Dr. Darryl E. Haley Assistant Professor of English Director of Computer Assisted Writing Freshman Composition I Online Spring 2001

Office Phone Dept. Phone Email Web Page

439-5991 439-4339 haleyd@etsu.edu http://www.etsu.edu/haleyd

Required Text:

• McCuen, Jo Ray, and Anthony C. Winkler. Readings for Writers, 10th Edition. New York: Harcourt, 2001.
• Troyke, Lynn Quitman. Quick Access: Reference for Writers. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.
These texts are available in the campus bookstore. You will receive other texts (i.e., handouts and writing samples) electronically, through your class space on the ETSU Blackboard Server.

Description of the course:

This is the online version of Freshman Composition I: Critical Thinking/Expository Writing. As a core course at ETSU, ENGL1110 is designed to give you some basic information about academic writing styles and formats. As the semester progresses, you will write, edit, and submit four papers and will engage in other activities such as grammar quizzes, diagnostics, collaborative exercises, and "freewrites."

This section of ENGL1110 is aimed at motivated students with flexible schedules and the ability to work without supervision. If this doesn't sound like you, then you probably need to enroll in a traditional section of this course.  If it does sound like you, you must make an appointment to see me during registration (send me an email and I'll set up the meeting). You must meet with me, and have my permission, before you can enroll in this course.

At the first Saturday class session, I will provide a brief orientation to Blackboard (the software for this course) and will administer a grammar diagnostic and writing assignment.

Papers:  You will complete four writing projects this semester:  
• Project I: Narration/Description/Process Analysis  
• Project II: Illustration/Definition
• Project III: Comparison-Contrast/Division-Classification/Causal Analysis
• Project IV: Argumentation  
Revisions: You will prepare revisions of Papers III and IV
Quizzes and Diagnostics: You will take reading quizzes and diagnostic examinations in grammar and writing.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Discussion: You will be required to electronically attend synchronous discussion sessions, as determined by your instructor, and will be required to post to the asynchronous discussion area at least once every two weeks during the term.  Your instructor will give you a tentative list of  times and topics at the first class session.

Prerequisites: (c.f. the "Technology Requirements" section, below)

You are expected to begin this course with basic word processing and Internet browsing skills.

Tests & Grading Policy:

You will complete the following assignments: 4 papers, 2 revisions, 3 in-class writing exercises, Discussion Group participation, numerous quizzes and diagnostic exams, and required visits during my Virtual Office Hours. The Blackboard software will keep track of your participation in discussion groups, quiz and diagnostic exam scores, and other vital information--you should plan to check the class site regularly.

You will also use Blackboard to submit your papers. Note Well: if you do not have Microsoft Word for Windows, you must contact me before the semester begins. If you submit a paper as an attachment in a format I can't read, you will receive a failing grade for that paper.

Description of Assignments that you will submit, and how you will do this. 

All of the papers, quizzes, and diagnostic exams for this course will be submitted electronically. They will be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.  Guidelines for dating the paper, and for including your name and other essential information, will be included in the electronic description of each assignment. Examples of these papers are in your textbook.

• Paper I: Narration/Description/Process Analysis  (3 to 5 pages)
You will be given a topic about which you will write a narrative paper. You may be asked to write about how you learned to use a computer, for example, or about a "watershed" event in your life.
• Project II: Illustration/Definition
• Project III: Comparison-Contrast/Division-Classification/Causal Analysis
• Project IV: Argumentation 

Technology Requirements: 

You must have access to the Internet; a Pentium based PC, CD ROM, Netscape 4 or Internet Explorer 4, or above; any client software and/or browser plugins; and several 3.5" HD disks. Since format is important in composition classes, you must have access to Microsoft Word for Windows or make specific arrangements with me to use a different word processing program. As Internet email will be used in addition to Blackboard, you must be familiar with, and be able to send and receive, email.

Participation Requirements: 

Although you may log into the class and participate during my Virtual Office Hours, you are only required to do so once for each paper (that's four times during the semester). At specified intervals you will log into the asynchronous discussion area and will post comments there. This material will be covered during the first Saturday meeting. You will also check the announcements section for your class at least once each week (on Fridays), and will adjust the course outline, deadlines, and/or other information to reflect changes I may make.

You will be expected to follow the syllabus for this course exactly, submitting assignments and posting information on or before the deadlines. I will neither accept nor grade late materials; you will receive a failing grade for late work. If you fail to participate in your designated forums, you will receive zero points for the assignment; there will be no "make-up" of any materials.

I will assign in-class writing exercises at the three class sessions listed below. If I determine that there is a significant difference between the work a student submits in class and that submitted electronically, the student's grade will be based on in-class work only. Under no circumstances will you submit work not written by you; such is plagiarism.

Required On-Campus Meetings

You must attend these three Saturday class meetings, to be held in Burleson Hall, Room 203, at 10 a.m.. The dates of these meetings are:
January 13, March 24, and April 28
Failure to attend these meetings will result in failure of this course. THIS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE. You must bring your ETSU photo identification to each class meeting, and must present this identification to the instructor at the beginning of class.