Philosophy
of Science (online)
frequently asked questions.
Where do I find our course online?
What's my WebCT ID and password?
How do I get WebCT to work with my browser?
Video clips and other course materials
How do I view the video clips?
How do I get the streaming to work?
How do I know what my group is for the group tasks?
Can we use an IM-chat, private email, or real-life meetings for our group discussion?
How does the group submit its official answers for the task?
Will we have the same groups for the whole term?
Where are we supposed to discuss the reading?
How do I know which discussion topic I'm supposed to be participating in?
Why are there two different Kuhn discussions?
What are we supposed to be discussing for each reading?
Why are there discussion topics for readings that we're not required to discuss?
"Journal Club" (research assignment)
How will the groups for "Journal Club" be set up?
Can we use a topic that's not on your list?
Where should we find our sources?
How do I post an article to my group if I've got a hard copy?
How do I know how I'm doing in the class?
How do I know what issues I need to address to do better?
I did the assignment, but I don't see an entry for it in My Grade. What's wrong?
How do I know what I should be doing?
How do I tackle this mountain of work?
Where do I find our course online?
Go to sjsu.webct.com. After you enter your WebCT ID (i.e., username) and password, you should get a screen with a list of the courses in which you're enrolled that use WebCT -- including Philosophy of Science. Click on the link for Philosophy of Science to enter the course homepage. If you don't see Philosophy of Science in this list, it means WebCT doesn't know you're in the class. Email me so we can take care of this!
What's my WebCT ID and password?
In most cases, your WebCT ID will be your "W" number (W+last seven digits of your student ID number) and your initial password will be the term in which the class is offered (e.g., "spring"). If you are adding the class, it is likely that I'll be assigning you a different username -- I'll tell you what it is so you can log in. You'll want to change your password to something more secure; keep track of what you change it to!
I'm having trouble getting WebCT to work with my browser. What's the problem?
WebCT College Edition (CE) 4.0 is not compatible with all browsers such as Netscape 6.0 (Mac), Opera, Mozilla, and Safari. Please go to the WebCT main page right now, click on "Check Browser" in the upper right corner, and make sure your browser will work. Do the tune-ups necessary if you have a version that is not compatible with WebCT.
Why does the syllabus say the assignment is due at 11:59 pm when the Assignments section says it's due at 12:00 am?
People get mixed up about what time (and day) 12:00 am is. An assignment that's due 12:00 am Tuesday is due at the midnight that comes between Monday and Tuesday (NOT at noon Tuesday or at midnight Tuesday). To help you avoid getting mixed up (and missing a deadline because of it), I'll list the deadline as 11:59 pm Monday (the very last minute of Monday).
What's the deal with the WebCT "Email" tool? Can't I just use my regular email?
The WebCT Email tool makes it easier to get important information out to the whole class, and for people to contact classmates whose "real world" email addresses they might not have. You should set up forwarding from your WebCT mailbox to your external email account to be sure you don't miss any important class announcements! To do this:
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How do I upload my assignments?
*You will use your own software applications (e.g., Word) to complete assignments. Save your essay in one of the following formats: ".doc", ".rtf", ".txt", ".pdf". If you use Word Perfect, be sure to use one of these formats rather than ".wps"!
**When naming an assignment file, you must use single-word file names or insert an underscore between words. WebCT does not recognize file names with spaces, or characters that are not numbers or letters.
Then, submit your essay. Submitting an assignment involves two steps:
* upload the file from your computer to WebCT
* submit the file for marking.
1. From Assignments, click the assignment that you want to submit. The Assignment screen appears. 2. To upload the file, under Student files, click Upload file. The Upload File for Assignment screen appears. 3. To locate the file, click Browse to open your computer's file browser. 4. Select the file. The Upload File for Assignment screen reappears, with the path and filename displayed in the Filename text box. 5. Click Upload. The Assignment screen appears and the uploaded file is added to the Student files table. 6. To submit the completed assignment, under Submit Assignment, click Submit assignment. The Submit Assignment screen appears. Note: All assignments in the Student files table will be submitted. Depending on administrator settings, you may be able to receive email notification that your assignment was submitted successfully. If applicable, enter your email address in the text box. 7. Click Submit assignment. A confirmation screen appears. 8. Click OK. The Assignments screen reappears, with Submitted displayed in the Status column. When the assignment has been graded, Submitted changes to Graded and your grade appears in the Grade column. Click Graded to view your instructor's comments about your work. |
Video clips and other course materials
How do I view the video clips?
Clicking on the links to the video segments in the content module will launch "streaming" of the video clips by ATN. Depending on system traffic, the streaming may be very smooth or a bit jumpy.
How do I get the streaming to work?
Check the ATN webcasting start page. It will walk you through detailed instructions for adjusting your system settings (and for downloading a viewer, if need be) to view the lectures on your computer. I do mean detailed -- it will take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, and you may want a pad to jot down some of the settings, since you may have to quit programs and restart your computer a few times to get everything just so.
The streaming works, but it's hard to make out the details on some of the slides in the clip.
The crucial slides will be available as JPEG and PDF files (so you'll need a program like Preview or Adobe Reader to read them).
Many of the animations should play in your browser without any additional work on your part. Some animations may require that you have Flash player (which you can download here).
How do I know what my group is for the group tasks?
Each of the group tasks will require that you participate in online discussion with the members of your group. This discussion will take place in a "private" topic (near the bottom of the Topics list in the WebCT Discussion area for our course). You will only see "private" topics for which you are a member. So, if you see "Group Galileo" listed as a topic in the Discussion area, that is your first clue that you are in Group Galileo!
When I set up your group for the tasks, I will post an initial message in that discussion thread listing all the members of the group (including you). This will give you an idea how many other people should be participating in the group task (and who you might want to email if they don't make appearances promptly). Also, the instructor is a member of your group (although I try to stay out of your way unless you can use my help).
Can we use an IM-chat, private email, or real-life meetings for our group discussion?
Since you are being evaluated not only on the final report your group submits for a task but also on the process you use to get there, I need to be able to access that process. The best way to do this is to keep the discussion in your group topic (e.g., Group Galileo) in the Discussion area. You may use other means of communications to supplement this (especially for the purposes of hunting down missing group members), but be sure the important stuff is where it's supposed to be.
How
does the group submit its official answers for the task?
The group will choose a spokesperson whose responsibility it will be to upload
the final group responses by the deadline. Depending on what the group decides,
the spokesperson may also be responsible for drafting the write-up and/or for
making any needed adjustments so that the final draft is acceptable to the whole
group. Even if the group assigns drafting and/or revision responsibilities
to someone other than the spokesperson, the revisions should
be approved by all the members of the group, and the version the spokesperson
submits should reflect these "final" revisions.
The spokesperson will upload the group task write up in the Assignments area. Note that Assignments will show the group write up as "not submitted" or "late" for the members of the group who were not the spokesperson -- this doesn't mean your spokesperson messed up! (It means WebCT doesn't know who you will choose as spokesperson; your instructor, however, is clever enough to figure it out!)
Will we have the same groups for the whole term?
No. You will stay in the same group for at least the first two tasks. After that, I'll be reshuffling the groups. You'll be able to tell when you're in a new group by the appearance of a new "private" group topic (e.g., Group Latté) near the bottom of the topics list in the Discussion area; the first post in this topic will be the list of members for your new group.
Will we get to choose our groups at all?
For the last group task of the term, I'll let you choose your own groups.
I'm having problems with the group I'm in now; am I stuck?
Send me an email giving me the details of the problem and I'll figure out some options for addressing it.
Where are we supposed to discuss the reading?
In the WebCT Discussion area. There will be discussion topics set up for each reading assignment with an assigned discussion, starting with Discussion 1 and going to Discussion 14. You'll discuss the Carey reading in the "Discussion 1 Carey" topic, the second Kuhn reading in the "Discussion 6 Kuhn" topic, etc.
Actually, there are a bunch of discussion topics for each assigned discussion. How do I know which one I'm supposed to be participating in?
Hey, get yourself to the Course Basics area and read "Procedures for Reading Discussions," where this is explained in loving detail. The short answer: You'll either request a discussion group (in the "Reading Discussion Hub" topic) and be informed of your group (e.g., "Discussion 1 Carey (B)") by email, or you won't get a group for the discussion (whether by intentionally opting out of the discussion or because you didn't get around to joining a group in time).
Why are there two different Kuhn discussions?
You have two chunks of Kuhn reading. You may want to continue discussing issues that came up in Discussion 5 in the "Discussion 6 Kuhn" discusssion topic -- indeed, this is often a good idea -- but you'll be able to do it in light of the additional reading (and thinking) you've done since then.
What are we supposed to be discussing for each reading?
Part of your job, in trying to understand the reading, if to figure out what the important points are ... which means that really, you should be deciding what questions and issues to raise in the discussions of the reading. While you are welcome to pursu interesting tangents that come up, you should work hard to stay focused on: (1) what is this particular author claiming (about what science is, how science is done, what science can or cannot establish, etc.)?, (2) do these calims make sense (and are they well-supported)?, (3) how does this fit with the picture of science I started out with and/or the picture of science the other authors we've been reading have given us?
If you are at a complete loss as to where to start, you can consult the Questions page for the module in which a reading assignment resides.
Why are there discussion topics for readings that (according to the syllabus) we're not required to discuss?
If you're doing the reading (which you should!), you may want to discuss it, even if you're not required to discuss it. And discussing these readings may help you with stuff that is required (like quizzes, reading response essays, group tasks, etc.).
Are there any special rules governing the discussions?
The "Procedures for Reading Discussions" page in the Course Basics area includes descriptions of four different discussion thread duties that you'll have to take up over the course of the semester, and of the minimal requirements for how many posts and how they should be connected to other posts in the discussion.
You should also look at the "Discussion etiquette" page in the Course Basics area (as well as the "Discussion rubric" page for information about how you'll be evaluated). The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is a discussion -- you all are supposed to be functioning as a group to improve our collective understanding of these issues. This means you should do what you can do engage with each other and push the discussion forward. While this will require that you critically examine your classmates' posts (and your own), you should do it in a friendly way. (Remember, irony is much harder to transmit to people who can't see the expression on your face or hear the tone of your voice!)
Before you post in a topic, do be sure to read what has already been posted! Also, in the interests of not creating too outrageous an amount of reading for people trying to get into a discussion, be concise. Don't post three paragraphs that essentially make points others have made upthread; instead, add a new insight or interpretation. Quote the post you're responding to, but only the relevant part of that post, not the whole thing.
Journal Club (research assignment)
"Journal Club" is the research assignment for this class. You can find a detailed description of it on the course homepage.
Key features of "Journal Club" that make it different from many research assignment you may have dealt with in other courses:
How will the groups for "Journal Club" be set up?
You'll be grouped by topic. (This means that if you'd like to work with particular classmates, you should work out your choice of topic with them ahead of time.)
Can we use a topic that's not on your list?
If you run it by me and I OK it.
Where should we find our sources?
Check out the research links in the "Journal Club" page. These will direct you to the most useful library databases for your search. Once you've found citations, you may be able to locate the full text of the articles online. However, you may find really promising citations for articles that aren't available online. In such cases, you may have to come into the library to locate the article in a bound journal, or you may have to request the article using interlibrary loan (if the King Library doesn't have it).
How do I post an article to my group if I've got a hard copy (rather than a web address or a PDF)?
You'll want to use a scanner to create a PDF file from the hard copy. If you can't access a scanner, you can bring/send the article to me and I will scan it for you.
What citation/bibliographic style should we use?
APA format. The "Journal Club" guidelines include a link to a guide for this format.
How do I know how I'm doing in the class?
You can consult the My Grade area (linked to the course homepage) to see what you've gotten for your assignments to date. In general, you should aim to get at least 15 out of 20 points for discussions, group tasks, and reading response essays. If you're getting less than that, there are issues you should be addressing to improve your performance.
How do I know what issues I need to address to do better?
You'll be getting the breakdown of where you got (and lost) points via email. For the discussions and group tasks, you should be able to use the rubrics to pinpoint what you need to do better next time. (If it's not clear, of course, email me and ask me to clarify it.) For the reading response essays, you'll be receiving PDF files with my comments on the content and execution of your essay.
I submitted my reading response essay, or participated in the discussion, or participated in the group task, but I don't see an entry for it in My Grade. What's wrong?
None of these assignments are graded by a computer. Since a human being (yours truly) has to grade them, there is usually a delay of about a week from the time the assignment is due to when the grade is posted. I'll let you know in the rare instances when the delay will be longer than that.
It's been awhile and I still don't see a grade for the reading response essay I turned in. What's wrong?
Did you turn it in in a forbidden format like *.wps? If so, I was unable to open it (and thus unable to grade it). Please stick to the formats I can open (*.doc, *.rtf, *.txt, *.pdf).
What's your policy on "incompletes"?
A grade of "incomplete" is supposed to indicate that you have almost completed the requirements of a class. It is not supposed to be a way for you to save your grade after hardly doing anything (for whatever reason) all term. As such, I will only give an "incomplete" if the following conditions have been met:
Otherwise, if you just disappear from the course but stay enrolled, you'll be getting a "WU" (unauthorized withdrawal) ... and I believe this magically turns into an "F".
You know, when I designed the course, I made sure I put in enough credit. I really shouldn't have to provide extra credit. (It's worth remembering that extra credit means extra work for both you and me.)
That said, it is likely that there will be an extra credit oppourtunity about 2/3 of the way through the course.
How do I know what I should be doing?
Check the Greensheet and the Calendar. Also, be sure you read the emails I send to your WebCT inbox, as these sometimes have gentle reminders or announcements of due date adjustments.
We have a reading assignment and a reading discussion and a reading response essay and a group task and a quiz in this module. How do I tackle this mountain of work?
Here's what I'd do:
The key strategy here is to consider the reading discussion as a way to help you complete the other tasks, not just as an additional task for you to do.
That seems like a reasonable plan, but I notice you left out the Group Task. How does the Group Task fit in with the rest of this work?
Since the Group Tasks are designed to get you to use your own intuitions and powers of reason, they are not closely linked to particular reading assignments. In other words, you can get going on them before you even start the reading assignment, and that's exactly what I'd recommend you do.
Why is there nearly a month between when we have to get our Journal Club topic and group and when we have to post sources to this group?
It is possible that some of the sources that would be best for your topic will require you to use a service like interlibrary loan to get ahold of them. While this service is free through the King Library, it will require some time — possibly a couple weeks. To be sure you have enough time, I recommend that you do your literature search early. If it turns out you don't need interlibrary loan, you'll be ahead of the game.