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English 1010: Composition I Online

Course Information

 

Instructor: Kathleen Beauchene, Associate Professor of English
Office: Flanagan (Lincoln) Campus - Room #1214
Office Hours:  Fall 2009
Monday:    10AM - 12PM
Tuesday:   12PM - 1 PM; 5-5:50 PM (online)
Thursday:  10AM - 12PM
Phone: 401-333-7389
E-mail kbeauchene@ccri.edu Preferred contact method.
 Other Contact Methods: 401-333-7372 (Flanagan Campus, Lincoln, English Dept.)
401-825-2262 (Knight Campus, Warwick, English Dept.)
COURSE OVERVIEW:

There is no scheduled orientation to provide you with a course overview. Instead, I suggest reading the policies carefully to get an understanding  about how the course is designed and how you can best meet course objectives. However, if you need personalized assistance, you can contact me during my office hours or stop by to chat. You can also email me at any time. Please note that you are not "bothering me, harassing me, annoying me" by asking me questions. Feel free to ask me as many questions, even if they seem silly to you. I will respond promptly and politely.

Many students ask to see a syllabus. However, that is available ONLY at our WebCT site. I can provide you with an idea of the course/assignment schedule. Please email me at kbeauchene@ccri.edu to be emailed the link.

To see if taking a distance learning course matches your learning style, take this Distance Learning Quiz.

WebCT REGISTRATION:

Being registered for this course does not automatically register you into the WebCT course component, where you will find the course syllabi, assignments, and resources. This secure site requires registration with your Pipeline user name and password.

A few days before the course begins I will open self-registration. Follow these directions to self-register, and be sure to click on the pencil icon in the last column to do so.  If you have any difficulty registering, you can contact me or the Help Desk (825-1112). I will close self-registration during the 2nd week of classes. If you are not registered then, you will be denied access and asked to drop the course.

TEXTBOOK:

The Bedford Guide for College Writers, 8th edition by X.J. Kennedy and others. The text can be purchased from the CCRI bookstore or from Amazon.com, or even from a site like eBay. Be sure that you purchase the hardcover edition with the Reader, Research Manual, and Handbook combined.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This freshman-level writing course fulfills the writing requirement for most students. The college catalog provides a full description.



COURSE OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, students are expected to possess specific knowledge about the writing process and exhibit specific writing skills.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 

1. Read assigned sections of the course text. These assignments are included in the Course Schedule on our WebCT site.

2. Complete and email essays, homework, and quizzes based on the timeline provided in the Course Schedule on our WebCT website. At that site, I provide you with specific details about how to submit assignments, such as emailing essays to me as an attachment to my kbeauchene@ccri.edu address. If at any time, you are unsure about your computer skills, please contact me and I will either direct you to a specific resource at the site or find the information you need. You do not need to be a computer geek to take this course! Remember the computer is just a tool, like pen and paper, so don't let it inhibit your performance in this course.

3. Check the WebCT site on a weekly basis for announcements and updates that will be posted to the Main Discussion Board. Here you can ask questions about course assignments, WebCT functions or problems, or general course information.

4. Contribute to the Graded Discussion Board, which is our virtual classroom, about writing-related topics that I will post. (WebCT automatically keeps track of student visits.) Submitting homework, essays, and quizzes--is not enough. You need to be part of this course. You need to make your voice heard on the Graded Discussion Board. Doing so factors into your participation grade.

5. Demonstrate appropriate online etiquette. From your own online experiences, you may have already discovered that people don't always communicate the same way they do in a face-to-face environment. For example, they may email or post items that are inappropriate (i.e., rude) in content or tone. My basic advice is to think before you write when you email or post to our discussion board. Also, when you send an email or post to the discussion board, you may not receive an immediate response. In my case, I check my email frequently (even on most weekends), but I have other commitments (such as 4 other courses to teach) so I may not be able to give you an immediate reply. If you are concerned about your email getting lost in cyberspace, you can request a "read receipt" from you email program so that you will know that I have at least received it even though I haven't responded to it.

GRADING POLICY:

1.  Your final grade in the course will be based on the results of the following:

2.  With the MyGrade feature of WebCT, you can see your grades for individual assignments. Please review your grades frequently to ensure that I haven't forgotten to record them. At the end of the semester, I  calculate your grade based on the following percentages:

50%   -   Essays

25%   -   Homework

15%   -   Quizzes

10%   -   Participation (Graded Discussion Board Postings)

3.  Factors that will negatively affect your grade.

(a) Plagiarism
An online course like this one requires the highest standard of academic honest and integrity Once you enter this class, you must agree to do all of your own work. If you use outside sources--another's words, ideas, or material--you must show documentation using the guidelines of the Modern Language Association (see our text for specific information). If essays are submitted that have been partially or entirely plagiarized, a grade of Zero will be assigned. A Zero assigned as an essay grade usually results in a failing grade for the course. Please read the College's Policy on Academic Dishonesty for further information. Examples of plagiarism include: 

  • Copying someone else's assignment or paper and submitting it as your own.

  • Buying and submitting another student's work or a professionally prepared paper as if it is your own. Copying or paraphrasing words, phrases, sentences, passages without attributing them to the source where you found them.

  • Using someone else's ideas without giving credit.

  • Collaborating on assignments with someone else without the permission of the instructor. 

(b) Late Work
Some students have difficulty with the internet format as they are unable to adhere to deadlines. Late assignments will be appropriately downgraded, and after a certain time, will not be accepted at all. If an assignment is going to be more than a week late, you should contact me immediately. Specific assignments and their accompanying due dates are available at our WebCT site under the Course Schedule. Please review it and print it out, if necessary, to keep yourself on track. However, as in all courses, the schedule may change so it is essential that you visit the course at least once a week by going to the Main Discussion Board where I post updates and changes. If you are having a problem meeting the course requirements or submitting work promptly, contact me immediately. Waiting to contact me will affect your credibility and jeopardize your grade.

(c) Not Reading/Following Directions
Essays and homework need to be submitted in sequence. That is, you need to submit Essay 1 before Essay 2. The essay assignments, in particular, become more complex as the course progresses. In effect, one helps you prepare for the other. For that reason, you cannot submit essays in lump fashion. That is, you cannot send in all essays at the same time! Doing so is not academically sound as you will not be getting the necessary feedback to develop your writing skills. 

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