Embedded Files
List of Assignments:
List of Assignments:
Narrative Essay
Narrative Essay
Students will be expected to write a personal narrative essay. The purpose of this assignment is to turn a personal story into a well thought out, interesting essay. Choose a particular moment in your life in which you learned a valuable lesson or fact. Expand on this topic by focusing on how the audience (reader) could benefit from knowing this information. It could be something you learned in hindsight or something you are still trying to understand (i.e. a moral issue). Narrative Essay Handout
Module Journal
Module Journal
Students will be expected to write journals when assigned. Journals will ask students to reflect on the application of specific topics from each assigned reading and make a connection to their personal lives. Journals will also include questions related to the material covered in the module. All answers are to be given in the student’s own words. Questions will be posted within the journal assignment(s) within Canvas. Module Journal Handout
Film Analysis
Film Analysis
Students are to examine a film relative to specific aspects of Interpersonal Communication. Films for this paper must be approved by the instructor prior to starting this assignment. Papers must be a minimum of seven typed pages. Assignment guidelines are found within Canvas. Link to the Film Analysis Handout
Format guidelines
Format guidelines
To ensure that formatting is consistent for all students, journals and campaign papers are expected to be typed, double-spaced using 12 font size, Times New Roman or Arial font with one-inch margins. All papers will be submitted using the assignment tool within Canvas.
Attendance/Class Participation/Discussion Boards
Attendance/Class Participation/Discussion Boards
Our class is a collective learning experience. I will need all students to help create the learning environment of our class. To be able to learn from and support your classmates, it is imperative that you participate in online class discussions. If we have a lack of participation in the online discussion boards, the work becomes “busy work” and hard to get through. I really don’t want this to be the experience of our class. So I ask all of you to treat the online discussion board as our “classroom” time.
Attendance will be taken from the “Hidden Gem” discussion boards. The “Hidden Gem” discussion board questions are ungraded but required to stay enrolled in the course. I require students to complete the “Hidden Gem” discussion board questions for each module to ensure all students receive an overview of the given module. I have learned over the last fifteen years of teaching online that the“Hidden Gem” discussion board is a game-changer as it helps students be successful in my online classes, hence why it is now required. Please note, students do not need to reply to classmates’ postings for the “Hidden Gem” discussion board postings.
Participation/Discussion Questions
Participation/Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions will be assigned within most modules. My hope for all students in my class is to find the discussion board questions enriching. I am not a fan of “busy work” or posting discussion board questions that don’t lend themselves to a rich discussion(s). This is where I need your help! I ask you to keep the following in mind as you work on discussions:
Students should read the textbook, support material and watch posted videos prior to answering the discussion board questions.
I don’t place word requirements on discussions because I don’t want students to write with “how do I reach the word requirement” in mind. Your answers should demonstrate your understanding of the support materials/concepts.
The concepts covered in the course are entrenched in our lives! Discussion boards are meant to help students make a connection between what you read/watch and how it is applied in the real world.
There will be times when the discussion board questions will ask for students to reflect on larger concepts (work done on multiple modules). I will let you know if this is the expectation within the discussion board question.
Each discussion board question will have a rubric attached. Please read over the rubric to ensure you understand the grading criteria for each discussion board (the rubrics are different for each discussion board question).
Instructor’s role in the discussion board
Instructor’s role in the discussion board
I treat the discussion board like the live classroom environment. I post the questions and let students answer them. I try not to interfere too much with the discussion so that I don’t change the environment. My experience has taught me that as soon as I post a response to students’ postings within the discussion board, students go silent. I will be an observer but not an active participant. If you have questions or concerns about what is being discussed, please send me an email using the Canvas email system.
Late Assignment Policy
Late Assignment Policy
I am asked every semester if students can turn in late assignments! I understand that life happens and there are times when turning in an assignment by the due date is just not going to happen. This puts both of us in a peculiar situation! I want to be able to help out but I can’t always do so. When students ask about late assignments, I have to take into account how the assignment impacts the flow of the class and the goals for what you take away from this class. With both of these in mind the following policy seems to work best:
Discussion board questions: it is not in the best interest of the class to accept late discussion board postings or replies. To keep the conversations going, students are expected to post their answers to the discussion board questions by Thursday and post all replies by Sunday for each module with assigned discussion boards. It throws off the rhythm of the class if students post answers or replies after the due dates and cause confusion for the rest of the class. With this in mind, I ask that students prioritize discussion board questions as I will not accept late postings or replies.
Journals: Journals will be found within selected modules. There is an expectation that journals will be turned in by the assigned due date. If life gets in the way and you can’t see yourself getting the journal in by the due date, email me (using Canvas) asking for an extension. Once I release the grades for a journal, I will no longer accept late journals. I try to grade every Friday (depending on my schedule), so email me immediately to set up arrangements to turn in your journal!
All other Assignments: My policy for assignments is the same as journals!
At the end of the day, it is always best to connect with me! I am the one that has developed the class, assigned the discussion boards, journals and assignments and gives each one of you a final grade. I love teaching this class and have put a lot of time into the development of the class. I want all of you to be successful and enjoy learning about my subject area! With this in mind, we have to develop a partnership and we all need to do our part to help make this class successful. Your role is to complete assignments, and discussion boards reflecting academic rigor appropriate for our class. A critical component of your role in this class is to reach out to me if you need help! I don’t have the ability to notice if you are struggling like I would if you were sitting in my face-to-face class. Don’t wait too long to jump into an office hour, make an appointment or send me an email!
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