BAIN MUSC 726T
Tuning Theory

Blended Course Information

The boilerplate language in this document is recommended by the
University of South Carolina's Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

About the Blended Course Format 

This course is being offered as a blended course. The course meets face-to-face (f2f) twice per week (Mondays and Wednesdays). Typical activities in the f2f classroom include lecture, interacting with your instructor and classmates, analytical discussions, open Q & A sessions, and review sessions. Assignments/activities are completed asynchronously by students in lieu of a Friday meeting. Much of this work will occur online in Blackboard. Online activities and in-class activities are designed to build on each other. Completion of the online activities in a timely manner, and active participation in class, are critical to success in this course. The learning modules in Blackboard are organized into weekly assignments/activities that include links to digital videos, podcasts, scores, recordings, quizzes, theory and analysis exercises, and software for computer-aided analysis.

Course Communication

I will use Blackboard to communicate with you regarding assignments and grades. If you need to get in touch with me, the best method is via email. Generally, I will reply to emails within 24 hours on business days and will provide feedback on assignments by the next class meeting.

If you are having trouble with this course or its material, you should contact me in person, or via email, to discuss the issues.

Announcements will be posted to this course weekly and whenever necessary. If there is any other information I think is important, I will send it to the email address you have in Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email account works properly in order to receive email.

Below is how you check your email address in Blackboard:

• Access blackboard.sc.edu
• Click your name on the main Blackboard navigation panel on the left
• Review your email address.  By default, Blackboard uses your university-issued email address

Your email address in Blackboard coincides with your preferred university email. If you are unsure of your preferred email, check your account (myaccount.sc.edu). For more information on setting your preferred university email, please see the How To Change Your Primary University Email Address (https://scprod.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0011464) Knowledge Base article.

Links to readings, assignments, activities, quizzes, etc. are located on Blackboard. To participate in learning activities and complete assignments, you will need to have:

• Access to a working computer that has a current operating system with updates installed, plus speakers or headphones;
• Reliable Internet access and a USC email account;
• A current Internet browser that is compatible with Blackboard (Google Chrome is the recommended); 
• Microsoft Word as your word processing program; and
• Reliable data storage for your work, such OneDrive cloud storage or a USB drive.

Microsoft Office 365
From USC, DoIT, Information for Students:
Microsoft Office 365 is available for free for as long as you are a student at the university. It includes the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and more for both Mac and Windows. You can install Office 365 on up to five computers and five mobile devices. Also included is OneDrive, an online file service that provides you with 50GB of free cloud storage to store your documents and access them from any device, anywhere. More information and download instructions are available in the Knowledge Base.

Minimum Technical Skills Needed 

Minimum technical skills are needed in this course. Most course work will be completed and submitted in Blackboard. Therefore, you must have consistent and reliable access to a computer and the Internet. The minimum technical skills you must have include the ability to:

• Organize and save electronic files;
• Use of USC email and attached files;
• Check email and Blackboard daily;
• Download and upload documents;
• Locate information with a browser; and
• Use Blackboard.

Technical Support 

If you have problems with your computer, technology, IT-related questions, support, including Blackboard, please contact the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) Service Desk at (803) 777-1800 or submit an online request through the Self-Service Portal or visit the Carolina Tech Zone. The Service Desk is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Eastern Time). If you are located in the Columbia, SC area, the Thomas Cooper Library at USC has computers for you to use in case you encounter computer issues/problems. If you are not located in the Columbia, SC area, most regional campuses and public libraries have computers for public use.

Reference

USC, Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), Syllabus Templates. Available online at: <https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/syllabus_templates/>.