Here are some suggestions:

• Attitude: You should come to my courses with a real interest in the subject area. If you don't already have an interest in Multimedia or Electronic Imaging, you will probably have a much more difficult time. You should set your mind right now on 'conquering' this course and experiencing it to the full. There's a lot of great stuff here that I know you'll enjoy if you 'get into it'.

• Don't get too overwhelmed: In either of my courses, you'll experience information overload. Many of you will find it exhilirating to discover so many new things and so many new tools to 'play' with, but the fact of the matter is: 99% of you have OTHER courses! Don't forsake your other classwork for mine, but don't leave mine go for too long, either. Just as you are getting hooked on an application in my courses, you are likely to be thrust directly into another one. Make a mental note: These applications aren't going to go away... (at least not for a few years...) you can come back to them when you have more time.

• Meet and exceed the requirements: Your first priority is to meet the minimum requirements for any project (that's roughly a 'B' grade)... They usually aren't very hard, either. Read your project handouts carefully. If you fail to do something required on the handout, your grade goes down from a 'B'. If you are ever unclear about what is required... ask me, or ask the Lab Proctor (if you are in Intro. to Multimedia Production). Then (to get your 'A'), make your project special by going that 'extra mile'... Add something that you saw in class, add an extra explanation, something that makes a person go "cool!" but don't do this at the expense of skipping a requirement.

• Attend class: Maybe that should be self-evident, but my attendance sheets show otherwise. The only place to get a lot of the information that you need to excel in your project is in class. Ask questions in class... There is bound to be someone else with a similar question, they're just too afraid to ask.

• Office Hours: My office hours are 'non-traditional'. Instead, I prefer to meet you during lab time. For Intro. to Multimedia Production, this means that I make an effort to drop in on each lab section for at least a few minutes each week. I might not make it every single week, but I certainly try. Make the most of those times... Have questions ready ahead of time. This, of course, doesn't mean I'm unavailable for appointments, but it might be the most convenient time to catch me.

• Read and Use your E-mail: I set time out to answer e-mail related to the classes I teach. If you have questions you can ask them there... If you want to set up an appointment, e-mail me. (It would be nice if you consulted my current schedule and tried to pick a time when I'm not busy).

• Interact with your classmates: Communication breeds new ideas and innovative projects. But of course, don't interact so much that you break our Department's Honesty Policy.