I will be expecting very active participation from you. Since I can’t see you, I will need tangible proof that you exist and that you are working in a highly motivated way.

One obvious focus of participation will be in the class discussions. This should be taken very seriously. Since each module is scheduled for about two weeks, this is the time period during which the discussion must take place. Try to put some serious thought in what makes documents successful, both from the writer’s perspective and yours. I expect you to participate in the course at least three times each week. I will be looking for your work and ideas that often. Together, we can get a lot accomplished over the next 15 weeks.

I hope that a lot of the discussions are generated by you and your classmates. Sure, I’ll have some comments and suggestions once in a while, but I value what all you have to say. You all have experience as writers prior to entering this class. Have confidence in your abilities and help each other improve and strengthen your writing skills.

Obviously, this is an English course, so I will be expecting you to follow proper English rules in your writing. I also believe the need for rewriting can’t be over-emphasized. I expect you to write drafts, to work with those drafts and to edit final copies. Look for ways to improve your original ideas. Is there a better way to say it? Do you need to say it with so many words, or will a shorter explanation suffice? Rewriting isn’t just adding info. It’s adding and deleting info to best suit your needs and those of your audience.

Stay on schedule. Once you fall behind in an on-line course, you can’t catch up. Information will only be available for a certain amount of time. Essays have to be completed by the due dates, and homework and discussion activities have to be completed on time as well. If you are having any problems, let me know quickly. Together, we can come up with a solution that best meets the needs of this course and your future education.

I’m sure this is going to be a great experience for all of us, and I hope you will appreciate the benefits in using clear, concise written communication.

Academic Honesty Policy

All students are expected to behave with academic honesty. It is not academically honest, for example, to misrepresent another person’s work as one’s own, to take credit for someone else’s words or ideas, to accept help on a test or to obtain advanced information on confidential test materials, or to act in a way that might harm another student’s chance for academic success.

When an instructor believes that a student has failed to maintain academic honesty, he or she may give the student an “F,” either for the assignment or for the course, depending on the severity of the offense.

A student may appeal a decision on the charge of failing to maintain academic honesty according to the procedure described by the Student Code of Conduct in the college catalog.