English Composition 1
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Transcribed Audio File: Overview of Units
This page presents a transcription of the Overview of Units audio file (Real Player | Windows Media Player ).
Hello again, everyone!
Since this is the first unit of the course, not counting the “Orientation and Introductions,” I would like to start by giving you an overview of the assignments in this unit. All other units in the course are organized in the same way as this unit and with the same kinds of assignments.
As you might guess by the list of assignments on the Unit 1 page, you have a lot of work ahead of you and will need to schedule your time wisely in order to keep up with the assignments.
Now for a brief overview of the assignments, all of which are explained in more depth on the course web pages or in WebBoard.
First, we have a reading assignment from the textbook. The textbook provides much valuable information that should help you through the writing process and should help you strengthen your writing. Please read the textbook to learn about writing better, not just to answer quiz questions!
Second, we have a quiz over the reading assignment. To do well on the quiz, you will have to look through specific passages in the textbook. Remember that, with the quizzes and the exercises given in Test Pilot, you will see only your score immediately after taking the quiz or exercise. However, one hour after the time when the assignment is due, you can click on the link to it again, type in your User ID, choose “Review Your Score” (instead of “Request”), and then see your responses and the correct answers.
Third, we have an exercise over mechanics or stylistic matters involved in writing. The exercise may not be easy, but you can increase the likelihood that you will do well if you study the material for the exercise carefully. You can access the exercise as many times as you want before the due date and time, so you can see what exactly you need to do and then spend time studying the information that you need to know. Of course, the Unit 1 page identifies the specific information that you need to be familiar with to do well on the exercise. Please ask in WebBoard if you need help understanding any of the concepts or the information that is covered by the exercise.
Fourth, we have the discussion assignment. Even though the discussion assignment appears somewhat far down on the list of assignments, you should begin the discussion as soon as possible. The discussions require you to interact in WebBoard: posting messages, reading messages posted by others, and posting responses to other people’s messages. I can tell you from experience that how well a student contributes to the discussions is often a good measure of how serious the student is about succeeding in the course. Those students who write in-depth and insightful comments and post comments frequently tend to do well in the course; those students who do not contribute much to the discussion assignments tend not to do well. You will get more involved in the course and learn more if you enter WebBoard often and make many contributions to the discussion.
Fifth, we have a draft of Essay 1 due for peer critique. This is a draft of at least 500 words that will not be graded, but you will receive constructive comments on your draft from two other students in the class. According to the class policy, a student who does not post a draft of the required length for peer critique will have the grade of the revised draft of the essay reduced by one letter grade, so make sure to have a draft for peer critique ready when it is due. There are several web pages linked to the Essay Assignment 1 page that should help you with your essay, and the audio file on Essay Assignment 1 should help as well. Make sure to use those resources. I think students sometimes run into difficulties when they just assume that they know how to write their essays and then ignore some of the information designed to help with their writing.
Sixth, we have peer critiques of essays. You will read drafts of two essays written by other students in the class and will write suggestions for the students to help them make their essays stronger as they continue working on them. This feedback is important: it helps people in the class write stronger essays, and it also helps you by requiring you to read and evaluate someone else’s writing carefully and critically. Now, don’t worry if you do not feel qualified to suggest how other students can make their papers stronger. We are interested in getting your reaction to someone else’s essay. If you are unsure of how valid your comments are, just say so! Offer comments such as “I’m not sure, but I think that this paragraph could be stronger if you used more specific examples to support your main idea in the paragraph.” It’s important that you offer constructive comments. You will be disappointed if the only comments you receive from someone else can be summed up with “good paper so far,” so make sure to identify specific parts of the papers you are critiquing that you think are strong and that you think could be stronger. Don’t rewrite any parts of the essay you are critiquing, but try to give specific suggestions of how parts of the essay could be more effective. Realize that the writer probably spent a lot of time on the draft, so don’t be mean with your comments. At the same time, do not—I repeat, do not—simply tell the writer that the draft is “good.” You need to help others with your comments, and you need to demonstrate your own understanding of writing through your comments: your ability to identify and evaluate thesis statements and topic sentences, your ability to evaluate how well evidence supports specific claims, etc. Besides, the peer critiques are graded, and critiques that amount to nothing more than “good” will earn a failing grade. Realize that the comments from other students are only suggestions for you to consider. Please feel free to ask me if you are unsure about some of the comments you receive from someone else in the class.
Finally, we have the revised draft of Essay 1. This will be the last assignment due for the unit. As you can probably tell, the essay assignment is the major assignment for each unit. The required minimum length for the revised draft is given on the assignment page and in WebBoard. According to the college’s “Grading Standards for Student Essays,” an essay that does not meet the minimum requirements for an assignment will receive an “F,” so make sure to reach the minimum required length for each essay. Developing and supporting your ideas fully, with plenty of specific evidence and explanation, is the best way to reach at least the minimum required length. Of course, you should also proofread your revised draft carefully before submitting it because errors automatically reduce the grades of essays.
That’s all for now. I just wanted to give you here an overview of the kinds of assignments for this unit, which, again, are the same kinds of assignments you will find in each unit for the course.