How long will it take me to complete activities each week?
You'll want to devote approximately 10-15 hours each week to completing each lesson & activity.
The course will run for 18 weeks.
The course is made available a week before the start date.
Each module is made available as soon as you complete key assignments from the previous module.
Paper drafts are:
Prewriting: the day before class
First draft/Sandbox: the day before Peer Review
Peer Review: on Coffee Shop days/class days
Professor Review: Sign up on Sunday, but be completed before the following Saturday
Final drafts: due on Saturdays at midnight
All other assignments and assessments will have attached due dates and times.
Discussion boards: initial posts will be due on Tuesdays by 11:59 pm each week and two replies will be due Thursdays by 11:59 pm
Homework: Wednesdays by 11:59 pm
Classwork: Thursdays by 11:59 pm
Papers:
Alerts go out on Sunday
Prewriting and early drafts due before class or coffee shop
Final drafts due Saturday by 11:59 pm
Get the most out of your reading content. I recommend using SQRRR (or SQ3R) as described by SGS:
Before you read, Survey the chapter:
the title, headings, and subheadings
captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps
review questions or teacher-made study guides
introductory and concluding paragraphs
summary
Question while you are surveying:
Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions
Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading
Ask yourself, "What did my instructor say about this chapter or subject
when it was assigned?"
Ask yourself, "What do I already know about this subject?"
Think about how you want to synthesize or respond to the reading for your Critical Response.
When you begin to Read:
Look for answers to the questions you first raised
Answer questions at the beginning or end of chapters or study guides
Reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc.
Note all the underlined, italicized, bold printed words or phrases
Study graphic aids
Reduce your speed for difficult passages
Stop and reread parts which are not clear
Read only a section at a time and recite after each section
Recite or Respond after you've read a section:
Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read, or summarize, in your own words, what you read
Take notes from the text but write the information in your own words
Underline or highlight important points you've just read
Reciting: The more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read
Respond to the reading with your choice from the Critical Response Menu.
Review: an ongoing process
You know you will be expected to interact with the content, so review the information right before live or synchronous class sessions.
Make connections across unit readings (secs. 1-5)
Note:
If you are stumped by content, post a question and as much of the answer as you can on the critical response discussion board for your group to get help.
When you encounter a word you don’t know, look it up in the glossary at the back of the book.
Resource:
SGS. "The SQ3R Reading Method." Study Guides and Strategies, 1996-2019. Accessed 8 August 2020. https://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm (site no longer available).
This is a 3 unit course. If you were to take it face-to-face you would spend 3 hours each week in class and be expected to spend another 6 outside of class. You would also have to spend time commuting to campus. This often adds up to more than 9 hours per week for a 3 unit course.
You should expect to spend the same amount of time working for an online course as a face-to-face course. In an online course lectures are delivered via videos. These are often shorter than in-class lectures, but not always.
Complete assigned reading.
Creating critical responses.
Commenting other's critical response submissions.
Watch lecture videos or show up for live/synchronous sessions
Complete study outlines that go with each lecture.
Complete smaller independent assignments and participation activities designed to build skills.
Collaborate with team members
Post on discussion boards; one post is due each week by Wednesday.
Reply to discussion boards.
Study
Complete assignments, quizzes, and/or tests
Research for and the prewriting, writing, revising, peer review, professor conferences, and editing of essays and papers
Your study and work habits outside of class are an extension of your time in class. The “Carnegie Units” or workload for this course is approximately 9 hours per week during 16 week classes (for live classes, that is three hours in class and six hours outside of class).
This means that for every 3 hours of our time spent together during meetings, you should expect to spend at least 6 more hours on homework, reading, writing, and revising. Furthermore, even if a specific assignment is not due for the week, you are still expected to spend this amount of time on activities that will increase your understanding of the subject, such as re-reading texts, writing notes, reviewing course materials, working on upcoming assignments, researching, and pursuing independent reading.
What will you do if your internet connection is not working at home? What if Canvas is down for some reason and a deadline is approaching? What if Saddleback’s email system is down? In situations like these a contingency plan is needed. Should Canvas be down, I will post information at https://sites.google.com/writingguild.net/disaster/ or https://tinyurl.com/FisherDisaster.
Check the announcements and/or go to Student Technical Support before emailing me about problems with Canvas. Remember, if you email me after 6 pm I likely will not read the email until the next day.
If Saddleback’s email system is down, you can still text me.
Alternately, you can contact me at marnifisher@cox.net. Please use this address only in these circumstances. My preferred contact is mfisher@saddleback.edu.
You should also develop your own disaster plan to allow you to work under these circumstances:
If your home internet connection is down.
If your computer stops working.
Here are a few recommendations:
Utilize on campus computer lab.
Take tests on a direct Ethernet connection as opposed to Wi-Fi. If your Wi-Fi connection is lost, even briefly, your test will be submitted and closed.
Email me if you have an emergency.
Never email me your work if turnitin.com is down or if you are having technical difficulties. Instead, text me for a deadline extension, and re-submit later.
Tips to minimize lost work:
Compose discussion posts in a word processor first. Then copy them into the discussion thread. Sometimes Canvas will fail to load an image and all of the text typed is lost.
Save often.