EME 444
Global Energy Enterprise

Course Orientation

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Orientation Overview

Before we begin our semester of study together, please review all of the material on these pages and on our course syllabus. These resources will not only prepare you to be successful in this course, but they will also help you prepare for the "Course Information" quiz at the end of the orientation. You must get a score of 100% on that quiz to gain access to future course material. (You can take it more than once if necessary.)

What will we learn about in the Course Orientation?

  • The structure of EME 444
  • What assignments are required in this course
  • An overview of Canvas, Penn State's course management system
  • Technical requirements for EME 444
  • How to succeed in this course
  • Where to get course assistance if you need it

What is due for the Orientation?

Optimally, you should complete the Orientation before the first week of class, so you are prepared. This will also give you a jumpstart on the rest of the material. It will be extremely helpful for you to get this done the week prior to the semester because it will give you a time buffer for future lessons. You never know when you will hit a snag in future weeks.

The following is an overview of the activities that must be completed for the Orientation. Detailed directions and submission instructions are located on the page containing the assignment within this orientation.

Refer to the course calendar for Orientation activity due dates. Late work will receive no credit.

Orientation Tasks
Tasks Page of Orientation
Read through the Syllabus. Syllabus
Subscribe to the "Questions about EME 444?" discussion forum. Syllabus
(Strongly Suggested) Subscribe to the "Coffee Shop" discussion forum. See below
Introduce yourself. Getting to Know You
(Strongly Suggested) Fill out the Initial Course Survey . Getting to Know You
Take the Orientation Quiz - You must pass this to open up the rest of the course content. Summary and Final Tasks

(Note: You may want to print this page to serve as a checklist as you go along.)

Have you looked at the syllabus yet?

This Orientation complements and expands on the information provided on the syllabus. If you haven't read it, be sure to review that document carefully! You will be tested on syllabus content in the Orientation Quiz. A link to the syllabus is located in the Syllabus tab.

What is due for the Course Orientation?

As you work your way through these online materials for the Course Orientation, you will encounter additional reading assignments, exercises, and activities. The chart below provides an overview of the requirements for the Course Orientation. For assignment details, refer to the orientation page noted.  A chart similar to this will be presented at the beginning of each Lesson.

Course Orientation Requirements
REQUIREMENT LOCATION SUBMITTED FOR GRADING?
Take the Course Information Quiz Under Modules tab, see Lesson 00: Orientation  subheading. Yes-The quiz is designed to test your knowledge of the basic functioning of the course management system-Canvas, and the information covered in these course orientation pages, as well as the course syllabus. You must get a score of 100% on this quiz to unlock course materials. You may retake the quiz as many times as you need.
Complete the "Initial Course Survey" Under Modules tab, see Lesson 00: Orientation  subheading. No-This survey contains questions about you and your expectations for this course. Your participation is not graded, but will be very helpful!
Introduce yourself and meet the rest of the class! Under Discussions tab, see Lesson 00: Orientation subheading. Yes-Your participation is graded, but no right or wrong answers!
Review list of current Case Study Issues and complete survey. Description on course website. Survey found under Modules tab, see Case Study Assignments subheading. No-This is not due yet, but will be soon. See Canvas for due date. There is a lot of information to digest, so I strongly suggest that you start reading through the Case Study descriptions this week. I am happy to answer questions about the material.

Due dates for all assignments in this course are posted in the Canvas Calendar. Please refer to the Calendar in Canvas for Orientation Activities due date. Submissions are due by 11:59 pm EST on the date posted.

Questions?

Where is something? Problem accessing a site or resource? Questions about an Assignment? Please post any questions you may have about this course to our Questions about EME 444? Discussion Forum. I strongly encourage you to ask all content- and course-related questions by submitting to this forum, as long as you are comfortable with others seeing your question and any responses. The old adage that "if you have a question, most likely someone else has the same question" is often accurate, so a lot of time may be saved by submitting to the forum instead of a personal communication with me. For your convenience, it is listed under the Communicate, Resources, AND Lessons tabs. Of course, I welcome any and all questions asked of me privately as well.

I actively encourage discussions about the course content and assignments. I HOPE that you will exchange questions and ideas with me and your classmates. I check this Discussion Forum frequently and will provide help as promptly as possible. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you are able to help out a classmate. Thank you.

The goal is for each of you to learn, understand and succeed with the material in this class. I champion an open environment of free speech (just be sure it's respectful and you check your facts/sources before posting!), with a great emphasis on our cooperative advancement. All reasonable questions are fair game, and please don't hesitate to ask a question that you might think is too "simple!"  I want you to maximize your time with me this semester, and asking questions can play an important role in doing that.

EME 444 Coffee Shop

Let's keep this interesting and fun--have a good question? Saw a great YouTube clip? Working on a cool project? Have a great pic? Just made your own music video? Heard a good joke? Share with us in the EME 444 Coffee Shop Discussion Forum. Access this by going to the Discussions tab. I strongly suggest subscribing to this forum.

Keep reading!

On the following pages, you will find important information about the course structure, requirements, scheduling, and technical requirements and assistance...all of which you'll need to know in order to pass the course. Remember, you are also responsible for the information located on our course syllabus (see the Resources menu to the left).