Hello and Welcome to English 201!

I'm Syndee Wood, your instructor and tour guide.

Please watch the two minute close-captioned video below, then explore the rest of this syllabus as a way of getting prepared for our class.

I'm looking forward to our semester together!

Syndee :-)

Here are some important details to know about this class.

Asynchronous online:

This class takes place asynchronously and online. We will not meet at a specific time each week. Instead, we will access all course content, take part in asynchronous discussions, participate in group activities, and submit individual writing assignment on our Canvas class.

Although this class takes place online, it is not a self-paced class. You cannot “get ahead” or “catch up.” The course load for this class is scaffolded, meaning first we have to build the foundation, then comes the next part, etc. I expect that you will interact with our Canvas page at least three times per week. Students who do the week's work all in one day will not succeed.

All course work will be completed according to this weekly schedule.

• Tuesday at 8am = weekly content becomes available

• Wednesday at 11:59pm = Jamboard due on our weekly discussion forum

• Friday at 11:59pm = discussion forum peer responses due

• Monday at 11:59pm = weekly writing assignment and letter to Professor Wood due

You will also be required to meet via Zoom with Professor Wood in Weeks Two, Seven, and Thirteen, at a time/date that you sign up for.

Time Investment:

This four unit class requires about twelve hours of your time and attention per week, which calculates to about four hours, on average, per week of participation and eight hours per week--again, on average--of reading, researching, and writing.

Some weeks will be heavy on reading, some will be heavy on research, and some will be heavy on writing. See each week's module for expected time investment for the week. Please note: if you find that you are investing more (or less) time per week than is outlined here, please let me know. I am always available to help you succeed in this class.

Weekly Modules:

Our class will use Canvas's module organization, which will be open each Tuesday at 8am. Under each module is the week's schedule of reading, writing, and anything else you need to know. The minor and major writing assignments for each week can be found at the end of the module. My advice is to spend Tuesday of each week getting to know the week's module. You must read each page in the module in order to complete the writing assignments for each week. You must complete each week's module in order to open the next week's module.

Attendance and Participation:

Since this class takes place completely online and asynchronous, there are no class meetings to attend. That means the participation portion of our class--the part where we talk about and do things related to literature, critical thinking, and composition--must be something measurable on line. Our participation takes the form of discussions, group work, and peer review, all of which will be done asynchronously but on a weekly schedule. Missed participation work is like a missed class meeting, and cannot be made up. Please take note of the required due dates for all activities, so you earn the grade you are looking for.

Collaborative Work:

You will work collaboratively in weeks Five, Eight, and Thirteen. I will assign the groups in Week Three, at which point you should reach out to each other and share contact info. I will ask you to share the notes from your collaborations, which can be synchronous or asynchronous, whatever works for your group. Your work in groups will be graded individually, although I do expect that you will work together and contribute equally and equitably. Each person in the group will have a turn at being the Group Leader, who will be in charge of communication for that period of time. Each person is expected to reach out to me with any issues with the group.

Jamboard Discussion Forums:

Most weeks, you will make a Jamboard that responds to a weekly discussion prompt related to the week's reading. Before 11:59pm Wednesday, you will post your Jamboard on our weekly discussion forum, then you will respond to peers' Jamboards. These discussion forums will take the place of the discussions we would have in class, and are a key element of the "class participation" part of our class. These discussion forums will reflect critical thought on the reading we do each week, and fall somewhere between formal and informal writing.

Since these Jamboard discussion forums take the place of our class meetings, I expect that you will spend about four hours total on the Jamboard and peer responses, not including the weekly reading. You'll need to do the reading before you will be ready to create the Jamboard, and you may need to review the reading as you're creating.

Reading:

The reading we do each week sets us up for the discussions and the writing we do. As I have stated above, everything for this class is scaffolded. So that means you should expect to use the reading you do in Week One for the rest of the semester. The same goes for the reading you do in Week Two, Week Three, and so on. The reading we do will vary--we will read from our textbook, online sources, research materials, and, of course, literature. For the first several weeks of the semester, you will also be reading a novel of your choosing. This novel will be new to you, by an author you've never read before. I expect that, for all the reading you do for this class, you will be taking notes and making connections.

Minor Writing and Major Writing:

The writing we do in this class falls into two categories: minor writing (Jamboards, discussions, peer-reviews, Letters to the Professor) and major writing (formal MLA style writing--essays, etc). Use minor writing (low stakes) as practice for major writing, which are higher stakes. There will be one piece of formal writing and a letter to Professor Wood due each week, Mondays at 11:59pm. All writing is required. For more on low vs high stakes writing, see this article.

Work and Grade Agreement:

Our class uses a grade agreement, which is labor, participation, and revision based. This agreement makes clear the requirements for the grade you want to earn. If you have any questions about the work and grade agreement, or if you need clarification on anything, please just ask. The agreement is meant to be helpful and clear. If it's not, let me know!

Question-based:

Our class will employ questions, asked by you, about our reading and your writing. The time you spend in this course will help you ask the kinds of questions that propel critical thinking and strengthen your writing. Learning how to ask effective questions is something that you will use beyond this class and outside of your education. Therefore, you are required to ask questions designed to elicit feedback from me and/or your peers, then you will be required to reflect on the effectiveness of your questions. No questions asked means no feedback given. Please know that you will not be graded on your questions, and you will not be penalized for not asking questions or for asking ineffective questions.

Letters to Professor Wood

Each week, you will write a letter to me, which will be a place where you will reflect on your time in the class that week. There is a prompt for each week's letter, and each one employs a friendly but professional tone.

Late Policy:

I allow a twenty-four hour grace period for every assignment for this class, no penalty and no questions asked. Additionally, with prior notice, I will allow one major writing assignment to be up to one week late. If you have an issue in your life, reach out to me and we will figure it out. I am here to help you succeed. Please note: once you get behind, even by a day, it is difficult to get back on track. Use this late policy only as an exception to the rule. Students who use the grace period consistently tend to see their grades reflect their lateness.

Castle Model:

This class follows the castle model, which means there will be three days per week that you need to check in to our Canvas class. In a nutshell, the castle model requires some activity to be done on Canvas, and some to be done away from Canvas. You will need to complete one castle before moving on to the next. Students who do the week's work all in one day will not succeed. Critical thinking requires time away from the material, to let it percolate. Good writing requires more than one giant purge at the computer. Please plan your time in this class according to your life, in a way that allows you to check in on Canvas at least three days per week.

Instructor Contact, Feedback, and Grading:

I will send out announcements regularly, including once at the start of each new weekly module. I will grade your work throughout the week, leaving my feedback on Canvas. Set your Canvas notifications so you get note of when I've completed grading. Look for my feedback on the following schedule:

• Jamboards will be graded Tuesdays and Wednesdays of the following week.

• Minor writing will be graded Thursdays and Fridays of the following week.

• Papers will be graded by the end of the following week.

How to Be Successful in this Course:

• Review our grade agreement often, so you are assured that you are meeting the requirements for the grade you want to earn.

• Practice asking questions about your writing, so you get the kind of feedback you need in order to take your writing to the level you desire.

• Use feedback (peer, instructor, writing center, friends, family, etc) as just one tool for writing and revision.

• Follow the recommended weekly schedule, and stay on track so you do not fall behind.

• If you have an issue, reach out to me. I'm here to help you succeed!