Course Syllabus

English 102 Syllabus

#3677 Fall Quarter 2012

Course Description

Course Title & Number: ENGL& 102 College Freshman Composition
Section: 3677 OLB
Credits: 5
Quarter: Fall 2012

(Formerly ENGL-102) The application and further development of writing principles covered in ENGL&-101. ENGL&-102 is a composition course designed to develop the student's ability to write sound and cogent arguments in several academic disciplines. Course work focuses on strategies for developing convincing evidence, with emphasis on critical thinking and library research skills. This course may not be taken "S/U."

Course Overview

Writing classes are awesome.  Online classes are awesome.  When we combine the two together, I believe we have a great chance to really build something special, together.  I know, I have to say this…but I truly believe it, too.

This course is going to take a substantial time commitment from all of us, as I'm sure you're aware.  The campus classroom version of English 102 meets for 5 hours a week, with another 3-5 hours of expected work time outside the classroom.  Our version eliminates the classroom time, of course, but not the need to learn content.  Plan to devote roughly 10 hours a week to this class.

Online courses offer a great opportunity to deeply explore our subject area, and take advantage of a wide range of resources.  I'll point you in as many directions as I can towards useful tools, within Canvas or out in the "wild wild web world."  I hope you all share your own helpful tips, too.

What this means, though, is that we each have to rely on our own motivation to get into the online classroom regularly, and to keep up with a demanding work schedule.  If you are someone who needs a lot of outside guidance and influence (nagging!), I would suggest you find a buddy this quarter to help inspire you, or to consider taking an on-campus version of the course.

Outcomes & Objectives

 

Textbooks & Supplemental Materials

We will only have one OPTIONAL textbook:

A Writer's Reference, edited by Hacker & Sommers. Any edition you may have will be fine. (This book is required for most English courses offered here at TCC.)

• an online version of the textbook is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81042220/Writer-s-Reference

Otherwise, there will be additional required reading, as well as viewing and listening. We'll be using materials that are freely available on the web, or in our TCC library online, in place of a traditional textbook reader.

Technology

This course will be conducted entirely online, using the Canvas platform.  Regular and consistent internet access will be a requirement throughout the quarter.

 

Required Accounts

I will ask that you have accounts with Google for participation in this course.

You can use an existing Google account you already have, or create a new one here: https://accounts.google.com/NewAccount

Additionally, we may be using a couple of other free online services which will require registration. I will let you know about these as we use them in the course.

Instructor

Alexis McMillan-Clifton
Office: Building 9, room 48
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-4pm, and other times by appointment.

I will be available in my office and by instant messenger on Wednesdays.  I’ll be available by the “Conferences” tool inside Angel additional times, which will be posted ahead of time through announcements.

Contact Information

Office phone: 253.460.4477
Email: amcmillan-clifton@tacomacc.edu

• I'm a MUCH better emailer than I am phone-message-returner, so if you need me quickly, email is the best way to go.

If you’re a texter, that’s cool.  We can set up texting capabilities using Canvas, so that you can send me messages from your phone and vice versa.  More about that in the classroom.  

About Me

I started a full-time job here at TCC in Fall of 2009; before that I worked with several other community colleges in the area. TCC hired me specifically to teach and design online classes, so your feedback is VERY important to me--your comments will help shape what all online English classrooms will look like in coming quarters.

My husband and I moved to Washington about 8 years ago, so that he could attend a PhD program in philosophy at UW. (I understand very little of what he says to me sometimes, but we make it work). This is his last year in the program, so our house is VERY crazy right now.  

I grew up in Georgia, and have also lived in Arizona and North Carolina. While I've been teaching for over 10 years, I've also had a few "day jobs" along the way, in the mortgage industry and medical manufacturing.

I love teaching and playing with online tools, though I don't consider myself particularly tech-savvy. I also have my dorky hobbies: reading, knitting, gardening, hiking, and watching a lot of movies and TV shows via Netflix and Hulu. My dogs and cats keep me plenty entertained, too.

 

Expectations

For you, the student:

Online courses are, of course, vigorous. As I've said elsewhere, we have to cover all of the material online that a typical, 5-hour-a-week course covers, PLUS the homework that comes with those classes. This means you'll have to spend a good deal of time each week on the computer devoted to this course, no way around it.
Here are some criteria that help clarify what you'll be expected to do each week:

• Check in to the Canvas classroom at least 3 times per week. Many students find 4-5 times per week easier to manage.
• Engage with your classmates. Online classes have the stigma of being isolated and isolating, but you'll find this course to be very interactive. This means that your grade, as well as everyone else's, depends on sharing, collaborating, and inviting feedback.
• Develop a personal course work schedule that allows you to meet the three-times-a-week homework deadlines. Even though work is due no later than Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, you may find that getting in the habit of submitting work early is the best course of action for your own needs.
• Be in constant contact with me, especially if you need help, get sick, or find that life is otherwise getting in the way of your schoolwork. I don't have any way of knowing what's going on if you don't tell me. I'm very happy to make arrangements for getting work in--but it has to be a two-way street.
• Take advantage of all the resources available in the classroom. Each week's reading folder is packed with videos, reading material, and links to additional information that will prove very useful in completing the objectives you'll face.

For me, the instructor:

I realize that consistency is key in making a course run smoothly. To that end, here's what you can expect from me regularly:

• new announcements on the classroom home page at least 2 times a week, reminding you about what's due or other things going on pertaining to the class.
• responses to course mail within 24 hours during the week, 48 hours on the weekend. I check email frequently during weekdays. I will usually respond to mail once a day on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays. (A girl's gotta have one computer-free day a week...or so I try to convince myself).
• grades on small weekly work posted by the following Thursday. (For instance, discussions from Week 1 will have grades by Thursday of Week 2.)
• grades on larger work (essays) posted by a week of the due date. (For instance, if an essay is due Monday of Week 3, expect a grade by the end of Monday of Week 4). Sometimes I take an extra day or two, and I'll notify you if that's a possibility.
• comments on all graded work, so you can understand why something met an assignment's expectations or not.

 

Evaluation Criteria & Grading Standards

Rubrics for all major assignments will be posted in Canvas, so that you can review them before submitting your work.

Grading Breakdown (might fluctuate slightly):

Essays: 60%
Annotated Bibliography: 10%
Discussion Forums: 15%
Weekly work: 15%
Grade Scale:

Late Policy

This class has a very straightforward late policy: I realize life happens, and things will be late from time to time.  To that extent, every assignment (EXCEPT weekly discussion forums and the final essay) can be turned in up to a week late, past its original due date.  Any work submitted late will be eligible to earn no more than a C grade (75%).

Discussion Forums MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED LATE FOR CREDIT, due to their interactive nature.  

Drop/Withdrawal

While faculty permission is not required, a completed add/drop form must be submitted to Registration and Records to complete drops from the 11th instructional day through the 55th calendar day of the quarter (11th day: Oct. 5th).  The instructor must sign the form or send an e-mail to Registration acknowledging the withdrawal.  If the instructor is not available, a signature from a full-time advisor in the Advising Center is an acceptable substitute.

After the 55th calendar day of the quarter . . . an instructor may grant a grade of 'WI' (Instructor Withdrawal).

Incompletes are only available due to extraordinary, exceptional situations.

Course Calendar

Course Assignments & Due Dates will be available in Canvas in the Syllabus page, as well as visible on the Course Calendar.

Course Policies

Attachments

I'm going to ask that all essays and major projects (like the Annotated Bibliography) be submitted as a link to a Google Doc, rather than as an attachment. You will need a free Google account to use Google Docs.  

You are welcome to use any word processing program you wish to draft essays and other long work. That includes Word, Works, Pages, or any other tool, including typing it directly into a Google Doc. When you're ready to submit, you will upload it into Google Docs, change the settings on that doc to "Share with others" and "allow others to edit," and send the link to that document to me inside Angel.

More details about how to use Google Docs successfully will be included in our course.

Accommodations

Students with Special Needs:  All students are responsible for all requirements of the class, but the way they meet these requirements may vary.  If you need specific auxiliary aids or services due to a disability, please contact the Access Services office in Building 7 (253-566-5328).  They will require you to present formal, written documentation of your disability from an appropriate professional.  When this step has been completed, arrangements will be made for you to receive reasonable auxiliary aids or services.  The disability accommodation documentation prepared by Access Services must be given to me before the accommodation is needed so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Etiquette for Classroom Dispute Resolution

If you have questions or concerns about this class, your classmates, or me, please speak with me.  I am very happy to engage in conversations that make our classroom a better place.  If we are unable to reach resolution, you may talk next with the Chair of the Program/Department, Tamara Kuzmenkov, bldg 9, room 54.   The Chair can assist with information about additional steps, if needed.

Academic Dishonesty

As stated in the TCC Catalog, "Students are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication or other forms of academic dishonesty corrupt the learning process and threaten the educational environment for all students" (pg. 33).

In this course, sanctions for academic dishonesty will be as follows:
·       First instance will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment
·       Second instance will result in failing the course for the quarter and may lead to disciplinary action by the school.

The complete Administrative Procedure for Academic Dishonesty is available on the TCC website at: http://www.tacomacc.edu/catalog/11-12catalog/academic-dishonesty.htm

I want to stress that one form of academic dishonesty consists of self-plagiarism. Yes, it is possible for you to plagiarize yourself, by turning in work that is the same or closely similar for two different assignments in two different classrooms. If you'd like to build on ideas or an essay project you worked on in another course (including earlier sections of English 102 you've taken before), you MUST get permission from me before you do so. I'm happy to work with you towards this, but will require seeing the previously graded work before I agree.

Caveats

This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Extra Help

I realize writing is a daunting task, and often getting started is the hardest part.  There are many resources available to you to help at EVERY stage of the process, and I hope you take advantage of them.  These include:
·       Direct help from me, via office visits, phone chats, instant messages, or email
·       The Writing & Tutoring Center in Bld 7, room 221
·       The Computer Assisted Learning Lab
·       Reading and Study Skills Center
·       TCC Library
·       TCC eLearning Dept.