What if I have a question?
Check if it's addressed on this FAQ page.
If others will benefit from the answer, post on the Questions forum on Blackboard.
Ask your peers in your small group (or in a class chat offline? Did that happen?)
If your question is personal/private, send Prof. S an email at Carolyn.Stallard@brooklyn.cuny.edu
What if I have an extenuating circumstance?
If something is making it difficult for you to participate, NOTIFY ME ASAP. Do not go silent for a week. I want to support your success, but can only do so if you communicate.
Instead of "Hey Prof. S, I didn't participate for 2 weeks because [reason]. Can I make up all the work now?" let me know up front if something is making it difficult for you to participate (you don't need to go into details; I respect your privacy).
I will work with you to find alternative ways to succeed in the course, but can only do so if you communicate as something is happening rather than after the fact.
Are there office hours for this course?
There are no in-person office hours.
Email me to set up one-on-one Zoom meetings.
Do I ever need to be on Zoom for this course?
No. This is an asynchronous course. We do not have video meetings.
I messaged Prof. S on Saturday. She didn't respond so I messaged twice more. Now it's Sunday and she still hasn't responded?!?!
I am a human with multiple jobs and responsibilities.
If you message on a weekday, I will do my best to respond within 24-48 hours.
If you message on a weekend, I may not respond until Monday. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
I need help. What can I do?
Post on the Questions forum on Blackboard, talk to peers, or email me.
Exchange contact info. with peers. Having accountability buddies can be useful!
For help with personal situations beyond MUSC 3101: Refer to Brooklyn College's Division of Student Affairs. BC offers a wide array of free services for students including personal counseling, telemedical and in-person health appointments, conflict resolution services (Office of Judicial Affairs), a women's support center (the oldest in the nation!), the Center for Student Disability Services, etc. Click here for full list of services.
What is included in a weekly lesson?
There is a choice of material to engage with for a lesson: A podcast, music video, documentary, short YouTube video, article, website, etc. The lesson instructions will explain which material everyone should explore, and when you can choose.
How long will videos or audio be?
Sometimes lessons include short videos or audio - like a 5-minute YouTube video. When longer media is included - such as a 30-min documentary or podcast - the instructions will give a choice to skip other lesson material if you watch/listen to the longer material.
Will HW be submitted on Blackboard?
Yes. The exceptions are the three side quests, which appear on this website at the bottom of the weekly lessons. Submit those by clicking the Google Forms links.
Will there be exams?
Not in the traditional sense. Each checkpoint will ask you to share things you learned, but you get to decide what to write.
Where do I find assignments?
Click "Quickstart Guide" at the top right of this page, then scroll down to "Task Options" for the full list. You don't have to do all the tasks; choose whatever is most appealing to you that will get you 100 points total. Find instructions for each task on the Blackboard forums.
What if I miss an assignment?
If you simply forget, plan to complete more tasks the following week.
If an extenuating circumstance prevents you from completing tasks, contact me ASAP.
If you have a technology-related issue: Send a screenshot showing what went wrong
If you tried to submit a checkpoint before the deadline but your screen froze, take a screenshot showing the timestamp of your frozen screen).
If your laptop dies, take a photo on your phone of your computer screen and send it by email.
How can we check in to make sure we are completing work properly?
I'll leave feedback on your work. If there is no feedback and you scored full points, you're fine!
When we do a task, will we be graded based on completion/having all the points or based on accuracy?
Both. If I want you to change something, I'll leave a comment asking for an update.
On rare occasions, I give automatic zeros for assignments. This happens when a student clearly did not explore the lesson at all (this is usually very obvious), plagiarized, used AI, and/or ignored the instructions and did something completely different from the assignment. These are rare occurrences.
What are checkpoints?
Opportunities to provide feedback and demonstrate what you've learned each week. You cannot advance to the next lesson until you've completed all prior checkpoints.
Are they mandatory?
Yes. You cannot pass the course without completing all three checkpoints.
How will I know when a checkpoint is available?
They will be posted on Monday on Blackboard each week. An announcement will be posted when a checkpoint is available, and a reminder will be included with the weekly lesson.
Are they worth points?
Earn 5 points for each checkpoint submitted on time.
What happens if I don't complete a checkpoint?
You fail the course. Make sure to complete each checkpoint even if the deadline passed.
Do I need to study for checkpoints?
No, they are open-ended questions about your experience. Describe what you learned, what you liked about the lesson, provide feedback, offer ideas, mention if anything is confusing, etc. If you don't actually provide details on what you explored for the weekly lesson however, you will receive 0 points and be asked to resubmit.
When are they due?
Wednesday, 11:59 PM each week.
I forgot about the checkpoint and missed the deadline. What now?
You must still complete the checkpoint. You won't earn points, but that's better than failing the course! You can't advance to the next lesson until you've passed the checkpoint.
Would you consider writing recommendation letters for students?
If you participate consistently in the course and give ample time for writing the recommendation, sure!
Do you recommend any free sites for learning instruments?
If you already have the instrument, YouTube videos can be very helpful. If I don't know where to begin searching, I look at the viewer count for a YouTube video and choose one that has more views.
Some instruments have specific online communities that can be helpful. I'm part of www.vibesworkshop.com - a forum for vibraphonists - and there are more like that for other instruments.
If you don't have an instrument, consider joining the waiting list at the Brooklyn Public Library. They loan out instruments (also board games; they have a great collection).
If you'd like a recommendation of an affordable, beginner-friendly instrument to buy, I recommend ukulele. Get a soprano or concert model, preferably made of wood with Aquila strings (wooden body & good strings help the instrument stay in tune and sound better). There are TONS of resources for ukulele on the internet, local uke meetups, etc. Once you learn a few chords you can play many songs.
Oh hey, what's this?
As thanks for reading the FAQs page, here's a bonus! Only a handful of students ever find it. For 1 bonus point, email Prof. S by Jan. 22nd. Mention where you found this and share at least one of the following:
An idea for improving something about the course
Something that isn't working for you in the course. Explain what it is and why it isn't working (how specific instructions were presented, how we communicate, an activity, etc.)
Something you like so far (the way information is presented, a specific project, a video, etc.)
A question that should be added to this FAQ page
Any other feedback