The first thing you need to realize is that this course will move really quickly. It’s only four weeks long. The initial draft of your first Writing Project is due this Thursday and the final version is due by the end of the day on Monday. And that cycle will continue for the next four weeks. In fact here’s the schedule for Writing Project submission (I’ll post this on Blackboard in the Course Documents section as well):
Week One
June 13
June 14
June 15
June 16—Initial Draft WP One Due
June 17
Week Two
June 20—WP One Due
June 21
June 22
June 23—Initial Draft WP Two Due
June 24
Week Three
June 27—WP Two Due
June 28
June 29
June 30
July 1—Initial Draft WP Three Due
Week Four
July 4
July 5—WP Three Due
July 6
July 7—Final Reflection Due
Notice that you’ll be working on Writing Project Three over the Fourth of July–I’m not anti-American by any means, but the reality of our limited time means you’ll be working on that paper around the holiday. I’ll be reading and responding to your work during that time as well. I’ve posted many things for you to read this week. Read them all, especially the assignment sheets for the Writing Projects. Some of the text readings are fairly basic student responsibility type of posts, but review them. If you stay current with workload, you’ll find that this class isn’t overly difficult.
However, this class will also be a challenge. You’ll basically be reading material and writing a paper every week. The good news is that you choose when to do the work, as long as you’re making the deadlines. You’re not required to attend face to face classes and there are no zoom meetings for you to meet. Additionally, the intense schedule means that you’ll fulfill this requirement in a short time and still have some summer left before the fall semester begins. Online courses like this one give students a great deal of freedom and flexibility.
However, that freedom can be a trap. You will also have to have the discipline and self motivation to engage with the course work and complete the work. When students were forced into online classes during the pandemic, many of them discovered that online classes weren’t for them. The struggled to keep up with the course work and schedule their time wisely. I do think you have an advantage in that there’s so much to do each week you’ll need to continually work to complete all the assignments: there ain’t much time for procrastinating in this course.
About Due Dates
You’ll note that assignments are always due “by the end of day” which means 11:59 p.m. in Blackboard. However, if you’re working on something and submit it at one or two a.m., I’m not going to make a fuss about it. The “end of the day” section is just a notice that you need to finish the work before the next morning. For example, this Thursday the initial draft of WP One is due. On Friday morning, probably around eight or nine, I’ll set up peer review partners. As long as your post is there, I don’t care if your post is after 11:59. This is true for most assignments. If you feel like you’ll need more time, ask for an extension. I’ll grant it. However, I’m not doing you any favors, as the course work will continue. So try to stay current with course work the best that you can.
Finally, any time you need help contact me by email. I will respond. If you need to meet longer, we can schedule a zoom meeting that works for both of us. I don’t take many things seriously, but I do take my responsibilities to you seriously. I look forward to reading your work this semester.
