Welcome to FACS-271, "Tourism Planning and Development". For this course, it is strongly recommended that all students read these FAQs at least once in the beginning of the semester and then refer back to them as questions arise. The information contained in this section can help the student to get the most out of this course and perhaps solve a few problems and relieve a little anxiety regarding the course. For questions that are not answered in this section, please send an e-mail to the instructor at the address indicated below.
  1. How does this online course work?
  2. Who can take this course and what are the prerequisites?
  3. Who should not take a course via the Internet?
  4. What are the requirements for the course?
  5. What will it take to be successful in this course?
  6. When are assignments due?
  7. How will I be evaluated?
  8. How do I sign up for the course?
  9. If I need help or have questions, how do I contact the instructor?
  10. What are the office hours of the instructor?
  11. How and when do I take exams?
  12. What e-mail account should I use?
  13. How do I send homework, papers and projects to the instructor?
  14. Do I need to own a computer to take this course?
  15. What Internet browser should I use?
  16. How do I obtain a user name and password?
  1. How does this online course work?

    This online course does not meet in the classroom and is available 24 hours a day seven days per week via the Internet. Students can work on the course when it is convenient for them and thereby easily accommodate their other obligations such as on-campus classes, employment, child care etc. However, the course is very structured since there will be specific deadlines that students must meet as well as scheduled exams. Students will be expected to devote approximately 2˝ hours per week online -- this is in addition to the time it will take students to read the textbook, do homework, write papers, and to do the course project. Since there is no "lecture" in this course, it will require much more reading and writing than the typical classroom course. The 2˝ hours online will be in place of attending class and will involve completing homework assignments, reading class notes, industry news, supplemental readings, and participating in class discussions on the discussion board. This class is totally online -- students will never meet in a classroom for this class.

  2. Who can take this course and what are the prerequisites?

    This course is a sophomore level course (200 level) and there are no prerequisites so virtually anyone can take the course. However, this course is designed for those students who:

    Students outside the major are more than welcome to take the course but they must realize that all readings and projects are directed specifically at the Tourism industry. All students must be able to read and write English, fluently.

  3. Who should NOT take a course via the Internet?

    • Students who don't have routine access to the Internet. You will need to devote approximately 2˝ hours per week, online -- in addition to the time it takes you to read the textbook. You do not have to own a computer, but you must have a computer available to you to complete your assignments.
    • Students who are just looking for a "bunny" course. This course will require you to devote time to read, submit homework, take exams, surf the net, and complete a semester project. Read through the course syllabus to make sure this course is for you.
    • Students who don't like to read. This course is text based which means instead of hearing things, you must read them. All instructions and procedures for this course are in the written format. If you don't like to read and/or have a tendency to "blow off" reading assignments, the online version of this course is not for you. A portion of your final grade is derived from your ability to read and follow directions (attention to detail).
    • Students who procrastinate and/or wait until the last minute to do things. Everything in this course will be delivered via the Internet. which many times is slow and unstable. If you wait until the last minute and you cannot access the information you need, you will not be able to complete your assignments by the due date and you will be downgraded. Note: WKU performs system maintenance on their BlackBoard server everyday from 2:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. The course materials may or may not be available during that hour.
    • Students who do not work well independently. You will be on your own with this course. You will need to have the initiative to complete all reading assignments and do the work required and submit it by the due date. There will be no one to remind you of the tasks that need to be completed.
    • This course is also offered in the classroom during the Spring semester. If you feel that the online format is not for you, please consider switching to the classroom format during the spring semester.

  4. What are the requirements for the course?

    Basically, the course will entail extensive reading and writing to include: designated chapters in the textbook, reading other materials provided by the instructor, surfing designated websites, reading industry news items, participating in class discussions via the course discussion board, completing homework assignments, completing a course project and, of course, exams. For more definitive information, see the course syllabus.

  5. What will it take to be successful in this course?

    To be successful in this course, students must read and study all the assigned material, turn in homework and project assignments on time, participate frequently in class discussions on the discussion board, and study for exams. This will entail spending about 2˝ hours per week online -- which is above the time it will take to read the textbook and study. If you fail to turn in homework assignments or participate on the discussion board, you will receive a grade of "zero" for the assignment -- and this will impact your final grade.

  6. When are assignments due?

    Homework assignments for this course will be posted no later than midnight on Mondays. The homework will be due the following week by midnight on Tuesday. Assignments can be turned in before the due date but will lose points for every day or part of a day the homework is late (including weekends, holidays etc.) according to the following schedule: 1 day late (up to 24-hours) loses 50 points, 2 or more days late (more than 24-hours) the homework will not be accepted and will be assigned a "zero". Homework may be turned in late (it is to the student's advantage to turn it in late rather than accept a zero) but 24-hours after the due date, it will not be accepted. Save all homework/assignments in case there is a technical problem and your homework is lost. If the instructor does not receive your homework, you can resubmit it without having to recreate it. All homework assignments must be submitted on the course website as described in the course syllabus. Note: There is no grace period for discussion boards -- a grade of zero will be assigned for postings not made by the due date.

  7. How will I be evaluated?

    Students enrolled in this course will be evaluated based on performance on four exams, weekly homework assignments, a semester project, participation/professionalism on the discussion board and email messages, and your attention to detail. For more definitive information, see the course syllabus.

  8. How do I sign up for the course?

    Students can enroll in this course two ways.

    • Students Enrolled at WKU -- Any student enrolled at WKU can register for the course the same way you would for any course over Topnet. Just go to Topnet and follow the instructions. You will register for FACS-271 section 700.
    • Kentucky Virtual University (KYVU) -- You can sign up for this course through the KYVU. For more information, go to the KYVU website.

  9. If I need help or have questions, how do I contact the instructor?

    Even though the class does not meet in a traditional classroom, there are several ways to get answers to your questions and to communicate with the instructor. They are as follows:

    • The Desktop Diner Discussion Board -- The Desktop Diner Discussion board is open to all students in the class to ask questions about the course that may be of interest to the whole class. The instructor will monitor this discussion board and answer questions for everyone. This discussion board is also open for any student to ask questions of other students. All students should check this discussion board at least once per day. For personal questions that are not of interest to the whole class, use the email address below.
    • E-Mail -- The best way is by E-mail. My email address for this course is: hospitality.classes@gmail.com [all lowercase letters and no spaces]. Use this email address for ALL correspondence regarding this course. For issues unrelated to the course such as appointments for advising, please use my WKU email address.
    • Telephone -- My phone number is 270-745-4031. If I am not in the office, leave your name, phone number, message and best time to reach you on my voice-mail and I will return your call as soon as I can.
    • Fax -- My fax number for this course is: 270-745-3999.
    • In Person -- If you are on or near the WKU campus, you can always come to my office which is located in the Academic Complex, Room 209C. If at all possible, please contact me in advance to make sure I will be in the office when you arrive.

  10. What are the office hours of the instructor?

    Office hours for both my office in the Academic Complex and for this online course are indicated in the course syllabus, posted on my webpage, and on my office door. Students should send an e-mail message to the instructor setting up an online appointment if my office is not convenient. It would be best if the student made appointments during regularly scheduled office hours.

  11. How and when do I take exams?

    Exam dates will be established in the beginning of the semester. Each exam will be given during designated weeks from a Monday thru Thursday. Exams are not administered on Fridays. For students who have access to the WKU campus, exams will be administered in the testing center which is located in Room 108, Garrett Conference Center or at WKU’s South Campus, Room C240 -- by appointment only. For students who reside too far from WKU to come to campus, the instructor will work with you to arrange a place which is more convenient for you (see exam information for more details). [Note: All WKU satellite campues such as Glasgow, Elizabethtown, Owensboro, etc. can also administer exams if that is more convenient.] More complete instructions on making appointments and exam testing can be found on the course website under "Exam Information". Please read this section carefully since you will be responsible for its contents.

  12. What e-mail account should I use?

    An E-Mail account is required for this course since you must check for messages and/or announcements at least once per day. It is highly recommended that you use your WKU account for this course, however, you may use any other email account that you check regularly. If you currently have an E-mail account at home through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as AOL, InsightBB, Comcast, etc. these accounts are fine as well. You may also use one of the "free" web based accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. Whatever account you choose to use, you are responsible for maintaining these accounts in good working order and you must check your account at least once per day.

    Please be aware that some of the other "free" web based accounts have some annoying practices like automatically deleting things from your "sent" folder after 30 days. Since you should keep all correspondence/homework you send to the instructor for the entire semester, it is recommended that you move those messages to another folder so they don't get deleted.

    If you use an email account other than WKU's email account as your primary account, you should consider configuring your WKU account to automatically forward all messages to your preferred account. TopNet automatically assumes that your WKU account is your primary (preferred) account unless you change it so all official messages will be sent to your WKU account. If you have your messages forwarded to your primary account, you will receive official messages from WKU and faculty.

    If you use an account that has an aggressive "spam" control feature, be sure to include the course email address (hospitality.classes@gmail.com) on your "allowed" list so messages sent by the instructor will reach you. You are responsible for maintaining your email account so that it will accept messages from the course email address. If you go "over quota" and my message is returned to me because you are "over quota", I will send it once again the next day. If the second message is returned, I will not attempt to send it again but you will be responsible for the contents.

    If you change your email address, you must notify the instructor immediately. To notify the instructor, send an email message from the NEW email account -- not the old account.

  13. How do I send homework, papers and projects to the instructor?

    • Homework is to be submitted on the course website as outlined in the course syllabus -- do not send homework via email. Do not attach files on the course website -- homework must be typed in the text-box provided on BlackBoard.
    • The semester project should be typed or saved in Microsoft Word or Rich Text format and attached to an e-mail message (I cannot read Works files). If you use Microsoft Works, you must save the file in Microsoft Word or Rich Text format -- this is the only homework/project which is to be emailed to the instructor. Contact the instructor if you need help saving a file in Word or Rich Text format.
    • For this course only, use the following e-mail address: hospitality.classes@gmail.com
    • Please do not hand deliver, email, fax or mail homework to the instructor -- EVERYTHING must be submitted on the course website.

  14. Do I need to own a computer to take this course?

    No, you are not required to own a computer to take this course. You just need to have access to a computer which can communicate over the Internet. This computer could be on campus, at work, at a friend's house etc. You should have this computer available to you at least 2˝ hours per week to do your assignments and to check your e-mail daily.

  15. What Internet. browser should I use?

    You may use any browser that is available to you. However, if you get some bizarre results when viewing the webpages for this course, you may need to upgrade or change to a different browser. Consult the instructor if you have problems. Note: Internet Explorer, and FireFox typically work with this course, however, if for some reason something fails to work for you, I would suggest changing to a different browser to see if that helps. If you continue to have problems, contact the WKU helpdesk for assistance (270-745-7000) or click the IT helpdesk button on the course website.

  16. How do I obtain a user name and password to access course materials?

    All the webpages for this course are restricted to those individuals enrolled in the course with the exception of this webpage, the course syllabus and the introductory page which are in the public domain. Students can log onto the WKU BlackBoard Website using their NetID and the same password they use to logon to their WKU email account. If you are having problems logging onto the course website, contact the WKU Helpdesk for assistance.



E-Mail
E-mail at: hospitality.classes@gmail.com




Date last Modified: January 11, 2012