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Guidelines for DE Oracle Contributors |
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These guidelines are subject to change over time. Contributors are encouraged to check back with these guidelines at the time they are considering writing a piece for contribution. MissionThe DE-Oracle @ UMUC is meant to be an online resource for faculty who teach online or face-to-face. We aim to have it provide faculty with an easily-accessible reference and forum for online teaching. AudienceThe audience of the DE-Oracle is the entire UMUC faculty community. Because a large and growing number of our faculty members live outside the Washington, DC area, it is important to keep this in mind when writing about available resources that require an on-site presence. Similarly, an increasing number of faculty members live throughout the world and many speak English as a second or third language, so it is important to write in a clear, straightforward manner and avoid unnecessary slang or jargon. Topic AreasThe DE-Oracle deals, broadly speaking, with anything related to teaching online or face-to-face, from technical skills to pedagogy. In the past, topics have included information on WebTycho browser security-setting recommendations, adding recorded conference calls to an online classroom, and techniques for creating a virtual lounge for students in an online classroom. Submission FormatsHTML documents are the preferred format for submissions. They should contain as little formatting as possible, since the document will have to be reformatted to fit in with the DE-Oracle presentation style. Word documents or RTF documents are welcomed, too. These, too should have minimal formatting. Please do not convert a Word document to HTML. Just send the original Word document since the conversion can create problems. Web-ready graphics in GIF or JPEG format are preferred. A number of other formats, such as PNG, BMP, or TIFF are also acceptable, but will need to be converted to either GIF or JPEG for inclusion in the DE-Oracle. Real Media (.rm) files are preferred for audio and video. MPEG files can also be accepted. We cannot use WindowsMedia formatted files at the moment. Flash/Shockwave (.swf) files are preferred for animated movies. We cannot work with other formats at the moment. Editing ProcessAll articles submitted are subject to editing by the editor(s). In general, editing is light and limited to style, spelling and grammar (when necessary), scannability for online reading, or flow of the text. Images may be be edited for size, clarity, or quality. Graphics that are not already in GIF or JPEG format will be need to be converted to one of those as appropriate for inclusion into the DE-Oracle. This can sometimes lead to compromises in image quality or color richness. When more than minor editing is required, the contributor will be contacted to approve the edits before they are published. StyleThe DE-Oracle follows standard US English spelling, grammar, and style. Contributors are encouraged to consult the UMUC Style Guide, especially on matters of UMUC's identity, description, delivery formats, etc. LengthThere are no absolutely strict rules on the length of an article, though between 500-1000 words is a good guideline. If the topic is complex and requires much more length, it is possible to break up the article into a series that will appear over several editions. This keeps the articles "digestible" for the reader and encourages return visits to the DE Oracle for "the next installment". CompensationUnfortunately, we cannot give financial compensation for articles submitted to the DE-Oracle, other than the intangible benefit of contributing to the online teaching community. We are happy to provide bylines for anyone who contributes and keep articles available in an open archive that can be accessed from the site. Publication Deadlines
Because of space, editorial, or timeliness considerations, it is sometimes necessary to delay the publication of a submitted article. While every attempt is made to publish solicited articles received by the published deadline in the same publication cycle, this is not always possible. We will strive to keep contributors apprized of the status of their submissions. Copyright and PermissionsAll published material written by staff of Distance Education and Technology Services group is copyrighted with all rights reserved by UMUC. For unpaid articles, the original volunteer contributor retains the copyright and is free to republish the material elsewhere. However, if an article that appeared first in the DE Oracle @ UMUC is republished on another Web site, we request that it be credited as such, with a hyperlink to the original URL if possible. For further information, we direct you to UMUC's policy on intellectual property. Submitting ArticlesIf you have been working with an Instructional Support Specialist on your article, please submit the article to him or her. Otherwise, please submit your article directly to our general mailbox degrad@umuc.edu, with the words "DE Oracle submission" in the subject line. Please be sure to include
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