General Information
Return to Homepage Spring 2010 Course Syllabus Spring 2010 Course Outline WR 227 Outcomes
Skill Requirements First Week Attendance Requirements
Instructions on accessing this course in Blackboard
Instructor
Contact InformationInstructor (Spring 2010): Eleanor Latham, Ph.D. vita
Phone: (541)-383-7547
Office: MODOC 213
Spring Office Hours: TBA
This is not a self-study course: weekly participation is required.
Regular access to a computer with an internet connection; daily access preferred; daily access at home ideal. A Windows machine is preferable: students with MAC computers will need substantial computer expertise to compensate for compatibility problems.
Current/Recent Netscape or Internet Explorer (students with AOL can use AOL as a connection but must access the course through Netscape or IE). Students with AOL may expect significant problems attaching files.
A reasonably recent version of Word or strong computer skills are necessary for submitting assignments.
Competent computer keyboarding skills.
Competent computer skills and understanding.
Competent internet skills.
Willingness and ability to learn new skills as necessary
On Campus Requirement: None
Orientation: Complete COCC's on-line orientation (visit http://web.cocc.edu/onlineorientation for more information) in order to register or join the wait list for this class (note: if you have already completed the orientation for a previous on-line class, you do not need to do so again).
First Week Attendance Requirement: DUE BY Wednesday, 11:59 p.m., March 31.
Log-on to our Blackboard course (access from My Login from COCC's homepage); follow instructions in the post labeled "First Week Attendance Requirement Instructions" located within the Assignments folder in our Blackboard class site. The process ensures that you have found and are able to log onto the course site and have at least a basic knowledge of how the course is set up and can use the Blackboard testing system. You will need to
1. find the instructions;
2. follow the instructions
3. pass the quiz with at least 90% (you may retake the quiz as often as necessary, up to the due date, to achieve this score).
Note: your general Blackboard access is available early Monday, Mar. 29 (when classes begin); all assignments and first and second week materials will be available then. Please do not contact me or the support staff with questions about why you cannot access the course prior to that date.
Note: course is password protected; see http://blackboard.cocc.edu/Login/default.aspx for instructions on accessing Blackboard.
If you do not
"attend" during the first week (i.e., complete
the first week attendance assignment by Wednesday of the first week of
classes), you will be administratively withdrawn from the
class and your spot given to a student on the waiting list.
Students on the waiting list who
do not "attend" by completing the first week
attendance assignment will lose their place on the waiting list.
How will an on-line writing course work?
 | Lecture "posts" and a questions and answer board in our password protected course area in Blackboard replace in-class content and instructions (e.g., Week 1 Content, plus required reading from the text, contains the material I expect you to have read and/or completed in Week 1. Individual students may need to read materials from the "Supporting Materials" folder in addition to the "Lecture" pages and assignments (e.g., students need to understand basic research to complete the assignment due in Week 2--such as how to find scholarly sources as opposed to using Google--if you do not know how to have that prerequisite skill/knowledge, you will need to access that information on your own in the Supporting Materials folder and supporting links). |
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| Discussion Board and online group areas replace traditional group work and class discussions. |
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| You will turn in major assignments using Turnitin, discussion assignments in the Discussion Board and exercises using Blackboard's online testing tool in the Assignments folder. |
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| Exercises are auto-graded and provide immediate feedback. You will receive comments on your work in Turnitin--if you do not see comments, you aren't looking at the graded version. |
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| Conferences with the instructor will be by telephone, live chat, or in person. |
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| Note that the college policy of attendance during the first week applies to this course: you must follow find and instructions located in Course Materials: Assignments (instructions are labeled "First Week Attendance Requirement Instructions") within the Blackboard class site. |
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Go to First Week Attendance Requirement information. |
How do I register for this course? (Note: the Spring section is currently full, with a waiting list; the information below now applies only to registering for WR 227 online in a later quarter.)
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You will need to apply for admission to C.O.C.C. if you have not already done so. (Update: admission to COCC is closed for Spring 2010) |
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You will need to complete the free COCC online orientation (see http://web.cocc.edu/onlineorientation ). The orientation will take you anywhere from an hour to several days. After you submit the orientation, staff will grade your work and, if you are successful, will send you an email confirming that you are able to register for online courses. Note that the grading process is NOT automated; you will NOT to be able to register immediately after completing the orientation. |
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Instructions for students on the Waiting List: You will have temporary course access just as registered students do; this does NOT mean you are "in" the class. Fulfill the first week attendance requirement as for registered students. I will admit students to register as spaces become available until Monday of the second week of classes (note that having course ACCESS isn't the same as being REGISTERED in the class). Wait listed students who have not registered by Friday of the last week of classes automatically lose course access. "Permission to register" (what I provide) doesn't register you--you must register for the class yourself
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
 | This section of WR 227 is equivalent to other distance and on-campus WR 227 sections: the standard expectation for college courses is 2-3 hours of out-of-class work for each hour of in-class work: a 3 credit course in a 10 or 11 week term should take the average student, in an average week, 9 hours each week. Underprepared students will require more than the average time; students without STRONG reading skills will require significantly more than the average time in an on-line class compared to a face-to-face class. |
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| An on-line 3 credit course could take you more or less than the standard hours depending on how quickly you read and write and how thoroughly you absorb what you read, and depending also on your technical skills. Most students find that online courses take them 1 1/2 times the time they spend on traditional classes. Also, the in-class work in a traditional class includes immediate access to instructor assistance; in an online class, you need to allow additional time to get Q&A discussion board responses. (Note: do not simply dispense with instructor assistance in an online class--if you would ask the instructor or other students for help doing an assignment in a traditional class, ask the instructor or other students for help in an online class!) |
Tuition and fees are the same as for any other WR 227 section (3 credits) plus an additional on-line fee of $30 ($10 per credit). Actual tuition varies based on your residence status--see your C.O.C.C. schedule or catalog for details.
You should plan on accessing course material at least twice a week. Students who have daily access to the internet will have a distinct advantage in the course.
Announcements and updates will appear periodically. All graded assignments other than the final draft of the final report are due Fridays (assignments can always be submitted early).
Ask most questions using the Q&A folder in the Discussion Board in the Blackboard course. If you need to email me directly on a personal matter, please include the course number in your subject line.
Note that this is NOT a self-paced or open ended course: I will post announcements and updates; assignments are due on or before specific days; your final report rough draft must be posted in time for your partners to respond by the peer review deadline; discussion board comments have specific deadlines, and so on. You should expect to participate at least twice a week. Capability for checking e-mail on a daily basis will simplify your participation in this course.
Email I send you will go to your COCC email account. Either check that account regularly or set it up to forward email to an account you do check regularly.
This section of WR 227 follows the regular (10 week) C.O.C.C. Spring Quarter schedule, beginning March 29 and ending Friday June 11 (final report due by Friday June 9).
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