Note: This page will be frequently updated as more questions are asked.
Q: I've paid and registered for the course, but I haven't
received an email about how to get into the course.
A: I send emails within 24 hours after payment has been paid.
More specifically, I send it to the email account that is associated with
payment and/or Paypal account. If your name and email differs
from what is associated with your payment, then that would explain why you
have not received an email.
Here are some possible reason why you might have a different email account
associated with your payment.
You've used:
If your name and personal email address differs from what is associated with your payment, please email me at BeeVicars (at) gmail.com with the CORRECT information. For your convenience, here's an Email Template you can use to copy and paste into the body of your email.
Q: When does the class start?
A: The Canvas course opens on Sunday, September 1. You'll have access to
the lesson materials in Canvas on that day. The first Zoom meeting will be
held on Thursday, September 5 at 6:30 PM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)
Q: Is this course online?
A: Yes, the lessons are housed in Canvas (a learning management system).
We will meet once a week via Zoom.
Q: How do I pay for the course?
A: You pay online and can use either one of these links:
Q: What's the latest date I can register?
A: For the full experience, you can register right up until Wednesday, September 4. If you register past that date, you'll miss out on the opportunity to attend the first live Zoom session (September 5).
Q: What if I'm okay with missing the first Zoom session, can I still register after September 5th?
A: Yes. If you miss the first Zoom session, you'll be able to catch up by watching the recorded session, which will be available in Canvas. The later you register, the more time you'll spend catching up.
Q: Will this course be offered again?
A: Yes! This course will be offered again within the next 3-4 months, as soon as I coordinate voice interpreting for those sessions.
Q: Will it be offered at a time more convenient for those that live on the East coast?
A: Absolutely. Soon, a survey will be sent out to collect data on the desired times.
Q: Why is the course offered at 6:30 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time) on a Thursday night?
A: It was the only time I could get a voice interpreter for the course for this round.
Q: Is this the only course you'll be offering?
A: No. This course is the first of a multi-course series. Each course will run six weeks and follow the same format. The course being offered right now is Level 1.1, the first of three courses for Level 1. Level 2 will follow the same format. Each round will incorporate an additional course for the next level up. Here's what the current and future rounds of courses look like:
Q: Who would be the best target audience for this?
A: Level 1.1 is an introductory course. However, all who are interested
in learning more about the Deaf community and culture are welcome. While
this course will lean hard into the Deaf perspective from the ground up,
this is also a safe learning space for students. No assumptions or judgments
are made about the participants, regardless of their background or how much
interaction they've had with the Deaf community. All students are assumed to
be at ground zero, starting with a clean slate, regardless if they are a
long-time student, related to or in a relationship with a Deaf person, work
in a Deaf-related field, or work with a Deaf person.
Q: Would this be a good course for CODAs?
A: Absolutely. CODAs are welcome. From the stories that other CODAs have
shared, classrooms are not always safe because of certain "expectations" of
CODAs regardless of their background or exposure to the Deaf community.
Q: Would this be a good course for advanced ASL students, long-time
learners, IPP students, and interpreters?
A: The course might be instructive in filling in any gaps they might
have about the Deaf community and culture.
Q: Can Deaf people take this course? What about Deaf Plus, Deaf
Disabled?
A: All are welcome, so long as people are mindful that this is an introductory course and that not every participant is at the same level. Participants should feel safe to ask questions without being made to feel stupid or embarrassed. Questions that some Deaf people might assume that everyone should already know, such as:
Again, this course assumes everyone is starting from the ground up. Some participants may be more knowledgeable about the Deaf community and culture than others. Some may have beliefs about the Deaf community that may not be true. Therefore, this course is designed to be a safe place to learn.
Q: Do we need to know sign?
A: Students do not necessarily have to know ASL, but they need to be invested in learning ASL and about the Deaf community.
Q: Is this a sign language course?
A: Absolutely not. I will not be teaching ASL in this course. You may, however, learn more about ASL and even learn some new signs in this course.
Q: If we do not sign, how will I understand the content?
A: The Canvas materials will be in English text format. ASL videos posted in Canvas will be captioned. For the Zoom sessions, I will be signing in ASL. An interpreter will provide voice interpretation of what I am signing, so you'll need to turn on the sound if you do not know ASL.
Q: I am Deaf, but my knowledge of ASL is rudimentary. I won't be able to hear the interpreter for the Zoom sessions. How can I participate?
A: Since we are using Zoom, you can turn on the closed caption feature. Whenever the interpreter speaks, the captions will pop up. Be mindful, however, that these are auto-captions. If the captions do not make sense, you can type in the chat box and ask for clarification.
Q: Is this course fully online?
A: Yes. An internet connection is required. All lesson materials are posted in Canvas. There will be a weekly one-hour Zoom meeting where I will discuss matters related to the course material and answer questions.
Q: Are the online sessions independent (reading and watching videos) or interactive?
A: It's a mixture of both. The lessons are independent reading. Some of the assignments and activities may be interactive, such as assignments posted in the Discussion Board and the weekly Zoom sessions.
Q: Can you provide examples of course content?
A: For course details, take a look at the
course syllabus. To summarize, each unit will contain the following study materials:
Q: Can you tell me more about the assignments?
A: Each week there will be three short assignments:
Q: Will there be due dates?
A: Ideally, the chapter readings and assignments should be completed before attending the Zoom sessions. However, students can submit assignments at any time during the course once they have been posted. No submissions will be permitted after the course has closed. It would be beneficial to the student to complete the assignments by Wednesday of each week, but they should by no means feel bad if they submit them after the Zoom session.
Q: Will points be deducted for assignments turned in late?
A: No. I'm not at all a fan of penalizing students for late submissions. All assignments will remain open past their due date. This course is for personal development.
Q: Stop playing, there has to be some downside to turning in assignments late!
A: This course is for personal development. The only downside that I can see is that if you turn in your question late, you might not see your question answered in the Zoom session. You might also feel a vague sense of being behind, but overall, you'll find that you'll be able to catch up rather quickly as the assignments are not onerous. They are not meant to be difficult; they are meant to cause reflection and to review.
Q: What if I do poorly on the quizzes?
The quizzes can be retaken as many times as you like as the answers are automated. If you don't like the score you received, try again!
Q: Are the quizzes timed?
A: No, the quizzes are not timed. I want everyone to feel comfortable completing them at their own pace.
Q: Will the sessions be recorded? This is too late at night for me on the east coast but I’m interested.
A: All sessions will be recorded and posted in Canvas.
Q: Will you record and sell the recordings later?
A: This course will be offered again in the future. As for selling the recordings, that has yet to be discussed at this point. They will, however, be curated for future course development, which eventually will be sold as a package course.
Q: When will the Zoom sessions be held?
A: For this first round, the Zoom meetings will be held on Thursdays at 6:30 PM in California (Pacific Daylight Time - PDT) on the following dates:
Q: In California? But I live in North Carolina. Do I just show up for the Zoom meeting at 6:30 PM my time?
A: No! Since you live on the east coast, you'll want to attend the Zoom meeting at the corresponding time within your own time zone. See the following times which have been converted to your local time zones. If you are not sure which US time zone you live in, see: time.gov
Q: I live in Canada. So what time would I show up for your Zoom Meeting?
A: The following times have been converted to local time zones.
If you're not sure which time zone you live in, see: Canada's Official Time
Q: Your Zoom meeting is too late for me. Can I still take this class?
A: Of course! All Zoom meetings will be recorded. The links to those recordings will be posted the next day in Canvas (Friday).
Q: Is the course graded? If so, A-F or P/NP?
A: The course will be loosely graded to give the students an idea of how well they've performed. Here’s how grading works:
Q: May I ask about the Certificate of Completion? I’d like to include this as PD hours. I’m a teacher. Will it have hours listed on it?
A: Yes, I will include the hours. Each certificate will contain the following:
Q: Are you Deaf?
A: Yes, since I was born.
Q: Are you related to Bill Vicars?
A: Yes, I am. I'm his wife. Sometimes people even think that I am he. I can't imagine why. We look nothing alike, lol. But we do have the same initials. He is Bill and I am Bee.
Q: Where can I learn more about you?
A: I'm fairly prolific in posting about my life as a Deaf person on Facebook. See: Bee Vicars on Facebook
Q: What's your educational background?
A: I grew up in a very rural area. I attended a Deaf and Hard of Hearing program during the 1970s for grades 2-5 and then was mainstreamed for grades 6-12. As for college, the pursuit of higher education was long. I did not receive my BA and MFA degrees until I was in my 40s. Both degrees were related to English and Writing. Why English and Writing? Because that's where I struggled the most, and I wanted to get over that hurdle and do better.
Q: Do you have a doctorate degree?
A: Oh please. I'm dang lucky I got as far as I did. I've no desire for a doctorate degree at this time. I may change my mind later, but that's not something that is high on my list.
Q: Have you taught classes before?
A: Yes, I've taught ASL for over 20 years. I've recently retired from California State University - Sacramento (Sacramento State). I've taught ASL 1-5. While I very much enjoyed teaching ASL, my passion is the sociological and cultural aspects of the Deaf community. I'm also very invested in curriculum design, which is something I very much enjoy.
Q: How do I get in contact with you?
A: You have a couple of options:
Q: Can I send you a Facebook friend request?
A: Of course, but whether or not I accept depends on how much information you reveal about yourself. If your wall is locked down and the only thing I can access is your picture, then no. I'm inviting you into MY world, and I need to do so safely. My wall, however, is public. If you don't want to risk making your wall more accessible, then simply click on the follow button.