COURSE SYLLABUS WITH AN ONLINE ORIENTATION
ENGLISH 1301: COMPOSITION I ON THE INTERNET
This handout serves as both your course syllabus and online orientation; it
explains how the course works. Print it, read it, and read it again.
INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. E. Herrick
Address:
Temple College
Communications Department
2600 South First Street
Temple, TX 76504
Office: 202-C Berry Hall (Hours by Appointment)
Phone: (254) 298-8392
E-mail: EHerrick@templejc.edu
OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of Composition I, the student should be able:
1. to demonstrate the ability to use written English effectively;
2. to demonstrate the ability to write formal English and speak
standard English;
3. to demonstrate the ability to write various types of essays, including
descriptive, comparison and contrast, persuasive, and/or others.
TEXTS: Langan, John. College Writing Skills with Readings, Media
Edition, Sixth Edition. Boston: McGraw Custom Publishing, 2003.
OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS:
1. ConnectWeb license (can be purchased at the TC bookstore or online)
2. Blue Scantron Sheets (can be purchased at the bookstore for diagnostic
grammar tests)
3. Number 2 pencil (for diagnostic grammar tests)
GRADING SYSTEM:
90 – 100 A; 80 – 89 B; 70 – 79 C; 60 – 69 D; Below 60 F
GRADING:
Grammar Tests, grammar exercises, group work and group participation, and
other homework activities 33 1/3%
Three Major Graded Essays and Miscellaneous Writing Assignments (MWA’s)
33 1/3%
Final Exam Essay 33 1/3%
Note: Except for grammar tests, all work in the first two categories of 33 1/3% will
be assigned and completed via ConnectWeb. You are required to come to the
Temple College Testing Center for your Grammar Tests, Grammar Final,
and Essay Final. I will post the exact dates in the Course Syllabus on the
“Home” page in ConnectWeb. You can acquire this information the first
day of class when you access the course in ConnectWeb.
I am also teaching students who do not attend Temple College. If you are a
VCT student, you should contact your VCT Counselor or college testing
center where you registered for the course to take your tests. Early in the
semester, preferably the first week of class, you must send me the name
and the FAX NUMBER of the person who will proctor your exams or the
head of the testing facility you will use. VCT students will take your exams
at the institution you attend. *Arrangements will be made by the instructor
and the VCT student with the appropriate Testing Center.
Course Introduction:
My name is Mrs. Herrick. Welcome to Composition I on the Internet!
I am aware that many of you are uncomfortable with writing and composing
essays. However, I also know that many of you enjoy writing; in fact, some of you
may be very good writers of fiction and poetry! Whatever your situation, it is my
job to improve your writing to a college level. I will give instructions as clearly as I
can each time I make an assignment, and I will always let you know my
expectations and standards ahead of time. You have a right to know what the
standards are before you are graded on those standards. Never will I grade off
on a grammar skill which I have not taught you or will I hold you responsible for a
writing technique which you have not been assigned to learn. However, once I
have taught a skill or introduced you to a particular writing style, I expect you to
know it, so be prepared to be evaluated accordingly. I believe you will find this
approach to be fair.
That having been said, let me assure you that this course has the same
objectives, homework, and tests as an on-campus Composition I. Basically, you
will be given both grammar and assignments on a weekly basis. The homework
assignments, instructions, and lectures will be posted using ConnectWeb. You
will post answers using ConnectWeb, as well. *Each week your homework will
be due on Wednesday by 12:00 noon. Each Wednesday at noon I will collect
your work, and I will print out each student’s homework. By 5 p.m. each
Wednesday, I will post the next week’s assignments. Therefore, you will always
have a week to complete assignments. If I require Peer Review Responses,
these will be due ONE OR TWO DAYS BEFORE to give you adequate time
to make suggested revisions.
The course is considered a composition course. During the semester we will
study different modes or patterns of writing, and you will compose essays of 500
words for a formal audience. In addition, we will learn/review basic grammar
concepts. Furthermore, we will often discuss reading selections from your text
and use those discussions as a basis for writing. With this technique, you will
have some background information from which to draw for support.
Before going any further, let me say that an assumption is made when students
sign up for an Internet class. The assumption Temple College instructors make is
that students who sign up for an Internet class have some basic computer
knowledge and study habits. For example, we expect that students who sign up
for Internet classes are:
1-knowledgeable about their computers;
2-knowledgeable about their word-processor;
3-knowledgeable about their Internet service prove
4-experienced at composing, sending, and receiving e-mail;
5-experienced at composing, sending, and receiving e-mail attachments;
6-highly motivated;
7-able to work independently; and
8-have extra time to devote to working through assignments.
How well do you think you measure up to our assumptions? If you haven't
already taken the Distance Education Internet class aptitude assessment, I
strongly suggest you take it. It's a short assessment that asks you a few
questions to help determine whether or not Internet courses are right for you.
This assessment is available from the Distance Education homepage on the TC
website. I’m not trying to talk you into dropping this class. I just want you to make
sure an Internet class is right for you.
Instructor Information:
From the syllabus, you have my name, office number, telephone number, and email address. HOWEVER, THE QUICKEST WAY TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE
FROM ME IS TO SEND A MESSAGE TO ME IN CONNECTWEB. I check my
ConnectWeb messages several times throughout the school day when I am not
in class. I do have voice mail, so you may leave a message if you like. However,
I may not be able to return your call promptly because I am teaching day classes
and evening classes. (If you leave a voice message, please speak clearly. If I
cannot understand your message, I cannot call you back. I teach many classes,
so you should identify which class you are in, and give your name and a number
where you can be reached both day and night.) We will primarily be using
ConnectWeb for communication, but some of you may also want to send me email messages. Please note that every Temple College student has a TC e-mail
account; in fact, this is the address to which your final grade will be sent.
Therefore, I will use only your TC e-mail address to communicate with you by email. If you do e-mail me, please put the following information in the SUBJECT
heading of your message: Online English 1301-Your First and Last Name.
If you are a VCT student, please contact me at EHerrick@templejc.edu if
you must email me. However, it is best to ask me questions or send me
messages through ConnectWeb; you will receive a quicker response.
By the way, I usually feel a need to remind you that you're in an English class!
Some students seem to forget, and when they write me e-mail or ConnectWeb
messages, they write like they talk, or they write like they write to their friends.
Remember: I am your English instructor. That means you need, as best as you
possibly can, to write complete sentences and correct spelling; use capital letters
and punctuation appropriately! Nobody is perfect! We all make mistakes, and I
would hate for your concern about your grammar to keep you from writing to me,
but please, try your best to write your best, whether it's an e-mail message, a
ConnectWeb message, or a major essay.
Virtual Office Hours:
I usually check ConnectWeb several times during the school days, Monday
through Thursday, as well as once each of those evenings, usually before 7
p.m. On the weekends, Friday through Sunday, I check ConnectWeb once,
most likely early on Sunday evenings. Please don’t panic if you have asked
me a question on Friday morning and you do not receive a reply until
Sunday evening. Remember: My virtual office hours on the weekend are
not every day; they are once, early on Sunday evening.
About ConnectWeb:
Below you will find important information about ConnectWeb. Once you get into
the program, you will learn a great deal more.
You must have a ConnectWeb license number. You won’t be able to stay in the
class without entering this number into ConnectWeb. You can get this license in
one of two ways: buy it at the TC bookstore (Ask for a ConnectWeb license.) for
$26 or, within the program, about three or four days after you first log in, you will
see a message that you need to purchase a license. Follow that link and you can
pay with a credit card within ConnectWeb. If you do it this way, you pay only $20.
You actually have a 10-day grace period in ConnectWeb without entering the
license number into the system before you are deleted, but you must buy a
license and enter that number into the program within ten days. License numbers
are tied to names, so if you have a friend who has taken a ConnectWeb class,
you cannot use his/her license number. The good news is that if you take
ConnectWeb classes in the future, your license is good for those classes.
Logging in to ConnectWeb:
From the TC homepage, click the "Student Services" button on the right; then,
scroll down to “Computer Resources” and click on the "ConnectWeb" button at
the bottom of the list. Read the information on ConnectWeb Internet Class
Delivery System page about the login procedure. (YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE
TO ACCESS THE CLASS UNTIL I ENTER YOUR NAME ON THE FIRST DAY
OF CLASS.) However, you can download and print your ConnectWeb Student
Manual at the bottom of the page. Read it carefully; you will save us both a great
deal of time in the future.
As soon as the course is activated, as I have mentioned, I will enter all students
who have registered. However, keep in mind that registration information does
not always flow in a timely manner. Therefore, if you register and can not access
this class even though you have followed my instructions, please call and leave
me a voice mail message (254-298-8392). In this voice message, make sure you
say your name clearly, provide me with your course number as well as a
telephone number where you can be reached day and night.
Important ConnectWeb Information:
You have a 7500 character limit (this means 7500 characters, not 7500 words) if
you type your homework within ConnectWeb in the small "Quick paper" window
which you will see when you go back to "Assignments" above and click "Work on
paper." However, most of your assignments, especially the essays, will have
more than 7500 characters. Therefore, do NOT type in the “Quick paper”
window, but type your assignments in your word processor and then
upload that file after you have revised and worked on the assignment. Also,
if you upload a file, there is no character or word limit.
To do this, complete the assignment in your word processor (remember that it is
not necessary to stay online to do this) and create one Word document. When
your homework is ready to upload, get back online and login to ConnectWeb.
Click the "Assignments" button at the top of the page. Then, under this
assignment, click "Work on paper." You will now be in the "Quick paper" screen.
Click "Switch to upload paper." At this screen, click "Browse" and find your
homework file on your computer.
Note: Make sure the file is either a Microsoft Word doc file, an ascii txt file,
or an html file. These are the only types of files ConnectWeb will upload
correctly.
After your file is listed in the space under "Upload paper," click "OK" and the file
will be uploaded into ConnectWeb and automatically posted so I can see it and
all the other students in your group can see it. To see what you have uploaded
and make sure it worked, you can click "Preview paper." Make sure your weekly
homework answers are all included in ONE Word document since uploading
one document over another causes previous documents to be erased.
If you want to change what you have uploaded and posted, you will have to
repeat the whole process: go back and make changes to the document on
your computer and then upload the revised essay. Uploading a paper more
than once does the same thing that saving a document over and over does:
it copies over the old upload and replaces it with the new one.
ASSIGNMENTS/ATTENDANCE:
First, as mentioned above, unless assigned otherwise, you must use
ConnectWeb to complete weekly assignments. Hand-submitted or e-mailed work
will not be accepted for credit (unless otherwise assigned).
A work-based method will be utilized to ensure your attendance. Assignments
will be posted and due weekly. ConnectWeb includes a feature that shows me
the exact time work is posted, so please abide by the deadline if you want credit
for an assignment.
One last note about deadlines: Please do not ask me for an extension to any
deadline because you have 7 full days (1 week) to turn in your assignments. For
example, if you know you are going to have your wisdom teeth removed on a
Monday, simply post your completed assignments by Sunday evening. It has
been my observation that the students who read their assignments early, ask
questions during the week, complete their assignments over the weekend, and
post their completed work by Monday make the highest grades. The only
exception to this policy is posting the Final Copy of your essay late. If, for some
reason, you post all steps to the writing process except the last step, I will accept
the Final Copy late, but I will deduct 10 points for missing the deadline and for
each day that it is late.
You must check online three or four times a week, get the assignments,
complete them, sometimes collaborate, get suggestions, and do whatever is
required. If you do not turn in ALL work when it is due, I will count you as absent.
If you do not participate in the collaborative exercises and respond in your
assigned groups, you will receive a grade of zero for group participation.
Please see the Attendance/Make-up Work Policies that follow:
According to the 2004-2005 Temple College Student Handbook, the policy
states,
"Upon the request of the instructor, those students who accumulate excessive
absences may be administratively withdrawn by the Vice President of
Educational Services. Excessive absence is determined by the instructor of the
course" (22). Our English department has established that "excessive absences"
constitute no more than three (3) absences for fall or spring semester and no
more than two (2) absences for the summer semester. Therefore, in my online
course, if a student misses posting more than a total of 3 weeks of assignments
during the fall or spring semester or 2 weeks of assignments during the summer
semester, he or she will be counted absent and may be dropped from the course.
Note: You will generally have one grammar assignment and one writing
assignment due each week. If you post only your grammar assignment and not
your writing assignment or vice-versa, you will receive one-half of an absence.
If you realize that you cannot complete the course, it is your responsibility to drop
the course. The exact date you may withdraw from the course is posted in
the Course Syllabus on the “Home” page in ConnectWeb.
I strongly suggest that you do not wait until Tuesday evening to begin your
homework. Students often fail to take into account unexpected personal,
computer, printer, or work problems. This procrastination usually results in
missed deadlines and no credit.
MINOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
Using ConnectWeb, you will be posting many practice essays and writing
assignments, called Miscellaneous Writing Assignments (MWA’s), which will give
you practice not only in your grammar skills but your writing techniques, as well. I
will count 2 to 3 MWA’s as 1 major essay grade (for a total of 4 major essay
grades) in the second 33 1/3% of your course average.
GRAMMAR EXERCISES:
You will be assigned grammar exercises from your text and exercises online. DO
NOT BUY A USED BOOK because all the exercises, activities, and Review
Tests in your assigned chapters must be completed by you. You will be asked to
tear out specific assignments and turn them into the Testing Center. (You don’t
want to receive a zero because you purchased a used book and pages are
missing.) Also, sometimes supplemental grammar assignments will be assigned
for you to post on ConnectWeb for credit.
GROUP WORK:
ConnectWeb allows me to prepare assignments on which you can collaborate
with other students; therefore, you will be assigned to work collaboratively on
some homework. On these occasions, I will place you in small groups to discuss
reading selections and/or to give feedback on writing assignments. Please note
that while I am encouraging collaboration on some assignments, I expect that
you will do your own work on all other work. Cheating of any kind will not be
tolerated.
MAJOR ESSAYS:
You will be assigned 3 major essays. The Writing Process, to include prewriting,
organizing, drafting, revising, and editing, will be used. Grades on these 3 (three)
major essays, including the average of 2 to 3 MWA’s, count 33 1/3% of your
overall course average. You will also learn about various modes or patterns of
writing, such as effect-cause, descriptive, persuasive, etc.
FINAL EXAMS (GRAMMAR FINAL AND ESSAY FINAL):
You will come upstairs to the Temple College Testing Center in OCC or if you are
a VCT student, you will go to your appropriate Testing Center, to take your
Grammar Final. You must bring a Scantron, a Number 2 pencil, and a picture I.D.
The Grammar Final is comprehensive and the test grade will count in the first 33
1/3% of your course average. The exact dates are posted in the Course
Syllabus on the “Home” page in ConnectWeb.
You will return at a different time to the Temple College Testing Center or if you
are a VCT student, you will go to your appropriate Testing Center to wordprocess your Final Exam Essay. You will be given 2 hours to word- process this
essay. This Final Exam Essay grade counts as the final 33 1/3% of your overall
course grade. The exact dates are posted in the Course Syllabus on the
“Home” page in ConnectWeb.
All English 1301 students will take a departmental final exam. That just means
your final exam essay will be scored by two other instructors. This process
ensures that ALL English 1301 students, regardless of the instructor, are learning
the same skills, concepts, techniques, and strategies.
During the semester, as you write major papers, I will use an essay assessment
that the English department developed to score your papers. (You will learn more
about what's on this assessment as you begin to work on papers.) All of the
Temple College Composition I instructors will use this same assessment during
the semester and for the final. This particular assessment allows for instructors to
see students' weaknesses and strengths; more importantly, it gives instructors a
method to determine the extent to which they need to vary their teaching so that
all students do well.
Please don't worry about it. It may sound complicated, but this simply means that
two instructors will score your final exam essay; then, those scores will be used
to determine your final exam grade. By the time we get to the final essay exam,
you will be prepared!
STANDARD FORM:
Neatness and standardization of form in essay format are essential. Students
should use the following guidelines for submitting papers/essays:
1. Use a Number 2 pencil on the Scantrons for your grammar tests.
2. Use Arial font and 12 point to word process all assignments. Also,
your essays must be double spaced. (See note below in red.)
3. All essays should have a title page.
Double space the following information in the center of the title page:
the title on the first line (title should not be underlined or placed in quotes)
the word “by” (not capitalized) on the second line
and your name on the third line
Double space and center the following information at the bottom of the title
page:
Composition I on the Internet and the course number on the first line
Mrs. E. Herrick on the second line
Date on the last line (month spelled out, followed with day and year in figures)
Although I have given you the proper format to type your title page,
ConnectWeb will not always "read" margins and centering correctly, so the
information may be shifted to the left-hand margin when you upload it.
Don’t worry about this. I am aware of this glitch in the ConnectWeb
system, and I will not hold you responsible. However, you should know
how to type the title page correctly, so use this proper format each time.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
According to Temple College policy, each instructor is expected to have an
absentee, late work, and make-up work policy. The following policies are
designed to encourage attendance and the submission of assignments on the
dates that they are due. Furthermore, these policies are designed to enhance the
learning environment of the class and to encourage students to fulfill the
responsibility of being contributing members of a learning community.
The Temple College Communications Department Attendance Policy will be
strictly followed. Keep these points in mind:
1. After three (3) absences during fall or spring semesters or two (2)
absences during summer semesters (3 weeks of not posting during
fall or spring semesters or 2 weeks of not posting during summer
semesters, not necessarily consecutively), you may be dropped
from the course.
2. No distinction is made between "excused" and "unexcused"
absences, but I appreciate when you tell me why you were absent
(why you didn't post).
3. If you know you will not be able to finish the course, you are
responsible for dropping. The exact date of the last day to
withdraw from the course is posted in the Course Syllabus on
the “Home” page in ConnectWeb.
LATE WORK/MAKE-UP POLICY:
Students are strongly encouraged not to miss a class; for Internet students, that
means you should post your homework each week by the due date/time. Keep in
mind:
1. No late work is accepted. If the work is not turned in by 12:00 noon
on Wednesday, a grade of zero will be recorded.
2. Minor assignments, such as practice essays and homework
assignments, may not be made up.
3. Grammar Tests may be made up if you have no more than 3
absences during the fall or spring semester and no more than
2 absences during the summer semester. If you are eligible to
take a make-up for a Grammar Test, you may take it during Make
up Week. The exact dates are posted in the Course Syllabus on
the “Home” page in ConnectWeb. You are responsible for
contacting me about your make-up. As with all major tests and the
final, you will take your make-up test in the Temple College Testing
Center at One College Center or if you are a VCT student, you will
go to your appropriate Testing Center
4. As we begin to work on major essays (in the second 33 1/3% of
your average), you will be posting prewriting, outlining, revising,
and editing assignments as part of weekly homework; you will post
the final copy of the essay, as well. If for some reason you do not
post the final copy of your major essay on time, you will lose ten
points for each day it is late.
Grades:
I will not post your weekly grades unless I receive a message from you asking for
your grades. Since your homework is due on Wednesdays, I usually grade
through the weekend, so I should have your homework grades by the following
Monday afternoon. Therefore, if you want to know your grades for the previous
week, send me a ConnectWeb message each Monday, and I’ll be glad to let you
know. I know it seems like a lot of trouble for you to contact me each Monday,
but honestly, it makes my job of responding to those interested students easier.
Especially at the beginning of this semester, I encourage you to keep track of
your grades to make sure you know how you’re doing on papers and
assignments.
I will send messages to all students after a grammar test or a major essay,
so you won't have to contact me about those. You can expect a message
from me on the Monday afternoon that follows a testing week. That means that if
you were taking a major grammar test this week, you would receive a message
with your test grade by the next Monday.
Tests:
All tests, including the final exam essay, must be taken at the Temple
College Testing Center in One College Center on the Main Campus or if you
are a VCT student, you must take them at your appropriate Testing Center.
Temple College Testing Center personnel will administer Grammar Tests at the
Temple College Testing Center. You will usually be given a 3-day window for
taking a major grammar test. Mrs. Anna Machalek is the Temple College Testing
Center Coordinator and can be reached at 298-8586.
You must present a picture I.D. when you come to take a test.
Children are not allowed to accompany parents while parents are taking tests
You must write bring a Number 2 pencil and a blue Scantron for all grammar
tests, except the first Diagnostic Grammar Test.
The hours for the center during the fall and spring semesters are the
following:
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (no test handed out
after 4:00 p.m.)
Tuesday—8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (no test handed out after 7:00 p.m.)
Friday—8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (no test handed out after 1:00 p.m.)
The hours for the summer semester are the following:
Monday through Thursday—7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (no test handed out after
5 :00 p.m.)
SCHOLASTIC INTEGRITY:
It is my job to ensure that scholastic integrity is maintained in my courses;
therefore, please note that no form of cheating or plagiarism is tolerated.
Cheating is sometimes a problem because students think that since this is an
Internet course it is acceptable to share answers and/or complete each other's
homework. Often I have siblings, spouses, best friends who take this class
together. It is NOT acceptable to do another person's assignment, whether a
weekly homework assignment or a major graded essay. Remember: If you
post a major graded essay assignment after receiving help from someone else,
you will be cheating yourself. When it comes time to take your Final Essay exam
at the Testing Center, you will realize that you have not mastered the skills
necessary to write a passing essay on your own. Failing 33 1/3 % of the course
(the Final Essay exam) is not worth cheating on a major essay! I may ask you to
work in small discussion groups, and while I encourage you to collaborate on
discussion of reading selections and writing feedback, your homework answers
should not be verbatim. If I ask you to do an assignment, you can expect me to
read your work.
Scholastic Dishonesty, cheating of any kind, may result in any of the
following:
1-a failing grade on the assignment
2-a failing grade in the course
3-removal of the student from the course
4-removal of the student from the institution
STUDENT SERVICES:
Keep in mind that you are a Temple College student. Sometimes Internet
students think they because they take online classes, they don't have access to
Student Services; that assumption is incorrect. Temple College offers tutorials
through various programs, from the TRIO program to the Learning Assistance
Center in Special Support Services. Visit the Temple College homepage and
click on Student Services for more information!