Personal Journeys
English 101 - sections OBS,
OBC
Fall Quarter, 2006
* I work from
home, so please make an appointment with me BEFORE you decide to meet with me
in my office. Unless the VISTA server is down, the fastest way to contact me is
to use the e-mail service on the class website. Please do not contact me at my
BCC address unless you have an emergency and cannot reach me on the class
website. Only in this case should send an e-mail to my BCC address. You may
also choose to leave me a message on my voice mail. If the return call is
local, I will call you back; however, if the call is long distance from Vashon,
I will have to wait until I am in the office to call you.
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Required
Texts:
Marius, Richard. A Writer's
Companion. 4th edition. (ISBN: 0-07-304015-0)
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried.
(ISBN: 0767902890)
Tempest-Williams, Terry. Refuge. (ISBN: 0679-74024-4)
Walls, Jeannette. The Glass
Castle. (ISBN: 0-7432-4753-1)
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Introductory
Remarks
English 101 is a completely online
class; you are NOT
required to attend classroom sessions. However, English 101 is NOT a
correspondence course, completed on your own timetable in isolation. You must
participate in this course in an ongoing manner to successfully fulfill the
requirements of the course.
This online course will require you
to have some particular attributes and skills:
- college level reading and comprehension skills,
- good self-motivation,
- good problem solving skills,
- the ability to communicate clearly in writing,
- the ability to learn well in a totally visual medium,
- the ability to follow written directions, and
- the ability to use your computer to complete various
tasks, including (but not limited to) uploading and downloading files as
well as attaching files to e-mail messages and in the assignment dropbox
as required, and
- the ability to ask questions as needed.
Many students mistakenly believe
that writing is a talent, gifted to everyone else. But writing is not a single
task, accomplished in isolation. Writing is a skill, developed with practice in
reading texts, analyzing texts, thinking through the texts and then lastly,
writing these ideas down. Anyone with enough determination and effort can learn
to communicate effectively in writing. This class is designed to use writing,
in the form of an academic college essay, to improve your written communication
skills as well as your critical reading and thinking skills. Some students
probably have a measure of these skills already; some students may be better at
some skills and feel less comfortable with the others. Whatever your abilities
before now, I ask you to approach the class with compassion and tolerance for
each other.
If you signed up for this course
thinking that it would have less work than a course in the classroom, you were
mistaken. Any online course has more
writing work than a class in the classroom as all of our communication must be
written. Please be advised that the workload may be very difficult for you if
work and/or family demands do not allow you a minimum of two to three
uninterrupted hours every weekday to work on the assignments for this
class. I have tried to focus and space assignments to facilitate as many
learning styles as possible, but you may need to schedule extra time,
especially around paper writing/editing time, depending on your ability to read
or write.
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Student Responsibilities
Because of the special method of
course delivery, several requirements must be met.
- First and probably most important, the student enrolled in
this course MUST have a computer and required software and services,
including a word processor (Office 97 or better minimum), an Internet
Service Provider (avoid AOL), and a browser service (Netscape Communicator
4.7 or Internet Explorer 6.1 work best). Perhaps more importantly, the
student must be familiar with the use of the above-mentioned items. If you
are using the brand new Windows Vista, please let me know immediately if
you encounter any problems. Whatever web browser you use, be sure to
upgrade to the newest version. I do
not teach computer skills; I teach English. I will help if I
can, but I am no expert in computer systems.
- In order to use our class website effectively, you MUST
set up your computer to the appropriate specifications. Check out that
information by clicking on the "Run a Browser Check" link on the
"Log In" page, to the right of the box where you enter your
username and password.
- Always keep me informed if you have problems
with the technology, and I will try to find help for you. However, I
expect that you bring some expertise with you to help in solving problems
that arise. Ultimately, your computer and internet services are your
responsibility. If you are signed up for the OAS or OBS section and you
have computer problems, you may use the computer labs on the BCC campus if
you have an emergency.
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My Expectations:
As you know, every teacher has
expectations. These are mine.
- I expect that you signed up for this course because you
want to learn to read, think, and write critically. We call that formal
academic writing. Therefore, I expect that you will complete the work I
have created to teach you these skills.
- I expect that you have come to this class with a working
usage of modern English grammar as English 101 does not teach grammar. I
may suggest additional non-graded work for students who struggle with
grammar. I set aside a segment of our website to provide a grammar and
mechanics help area, complete with exercises; use it if you have these
problems. I encourage you to schedule an appointment in my office or
utilize the Writing lab's
virtual tutor or go to A262 (Writing Lab) on campus for help with grammar
problems. All papers with major grammatical errors lose points in this
class. See the Major Grammar Errors page in the Mechanics area under the
Resources and Tool link for help in identifying these errors.
- I expect that you will participate in ALL class
activities, including peer reviews, Marius seminars, and literature
discussions. Failure to participate in these areas may cause you to fail
the course, even if your formal written papers are passing.
- I expect that the final grade for your portfolio will be a
C-(70) or better to move to English 201, 270, 271 or 272. In addition, you
must submit all formal papers and the final completed
portfolio in order to move forward.
- I expect that you will take care to back up your papers
and other assignments and/or store them on your hard drive AND a CD
or portable drive. It is your responsibility to keep track of this
material--not mine. If some computer catastrophe should occur, you will
still be responsible for producing the work by the due date in order to
get a grade. Be careful--save and back your work up regularly!
- I expect that you will show respect to everyone by
responding to e-mail and discussion postings in a way that is not
judgmental, degrading, or derogatory. Even though we may disagree with the
interpretations of others, please use some self-restraint and compassion
in responding to others' ideas.
Logical and questioning responses are encouraged. Choose your words and
the tone of your message with utmost care. I also expect tolerance for
others' abilities and learning
styles.
- LATE WORK:
I expect each revised draft will be submitted to assignment dropbox link
provided in each module. These submissions must be made by the date shown
on the class calendar. Revised papers submitted after that date will lose
5 points per 24 hour period that they are late. I will not comment on
papers more than 3 days (72 hours) late. Don't
ask. To avoid losing points for late work, do not wait until the last
minute to submit your work. Start early. Sometimes the technology takes
longer than you think. Points for submitting your work late will be
deducted from your Total Points for the class. I will not accept
Portfolios more than 48 hours after the due date posted on the class
calendar.
- I expect honesty. I expect that you will neither do work
for others nor use work done by others. Cheating and/or plagiarizing will
not be tolerated. Plagiarizing is cheating, as is copying answers on a
test, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, buying papers,
using ideas from other sources without proper documentation, writing
papers for others, or having them written for you. BCC utilizes a
plagiarism detection software, and I use it for random spots checks. Plus,
if I even remotely suspect your paper sounds plagiarized, I will submit it
to this site. If you cheat or plagiarize, the following actions will be
taken:
- You will receive a grade of
"0" on the work (period).
- A report of the incident will be
filed in the Dean of Students'
Office. This report may become part of your permanent record or the Dean
may choose to pursue further disciplinary action.
- Personal conferences on your paper can be held in my
office if you can/want to come to the campus and we can work out a
mutually convenient time; otherwise, e-mail or local phone conferences can
be held. Please contact me first to set up an appointment BEFORE coming to
the campus.
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Learning Outcomes
According to the English department
at BCC, by the end of the quarter, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate various invention practices: brainstorming,
free writing; outlining, journaling.
- Demonstrate ability to write in various modes: personal
narrative, expository, analytical, descriptive, argument.
- Demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, final
copy.
- Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing,
discussion.
- Create a thesis statement focuses the paper, does not
point out the obvious, and is written as a single sentence.
- Develop and include enough details and examples to support
the identified thesis and reinforce focus.
- Demonstrate various patterns of organization and use the
organization pattern that suits your identified purpose & audience.
- Illustrate the concept of Audience in your writing.
- Artfully combine Audience, Purpose, and Tone in
compositions written in and outside of class.
- Write in a vocabulary appropriate to your subject and
identified audience.
- Begin and conclude a paper effectively.
- Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing,
punctuation, spelling.
- Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in
reading.
- Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments.
- Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback
and how to make use of feedback you receive.
- Develop self-assessment skills.
I have designed writing and reading
assignments that require you to practice the necessary skills to help you
achieve these outcomes. I have designed discussions of our literary texts and
our rhetoric (Marius) which will guide you to develop reading, writing and
critical thinking skills. Likewise, some of our paper assignments will depend
on your use of these skills in order to complete them successfully.
In reading, discussion and writing
assignments, you will be guided to develop the following reading skills:
- understand literal meaning of text
- make reasonable inferences and offer support for them
- analyze, evaluate and interpret complex material
- demonstrate synthesis of multiple texts
- differentiate your personal opinions and assumptions from
another's
- apply a disciplinary framework to the text
In the formal writing assignments,
you will be required to:
- use a variety of prewriting methods to develop ideas and
organize a writing plan.
- revise, edit, and proofread papers (both on and off the
computer) until the final submitted draft shows the skill and
effort you have put into it.
- write for a specific audience with a specific purpose, as
assigned, using an appropriate voice and tone.
- build a complex, but coherent paper around your own
thoughts and analyses.
- use a single, well-stated sentence that clearly expresses
the central idea of your essay, focuses your topic, and controls ideas to
the point of creating unity.
- connect paragraphs to the thesis and to each other;
produce a smooth flow of ideas using appropriate coherence techniques.
- construct unified paragraphs that develop and support the
main idea with specific examples and concrete details.
- write essays with effective introductions and conclusions.
- construct clear, grammatically correct sentences of
precise and appropriate words.
- understand and apply subordination and coordination in
sentences to emphasize important ideas.
- be able to self-assess.
(Please see the Resources &
Tools/Composition Skills page for more information on the skills listed above).
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What do I have to do for this course?
Formal Papers/Portfolios: You will write 4 original formal academic
papers (750-1200 words) in this class. The process for writing, revising and
submitting work is on a tight timeline. Even though I accept late papers (up to
3 days late), failure to meet the deadlines will put you at a disadvantage. We
will follow this process for all papers.
- You will compose an original draft on your computer, then
revise it yourself to get rid of obvious errors.
- You will POST
this original, self-revised draft of each paper to the discussion area in
the appropriate peer review forum by the date on the calendar. This draft
MUST be copied/pasted
into a message composed in the correct forum. If you expect to get help on
your papers, you must post
them by the deadline for posting your paper to the review area.
Papers posted later in the review process may get overlooked.
- While you wait for comments on your paper, you will give
peer comments on two other classmates'
papers. The peer review process is described in detail under Resources
& Tools/How to?/Peer Review Instructions. Please take care to spread
your comments around; if one paper already has two sets of review
comments, please choose another paper to review. Don't
leave anyone out.
- After giving comments, collect your comments and revise
your paper. Then, using the editing tool provided under Resources &
Tools/Evaluation Tools, thoroughly edit your paper before submitting it to
me by the date and time listed on the calendar. Please take the time to
proofread your work.
- Directions for submitting your revised draft to me are
posted in the Resources & Tools/FAQ/How to Submit an Assignment. Once
the paper crosses my virtual "desk," I will give you detailed
comments. However, I do NOT
give grades at this point in the process. I will only assign grades after
the final portfolio has been submitted.
I will read and comment on your
papers beginning on the due date. I will provide detailed written comments on
the revised draft of Paper 1, including specific grammar comments. I will
provide fewer grammar comments for subsequent papers. Though I will not mark
all grammar errors, I will tell you what kinds of errors I see. The reason for
this change is that I do not want you to be dependent on me to point out
grammar errors; I cannot follow you around for the rest of your life and show
you these mistakes. If you are still making these kinds of errors, now is the
time to learn how to find and correct them for yourself. The website contains
tools to help you achieve this goal. I will also assist you in any way I can.
For Papers 2 through 4, I will give
fewer in-text comments for your paper; however, I will also send a grading
rubric with my evaluation of your work. The grading tools I use in this class
are posted under Resources & Tools/Evaluation Tools. All rubrics
correlate with the posted Grading Standards and the Outcomes for a Good Essay. Check
them out as you prepare your paper to better understand what I am looking for
in your work.
Portfolios:
Your final portfolio shows me your
ability to write. Though writing can always be further revised and edited, I
consider your portfolio your best work: the final product of a quarter's worth of hard work. Therefore, the portfolio for
this class is critically important to successfully completing this class. All
other assignments in this class--Marius homework, literature discussions, and
peer review assignments--are structured to help you improve your thinking,
writing and revising skills, so that you can produce an excellent final product
for the portfolio assignment.
To prepare your portfolio, you will
choose your three best papers from the four formal papers that you have
written. Then, you will revise and edit them according to my comments.
Portfolios allow you the opportunity to improve your skills before your paper
gets an actual grade. Specific instructions on how to prepare your portfolio
are given under the Portfolio icon posted on the homepage.
- Your Portfolio will be graded based on the standards
posted under the Grading Standards link (see Resources &
Tools/Evaluation Tools).
- Your Portfolio is worth 700 points. Each of the three best
essays is worth 200 points. The self-evaluation is worth 100 points.
- You MUST score higher than a C- on the Portfolio to
move to the next course in the English composition sequence. If your
portfolio scores lower than a C-, points earned for the other work
(discussions, homework, and peer review) will not be considered to raise
the grade to a "passing" mark. This class is a composition
class; therefore, the formal papers as presented in the portfolio are the
best indication of your ability to write.
- Total Paper/Portfolio available -- (700
points)
Peer Review Assignments: Much of what you will learn about writing
in this course will come from participating in a peer review of others' papers. Do not fail to participate in this area of
the course. See the Peer Instructions link located under Resources &
Tools/How To? for specific instructions on how to complete this critical work!
In general, to participate successfully in peer review, you will complete these
tasks:
(1) You will analyze and evaluate
two other students' papers using a
Peer Review Tool that is posted both in the specific paper module and under
Resources & Tools/How to?/Peer Review Instructions. You MUST use this assessment
tool in order to earn full credit for comments on student papers. Furthermore,
your evaluation must be thorough; I expect around 200-250 words per peer review
as a minimum; though certainly, better reviews may have more words. More
information on the peer review assignment and my grading practices for this
assignment are posted under the Resources & Tools/How to?/Peer Review
Instructions.
(2) After you have analyzed and
evaluated each student paper, copy-and-paste your evaluation of each
paper as a REPLY to the paper you reviewed in the peer review forum on the
discussion board. This work must be completed by the deadline posted on the
class calendar. I have set aside two class days for this work; do not fail
to do it. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you will NOT receive full
credit for your work.
- You will be required to participate in peer review for
Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 for at least two of your peers. For completing
this task per my
directions, you will receive 25 points per review
assignment (12.5 points for each review). REMEMBER reviews must posted in the proper review forum by
the due date and time posted on the calendar or they will
receive ZERO points. I will not accept late peer reviews...period.
- Though I have also created a Portfolio Workshop forum, you
are not required to post your paper there or to give comments on papers
posted there. I have created the forum for voluntary use; I will not award
points for reviews done on papers posted in the Portfolio Workshop area.
However, learning how to recognize good/weak writing is an important skill
when learning to write more effectively. I encourage you to work on your
analytical skills by giving help whenever and wherever you can.
- Total Points for Peer Review: (100
points)
Discussions/Homework:
I have created an individual forum
in the discussion area for weekly discussions on the Literature texts and
homework assignments on the Marius text. Specific instructions and requirements
for participating in discussions are posted in the module for our first paper
as well as under the Resources & Tools icon. Find the Seminar Discussion
Requirements page for specific information on discussions. I do my best to
participate in the discussion; however, I cannot possibly respond to every
comment or answer.
Total points available --
Literature discussions (18 pts. each X 3 discussions; 21 pts for 1 discussion)
total 75 points; Marius Homework (15 points X 5 assignments) total 75 points.
- Total discussion points: (150 points)
TOTAL POINTS FOR THE
COURSE= 950 points
* NOTE.To figure out your
grade at any time, simply divide the total points you have earned by the total
points you have submitted to that point. I use standard percentage markings:
94-100% = A, 90-93% = A-,
87-89% = B+, 84-86% = B, 80-83% = B-, and so on. . .
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How
do we communicate with each other?
In the course toolbar to the left
of each page, you will find links to class announcements, your mailbox, the
class discussion area, the assignment dropbox, the weblinks area and your
personal gradebook. All relevant links to specific discussions, weblinks, and
assignment submission areas are also located in the relevant module. When new
information has been posted to any of these areas, you will see a green square
with a white star on the name of the tool.
- Announcements
will be posted for you as needed throughout the quarter. Please read these
announcements carefully so that you will know of any important changes or
issues in the class.
- The Discussion area provides a place for
asynchronous discussions of course materials. The discussion area has several
categories which contain links that have a specific assignment or purpose.
Class Communication, Composition, and Literature Discussions.
- Class Communication:
- Post Your Introduction - This area is
where you introduce yourself to your classmates. The questions for
posting this introduction are given on the Getting Started page.
- The Student Union - This area is for
student-to-student discussion. For example, you may post announcements
here if you wish to petition your classmates to join you in a face-to-face
discussion group or a chat room discussion. However, be aware that I do
not read this forum regularly; therefore, do not post questions
for me here.
- Questions for Instructor area - Post questions for me in this area
if you think that others in the class may benefit from knowing the
answer to your question. I will check this area at least twice
per weekday, (morning and afternoon) if not more. However, if your
question is of a very personal nature, please use my website mailbox.
- Composition Homework
- Marius Homework group - These numbered links will house
all of our homework assignments on the Marius text about writing and
editing.
- Peer Review area - These 5 areas are named by paper
number and draft number. Here is where you will post your rough drafts
and evaluations for peer review.
- Portfolio Workshop - This area is for
student-to-student and student-to-instructor help with revising your
papers for your portfolio.
- Literature discussion -
- Walls, O'Brien,
Aesthetic Argument, and Tempest-Williams fora-- These areas will house your
discussion about our literature readings. Each forum is listed with the
author's last name or the
assignment. Please follow the dates on the class calendar for posting
questions and for commenting. I have allowed time for you to do this
work; don't fail to do it
before the deadlines posted on the class calendar.
You are responsible for posting the
discussion messages into the correct area depending on its purpose. You must
also handle the postings, downloading messages you wish to keep to your home
computer and creating folders to store that information. Please do save any
messages you wish to keep.
- A mailbox has been provided for private e-mail
communication between you and I or you and other classmates. Since I get
between 40 and 50 e-mail messages every day at my various work addresses,
I will appreciate "URGENT" notices in the subject line, if you
have a real emergency. I check my class email morning and afternoon in
order to respond in a timely manner to all messages, whether or not they
are urgent. Please do not use e-mail to submit your work unless you have
contacted me for approval FIRST.
- The Who's
Online Tool will show you who, in our class, is online at the same
time as you are. One handy feature of this tool is that you can request a
chat with whomever is online at the same time. This tool is particularly
helpful if you have a question for me and I am online. Please feel free to
use it to ask any questions that you may have.
- The Chat room is a great place to have real time
conversations with your classmates or with me. I do not require that you
use this room, but it is available if you wish to use it for discussing
anything about our class. Just so you know--a transcript of all
conversations posted in this area are available to me and BCC course
administrators if we wish to read them. I tend not to read them, but I
want you to know that your conversations here are recorded.
- The My Grades link will take you to the gradebook
for this class. This area will contain all of the grades for your work
WHEN I have completed the grading.
You are responsible for posting the
discussion messages into the correct area depending on its purpose. You must
also handle the postings, downloading messages you wish to keep to your home
computer and creating folders to store that information. Please do save any
messages you wish to keep.
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Bellevue Community College
URL: vista.bcc.ctc.edu
Site Updated: 03/30/2007