General instructions for turning in class assignments

Submitting critiques of virtual worlds, and notes for those critiques

The first half of the semester, we will be visiting a different "flavor" avatar world each week. I want you to spend enough time in that world that you get a feel for what it is like to be a denizen of that place. Prowl around, meet the locals, try out all the features of the enabling software; see if you can break it. The imporatnt thing is to be critically aware while you are in these worlds. Use the guidelines I have posted, plus your own sense of what is going on and why.

You can do this at the Lab, or at home if you have a PC. Just download the client and you are on your way. This *cannot* be done in one session; these worlds are simply too complex.

The class will divide into a few groups each week, with the makeup of these groups changing each time. One person in the group will write a critique/report of the chosen world, and each member of the group will make notes of the experience of being "in-world" and email those notes to that person. These notes do not have to be fine literature, but *must* be clear and readable. Email them to the group leader, and cc them as well to Elissa. Use this format for the email subject header:
av-course: <your name>, <name of world> notes
e.g. av-course: Tom Ivey, blaxxun notes
On the first line of the notes, put the names of all the team members.

These notes must be sent in a timely fasion, so that the group editor has time to synthesize a critique/report from them. Elissa must receive her copy of your _notes_ no later than 36 hours before class time (02:00 Mon morning) to receive full credit. Send notes to Elissa, even if you are the editor.

The critique/report should be well written, as it will be posted to the class web page for everyone to see. This collection of comparative critiques will be a valuable resource for others with an interest in virtual worlds. Your critique must be emailed to me by the time class starts, 14:00 on Tue., preferably as an attached MS Word doc. At the top of the document, put the world you are critiquing, your name, and the names of all the team members (look at the docs already on the webbie to see the proper format). Do not cc the _critique_ to Elissa, as this is really a needless burden on her. Use this format for the document title:
<name of world critiqued>,<your name>,Critique.doc

Please contact me immediately if you have any difficulties complying with these requirements.