Dr. B's Music Classes at CACC

Music at CACC
with Paul Boncella, B.M., M.M., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Attention Spring 2009 Music Appreciation Scholars:

Instruction really does begin on the first day of class, Wednesday, January 7, 2009, for both conventional and Internet classes at CACC. (Shocking, isn't it?) Be there!

Internet Class "Attendance" Reminder:

Reality Check

THIS deadline may be fine for your other classes, but waiting until then to do this for Music Appreciation will not serve you well at all. Indeed, you really must begin exploring the class web site--you will be quite astonished at all that you will find there--during the very first week of the semester, and you really should have completed the first unit of the course (and have begun looking at the review pages for it) by the end of the second full week of classes. Basically, you need to get in touch with me as soon as possible so that you can gain access to the course materials at the very beginning of the semester.

Communications

SPEAKING of making contact with the instructor, please take careful note of the following protocols that will be observed in all class communications this semester:

You must write to me no earlier than the first day of classes. Communications before that date will not get you access to the course, and they will not count as the necessary first contact. Sorry.
You may write to me initially at either one of the following addresses:
- The e-mail address given in the printed schedule of classes.
- The e-mail address given in the "Employee" list on this web site.
Thereafter you will use the only the address from which my communications are sent to you.
All my messages to you--and all of my responses to your inquiries--will be sent to your CACC e-mail. I simply will not send you anything via e-mail to any other address. Really!
Finally, although you certainly may use any e-mail address to write to me (even though I will not, as is specified above, send my reply to that address), you must send all of the assignments for the term paper via CACC e-mail..
You will receive twice weekly e-mails from me only if you are registered for the course. Basically, if you receive them, you are considered to be registered for the course; if you do not receive them, you are not considered to be registered for the course.

Hey! I found the following posted on the "Schedule" page of the CACC web site. Read it, and think about it:

"Online Classes - IMPORTANT: If you are registering for an online class, you must contact the instructor for the class to obtain your USER ID and Password to access your Online class. To be successful in an online course it is recommended that a student check his/her email daily and contact the instructor weekly."

Let's face it, folks, if you are not truly wild about e-mail, the Internet, and the whole online environment, you absolutely should not be taking any online class whatsoever. In fact, in order to be successful in an online course, you really should be one of those who just can't live without going online--and checking your e-mail--at least once every day. Indeed, if either of these activities sounds even slightly like a chore to you, you really should take only conventional (in-person) classes, maintain perfect attendance in them, stay alert and interested throughout every single classroom session, and invest at least several hours outside class every week studying and reviewing the material that was covered in class--in fact, this is the very level of commitment that you will need in order to do well in an online class. Think about it!

Course Access

YOU will be granted access to the course materials by the end of the day on the first day of the semester (if you have written to me by that day) or within a day of writing to me after that day. I cannot set you up to use the course until the first day of the semester--basically, I will not have the information that I need to do so until that day--so I really will be grateful for your patience in this matter. Hey, if you have not already written to me from your CACC e-mail box, please do so even if you have written to me previously from another address, for this will ensure that you have full access to all the Internet and e-mail course resources as soon as possible.

CACC E-Mail

THE following message, which I received from Dr. Wilmarth, should answer any questions you may have concerning the new student e-mail system. Make sure that you read it carefully and that you begin using your CACC e-mail for all correspondence related to this course right away. Indeed, I will not write to you--or respond to your inquiries--at any other address, so make this a part of your life starting now!

Central Alabama Community College

Student email account information

The student’s username for their EMAIL is constructed in the following manner: the first letter of the first name along with the student’s last name and the last four digits of the alternate identification number supplied by the college. The student must enter @ sign along with the caccmail.cacc.edu portion of the address. This is a unique address for each student. The password is the last four digits of the student’s social security number. Under no circumstance should the student divulge the password or his/her alternate identification number to any other student. This email account will remain active until the student is no longer enrolled at the college. Please remember, all emails are archived.

The college will use this email address to communicate with the student about events at the college. It is recommended that the student check his/her email frequently and more often if inclement weather is predicted or observed on the local news stations. The college will make every effort to keep the students safe during the time at the college. Many instructors may wish to use the email system to notify students of changes in class proceedings and meetings during the semester/term. It is the student’s responsibility to check the email system for information.

This email account will also be used to send the student his/her username and password for the alert system. Please use the supplied information to access the alert system and add/update any incorrect contact information. If the updated information is phone numbers or address information, please contact the college admission’s office at 256-215-4255.

Steps to access e-mail accounts:

1. Enter the following into any web browser address bar: http://caccmail.cacc.edu

2. Enter your username. Example fflintstone1234@caccmail.cacc.edu

3. Enter your password. Example 7783

4. Click login