STUDENT GUIDELINES FOR SYNCHRONOUS BLACKBOARD SESSIONS

1. Online blackboard sessions for this course will be held on Saturdays between 6:30-9:30
pm. The synchronous (on-line) session will be of maximum two hours’ duration only.
The classes have commenced from 12 October, 2020. Students are expected to join the
session on time as announced by the faculty member(s).

2. The course outline, the electronic version of the textbook, and recorded sessions will
be/have been uploaded in advance. Students are required to watch the recorded sessions
and study the relevant portions of the text in advance before coming to the synchronous
blackboard sessions.

3. It is of paramount importance that students prepare in advance for the synchronous

blackboard sessions as indicated above; otherwise they will be unable to participate
actively in the question and answer session.

4. The synchronous blackboard sessions will consist of an overview of the course material
by the Instructor(s)/faculty member(s) interspersed by/followed by question and answer
session(s) at the discretion of the faculty. The number and duration of question and
answer session(s) depends on the level of participation by the students and the amount of
course material that may be conveniently discussed in the allocated time slot.

5. Please remember that the synchronous blackboard sessions are NOT meant to serve as a
platform for disseminating theoretical knowledge about concepts. These are NOT
analogous to classes held in the pre-Corona days – this purpose is meant to be
accomplished through the recorded zoom sessions. The synchronous blackboard sessions
are intended to be a dialog and discourse between the students and the
Instructor(s)/faculty member(s) regarding the course content. To emphasize, the
synchronous blackboard sessions are meant to handle students’ queries about the course
material. The success of these sessions depends on how well students are prepared
beforehand.

6. To ensure that the maximum number of students benefit from the synchronous
blackboard sessions, the Instructor(s)/faculty member(s) would like to establish the
following ground rules.
a. Students may pose questions only when the Instructor(s)/faculty member(s) ask for
them. Please do NOT interrupt the proceedings while the Instructor(s)/faculty
member(s) are in mid-sentence. If it happens by accident, please withdraw your
question or “lower your hand.”
b. Questions will be answered on first come first served basis. Only a limited number of
questions may be accommodated during the live session due to time limitations and
the large size of the class. Please be patient! If your question cannot be handled due to
 time limitations, please don’t feel offended. Read the relevant portion in the text or
revisit the recorded session.
c. Questions should be designed to ask for confirmation and clarification of concepts
already learned through the asynchronous zoom sessions and the textbook.
Additionally, questions may be asked regarding the application of concepts. Please
do NOT ask repeat questions about explanation of concepts already discussed in the
asynchronous zoom sessions. This will lead to wastage of time and boredom for those
students who have come prepared to the class.
d. Students may ask repeat questions only if time is available as decided by the
Instructor(s)/faculty member(s).
e. Frivolous questions designed to waste class time or those that require lengthy
discussions will be declined at the sole discretion of the Instructor(s)/faculty
member(s). Please do NOT create a nuisance in the class.

7. Those students who create any form of disturbance during the synchronous blackboard
sessions – whether accidently or deliberately – will be taken to task. IU disciplinary rules
and regulations are just as applicable during the synchronous blackboard sessions as they
are in normal face-to-face classes. Exemplary punishment will be meted out to those
students who violate class discipline.

8. Quizzes and assignments will be given to students with a very reasonable deadline –
usually one week or more. Please do NOT wait until the last moment to upload your
submission. Remember Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Late
submissions will NOT be accepted. Sorry!

9. Students may contact the Instructor(s)/faculty member(s) through electronic means only
if the matter is urgent and important. Please do NOT waste others time by raising inane
issues. Interruptions caused by power breakdowns, load shedding, internet connectivity
issues, ‘noise’ on the line, etc. are beyond the control of IU and the Instructor(s)/faculty
member(s).

10. If you still have any queries or concerns, please contact the Instructor(s)/faculty
member(s) as indicated during the live sessions. We’ll try our best to resolve them.
Surely, Allah is with those who are As-Saabiroon (the patient) [al-Anfaal 8:46]

We realize that the Coronavirus emergency is a difficult and testing time for all of us. Please
cooperate with the University and the faculty as much as possible. Let’s try to make this an
interesting learning experience for all our students.

We welcome you in this course.