Item # 1167 Online Course
3 credit hours
Instructor : Professor
Joan Donati
Campus Office
Location: Snow 520
Campus Office Hours: T 1:30-3:30;
W 9:30-12:00; other times, by appointment
Course Prerequisite: placement
scores or successful completion of English 063 with grade C- or better
Note: You must have met the prerequisite in order to
take this course; any questions, contact me before classes start
In place of a text of readings, we will use various newspaper websites (Hartford Courant and New York Times, in particular—which are free to students) and some other readings I will post for you.
Expected Outcomes
The English faculty have agreed that students in English 101 will
§ learn to focus on exposition as the main technique in
essay writing learn to focus on ideas of substance and merit
§ learn to expand germinal ideas, developing depth and
breadth learn the relative value of ideas through practice in subordination
§ learn various ways of working with ideas by reading
professional essays learn to place their ideas in effective sentences
§ learn to create smooth, informative connections
between thoughts and paragraphs learn to use correct grammar, sentence
structures, punctuation, and spelling
§ learn to use correct forms of citation in research
writing learn to compose a variety of essays: expository, personal, and
research
§ learn to employ various rhetorical formats
(exemplification, cause and effect, description, etc.) within the larger forms
§ learn to vary sentence structures to create a pleasing
flow
§ learn to use appropriate vocabulary to insure clarity
§ learn to improve their essays by means of repeated
revision
§ learn to identify what is an appropriate topic and
scope of inquiry for research
§ learn to use a variety of research methods competently
§ learn to use the library and other information sources
effectively
General Education
Core Competencies
This course is important because it will strengthen your critical thinking skills and your written communication. Additionally, English 101 meets all general education core competencies but one: Mathematical Reasoning.
The interactive process through which there is an exchange of verbal and/or nonverbal information.
Acknowledgement that society is diverse with groups of individuals possessing differing beliefs, values, attitudes, and customs that are shared from one generation to the next.
Behavior that demonstrates adherence to legal/ethical standards established by society.
Modes of reasoning including analyzing data, evaluating alternatives, setting priorities, and predicting outcomes.
Determination of approach, materials, and strategies necessary to solve a problem.
Use tools of the trade to achieve a specific outcome.
These core competencies are important personally, academically, and professionally.
The outcomes, as stated in the syllabus, are covered in this course. This course is required in every program for an Associate’s Degree.
Policies:
Attendance: Because
this is an online course, it may seem that regular attendance policy does not
apply. However, you must “be in class” and participate weekly (you need to
check in at least three times a week to post assignment, reply to discussions,
and read my messages).
Students with
Disabilities: Students with physical or learning disabilities who
may require accommodations are encouraged to contact the Counseling Office.
After disclosing the nature of the disability, students are urged to discuss
their needs with individual instructors. This should be done at the beginning
of each semester. Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate college
officials, will provide assistance and/or accommodations only to those students
who have completed this process.ť
Plagiarism
and Academic Honesty: At Middlesex Community College we expect the highest
standards of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance
with the Board of Trustees’ proscribed Conduct Policy in Section 5.2.1 of the
Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual. This policy prohibits cheating on
examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized access to
examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other proscribed activities.
Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s idea(s) or phrase(s) and
representing that/those idea(s) as your own, either intentionally or
unintentionally.ť ( Policy 5.2.1)
For an online
course, plagiarism is a major concern. I expect high ethical standards, and any
instance of plagiarism will result in an F for the course.
Notes:
Most students know that
getting an essay (purchased or free) from an on-line site or other means is
plagiarism.
Keep in mind that using
ideas (not just direct quotes) from any sources (material you have read for a
class, took notes from a lecture, read anywhere, etc.) without properly
crediting the author is also plagiarism.
We will be going over the
use of sources and documentation (Modern Language Association format is to be
used and is fully described in your handbook), so you will understand how to
use them ethically and properly.
Decorum and
College Writing:
Remember that this is an
on-line classroom, not a personal website or chat room.
Treat each other with
respect.
Use appropriate tone and
language in all emails, discussions, and other on-line submissions: use proper
grammar and punctuation, including capital and lower case letters; do not use
abbreviations or slang.
For on-line chat with each
other and me, you may be slightly more informal, but keep abbreviations to a
minimum and always use proper grammar. It is a good idea to write properly
always so you won’t get into bad habits.
Remember that I will be
monitoring your group chats.
Late Work: There is usually a penalty: 10% minimum off the
grade, if I accept the paper. Consult with me before due date if you are
having a problem. Note: The research essay and the final exam essay must
be submitted on time.
Each assignment must be
completed and submitted before you begin the next assignment. In a writing course, you are expected to
learn from your previous attempts and to profit from my comments.
You will not improve your
writing until you understand that writing is an ongoing process that yields
cumulative benefits for your efforts.
Weekly short essays and
discussions cannot be made up; you will receive a zero for any short essay or
set of Discussion responses not submitted on time.
Evaluation:
weekly short essays: (300-500 words)
usually responses to newspaper articles or other posted readings
longer essays: (most @ 600-900 words; one
@ 2000-2500 words)
miscellaneous exercises
responses to others’ posted Discussion
short essays
The
major essays will be expository or argumentative, not narrative.
Some
of the essays will require use of sources (from required readings) and
documentation; one will require library/internet research (with some specific
use of library data bases in addition to other resources).
The
shorter weekly writings (a little more informal, often more personal) will
allow you to explore different patterns of writing and help you find your
voice.
Specific Assignments will be posted to
Home Page.
Overview of Grading
Type of Assignment Percentage of Final Grade
weekly 300-500 word short essays, which are
usually responses to readings; misc exercises 25
(4) 600-800 word longer essays (includes final exam)
45
(1) 2000-2500 word essay (research project) 15
weekly responses to others’ posted short
essays (respond to min. of 4 weekly) 15
Grading Criteria for All College Writing:
A or B papers are above average in critical analysis, style,
and mechanics
C papers are average, with
grammar, organizational, or development problems that distract from the easy
flow of the essay
D or F papers are those that do not meet the
assignment, contain numerous errors, are not organized logically, or have
repetition and generalities rather than development
Grading System for Long
Essays: letter grade based on above criteria, converted to points at end of
semester:
A =
9.5 (higher if exceptional!)
A- = 9.0
B+ = 8.7
B = 8.5
B- = 8.0
C+ = 7.7
C = 7.5
C- = 7.0
D+ = 6.7
D = 6.5
D- = 6.0
F = depends on why it is an F (could be 5 or
less)
Not submitted = 0
Grading System for Weekly
Short Essays or Exercises
√+ above average 8-10
√ average 7
√- below average 6
There
will be 15 short essays or exercises.
At
the end of the semester, I will total your points.
The
short essays/exercises are worth 25% of your final grade.
Ex. If you have a total of
80 points for the short essays, multiplying 80 x .25 = 20 points (B- for short
essays) toward your final grade.
Criteria
for Weekly Short Essays (usually responses to readings)
• critical thinking about the topic (development vs. simply
summarizing—unless that is the assignment)
• understanding
of the reading (providing evidence from the reading vs. generalizing)
• using proper grammar, punctuation,
spelling, etc.
• organizing material
• level of
participation and willingness to work with peers in an ethical and professional
manner
• These writings will not be judged by
the same standards as your formal papers and I will not be making as many
corrections and comments on them as I do on longer essays; but language and
grammar are expected to be appropriate for a college English course. See “Decorum
and College Writing” section of syllabus.
Some Instructions for Weekly Discussion Comments on Peers’ Response
Essays:
You are to read a
minimum of four of your peers’ short essay responses. (Try to read and comment
on the essays of different students each week.) You then will post a short
(minimum one paragraph) reaction to each of the essays. You
might comment on the content--agree or disagree, but be specific and don’t just
repeat or say you like or dislike the essay--or on the style. You are not
critiquing the grammar/writing. These comments are for all of us to read. (See
Discussion Directions for information on how to respond to postings.) These
replies are not formal essays, but should have proper grammar, etc. Think and
organize before you write. Points will be deducted for any week in which you do
not participate in discussions.
Assignment Format (See Home Page and contact MxCC’s
WebCT Help if you have problems with saving,
attaching, or uploading your assignments. It is necessary that you know how to
properly submit work, so get this out of the way before class starts.)
§
Use Word, size 12 font, double spaced.
§
Put your name, assignment name, and date at top left
of first page.
§
Use your last name and name of assignment for
documents you upload as attachments to Drop box or Discussion. Ex. Donatiintroduction
§
Do not write your essay as part of body of email.
§
Assignments that are not properly labeled (document
itself and file name) will not be accepted.
§
Save your documents in MS Word or as Rich Text.
WordPerfect or other formats will not be accepted.
§
Make sure you post your assignment to the proper
place: Drop box, Discussion, etc.
Overview of SCHEDULE OF DUE
DATES for Weekly Writings
Each Friday, I will open the assignment for the
following week’s short essay.
At that
time, I will also open the Discussion Topic for you to post that assignment and
your responses to others’ essays.
Weekly Short Essays are due (post to proper Discussion Topic)
each Tuesday by 11 PM.
Weekly set of minimum of 4 responses to other students’ short
essays are due each Saturday by 11 PM.
Any
short essays or responses to others’ essays not posted on time will not be
accepted.
Schedule of Due Dates for longer essays (first drafts and final
drafts) will be posted on Home Page.
v Discuss your work with others in the course; peer
support and encouragement can help you deal with panic, writer’s block, or
procrastination.
v Set up a time to meet in Chat.
v If you need to brush up on grammar, start right away;
your handbook has all the rules and explanations and there are online
exercises.
v If a problem arises, notify me immediately before you
get too far behind.
v Some of the writings will require library research:
make sure you know how to access the MxCC library
data bases (ID # required) and a
v This is a rigorous course that requires you to manage
your time well, employ good study habits, and keep ahead of assignments. This
is an intensive writing course.
v Online courses require extra discipline and time
management, in addition to constant communication with the instructor.
v If you have questions about an essay assignment or the
weekly discussion topic, it is your responsibility to contact me by email. If I
do not hear about your question or problem, I cannot help you.
Once you are
committed to making this course a positive experience on your educational
journey, relax and enjoy the readings, discussions, and opportunities for
writing.
I assure you
I am committed to helping you produce that something extra you may not yet know
you are capable of producing.
--------------------------------------------Joan
Donati
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