I taught my first English Composition course in 1974, and I have been teaching online courses exclusively for the last ten years. As a student, I attended Lee College, a junior college, for my first two years. I received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston in 1974 and a Master of Arts from UH in 1976. I also did supplemental graduate work at Oxford University, England. I have been teaching English courses at ACC since 1978. I generally teach English 1301 and English 1302, though I did teach sophomore courses in the past.

I would probably not be considered an "easy" teacher. I require careful attention to details and adherence to course and assignment guidelines. I also expect students to read the course documents. Too many students seem to think they can submit anything and have it accepted just because they submit it. If you have such an attitude, please leave it at the door because it won't work here. I may be hard, but I am also fair. To be fair, I try to apply course guidelines equally. To be fair, I grade submissions based on the quality of the work, not on the circumstances surrounding the submissions. I may sympathize with students' stresses and strains of everyday life, but they are not criteria I use to grade your work.

My communication style has been called everything from friendly and humorous to curt, gruff, or rude, though my granddaugher likes me. I don't think I'm rude, rather frank and straighforward. Don't expect me to coddle you or beg you to do your work. If you don't do your work up to par, I will certainly let you know, and I seldom mince words. If you regard a straightforward assessment of your performance--good or bad--as rude, you might want to consider taking the course from another instructor.

My expectations are:

• you will study the class materials conscientiously;
• you will follow course guidelines;
• you will read and think about the lecture documents and reading selections;
• you will use care in completing the assignments;
• you will do your work in a timely fashion.

Your goals should be:

• devote the effort necessary to write as well as you can;
• write a grammatically correct and logically consistent essay;
• revise thoroughly and conscientiously when required to do so;
• improve your writing through practice;
• keep pace with due dates;
• complete the course with a passing grade.

To succeed in this course, you must acquaint yourself with the online environment quickly, and then complete the work effectively and punctually. These steps outline a viable approach to the course.

1. Get acquainted with Blackboard. You will use Blackboard to send messages and coursework submissions to me. I will use Blackboard to return your coursework and leave messages for you. You will take quizzes in Blackboard. Log in to Blackboard on a regular basis to check for announcements or to participate in the Discussion Board. Read about How to Use Blackboard at this link.

2. The most important documents in this course are the Schedule and Assignment Due Dates document, the Course Guidelines documents, the Assignment Lectures, and the Reading Selections. These documents are available both in Blackboard and at my ACC Web page: http://www.austincc.edu/dws

• The Schedule and Assignment Due Dates document includes due dates, deadlines, and other calendar details. It also includes links to lecture notes and specific requirements for each assignment. It can be found under the Schedule & Assignments button in Blackboard. Read this document carefully, and be sure to follow all links in each assignment so that you can complete the work more effectively.

• You can find the Course Guidelines document under the Guidelines button. Here you will find how to make a grade, how to format an essay, how to save and submit a file, and more. This document includes the operating instructions for this course. Read it carefully, too.

• The Assignment Lectures are available under the Lectures button in Blackboard. Each lecture introduces the concept involved in the assignment and gives specific details on how to complete the assignment satisfactorily. Requirements for each lecture are included at the end of the lecture for that assignment.

4. Check the Schedule often for due dates for assignments and quizzes. Be aware of deadlines. Be aware of late submissions penalties.

5. Do the required work conscientiously and punctually. There can be significant penalties for late submissions of coursework.

I have added an Online Grammar Handbook to the course documents. It includes a review of basic grammar concepts such as parts of speech, sentence structure, and paragraph structure. This handbook also explains the major grammatical errors I mark on student papers. I recommend you review the handbook, especially if I point out grammar errors in your writing. The handbook is available at the following link:

Skrabanek's Online Grammar Handbook

Many of the links pertinent to this course and the assignments are located in one convenient place. Included are links for ACC services available to students, ACC Library services, writing and grammar information, and specific course and assignment information.

Click here for the Handy Links page.

The word education, in its base form, comes from the Latin educere, "to lead forth," and is related to educe, "to bring out (as something latent)," and also to deduce and seduce (both meaning "to lead away"). The suggestion is that education is not a putting in, with a subsequent regurgitation, but a leading out of something already present. This course will focus less on my putting in information and more on your active participation.

Education, in a sense, is learning what you don't have to know--not college preparation for a job, but perhaps why a bride wears a veil at a wedding or why people wear black clothes at funerals, both good topics for a research paper.

According to T.H. Huxley: "Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not."

And more important, I think, is the belief of Sydney J. Harris: "The primary purpose of ... education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's time."

Online courses require a new sort of commitment on the part of the student. Because online courses provide very limited live contact with the instructor, you as the student must take on the responsibility of ensuring that you explore and study the various lessons and lectures associated with each assignment. So, if you do not have the appropriate motivation and time-management skills required in this online learning environment, perhaps you should consider switching to a traditional classroom setting. Otherwise, rev up your hard drive, and let's get moving.

The minimum requirements for students to participate in an online course are:

• access to a computer, the Internet, a Web browser, a word processor, and Email;
• the ability to use these electronic appliances;
• and the motivation to succeed in a nontraditional educational setting.

This course has a modular structure. Due dates for assignments and quizzes are clearly indicated in the Schedule and Assignment Due Dates document, so you know from the beginning of the semester exactly what is expected of you. As a result, you can easily stay on track. The course is designed to give you ample time to complete your work. However, if you can complete an assignment BEFORE it is due, feel free to submit it early. There are also penalties for repeated late submissions. And remember, the course lasts only 8 weeks.

You are expected to have a basic knowledge of your computer operating system and software tools such as a word processor, Email, a Web browser, and search engines. You will be required to use your computer and the Internet to complete many of the assignments, and most of your work will be delivered by using the Submissions button in Blackboard. You must know how to save and attach files and how to upload and download attached files. If you are not comfortable or competent using these tools, you should consider switching to a traditional classroom setting.

You will be using Blackboard for most of your communication and coursework delivery needs. The Submissions button and the Messages feature (under the Communication button) are two Blackboard components you may use extensively in this course.

There may be times you will need a working Email address. You should have your own personal Email address, preferably not a shared one. ACC now offers free Email accounts for ACC students. Read about student Email at this link:

ACCmail

Or click here to sign up for a free account from these Email providers:

Microsoft Hotmail at: http://hotmail.com

Yahoo Mail at: http://mail.yahoo.com

Google Gmail at: https://www.google.com/accounts/

Software Requirements

--A word processing program that can produce double-spaced papers and save them in Rich Text Format (rtf) or Microsoft Word (docx or doc) format.
--Web Browser: A recent version of Firefox or Internet Explorer. Safari, Opera, and other browsers probably will work, too, but I have not tested them. Your Web browser must be capable of sending and receiving attached files.
--Email software may be needed at times.
(You may need the program below for activities on other sites.)
--Adobe Acrobat: Click here for free download now!

This course is primarily Web-based. The Blackboard Web site has a straightforward design that makes it easily navigable. You should visit Blackboard on a regular basis to check my announcements, submit or retrieve coursework, check for messages, complete quizzes, or visit the Discussion Board.

Log in to Blackboard here.

I also maintain an ACC Web page outside of Blackboard that contains most of the course documents. My Web page does not require a login. It is available at http://www.austincc.edu/dws.

(On my home page, click on the link for your section.)

You should become familiar with the Blackboard site and these other course documents as soon as possible. Then you can move more effectively through the course.

1. Getting Started with Blackboard

Click and review the Blackboard introduction link above. Then log in to the Blackboard site. You should bookmark the Blackboard login page.

As soon as you log in to Blackboard, you will be taken to your personal home page. Find the list of Blackboard courses in which you are enrolled. Click on English Composition.

**Click here for more information on How to Use Blackboard, or look under the Orientation button in Blackboard. In this document, you will find useful instructions on using some of the features of Blackboard, especially the Submissions procedures, Messages, and the Discussion Board.

Spend time familiarizing yourself with the Blackboard site. Click all the buttons on the left side of the screen and check out the various features of the course. For example:

• The Schedule can be found by clicking the Schedule & Assignments button.
• The Course Guidelines document is under the Guidelines button.
• Quizzes can be found by clicking the Schedule & Assignments button.
• Lecture notes and specific requirements for each assignment are under the Lectures button.
• The Submissions button contains links to send and retrieve your coursework files.
• In Student Tools, you can check your grades.
• Click the Communication button to check for messages or to contribute your "two cents worth" in the Discussion Board.
• Click the other buttons to see what additional features are available.

3. Schedule and Assignment Due Dates
In the Schedule and Assignment Due Dates document, you can see all of your assignment and quiz due dates at a glance. You can also find End-of-Semester details here. This document also includes links to the assignment lectures. These lectures discuss the six core assignments you must complete in this course. Basic requirements and links to supplementary resources are given. How to prepare for the assignment and detailed samples are additional features. The Schedule and Assignment Due Dates document is available under the Schedule & Assignments button in Blackboard.

4. Course Guidelines
Here you will find a description of the course goals and objectives, required materials, and general requirements. This document also details how business will be conducted in this course. How to make a grade, the grading process, paper formats and file naming, and paper delivery policies are discussed here. This document is a must-read if you intend to succeed in this course. This document is available under the Guidelines button.

5. English 1301 Department Syllabus
General departmental course requirements are discussed here.

1. Visit Blackboard regularly. You are responsible for my announcements or messages to you posted there. You will also use Blackboard to submit most of your coursework. Visit the Discussion Board to see what's going on there. Complete your quizzes by their due dates.

2. Follow the Schedule and complete your work on time.

3. Start to organize early. You might want to print important information (Schedule and Assignment Due Dates, Course Guidelines, Assignment Lectures, Reading Selections, etc.). Remember, though, that assignment lectures may contain links to supplementary information, so visit the Assignment Lectures under the Lectures button in Blackboard as you prepare each assignment.

4. Try to do most of your work offline. It is difficult to read long documents from a computer screen, so try to print the online lectures and reading selections you have been assigned and read them offline. This practice also allows you to take notes and mark up the pages. You should also bookmark the online resources on your computer's Web browser for future reference.

5. Let me know if you are having problems. If you are having technical difficulties or problems understanding something about the course, do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you don't understand something, chances are several people have the same question, so leave me a message or post your question to the Open Forum or Help! forum in the Discussion Board in Blackboard. And remember, I am available to meet you for a conference. Send me a Message in Blackboard, or call or visit during my office hours, which are advertised under the Faculty Information button or at this link.

6. Finally, unfortunately, I probably won't be able to solve any technological problems. For example, some students have trouble logging in to Blackboard. I can check to see if your name is on the roster; if it is, you should be able to log in. I likely will not be able to solve any computer or software incompatibilities. I am responsible for the content of my Blackboard and ACC sites, but I am not responsible for a student's ability to log in. You would need to contact IT services.

So you've read all this orientation information, of course, and you wonder what you really need to do to pass this course. Students who abide by the following five tenets will get along fine in this course.

1. Follow directions and guidelines. Read the assignments and lectures carefully, and follow directions. Simple enough. If you don't follow directions, you will get to do the same work over and again until you do follow directions.

2. I reward concern for the assignment and care in doing it. You may not like the assignment, but be assured it is for your own good (which I believe is what they say just before the spanking, isn't it?). Pay attention to details. Study the samples. Be consistent. I am not impressed by carelessness, thoughtlessness, and lack of concern for the assignment directions. Careless or shoddy work will only delay your progress.

3. Pace yourself. Do not expect me to accept a large number of assignments at once from you and then grade them immediately--won't happen. Recall the lesson of Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare": slow and steady wins the race.

4. Persevere. Many students hit a "wall" during the research project, and they never finish the course. If you complete the research project in a timely fashion, you should be able to complete the course handily.

5. Don't be afraid to ask questions or request help. Send me messages in Blackboard. Use the Discussion Board. It will probably be your main base for contact with your classmates. Other students or I may be able to resolve your problems.

Once you have read all the information above and studied the corresponding links, you may take the Orientation Quiz located in the Quizzes folder under the Schedule & Assignments button in Blackboard. You must score 70% on the quiz to continue in the course. You can retake any quiz if necessary.

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