help out if you have a problem. As long as you commit yourself to devoting 8 weeks of your time, you’ll do well…and you won’t regret it! This is information that will last a lifetime. Good luck :-) Jessica Dear future students,         This class is very challenging, but you will learn a lot. Each week you will put in 25+ hours of work if you choose to do the seminar reports. This semester you will have the option to take 4 exams along with the application assignments. You will be given a study guide with the discussion and objective questions from the seminars to get the information for the test. You will have to answer the questions to learn the material for the exams, so you might as well do the seminars and skip the exams. The hardest part is the applications, which you are required to do. My advice is to stick with the seminars, they are time consuming, but really you will probably get a better grade that way. There is so much material covered, that it would be very hard to retain it all for an exam.         An average week in this class starts with getting you seminar assignment. Then you have two days to answer your discussion questions and post them to the board, so you will have something to get discussion rolling for the week. You are required to participate in discussion 5 days a week, feel free to ask any questions or provide the class with interesting materials for that seminar. From the time the seminar is posted, you will have 6 days to complete it and turn it in. What is included in it is objective question that you have to answer, an application, which generally is fact finding about certain topics via internet or local city offices, web research and finally a summary of the whole project. Also during the course of the week, hint, usually on the weekends, there will be surprise homework for extra points from you instructor posted on the discussion board. Always, always, always read every thread posted, if you don't you could miss something big.         Well there is an over view of the class and what to expect. I thought I wouldn't have been able to make it due to working 40 hours and taking 16 credit hours, but I did!!! Just be patient at first and once you get the hang of it, it won't be so bad. Good luck to you and hopefully you to will make it to writing your own letter to future students!!    Jillian Future Students, I’m not going to lie to you - this is a tough class. In fact, looking back it has definitely been the most time consuming course I have so far been a part of. You will tend to be overwhelmed at first, and if your anything like me, will struggle mightily completing the first and second seminars only to look ahead to see it starting over again the next week. Speaking on the subject, even though there are options regarding exams, if had I to do over again I would still choose the seminars method. Having to know the answer to all the questions anyway, why not just write them down rather than having to deal with the added stress of exams. The easiest way I came to realize handling this course's workload is to devise a system in a sense. It is easiest to start with the discussion questions and the reading right away so you have those out of the way. In this process also make sure to look over the application to make sure you leave yourself adequate time to contact people during their work days/hours if needed. In addition, you also need to steadily keep up with the new posts everyday. There is valuable information that may help you realize and find different needed sources of information. I learned the hard way that you cannot take a few days off and then expect to come right in and finish the work with no problems. With the difficulty mentioned that is involved, don’t get me wrong though this is a worthwhile class. Now that it is completed, I find myself remembering information where as in some other classes I really just knew information as long as I needed to. With this, ultimately if you have the time needed to devote to this class, stick with it. You will get flustered trust me, but if you keep at it you will be at the point to where I am now - In disbelief that it’s already over. Good luck.   Warren Dear Future Students: As this class finally comes to a close many thought run through my head. First is the thought hooray it’s complete and I will again have a life. But then a second thought arrives. This is the thought of sadness. It is pretty amazing but after a few weeks you enjoy going on line and chatting about the various environmental issues, sharing new ideas and reading the class members and teachers points of view. You gain a different perspective of the various environmental issues. This internet class is very different from the classes many of us are used to. The class requires 40 + hours to complete each week. The class consists of online discussion, a weekly report and a lot of internet , community and book research. My typical week consisted of Day 1 read chapter and look over the Objective and discussion questions on the science scene.com website., respond to online discussion Day 2 begin the two discussion questions due on day 4 respond to online discussion Day 3 begin report starting objective questions and respond to online discussion Day 4 Submit discussion questions, work on report and respond to online discussion Day 5 Work on report and respond to online discussion Day 6 repeat of Day 5 and submit to instructor the report. As you can see this class requires you to consistently participate and dedicate many hours to study. But the reward is that an immense amount of knowledge is gained. My suggestion to future students is not to get behind. These reports can not be completed within one day To explain why it is impossible to complete the report in one day is that the report is very long. In a typical report a student submits are 16-20 objective questions (each question with at least two parts), 2 discussion questions, an application project, a website investigation and a summary and final thoughts statement. (The application project for example would be to call a Detroit Edison engineer with a list of given questions, analyze the responses given and transfer the responses to your report.) If you worked faithfully for one full day my estimate would be that the average student could only complete ¾ of the discussion questions. It is much wiser to not procrastinate and to take your time to complete. After reading this you are probably starting to panic like many of my classmates and I did. But do not worry you can do it, this instructor is very fair in her evaluations. The evaluation returned to you weekly includes what your grade is broken down into categories, what you did wrong and her suggestions. But if you are still panicking there is another option. It is my understanding that you will have the option to complete the course in this manner or take 4 exams on campus. My suggestion unless you prefer to take 4 exams is to complete the report option. I feel that by doing the report option more knowledge is gained. The report option also allows you to work at your own pace. Well, best of luck to you. I know that you will make a wise choice to stick it out and in 7 weeks you too will be writing a letter. Doreen I can’t believe the class is already over. I really don’t know what I am going to do all day at work! This class was the most interesting learning experience I have ever had. Before the class began, I assumed it would be just like any other class. You take it because you have to, and you don’t take anything away with you besides a grade. This class was the exact opposite. I have learned more in these past eight weeks than I have in any sixteen-week course. The seminars are very time consuming, but I was lucky to be able to do them at work for eight hours a day. My recommendation for future students taking this course is to take the four exams instead of the seminars if you do not have at least 28 hours a week available for homework. No, I’m not joking! Every week I spend at least 28 hours at work and at home after class working on the seminars. They did get easier with time, but they still required a lot of it. For me I found it easiest to do the discussion questions first and get them posted so I wouldn’t have to worry about them being late. Next, I always liked to get my application projects done in the beginning of the week, because they can often be time consuming and require a lot of research. Overall, if you do have time for this class, I couldn’t urge you enough to stick it out. I am taking away with me a new outlook of the environment as well as the changes I know that I need to take to better the future for my family. One more piece of advice, don’t make yourself crazy! At times it will be very frustrating, but don’t worry, someone is always a click away! Amanda Dear Student, The Environmental Science class upon which you are about to embark will change the way you think and the way you perceive the world around you. It will make you feel angry, sad, disappointed, ashamed and guilty. You will also gain an understanding of the environment and the problems that exist and why. Best of all, you will come away feeling empowered with the knowledge of the difference you can make in solving the problems that face the environment today. The workload is heavy with reading assignments to expand your awareness of all aspects of the environment, from what ecosystems are and how they work, the plants and animals we share them with, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the ground we walk on and the water we drink. All of these things are dependent on one another, as we are on them. The Application projects will bring you closer to the environment and show you ways that you can make a difference and ensure that we keep this world a healthy place in which to live for a long time to come. The results are staggering and well worth the time and effort. There are also Discussion and Objective/Guide questions to respond to at the end of each reading assignment. It works best if you can respond to the questions as you read each chapter, as they reinforce the reading material. Additionally, the web research puts you in touch with the unlimited amount of information and organizations available that relate to this class and the environment. The Discussion Board will provide the much needed exchange of thoughts and ideas with your Professor and your classmates. Trust me, you will appreciate it and welcome the opportunity to give voice to your questions, thoughts and concerns. At the end of each seminar you will be required to put together a report including all of the assignments and learning opportunities for the seminar. The Professor will then provide you with a weekly evaluation of your reports, along with grades for participation in the Discussion Board, so you will always be aware of where you stand. One comment that was voiced over and over again in the letters I read from previous students as I began this class was, don't wait until the last minute. This is VERY true. Do your best to work on the assigments a little (and sometimes a lot) everyday. It will make your life and this class a whole lot easier to get through. From the Professor: Also please advise the student about the exams that will be offered. I plan on giving the students the option of taking 4 exams or writing seminar reports. The students who opt for the exams will be required to do the application projects and their study guide will be the DQ's and Obj/Guide Q's. The exam will offered in a two day period at either Center Campus or South Campus. The students taking the exams will still have the attendance requirement. I highly recommend this class. It is a lot of work and it is very time consuming, but so worth it. I've never before attended a class such as this. I guarantee you will never be the same. Karen I cannot believe it is over it was a great experience and I learned a lot about the environment and the ways that we have harmed it. I must say if you don't have at least 28 hors a week to work on the seminars I would suggest taking the exams. As I look back I wish I would have done that it would have made this class a lot easier for me to do, also if you are taking another online class I do not suggest taking this one it is very time consuming and at times rather stressful. I must say though that professor Fey was great and very helpful and encouraging. I want to wish you the best of luck, and when it gets hard don't give up keep going its only eight weeks but a lifetime of knowledge. Melissa W. FALL 2002 Midmester Future Student, First thing, stick it out. The class seems intimidating at first, but once you get in the swing of it you will survive. There is a lot of work involved with this and it takes around 3-4 hours a day. I recommend taking the test over doing the reports. The tests are around 60 questions and are multiple choice. You will get a lot of information about the environment and what affects it. This will force you to rethink some of the things you do that can damage the environment. Read the syllabus and understand it along with each week’s seminar. There is a lot of information in them that you will need to pass the class. Each week you will receive an update on how you are doing in the class. Make sure you are proficient at searching the internet or other sources to backup your claims. Do not just state opinions; make sure you can support them. The professor is very up to date on information and is very capable of pointing you in the correct direction. Good-Luck, Gene Pettit Dear Future Students, First, some background information, I have taken 4 online classes, Economics, Web paging, Philosophy and this class. Of all of these, this class requires the most dedication and work as stated. In no way is the Professor or any of us kidding when we say you have to devote a minimum of 20 hours a week, so be prepared to give up your social life, in order to do well and pass this class. You will find that the Professor is very knowledgeable in environmental science and devotes her time, as much as she requires of us. Professor Fey will also help you if you have problems, make sure you contact her with any problems or questions. As they say, when learning, no question is stupid. The benefits are; you will learn a great amount of information about the environment and the world we live in, not only as a whole but what affects us in our daily lives, not only ourselves but our children, family and the community at large. Everyone knows we have pollution, overpopulation and a deteriorating climate. In this class you will learn about what causes all of this and what mankind does to deserve this. Over all you will learn how to make changes in your lifestyle to better protect and improve the community you live in. Whether or not we choose to implement what we have learned here is a challenge to you as an individual. If so inclined to take the challenge of this class, be prepared to work hard and long, start your application projects first thing and be aware that these projects do take quite a bit of your own research to complete. Best wishes and Good luck, Beth Ricketts All I have to say is get ready for some work! This is my second online class and this class is way more work than the first class I had online. I am a Junior at Oakland University and I know it sounds strange, but this is probably the most work I've done in any class I've had so far. Do not take us lightly when we tell you that this class is a lot of work, it really is! Also, in order to get a decent grade you have to put in a ton of work participating in discussions and doing the work. I recommend doing the seminar reports over the tests. I found the test to be very difficult. The seminar reports take a lot more time, but your chances of survival are better. It is an interesting class and I did learn a lot from it, but taking it on campus would be less work if you are crammed for time. This class is definately worth taking for the information you get from it, you just have to decide what the best way to take it is. Good luck! Dawn Klein To the Future Students: Get ready for some real work! This course requires a lot of research from the internet,even one question on the application project would take a lot of time, so be prepared. If you're taking this course along with other online courses you should really budget your time wisely. Participation is very important every point counts so make sure you respond to the discussion and post your answers on time.Along with the hard work is a very informative learning about the environment. You will enjoy this class especially the discussion. The instructor is very eager to answer every question or concern you have so don't be afraid to ask. The tests are harder but the report takes longer time to do, so whatever choice you take it will require a lot of reading so be very prepared, goodluck!!!!! Magnolia Sesgundo The one thing that you will over and over again is this, THIS CLASS TAKES TIME! Granted it is online and you can really work on it whenever, but it is very time consuming with a lot of work. I did the seminar reports and looking back on it, I wish I would have taken the exams on campus because I didn't have a lot of free time! You will learn so much about the world that you live in and also will get conscious because you learn how much you impact everything around you! Good luck and best wishes, Ron Trimmer To Future students, This is a very difficult class to undertake. It takes a considerable amount of time to do the class work every week but you will benefit from learning a lot about the world that we live in. I made the mistake of taking this class along with four others while working full time so I got used to very little sleep very quickly. I would recommend that if you are working fulltime or are taking more classes than this that you put off taking this until you have more time. Also if this is your first online class you will probably find it very difficult to get used to. This is my third online class and my ninth science class in my college career and it was probably my most difficult that I’ve undertaken. Well like I said, this is a great class it is just a ton of work and hours to complete. Good luck to all of you. Aaron Mortimer Dear Future Student, This class has a ton of work. So, if possible, try to get started on it Saturday morning when the assignments is first posted. That way you won't be rushing at the last minute on Friday to get it turned in. If you have a good amount of free leisure time, you can probably kiss most of it goodbye for the semester. I did the Seminars everytime and never took a test. So, I don't really know what the tests were like. The application projects take a lot of research to find what you are looking for. So, don't put the work off till Wednesday or Thursday because odds are you won't get it done. On the upside of things, you do learn a lot about the air, water, land, and environment we live in and use. Good Luck With The Class, Justin Kolozvari   Summer 2002 Content Formatted Only -  (No Other Changes)  Future Student, I have just finished the EVS 105 course. It is very interesting and you will learn an abundance of information. I have taken the course in the accelerated version of 8 weeks, something that I would not recommend for someone with the job and family. It was very intense, but interesting. You meet though discussions wonderful people. The assignments are quite extensive. You will receive the overall seminar with links to objective/guide questions, discussion questions, the lecture, applications, and website that you must do something similar to an annotated bibliography. It workload in high. Advice for success is discipline. If you take this class in 8 weeks, don’t plan on doing anything else. You must log on to the discussion board 5 out of 7 days in a week. There are deadline on Tuesday and Friday’s with bonus question wiggled into discussion board thread from the facilitator. As a matter of fact I am 1 day late in getting the letter posted to the discussion board. I have a family and a job and this happens, with the price of deducted points. Another tio for success is to print the seminar and the related links and put them in a binder for reference. Start on Sunday evening on the next Seminar. Each Friday we had a seminar due. You need to take Saturday off for mental health and family time. Overall the class was extremely interesting but with a lot of work. The best advice I can give you DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. You’ll pay the price. Good Luck, Patty Messenger To Future Students, This will probably be the hardest class you will learn to love. An extraordinary mix and hard work, time and effort on your part will reap you great rewards. Not only will you pass the class but you will actually learn a lot about the world we live in and what you can do to save it. I was not sure what to expect when I signed up for the class but it turned out to be a very rewarding and profound learning experience. The first thing you should probably do is brace yourself for a minimum of 25 hours of commitment to the class a week. This includes online research, discussion board entries and reading the lectures and book. I also found I needed to commit an additional 2 hours every week to reviewing my seminar report (your weekly assignment) to fine tune and make sure all parts were complete. This is not an easy class. The class is constantly challenging the student to learn more, research more and discover more about not only the immediate environment but also the planet as a whole. I would not recommend this class to anyone who had a heavy class load or who was not committed to putting forth 150% effort. It really does take that kind of effort to achieve a good grade in this class. The one beneficial thing that I did right from the beginning was establish a few habits that kept me on schedule for finishing my report every week. Hopefully these will help: 1. Print out the seminar lecture and components and keep in a notebook. This allowed me to refer back to assignments without going online all the time. 2. Read all assignments and lectures. 98% of all the information you need to answer assignment questions will be in your reading assignment. 3. The suggested Internet links are very beneficial to putting the seminar into perspective. 4. Don’t leave anything to the last minute; procrastination will get you in trouble. 5. DON’T PANIC! Just realize that a serious commitment is needed and decide if the class is for you. I gave myself 2 weeks (the first week is usually a blur; the second week is calmer and you get a better feel for the tempo of the class). Lastly, good luck to all of you who venture into the brave new world of online classes. I found my first experience taxing but rewarding. Sincerely. Catherine L. Montagne Dear future student Welcome to a very challenging, yet interesting class that helps you to understand how our environment works! This class at first comes off extremely overwhelming and at fist you are not going to know if you want to stick it out. But I encourage you to. It will pay off in the end. Expect to spend at least 20-25 hours a week on this class between the reading and the seminar. The seminars are very challenging but very informative. The best advice that I can give to any student about to embark on this class is (1) DON"T PANIC! (2) Give your self a break! I usually work on this class five to six days a week. I always take Saturdays off. And just relax, because if I were to spend all seven days, I would become very frustrated and loose interest in the class. (3) And the most important HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE:) this was my downfall of the class, make sure you log on 5 days a week by responding to the other students answers. (Saying I agree doesn't cut it) give brief but through comments to any assignments in the discussion board. Francette the instructor is very knowledgeable, she knows so much about this class and she made the seminars very exciting! She is always willing to help with any questions that you might have but she wants us to learn form each other, and wants us to read all the threads in the DB, if the question hasn’t been answered, she will do the best to help you out. Last but not least enjoy your self, it may not seem like it at first, but this class is pretty interesting and fun. You will defiantly be glad that you stuck it out. Good luck Natalie Vancil To Future Students, Even though you have to spend a lot of time with this class, it isn’t nearly as bad as it looks. There are only a few simple guidelines to follow that make the ride smooth and enjoyable. 1. DO NOT WAIT TO THE LAST MINUTE. Break up your work into manageable chunks spread across the week. If you can only work on the seminar for three days, then divide all the work into three sessions instead of one. 2. READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. Take a quick scan of the report and make sure you do as the directions ask or, as with me, you get penalized big time. 3. TAKE PART IN THE DISCUSSIONS. Not only does it up your participation points, it helps you understand the seminar better and can even be fun. Stick to these guidelines and everything should fall into place provided you put in the time. It’s good fun once it stops becoming work. Other than that, good luck! Jason Groth   First off, this is not going to be an easy class if that is what you expected. It is going to require a lot of work, but in the end it will be rewarding. After you are done with this class you will more than likely know a lot more about the environment, and will have a totally different outlook on the environment. My advice is to not procrastinate. This class is going to require around 20 hours of actual work every week on your seminar. My advice is to spend about 3-4 hours every day developing your seminar, bit by bit. If you try to do too much of the seminar at once it is going to be very overwhelming. Another bit of advice is actively participate in the discussion boards and often. Not only do you receive easy points this way, but you will usually find the answer to many questions here. All in all, this is a great class, and it may seem tough at times, but don't panic it is worth it. Mike T.     Summer 2001                                                        Content Formatted Only -  (No Other Changes)                                            Dear Student, First things first, don’t panic! I know the first day handout and syllabus appear exceedingly overwhelming, but it only seems like it. There is a good deal of work that needs to be done each week, but nothing to stress out over; you have a week to complete each seminar! I will admit for the first week you will be getting accustomed to Dr. Suckley’s run of an online course, but actually once you get the hang of things it runs quite smoothly. The course your about to embark on, is a great learning experience. When I first thought of environmental science, the first thought that came to mind, was pollution! Well yes, pollution does exist in the study of environmental science, but there is also much more. Honestly, the information you will gain out of this class isn’t dull and boring, it’s essentially interesting and fun to learn. A word of advice is, completely read everything that is given to you each seminar. It is extremely easy to lose a couple points because you left out a small detail. This was by far one of the best, if not the best, class I have ever taken. How many classes have you had when everything is interesting and relates to your everyday life? Other than that I had a great learning and on-line experience with environmental science!! Good Luck,      Holly    Hi This class will open your eyes to the delicate environment in which we live in. I have really enjoyed this class. It appears to be a little over whelming at first but just stay calm and remember that if you are feeling this way so are the others in the class. Use your discussion board to ask any questions you might have about the lesson or application projects, if everyone works together the work is a lot easier. Each week’s lessons are challenging but, if you use all the materials including the lectures, you will be successful. Try and do some of the lesson every night and not wait until the weekend because some of the application projects do involve research from local agencies that are not open on the weekends. Begin by becoming familiar with the usage of irfanview, it’s easy once you know how, so don’t panic. Each lesson takes about 15 – 20 hours to complete. I know you only have to participate online 5 nights a week but if you can try to add a comment every night. I felt lost if I didn’t at least read the postings each night. Environmental Science is just what the class name says, you learn about everything like pollution, food, population and the atmosphere. Each week’s lesson will lead into the next and at the end of the class you will see how everything fits together. Every application project will bring you closer to your own living area by relating it to the lesson. Most of all at the end of each lesson that you E-mail to the professor, you will write an evaluation of the lesson. Just write what you think and be honest, remember students are entitled to their own opinion. Good Luck and I cannot describe the feeling you will have when you finish this course!      Jody   My first words are hang in there!! It will be very aggravating at first, trying to get the programs to work, and figuring out what is supposed to be done. But at the end it is well worth it. This class really shows you what is going on in our environment. I had no idea that our society could hurt it so much. It also taught me how I can improve the things I do, to help the environment. This class also makes you think. I like it much better than going to class (not at first though). Because it forces you to actually find the answer yourself, not to just get it from your friend. It also lets you work at your own pace, and time. Its very convent if your taking many classes and working at the same time. Just don't get frustrated!!!! Hang in there it's a great class! Best of luck,      Felicia                                                                                                                                                              First I must say to make sure you get the hang of the Internet and the mechanics of the class before class starts so you don't get stuck wasting time. Next don't panic, there is allot of work and some new software to get used too, but at any time you can ask a question and Dr. Suckley or someone in class can answer it. I found the class extremely interesting and useful. There is allot of practical knowledge in this course that makes the learning meaningful. As far as the seminars go, I would get started as soon as you can so you have an idea of how long to expect to spend on questions and the Internet, after the first seminar you should be able to figure out what works best for you. Good Luck!          Mark      Dear Student, I'm not going to lie to you, this class is tuff. The good news is it goes by quicker than you'll think. Environmental Science, learning about the environment around you and the effects of our actions to that environment. Without any previous science courses you will be able to talk to the topics presented because you live with them everyday. Don't feel overwhelmed, after the second seminar you get a real feel for the format of the reports and how you need to pace yourself to keep up. The requirement to participate helps to keep you on track, cramming to complete your report on the last day won't work. Each seminar builds upon the last and you need to expect to put in at least 10 -15 hours on each. My most sincere words of wisdom are to apply yourself, use common sense and respect the opinions of other students. Good Luck!       Taffany                                                                                                                                                                   Future student, Welcome to Environmental Science online! If this is your first online class, keep in mind that it is an 8 week course so the workload is double that of a normal 16 week class. My number one piece of advice is DON'T PROCRASTINATE!! I print out each assignment and lecture and make a weekly calendar of when I want to finish each part. This helps me avoid the Friday night panic attack of trying to finish everything at one time. The assignments seem overwhelming at first and they are a lot of work, but focus on each step at a time and you can get it done. I usually spend about 20-25 hours a week reading, researching, answering the questions, performing the application, and preparing the final report. The application projects are challenging but very interesting. Use your local officials- they love to talk and can be great sources of information. Last of all, have fun and don't get too stressed. It is a lot of work, but it's important information and you will feel great about completing the course.        Christine     Dear Future Student, Welcome to EVS 105. If this is your first on-line course, I urge you to embrace your sense of panic and/or intimidation. This course is not difficult, only time consuming. Please allow for ample time to do your assignments and make sure that you read and follow all instructions. After the first couple of assignments, you’ll fall into a routine and become more comfortable with the class and the assignments. If you have any questions, please make sure that you ask them. You can ask your fellow students and the instructor. Lastly, get ready to read you will be doing a lot of research and web surfing. I wish you patience and success.       Therese    Hello Hi this class is great, but it can be difficult you must really want to learn and love to read. This course teaches about the environment and what we can do to help. This course really opened my eyes to what is really happening to our wonderful earth and how we as people must try to prevent it. The class is fun, but time must be dedicated to the course. I began my reports at the beginning of each week and took my time so I could learn all the of the information I was taking in. This worked the best for me. Just don't panic it seems really hard but once you find your pattern everything will fall into place. Good Luck,      Melissa    I guess the best advise I can give to all future on line students of this( and perhaps other) classes is this, budget your time well. Don't try to rush through the work just because you don't have to show up to a classroom. This course has taught me to look at the world from a much broader point of view than I had before I took this class. I see how I can help the environment, I can be an army of one. It all helps and it's all matters. The one thing I regret not doing more of is interacting more with my on line classmates. I did some, but probably not enough. This was my first on line class, so I had to do some learning with this new environment. In future on line classes I intend to participate more. I hope that my letter has also conveyed to you that you must participate more than just what you must post to obtain a grade for that particular seminar. It was my one downfall. I have learned that I need to budget my time in the future for my next on line class. I hope you will too. Take care,      Crystal                                                                                                                                                                   Hello, Everyone thinks that online classes are hard, they are not. In my opinion you will learn more online than in the classroom. You have to do everything on your own and learn it for yourself to achieve the grade so this is a plus to me. Be sure to read the assignments in detail and don't be afraid to ask questions, because it will affect your grade if you have a misunderstanding. Establish a routine and stay with it through out the class and things will go smoothly. This class will give you a great learning experience and it will make you use your head and the information provided as one. You will enjoy this class. Have fun!      Andre                                                                                                                                                                    Dear students,         This is a fast paced course that is jam packed with all sorts of useful information concerning the environment. You will, if you do not already, develop a more positive attitude to the takes involved in helping save the environment. There is much work, but everything takes work! You will have to research your own community on many different aspects of its influence on the environment. Don’t let yourself get caught up and get behind, you will definitely be sorry, so be sure to stay on top of the assignments. The summary reports are not entirely complicated, but they can tend to get a bit lengthy. Just give it all your best shot and if you need help or have a question you can always turn to the discussion board for help from fellow students. This will be a quick 8 weeks, but it sure is worth it! Good luck to you all!       Jillian           You will be thankful that you took this class. This class is very effective and is also very eventful. I personally never really understood the true meaning of environmental science. I learned a tremendous amount from this class and all of the studies that go along with it. One tip that will make your life a lot easier, instead of learning the hard way would be, to break up all of the assignments. It gives you more time to enjoy yourself while your learning. Good luck.       Tiffany

Last Updated: Thursday, January 11, 2007