Please Note:
- If you have not registered for this
course through the College Admissions Office, you are NOT officially enrolled in the class and
you will be denied access to the
online site. Please consult the Schedule of Classes and http://www.marin.edu/homepages/IngridSchreck/150info.html
for further details,
enrollment information and deadlines. If you are officially enrolled in
the course, you should e-mail me at ingrid.schreck@marin.edu on or before 6 pm on the first official day of the term so that I can send you information on how to access the online class site.
- You should also purchase your books
before the first day of the term so that you have them for the first
day of class. You may purchase your books at the College
Bookstore or you may purchase your books online by visiting: http://www.amazon.com/. Please refer
to the Required Materials section of the syllabus for more detailed
information about the texts (Make certain you have the correct edition and ISBN #).
- If you register for the class through
admissions and later decide to drop the course, it is your
responsibility to fill out a drop slip and submit it to the admissions
office. If you fail to do this, you may be in danger of receiving an
"F" on your transcript.
- It is a violation of academic conduct to share
the contents of any of the tests, quizzes or other class materials. In
addition, it is a violation to share user names and passwords. If your
user name and password are used by someone other than yourself, with or
without your knowledge, you are in violation. Please keep your user
name and passwords private. Violators will receive an F in the class
and may be expelled from the college. Only registered students are
allowed access to the online class site. Please consult the
Catalog and Student Handbook for further clarification and consequences
of academic misconduct.
Course
Description
 This online course is designed to prepare
students in the methods and forms of communication used in business and
professional environments, with special attention paid to the new
demands of electronic communication skills. The course involves
careful study and practice of expository and argumentative writing
techniques and the frequent writing of compositions with the ultimate
goal of a research project. English 1A is designed to prepare the
student for satisfactory college writing.
Students are expected to access the class
site and to check their e-mail at least
three times per week (more during summer sessions). Assignments
include a research paper, essays, quizzes, online presentations and
group activities. Regular participation is a feature of the course --
students should be prepared to involve themselves in course activities
(reading and posting messages, keeping up with readings and
assignments) on a daily basis. Students may be assigned to groups and
the individual group members will be responsible for planning online
meetings, talking on the phone or using the discussion board and/or
e-mail to communicate.
Class
Overview
Students will:
- write a total of 3 essays (including a research paper) and 3 (or more) revisions of each
essay using proper MLA format
- create a student presentation (Homepage)
- revise each essay after the instructor has graded
the draft
- complete reading journals & utilize other
active reading techniques while reading for the class
- participate in Student Directed Discussions
(postings on the class site) on a frequent basis
- participate in chats (non-mandatory)
- take quizzes on class material
- post and respond to a variety of messages on the
discussion board
- create an Electronic Portfolio showcasing the
essays written and revised for the class.
The class is divided into 15 Lessons. Each Lesson
contains specific activities to complete. These activities are due by
the deadline published on the class calendar. Each Lesson
consists of reading, discussion board postings, and writing
assignments. Activities such as revising all assigned essays and
keeping Reading Journals are also part of the class and are expected to
be maintained and completed by students throughout the semester. These
activities are explained in detail in the class
web site.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the student
will be able to:
- Gain an appreciation of the characteristics of
effective writing.
- Demonstrate the ability to think logically and
express thoughts in clear, effective prose.
- Explain and be better able to apply the
principles of unity and coherence in essays.
- Explain and be better able to use the forms of
exposition and argumentation.
- Write logical, coherent, unified essays with
minimal errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Explain the relationships between audience,
tone, purpose, and levels of diction.
- Recognize and formulate clear and specific
thesis statements and develop these into unified and complete essays.
- Demonstrate an understanding of various logical
relationships of ideas within an essay, be able to distinguish fact
from judgment, and be able to eliminate prejudice and fallacious
reasoning in their own writing.
- Study their own grammatical, punctuation,
spelling, and paragraphing errors to make their writing more effective.
- Study and practice stylistic devices, such as
noun appositives and verbal phrases.
- Choose a suitable and manageable research topic.
(Because the research project is a tool in serving the goal of critical
thinking, the subject matter should be argumentative).
- Use the library and its resources.
- Evaluate potential sources.
- Integrate source material into writing to
support their assertions.
- Use the proper style format for research papers.
- Use the proper forms of citation and
documentation.
- Apply concepts of composition to other formats
and writing environments.
Required
Materials
- A College level Thesaurus and
Dictionary for home use.
Please order the texts as soon as possible to
guarantee that you will have the texts by the time class begins. You
may purchase your books online by visiting the links below or you may
purchase your books at the COM Bookstore.
All of the texts listed above are also available
in the library at the reserve desk. If you cannot buy your books
at this time, you are still responsible for completing the assigned
work. To access the textbooks, you should visit the library, find the
reserve desk and check out the texts needed to complete your
assignments.
A campus map can be downloaded from
the COM Website to
help you find your way around campus.
When using E-mail you should avoid:
- sending multiple copies of e-mail,
- typing in ALL CAPS,
- sending "junk e-mail" (jokes, chain letters
etc.) to other students or to the instructor, and
- sending attachments; rather, you should use the
copy and paste commands. In other words, copy work from your word
processing program and paste it into your e-mail message window. For
detailed instructions on how to copy and paste, you may visit the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at: http://www.marin.edu/homepages/IngridSchreck/faqs.htm
For more information on netiquette, please visit: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
(Tip: Some of the information from this link will be on the Orientation
Quiz!)
Writing Center Help
Students who wish to work
with a tutor may visit a tutor online in the Online Writing Center,
known as the  COM (dot
COM), or students may visit the Writing Center on campus in the
Learning Center, LC 110. These sessions are not required,
but highly advised. The face-to-face contact with a tutor can be a
pleasant change from the online environment so visits to the campus are
encouraged. Instructions on how to contact a tutor online can be
found in the Handout section of the class site.
When communicating with a tutor online, you
should include your name, a description of the assignment, and the URL
to this syllabus (http://www.marin.edu/homepages/IngridSchreck/150.htm),
which contains links to all of the assignment sheets. The more
information you provide the tutor, the better they can help you.
If you choose to see a tutor face-to-face, bring the
assignment sheet with you to the Writing Center.
Computer Labs
Students may access the following computer
labs on campus:
Library
You can now access the
library databases from home, from work, or from any computer with
Internet access--as long as you have a current library card. Simply
visit the library page at: http://www.marin.edu/lrc/,
for access to the library's holdings and online databases. Many
databases are available for off-campus access but to access all of the
databases, you must visit the library in person. If you are connecting
from an off-campus location, you must have a valid College of Marin
library card. For the Password, enter your library card barcode number
without the spaces. (If you have difficulty, please call the Reference
Desk at 415-485-9475.)
Participation and attendance in group
projects and in electronic discussions via e-mail, and electronic
discussion forum is mandatory. Several chat sessions
will be scheduled throughout the semester; chat sessions are not
mandatory. Students may also schedule chat times with an online or
face-to-face tutor if they have difficulty attending a scheduled chat
session. Students are responsible for ensuring that their other
obligations will allow them to complete all course requirements
according to the class schedule. Students who fail to participate and
who fail to meet the posted deadlines may not pass the course and may
be dropped from the class.
-
Participation
in online discussions on a regular basis. If you fail to participate
for one week, you may be dropped from the course.
-
Completion of
all homework and exercises by the due dates. To be fair to everyone in
the class, assignments need to be submitted on time because you will be
responding to one another's submittals, offering help and suggestions.
-
Logging into
the course and visiting the Lessons area will be the equivalent of
attending class. You will be expected to view the pages on a regular
basis (at least twice a week and more during ther summer for accelerated courses). You will be responsible to post to the
discussion area at least twice a week. More frequent visits to the
class and discussion area are strongly recommended, as the course
assumes a very brisk pace.
-
You will be
expected to communicate in the class discussion, read, and respond to
other postings from your classmates. You should also weave points from
some of the readings in the discussion area.
- Reading assignments are given to enhance your
learning. I don't expect you to read every word, but rather, I expect
you to read actively; in other words, you should skim parts of a
chapter or section that you are already familiar with, skip sections
that you have been exposed to before, and thoroughly read sections that
present new material. You should approach reading in this class as you
would approach reading a daily newspaper. You wouldn't read the paper
from cover to cover, but you would focus on articles of interest to you
in order to inform yourself of the latest events or concepts. So too
should you read for this class. You will be held responsible for
learning all of the concepts presented in the assigned reading, so you
should read actively, learning the new concepts well.
-
Email should
be used only for private communications with the instructor or when
specifically instructed; otherwise, post your public questions to the
discussion board.
-
If you find
any "dead" links, errors or unclear instructions in the course, please
email the instructor as soon as possible via e-mail (extra
credit for these tips!).
-
If you notice that a grade has
not been posted for a quiz, contact the instructor
immediately via e-mail.
- If a grade for an essay you have submitted is
not posted within 10 days of the posted deadline, you should contact
the instructor immediately via e-mail.
- Students should feel comfortable expressing the
struggles and successes they are having in the discussion forum. When
writing your discussion postings and responding to others, keep in mind
that the written word can sometimes sound much harsher than we intend
it to. Be especially conscious of this when offering your constructive
feedback to your classmates. Also take a moment to read this section on
Netiquette
if this is your first online course.
- Student Cafe: The Student Cafe in the discussion
area is available for chit-chatting with your classmates.
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:
- There is a discussion
forum for peer collaboration with troubleshooting called , "Need Help?
Ask a Question or Respond to a Fellow Student." Each time you post a question, (after looking in the help files to make sure the easy
answer isn't there) you will receive extra credit points. Each
time you reply to one of your peers with an answer to
a question you will receive extra credit points. Working with
your classmates to solve problems is highly encouraged, and is also a
great way to learn more about the class site! (Please note that asking
questions that other students have already addressed and answered is a
violation of netiquette, as it is disrespectful of the time and energy
of classmates. Students should skim through existing questions and
responses before posting a question on the discussion board. This
practice will eliminate extraneous traffic on the discussion boards.)
- Extra Credit is also
earned by helping the instructor improve the course. If you notice a
dead link, an error, or unclear instructions, please e-mail the
instructor immediately, describing the error and explaining where you
found it to collect the extra credit. If you find instructions to
be unclear or confusing, please e-mail the instructor for clarity and offer a revision of the instructions for extra credit.
- Yet another opportunity to earn extra credit
is via the peer review process. All students are required to review at
least two other students' papers; however, if you respond to a third or
a fourth student (specifically students who have not received at least
two responses), you may earn extra credit!
- Your instructor will respond to
email requests within 48 hours during the work week.
- Your instructor will not
respond to every post to the discussion board, but will
respond with helpful comments and advice as appropriate.
- Your instructor will respond to and
grade your essays within 10 days of the posted deadline.
- All assignments are generally due on
Mondays at 11:59 pm (Pacific Standard Time). All deadlines will be
posted in the class site on the class calendar.
Just as in a regular
face-to-face class, I expect that you will adhere to standards of
courtesy, professionalism, and academic honesty.
Courtesy: I expect that
everyone will participate in the class with courtesy and consideration
for each other and for the instructor. Your e-mails and web postings
should be on the topic at hand, be appropriate and should reflect a
professional demeanor. Inappropriate behavior includes but is not
limited to the following: disruptive behavior, obstruction of the
learning environment, plagiarism or dishonesty.
Academic Honesty: It is
a violation of college policy to plagiarize or to recycle
work. You must not:
- take others’ thoughts or
words without appropriate acknowledgment;
- submit work that has been
written or revised in part or in whole by another person;
- submit work that you have
submitted for another class;
- share your user name and
password;
- login using a false
identity.
Academic Responsibility and
Integrity
Students are responsible for meeting all
deadlines. Students must complete all of the assignments or they
may not pass the class. Late papers will not receive comments; if
accepted--under extreme circumstances only--may only earn a maximum
grade of D+ and must be submitted within one week of the original
deadline. This is not a punishment, but rather incentive to
encourage students to complete all of the required work. Remember, 68%
is better than 0%. Late papers cannot be commented on due to the time
constraints on the instructor and due to class deadlines. Please note that each writing assignment
has two deadlines: one for a peer review draft and one for a revised
draft. You must complete all of the peer reviews and submit all of the
work in order to earn full points for an assignment. Your peer review
draft should be a complete draft.
Please do not attempt to give explanations for poor
participation or missed assignments. I always assume that you are
taking your learning seriously; therefore, there is no need for
explanation.
It is your responsibility to
keep copies of the assignments you submit so that you have back-up
copies. Always keep copies of your work on two disks: an original disk
and a back-up disk. Disks are often damaged so back-ups are necessary
and required. Students may also experience computer crashes, so saving
class work on the hard drive may not suffice. It is also wise to keep
printed copies of your work in case of technical problems. Also
remember to keep a copy of every e-mail that you
send the instructor by including your own e-mail address in the "CC"
box, underneath the "To" box.
Technical difficulties (such
as computer crashes, malfunctioning Internet service and/or using the
incorrect e-mail address) do not constitute an excuse for submitting
late work. Submitting work early will resolve most, if not all, of these problems.
Please review the Department Policy on
Plagiarism: Plagiarism, an unlawful act which is defined as the
misrepresentation of the published ideas or words of another as one's
own, will not be tolerated. At the discretion of the professor,
plagiarism will be punished by either an F for the assignment or an F
in the course. When outside sources are appropriate, these sources must
be attributed fully and accurately with current MLA documentation as
presented in the course text or the current edition of the MLA
handbook. Students are responsible for finding out the correct way to
attribute work from contributors and sources (the handbook, the Writing Center--LC 110 or OWC--and I can help you). Cheating or plagiarism, which is the
accidental or intentional misrepresentation of another's work as one's
own, may lead to failure in the course or expulsion from the college.
In addition, using a paper previously written for another class is
also considered a violation of academic conduct.
It is a violation of academic conduct to
share the contents of any of the tests, quizzes or other class
materials. In addition, it is a violation to share user names and
passwords. If your user name and password are used by someone other
than yourself, with or without your knowledge, you are in violation.
Please keep your user name and passwords private. Violators will
receive an F in the class and may be expelled from the college. Only
registered students are allowed access to the online class site.
Please consult the Catalog and Student Handbook for further
clarification and consequences of academic misconduct.
The class contains adult themes and
content; mature reading selections and videos may be discussed and/or
viewed during class.
Your class work may be used as
instructional materials in class; if you prefer that your work not be
shared in class, please submit your request to me in writing.
Methods
of Evaluation
The main method of evaluation will be
written assignments. Exercises, objective tests, and class
participation may also be included. The following minimum standards for
a minimum passing grade in English 1A are that the student:
1. writes a concrete, limited thesis statement and/or
topic sentence;
2. has only minor lapses of unity & organization;
3. has the ability to apply concepts of composition to other formats
and writing environments;
4. uses advanced sentence variety;
5. writes clear sentences;
6. reveals strong, logical thought;
7. shows depth of thought for college work;
8. uses correct grammar and mechanics;
9. evaluates and integrates research material;
10. uses proper documentation and citation procedures for assignments.
Note: grades are never based in any part on how interesting a topic is
nor how much the instructor "likes" your work.
Assignments
Please note: A schedule of assignments named
below, including deadlines, is available on the class web site at: http://webct.marin.edu
300 points for
Participation
Your participation points will fluctuate
throughout the semester, depending on your participation. If you are
participating fully you should notice a high participation score posted
at midterms; however, if your participation wanes after midterm, this
score may decrease by the end of the semester. Conversely, if your
midterm score is low, you have the opportunity to increase your score
by participating more fully after midterm.
Participation scores are NOT quantitative; they are qualitative. The
instructor will assign a score based on a student's overall performance
in the class. A student's performance is based on quality and consistency of work, not
quantity. Please see the section below titled "Participation in
Discussions" for further explanation.
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Participation: E-mail, Group Work, Peer
Reviews, Writing Center Assignments, Discussion Postings, Quizzes, Participation Reports
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400 points for
Essay Assignments
Please
note that each essay assignment
has two deadlines, one for a peer or tutor review draft and one
for a revised draft. If you miss the first deadline, the peer
review, you may not be allowed to submit the revision. You must
complete all of the peer reviews and submit all of the work in order to
earn full points for an assignment.
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Assignment
1 - 25 points
Assignment
2 - 100 points
Assignment
3 - 275 points
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300 points for
Portfolio
 Please note that all of the assignments submitted
for the final (the Research Paper, the rewrite
of Assignment 2, and Assignment 3) must earn a C or
better, or a student may not pass the class.
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Portfolio of
Final Papers
300 points
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Grading Scale:
Calculating your Grade
I will periodically update your grades throughout the
semester. Grades for quizzes will be posted immediately after you take
a quiz. (If you do not see your posted scores after taking a quiz,
please contact me immediately via e-mail.) Grades for written
assignments may take up to 10 days before they are posted.
Participation scores will be posted around midterm
and again at the end of the class. You may earn participation
points for responding to the discussion board assignments, for
attending chats, for submitting work by the posted deadlines, and for
being helpful to other students in the class. Participation in
Discussion Forums are mandatory and constitute an important part of
your overall evaluation. Your participation points will fluctuate
throughout the semester, depending on your participation. If you are
participating fully you should notice a high participation score posted
at midterms; however, if your participation wanes after midterm, this
score may decrease by the end of the semester. Conversely, if your
midterm score is low, you have the opportunity to increase your score
by participating more fully after midterm.
Participation in each discussion forums
that correspond to each lesson is mandatory. You are required to
post messages that answer the discussion questions, demonstrate
critical thinking, planning, and knowledge of the course material. You
are also required to respond to your classmates. The goal of
discussions is to have an exchange of ideas.
Your posts will be graded using the
following scale:
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Scale
|
Description
|
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no-credit
|
No response to the original
question, and a simple "I agree" as a response to other students.
|
|
Credit
|
Demonstrate the knowledge gained
in this area by crafting a well written and well thought out original
response. Also respond to other students' postings with feedback. Your
response must offer some sort of constructive feedback.
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You may view your grades by clicking on the "Grades" link under the
Course Menu. To calculate your grade, use the guidelines posted below.
To estimate the total points possible to date, simply add up the points
possible on all of the assignments due so far.
To calculate your grade at any point during the
semester, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the "Grades" link on the Course
Menu when logged in to the class site.
2. Add up the points possible for all of the assignments that have been
assigned so far. (To calculate the points possible for the
participation column, simply convert your letter grade to points; you
may earn up to 300 points for class participation. For example, if you
have earned an "A," award yourself 100% of the points possible. If you
have earned a "B," you should award yourself 85% of the points
possible, if you have earned a "C," you should award yourself 70% of
the points possible, and so on.) Remember, your participation
grades will fluctuate throughout the semester and grades posted at
midterm may not reflect your final participation grade in the class. I
will assign points for final participation scores at the end of the
semester.
3. Scroll to the right to see the last grade column which will list
your total points earned to date. You may also have to scroll down to
see all of your individual scores.
4. Divide your total points earned-to-date by the total points
possible-to-date and you will get your grade percentage in the class so
far.
For example if my total points earned-to-date are 150 points and the
total points possible-to-date are 200, I would use the following
formula to calculate my grade: 150/200 = .75 = 75% = C
Students should refrain from
e-mailing me to inquire whether I have received an assignment.
I reserve e-mail correspondence for
one-on-one instruction rather than for administrative tasks.
If, however, after checking your grade, you notice that you did not
receive a grade for an assignment you have completed (remember essay
assignments may not be posted for about 10 days), please e-mail me to
inquire about your assignment.
Please note that it is the students' responsibility
to insure that grades are listed correctly. Students should check
their grades frequently and contact the instructor immediately if an
error or question arises. Additionally, any questions or concerns about
grades should be brought to the instructor's attention before the
last day of class.
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