A: Yes. All research projects and essays must be in Rich Text Format (RTF) and must be named according to the assignment specifications. This is to speed grading time and increase instructor efficiency.

A: You receive two attempts maximum at the quizzes. If you take the quiz twice, your two scores will be averaged (example: 9 of 10, then 8 of 10 will be graded as 8.5 of 10). The second attempt is optional.

Extra credit quizzes may only be taken once.

A: Moodle is a distance education platform, much like Blackboard. Moodle is open source and completely free. Moodle offers instructor flexibility and the opportunity for more student input, as well as other improvements compared to Blackboard.

A: Yes. Some opportunities for extra credit exist, primarily in the form of Current Events quizzes.

A: EBSCO is a research tool. It provides access to a number of academic-area related databases. These databases include things such as peer-reviewed journals and a variety of other resources that may be useful in completing research for the course, or in assisting a student with retrieving more information about a specific topic in which the student is interested.

A: Yes. You should follow traditional rules of netiquette as well as ensure that you use proper grammar and spelling, as this is an academic discussion environment.

A: A Podcast is, in its most technical definition, an audio or video feed which may be subscribed to, which receives periodic updates. For the purpose of this course, a podcast is the form that audio lectures will take. The podcast will allow you to take course content with you on an MP3 player.

A: To determine your progress in the course, click the "Grades" link on the homepage of the course. Divide the number of points you have earned by the number of regular points (not including extra credit) that have been possible until this point in the course. For the final grade, divide your points by 200. 180 points are required for an 'A', 160 for a 'B', 140 for a 'C'.

A: Turabian is a document formatting standard, much like MLA or APA. Turabian is the preferred standard of your instructor. You will be required to use it to cite sources for all papers and projects in this course. See this link for style guide information.

A: No. Rich Text Format (RTF) is a universal format, readable on most platforms and office suites.

A: The research projects are designed as building blocks towards the final paper. After completing the research projects, a large amount of the work towards the final paper will already be complete.

A: Daily is good, but at least several times per week to keep current on the discussion forums and to receive the most up-to-date information from the instructor regarding assignments.

A: Check the rubric section of the course. This will provide you with rough guidelines for how points are awarded for varying types of assignments. Once checking the rubric, check the page for the assignment itself, this may include a more detailed scoring for the assignment in question.

A: You may subscribe to whichever discussion boards you wish, assuming you have not been automatically subscribed by the instructor. You can choose to receive email about new discussion threads as they happen, or daily, or not at all in most boards.

A: Tracking highlights new items in forums for you. Once you have viewed an item it is no longer highlighted, therefore you will always see what is current and not have to reread posts you have already read. You may turn the feature on by editing your profile and selecting the "advanced options" button.

A: There is no final exam.

A: Yes.

gary.ritter@cpcc.edu
Office: 312 Terrell Building on Central Campus.
Office Hours: By appointment only
Office Phone: 704-330-6559 (This is the least effective way to contact the instructor)
Text message: 704-651-2400

A: Critical thinking.

A: Your section number will be listed beside the course number on http://my.cpcc.edu in the "My Courses" block. If this resource is unavailable you may obtain your section number by viewing your schedule at https://mycollege2.cpcc.edu

A: Yes. There are online orientations available through CPCC eLearning

A: Books are modules of the course. The most common type of book you will encounter are the books containing information about each unit of the course. In addition, there is a syllabus book, a course resources book and a rubrics book to get you started in the course.

A: Wikipedia can be used to start your research, but should not be cited as a source.

A: As soon as you know your topic. In previous semesters, students have had difficulty with editing their wikis, and perfecting their formatting. Allow time for problems to occur.

A: Take a look at the "book" in Moodle for the current unit. This will often contain reading in the text, special notes and tables, and a variety of other interesting resources for the unit. In addition, while the unit is open, watch for an audio podcast and discussion board topics. All of these areas combined compose what you are expected to know for the quizzes.

A: Grog is a sand-like substance that makes clay more abrasive to the touch, especially for wheel work. Grog adds strength to clay, allowing for larger clay structures.

A: Before clay can be used on the wheel it must be wedged, or kneeded, to remove air bubbles and create consistency in the clay.

A: Currently this FAQ is a work in progress, it will become more robust as more questions are asked and as more "wisdom" comes to my mind.

A:

greenware: an unfired clay form that can be destroyed by water

bisque: fired ware that resists MOST water, but is beyond the point of being able to be destroyed by normal means

glaze ware (or finished ware): ceramic forms that have been bisque fired, and then glazed (creates a shiny surface as well as ads protection to the piece), the forms are fired one last time after a glaze is applied, this causes the glaze to adhere and usually pushes the piece to full vitrification (accepts NO water)

A: Yes, I have seen "Ghost" and I am aware of the pottery "love scene". This is one of the most frequent questions I am asked when people find out that I like to work on the wheel.

A: This can be caused by rapid cooling, underfired bisque or incompatible clay body and glaze combination (earthenware/low fire glaze to stoneware/high fire clay body). Sometimes additional soak time in the firing will help avoid a lot of crazing.

A: I don't know, people keep searching my site for it, anyone have any clues?