Welcome to PNG 520

Welcome — I'm glad you are here! Think of this as your first day of "class" in a new course. We are going to spend some time learning a little more about our course topic, becoming familiar with our course environment, and getting to know each other.

You may find that this educational environment takes more initiative than traditional face-to-face instruction. This is a "paced" course, which means that there is an established start and end date and that you will interact with other students throughout the course. To keep on top of things, you will need to pay close attention to the course schedule that is listed on our syllabus in Canvas. Throughout the course, plan on communicating with me and the other students in the class on a regular basis.

As described on our syllabus, the course materials consist of a textbook and a required course Web site that contains the on-line "lectures" and communications tools, such as message boards and an e-mail system.

The course is 15 weeks in length, including an "Orientation Week" that comprises Week 1. This course has 21 modules of study ("lessons"). As a class, we will work through these modules together at a rate of approximately two modules per week. Within each module you will find on-line lecture materials, as well as both individual and group activities.

Action Item: Before we proceed any further, please be sure you reviewed all of the orientation materials, including those located in Canvas.

Questions?

If you have questions at any time during this lesson, please feel free to post them to the Course Introduction Discussion Forum. (Click on the Home tab in Canvas to access our course discussion forums.)

Course Overview

Let me take a minute to let you know what my expectations of you will be at the end of this couse. This is as important as the pedagogical information that I provide for you as a formal description of the course. By the end of this course, you should know at least three things:

Why phase behavior knowledge is pivotal to the performance of petroleum and/or natural gas engineers in their daily assignments, be it in reservoir performance analysis, pipeline flow analysis, gas processing, LNG processing, or surface production facility design and analysis, etc. Equally importantly, you should know the dire consequence of a lack of a working knowledge of phase behavior on performance and operational efficiency of system design and analyses.
The principles governing phase behavior calculations, the limitations of any phase behavior model and how best to evaluate and deploy them phase behavior packages.
How to apply phase behavior knowledge in designing, evaluating, analyzing and optimizing operational systems commonly encountered in the oil and gas industries.

So, as you go through each module, please keep these goals in mind and always attempt to relate what you are learning to at least one of them. Above all, it is my desire that you will end this class speaking a new language, called “phase.” Learning and speaking a new language is always fun … please have a lot of it!

About Canvas

Following is information about Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS). In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.

Quick Guide for Students

If you are new to Canvas, it is strongly recommended that you complete the PSU: Canvas Student Orientation [1].

You may also want to review the Canvas Student Guide [2] to acclimate yourself further, and watch the following video:

Video: Canvas Overview (4:21)

200 - Canvas Overview for Students [3] from Canvas LMS [4] on Vimeo [5].

Click for Transcript of Canvas Overview

In this video, you will learn about your Canvas Dashboard and Global Navigation links. You’ll also learn about navigating a course and accessing assignments.

When you log in to Canvas, the first thing you see is the Dashboard. It provides a high-level overview of your current courses. You may be able to select from three different viewing options.

Card View displays a course card for each of your favorite courses. Each card can include clickable icons for Assignments, Announcements, Discussions, and Files.

List View displays all course To Do items in an agenda view to help you easily manage tasks across all of your courses. List View opens to the current date. You can scroll up and down on the page to view past or future items.

The last dashboard view is Recent Activity, which displays a stream of recent notifications from all your courses, including announcements, conversations, assignments, discussions, and peer reviews.

Canvas displays a Global Navigation menu that gives you direct access to your courses and other areas of Canvas.

From the Account link, you can modify your user settings, specify your notification preferences, upload personal files, manage ePortfolios, and log out of Canvas.

Click the Dashboard link to return to the Canvas Dashboard at any time.

Click the Courses link to quickly access your favorite courses and to view a list of all your courses.

Click the Groups link to access any current groups in which you are enrolled or to view a list of all your groups.

Click the Calendar link to view your personal calendar and course calendars.

Click the Inbox link to view and send conversations to your instructors and peers within Canvas.

And finally, click the Help link to access help resources for your institution.

Now let’s take a look at the Course interface. Click the Courses link and then click the name of the course you want to visit. Canvas automatically opens courses to the course home page set by your instructor. The course interface consists of four main components. Course content displays in the Content Area. You can use the Course Navigation links, breadcrumb navigation, or the Sidebar to navigate to different areas of the course.

The course home page sidebar includes a To Do list displaying items that you need to do in your course. You can click any assignment name to view the assignment, and to submit the assignment click the Submit Assignment button. Return to the course home page by clicking the Home link in Course Navigation or the course name in breadcrumb navigation.

If your course includes student groups, you can view a list of your groups in Course Groups. Click the group name to view the group homepage.

You can view recent assignment feedback in Recent Feedback. Click the assignment name and view feedback in the Submission Details page.

You may be able to view your course grades by clicking the Grades link in Course Navigation. You can also access the course grades page from the Course Card and Recent Activity dashboard. Click the View Grades button and click the course name. The Grades page displays your current course grade and a clickable list of all the course’s graded assignments and assignment details.

You've now completed this Canvas Overview Video for Students. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.

Supported Browsers and Computer Configuration

The Canvas Help Center provides extensive, up-to-date documentation [6] on making sure your computer is configured properly for Canvas. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in significant issues while viewing materials, taking assessments, and using drop boxes. Use of unsupported browsers is at your own risk.

Your Canvas Profile and User Settings let you control your personal information in Canvas. Take a few minutes to personalize your Canvas profile and set your Notification Preferences, by following the instructions below.

Setting Up Communications
Task	Instructions
Personalize your Canvas Profile	Go to Canvas. Click on the 'Account' link. Click on the 'Profile' link. Follow the instructions on the Canvas Profile and User Settings page [7] to customize important aspects of your profile including, but not limited to your preferred e-mail address(es) and text (SMS) contact method for course notifications, your time zone, and your profile picture.
If you use PSU OneID	Students who are enrolled with OneID will not receive emails automatically from Canvas due to not having PSU email access. We advise that students set up a personal email address for notifications. Log into Canvas Click on the "Account" link Click on the "Settings" link. In account settings, add a personal email address on the right-hand side. Go to Account>Notifications to set specific notification settings, as described in the next section.
Set your notification preferences	You have the option to select how, when, and for what information you would like to receive notifications. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit Canvas Notification Preference Support [8] and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences. The video below this table provides additional information. To ensure that your Canvas Inbox messages forward to your regular e-mail account immediately, check the "Notify me right away" option (the checkmark) for each item under "Conversations" in Notification Preferences.
Set your timezone	Go to Canvas. Click on Settings in the Course navigation menu. The Course Details page will open. In the Time Zone drop-down menu, select a time zone for your course. Scroll down and click Update Course Details.
Download the Canvas App	For information on using the app by device, please see the following: Android Device [9] iOS Device [10]

Video Tutorial: Canvas Notification Preferences (4:28)

Click for Transcript of Notification Preferences in Canvas

In this video you will learn about Notification Preferences.

To get started, click the Account link in the Global Navigation menu. Then click the Settings link.

To add additional contact information, use the options in the Ways to Contact section.

To add an email, click the Add Email Address link. Enter your email address in the provided field and click the Register Email button. After your email has been registered, you will receive a confirmation email. To complete registration, click the link provided in the email.

To add a mobile number, click the Add Contact Method link. Enter your phone number, carrier and, if applicable, your SMS email. Then click the Register SMS button. You will then be sent a text with a short code. To confirm your phone number, enter the code in Canvas and click the Confirm button.

The Web Services section allows you to link your Canvas account with your existing Twitter, Google Drive, Skype, and LinkedIn accounts. By default, Canvas does not disclose your information to other users within the system unless you give consent.

To change how often you receive notifications, click the Notifications link in the settings navigation menu. Notification preferences are divided into sections including: Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, Alerts and Conferences. Contact methods linked to your account will be listed in individual columns. You can set notification preferences for each category and contact method separately.

To change how often you receive notifications, select one of the notification icons. To receive notifications immediately, select the checkmark icon. To receive notifications daily, select the clock icon. To receive notifications weekly, select the calendar icon. To opt out of notifications for a feature, select the X icon. Notification preferences set on this page will apply to all of your courses.

You've now completed this tutorial video on Notification Preferences. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.

Credit: 112 - Notification Preferences [11] from Canvas LMS [4] on Vimeo [5].

How to Succeed in PNG 520

How you define and achieve success in an online course like this one? It depends on your goals and perspective. A 19-year-old undergraduate student who registers for an online course in the hope of earning an easy “A” is unlikely to be successful, no matter how adept he or she may be with information technology. However, Palloff and Pratt observe that “in general, distance education has been applied to and seen as most successful in the arena of adult and continuing education” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109).

“Much of the research done on successful students in distance education programs suggests that students who are attracted to this form of education share certain characteristics, including that they are voluntarily seeking further education, are motivated, have higher expectations, and are more self-disciplined. They tend to be older than the average student and to have a more serious attitude toward their courses, education, and learning. They are what most would consider to be nontraditional students.” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109)

This is not to say that younger students can’t succeed in online classes. Indeed, “most [undergraduate] students today are older, are working, and need more flexible schedules” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109). The question is, assuming that a student is motivated to get the most out of an online class, and that the class is well-designed and led by attentive instructors, which attitudes and behaviors increase the student’s chance of having a satisfactory experience?

Swan and colleagues (2000) surveyed approximately 3,800 students enrolled in 264 online courses through the SUNY Learning Network. Of the 1,406 responses received, the researchers analyzed data associated with 73 courses for which there was a 40 percent response rate or greater. Among their findings were statistically significant correlations between student satisfaction and (a) perceived learning gains; (b) interaction with instructors; and (c) interaction with fellow students. Additionally, respondents who rated their own level of activity in online classes as high also tended to report higher levels of satisfaction.

Research results like these, along with lessons learned in our more than ten years of experience in distance learning, leads us recommend the following three study habits that will maximize your chances for success in your online class:

1) Devote sufficient time and effort. Time-on-task is a necessary--if insufficient--condition for learning (Gibbs 1999; Chickering and Gamson 1987; Bransford et al 2000). Schedule several blocks of time during each week to study the text, to work on project assignments, and to read and contribute to discussions.

2) Communicate effectively. Post succinct, specific questions and comments with informative subject lines. Whenever appropriate, share questions and comments with the entire class (through text commenting or discussion forums) rather than using private email. Read others’ questions and comments and replies. Compose project reports with the same care and skill that you’d hope your instructor or employer would devote to a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Be civil. If frustrated or angry, wait until the next day to post a message.

3) Approach learning reflectively. Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as a learner. Students who develop strong “metacognitive” skills tend to be the most effective learners. Also, those who are able to relate what they learned to situations outside the classroom (real or virtual) are most likely to retain that knowledge (Bransford, J.D. et al 2000).

References

Bransford, J. D. et al (Eds.) (2000) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, and Experience. Washington, DC: National Research Council.

Chickering, A. W., and Gamson, Z. F. (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin, 39(7) 3-7.

Gibbs, G. (1999) Planning Your Students’ Learning Activities. In McKeachie, W.J. (Ed.) McKeachie’s Teaching Tips, 10th Ed. Pp. 20-33. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Palloff, R. M. and Pratt, K. (2001) Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Swan, K. et al (2000) Course Design Factors Inflouencing the Success of ONline Learning. Proceedings, WebNet 2000 World Conference on the WWW and Internet. San Antonio TX, October 30-November 4.

Course Communication