You can view this course starting at midnight the morning of the first day, and I encourage you to do so.Ā Please note this date in your calendar.
This is a City Online full semester course.
*Please review carefully the information in this email before emailing me with questions; chances are, they are answered here!
Our course syllabus will answer all sorts of questions, from what you need for the course to how to plan your time. Please read it carefully and bookmark it for reference. There will be quizzes on it later. Your section may not be the one linked in the syllabus, but each section's syllabus has the exact same content.
š„ļøĀ Logging In
Please plan to log into the course on January 12 so I can ensure everyone has access to the course material. If you don't log in by the end of the day on Wednesday, you may receive a friendly nudge from me. If there is a wait list, you may be dropped to make rooom for someone waiting for a seat. Those who have not logged on and/or completed activities by day five will probably lose their seat.
Ā CCSF operates the online learning management systems (LMS) called Canvas. You access Canvas at http://ccsf.instructure.com. Please check your official school email account regularly throughout the semester for notifications from Canvas.
(Please note that you cannot do homework in our course until the course start date listed in the schedule of classes. If you have just added, you will be enrolled in your online course within the next business day. Please wait 24 hours before contacting the Ed Tech Department. You will use your RAM-ID to access Canvas.)
Here are some details about the structure of our course:
The class is organized into weekly modules including final exam week, with each module representing one week, more or less, given holidays. Work through each module's content in order. Each new module begins at 12AM on the Saturday before the upcoming week. Time management and pacing yourself will be key, so note due dates ahead of time in each module. You can always see what's coming in the module or calendar views.
If for some reason, such as illness, I do not publish all of the semesterās modules ahead of time, make sure to read the syllabus to find tentative due dates for all papers. Paper workshops are generally conducted two days before paper due dates. Workshop participation is a high-point quiz because this is a collaborative process class where each of you is an indispensable set of eyes and ears for each other.
Set up your notifications in Canvas. Iāll provide you with feedback, and Iāll send out weekly announcements. Setting your notifications will ensure you receive this important information quickly.
Set up your profile and add a profile picture in CANVAS.Ā
Set up your schedule and stick to it. The #1 piece of advice former students consistently offer incoming/new students is to plan your time well; carving out focused, sustained, and the suggested number of hours for work time - and sticking to that schedule - will ensure you have the time and space to be successful. We want your final grade to reflect your skills, not your rushed schedule! This class is designed to take 12-14+ hours per week. This is typical for a 4 credit-unit course. When you are in face to face classes, each credit hour you are in class requires 3+ hours of outside reading and work at the college level. This is why taking 12 credit hours is considered full time (12X3 = 36 hours a week). This is not an arbitrary number I came up with - this is the formula for how college course credits are calculated. Of course, some students may need less time and some may need more, depending on reading speed and focused time applied. At minimum, I want you to plan on 14-16+ hours a week for this course. It is helpful to map out when you will work on this course ahead of time, and do so consistently (for example: from 2-5 on Mondays, from 10-2 on Tuesdays, etcā¦). You will need to be online in focused chunks of work time most days. One of your first homework assignments will be to make a weekly schedule. If you are taking a supplemental 1A + AS course, you can expect a little more homework.
Work through the modules chronologically. Use the link on the home page to take you to the week's module, and use the Next button to work through the reading material and assignments. The assignments are based on the readings -- your Canvas pages to read or watch are your reading and composition textbook. The chapters you will read in each required book are listed in the module title. Homework assignments -- discussions and other things you will turn in -- require your reading and comprehending each assigned reading page. If you get stuck, please reach out to the tutor or me!
I advise you to schedule time to log into our class each Monday (or the weekend before) at the latest to review the new module's overview page and any introductory videos, as well as assess the new module's content and assignment due dates. Do this by or before every Monday and plan your learning time around the due dates and your personal schedule. Your first assignments for the week are usually do on Tuesdays, and they require you to have read various pages/chapter in our book as well as pages in the "Things to Read" section. Each module is different and will require more time at different stages of the reading and writing process. Plan to devote extra time to homework in the week before each essay is due; you will participate in a peer workshop of your draft and then revise your paper before submitting it for a grade.
The Tuesday Homework Support Hour recordings are a required text; be sure to make time to watch them by using the CityZoom link in our course and then clicking on Cloud Recordings. Initial recordings will be about an hour, but by the end of the semester, I move more into the background in expectation that you are reading and by then comprehending instructional pages and are growing in comprehension and skills required to pass the course.Ā
Grab those earbuds. If you do your coursework in a group or family setting (like I often do), keep a pair of simple ear buds nearby. There are (captioned) videos interspersed throughout the modules so be prepared for this content variety.
š± Believe in yourself. This course has the potential to really change the way you think about reading, writing, and success. I think we have a great reading list, and some of your homework will be to journal about your personal application of our readings. At the same time, some of the assignments may make you feel nervous. Feeling nervous when you try something new is normal! Remember three things: One, moving outside your comfort zone is the most powerful way to grow and learn; two, making mistakes is a very important part of true learning that goes deep and lasts; and three, I have designed this class for beginners and I have the utmost confidence in you. Take things one step at a time. Each homework assignment builds on the previous work. Message me if youād like to conference. I can offer your support, encouragement, and Iām a good listener if you want to talk about your life!
Okay, are you ready to get started? I hope so, and I canāt wait to meet you! At or before midnight, feel free to log in to the course.
Welcome to English C1000 Online!
Elizabeth Zarubin (Instructional Facilitator)
Need more help logging on?Ā
Logging in to Canvas for course access:
Ā Claim RAM ID and Login to Canvas: Student Guide (Links to an external site.)Ā
Ā Login to Canvas HERE- http://ccsf.instructure.com
For more information or help, use the student guides below:
Ā Student Services (Links to an external site.) (including information about special accommodations)
Once you log into Canvas, you can access more help at the Canvas Help Menu in the left sidebar.
The above links are always available to you at the City College home page, https://www.ccsf.edu (Links to an external site.), and from there, MyCCSF.Ā Look in the For Students column, the Distance Learning section.Ā More are under Educational Programs, Online Learning.
Need more help?Ā Ā
Go to the Online Course Support Center (Links to an external site.)
or contact your instructor (although in all cases you will likely be referred to the Online Course Support Center anyway).
Remember that the folks at Canvas Support can assist you when you use the Help tool on the left-hand navigation column of Canvas.
If you no longer plan to take this course, please complete the quick drop course steps to open up a seat for a fellow student.
See You Soon!
Elizabeth Zarubin
The content of this announcement will be visible to users at 12am on the first day of class, inside the course.
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