Communication
The short answer
Almost all communication outside the classroom should happen via the Teams platform. We can message privately, post general messages to channels, we can meet in an audio or videoconference as a whole or in small groups/ one-on-one.
By using Teams to communicate, you are much more likely to get a quick response.
Only rarely should you email me (the professor) because it'll likely get caught in an email backlog.
The long answer
Communicating with one another is the key to a successful class.
Basic Course Information
The static website here on gitbook.com will be the main source of information on basic course information, including a detailed syllabus, schedule of readings, assignment descriptions, and topics under discussion, expectations etc.
Our "Gaming the Middle Ages" group on MS Teams will provide a dynamic workspace for class announcements, discussions, as well as where our video conferences will be run (should they be needed). It will be a hub with links to the digital tools and readings we will be using in the course. Note: you must be logged in to your Carleton cmail account to access Teams.
Our Brightspace coursepage not be used at all.
·Since we will often announce and reiterate a variety of important logistical information live in class (not all of which will be necessarily announced elsewhere), you need to attend class consistently, and check with your peers about whether you missed any logistical information if you were not able to attend a class.
Feedback
Student will get feedback from the professor on an individualized google sheet (url to be distributed in the first few weeks of class) which will allow students to track classwork and deadlines, as well as get ongoing commentary about completed work from the professor.
Live Contact
We strongly believe that live interaction with your fellow students and the professor is one of the most efficient, effective and valuable parts of the learning experience of any university course.
In our experience, live discussions are by far the best and most efficient way to interact.
This is absolutely true for intellectual encounters: live back-and-forth conversations tend to be much richer, more wide-ranging and spontaneous – which allows for a much deeper and creative exploration of the issues
It is also usually true for logistical questions as well. First off, given our processes, you will almost always be able to get your question answered faster by connecting with us live rather than via written communications (see below for details).
Obviously there are exceptions to this rule – particularly in the case of extremely urgent logistical/emergency issues; such as, a situation where it is not feasible/desirable to talk live or sensitive issues you would like to communicate by writing rather than live.
Contact with Peers
There will be a variety of official channels through which you can connect with fellow students, including, for example
MS Teams chat/ videoconference functions before, during and after class
Small group breakouts in class
Self-scheduled group meetings you can organize via Teams
Live Contact with Professor
You will be able to connect with the professor in and out of class. Outside of the normal give-and-take of class discussions, you can meet individually (in person or online via Teams) with the professor, either as on audio or videoconference via Teams. Live contact is the best way to address complex questions about an assignment you are working on, issues you are having with the course
The professor will have office hours through Teams and in person.
We will have class time each week where we will be able to engage in discussions and debates
Written Contact with Professor
When written communication is absolutely necessary, we will exclusively use the Teams messaging system. Please note - we will not be using our Carleton email to communicate regarding this class, but rather, we will do all written communication via Teams to ensure that none of our messages go missing.
If you do need to message us privately, please always write on Teams.
Please also note that the professor will read and respond to messages only at certain times during the working week, and usually at a delay.
Do not expect that we will receive or answer on the weekends.
We will do our best to respond to your message as soon as feasible and definitely within two days. Please note, however:
Two working days starts from the first receivable working hours after they are sent. So, if you message us on Friday at 5pm, it will be considered to have been officially received as of Monday 9AM, meaning that we will seek to respond by Wednesday 9AM. It also means if you message us at noon Thursday, for example, we will seek to respond before Monday at noon.
Please also note that we might not always be able to respond within 48 hrs.
Given all that, if it is possible to do so, it is almost always more efficient to connect with us live before/after class and/or during office hours (one of which we have every day of the week).
The best route to getting answers for logistical questions
If your question is primarily a straightforward logistical one (e.g. when an assignment is due, other information about how the class runs, etc) – follow this order:
Start by looking at the announcements on the Teams site, rereading the syllabus on Gitbook and/or your notes from class (especially the intro class) – the answer is probably there. You can easily search the Teams and Gitbook by keywords. Both teams and gitbook have easy to use searchbars to quickly find information.
If your question isn’t so straightforward, the next step is to reach out to a classmate/post a question on the chat of the "General" Channel of the Teams site before class. They’ll probably be able to help.
If neither of the above are successful or appropriate, then contact the professor – ideally live during office hours.
Obviously, of course, if your logistical question is of a sensitive/private nature, or it concerns intellectual questions, you are always welcome to come straight to the professor.
Emergency/Urgent situations
If, however, you need to get a hold of us very urgently, please send us messages in multiple formats: a Teams message and an email to my official Carleton email, as well as contacting us for a live meeting during office hours.
Make sure you note in the subject heading that this is very urgent. And also indicate how you would prefer that we contact you. In that case we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.
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