Policies and Guidelines for Online Writing
The online portion of the class will take place in two separate spaces in Blackboard Learn:
1) In our class Blackboard Learn space
2) In your online Writing Studio accessed through the ENGL 1304 Writing Studio link on your
Blackboard Learn “Course Listing” page. You will have access to this space when you begin
drafting your first essay.
Each week you’ll be engaged in conversation in one or both of these spaces, responding to prompts that
should help your reading, critical thinking, and drafting process.
In our class online discussion boards and blogs your discussions and responses will be visible to the
entire class and me. You might, for example, post a response to a reading, or tell us what you thought
about a YouTube video or post a revision you’ve made in one of your drafts. Online journals will allow
you to post ideas and reflections that are visible only to you and me.
In the online Writing Studios you’ll be working with a small group (5-6) of your peers brainstorming,
questioning, reflecting, posting drafts, and acting as careful readers and responders as you work through
the writing process together. Joining you as a guide in the online Writing Studios will be a very capable
and cool facilitator from the Writing Center. These conversations will only be visible to the members of
your group.
In both these spaces you’ll be practicing and refining your thinking and writing skills; after all, that’s
what the class is all about.
General information:

Check the online activities regularly. You need to get into good habits starting in week one.
One of your responsibilities in taking this hybrid course is that you will check the class online
activities and your Writing Studio forums frequently and stay current on the conversations and
assignments taking place there.

Part of your responsibility as a student in this class is to read your classmates’ posts and blogs.
At the end of the week, you should have no unread entries. You’re engaged in a conversation
about writing and should be aware of what others have said.

As you begin working online, sign your name at the bottom of your posts, and we’ll know what
to call you when we respond. This is especially important early in the semester, since your user
name may not reflect how you’d like to be addressed.
Guidelines for Class Online Activities & Writing Studios:
Although you won’t have the same online assignment each week, you can generally think of your
conversations as having the following characteristics:
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
Thoughtful & complete. While online discussions are not formal, they should be coherent pieces
of writing reflecting some thought on your part. They should also fulfill the directives of the
prompt in terms of length and content. It’s very easy to get full credit for the prompts (they are
never “right answer”), so short or missing posts will keep you from getting full, or any, credit.

Semiformal, yet conversational. Online discussions will be part of a dialogue, so in that regard
they will differ in terms of formality from a major paper you turn in for a class. Your posts,
however, should be clear and understandable to your audience. These discussions will give you
many opportunities to refine the ability to make a clear, focused point when writing. In other
words they’re great practice to express your ideas and see what you think.

Courteous. All discussion posts will maintain the same high level of respect for thoughts,
feelings, and ideas that we uphold in class.
Evaluation of Online Work (30% of your course grade):
Each week your online work will be checked for complete participation. Since the online portion of the
class represents a substantial portion of your course grade, this participation and completion will be
translated into a grade:



You will receive full credit (A) if you fully and thoughtfully fulfill the directives of the prompt.
You will receive a half (C) or no credit (F) if your posts 1) partially fulfill the prompt – for
example, missing the main post or the responses; 2) fail to address the directions of the prompt
– for example the length or content requirements; or 4) contain disrespectful language.
Late posts will receive no credit.
Remember, failure to appear and engage virtually each week will count as an absence.
Technology Issues:
Technology questions and issues are handled through Technology Support Services, M. D. Anderson
Library Rm. 56 (in person M-F, 8-8) or by phone 713-743-1411 (24/7, except university holidays) or
online at http://www.uh.edu/blackboard/help/ . Avoid problems by posting early and having a back-up
plan.
You’ll be uploading essays and drafts to both Turnitin.com and the Writing Studio Discussion Forum
throughout the semester. Although Turnitin.com takes multiple document formats (.doc., .docx, .rtf,
.pdf), you should plan to save your drafts as Word files (.doc or .docx) for Writing Studios to ensure your
studio group can open them.
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