|
|
Before choosing the course you are enrolled
in, please read these frequently asked
questions!
- Is this course as much work as the
same course on campus?
Yes! My assignments are identical in my Web and on-campus
courses. True, your time is more your own because you do
not have to attend class as with a traditional course,
but you will spend that much time--if not more--reading
my web links to learn the same material you would learn
in the classroom, otherwise. My Web courses are not less
work!
- So how important is
reading in this course? What if I haven't passed the
Reading portion of TASP or if I am a substandard reader,
or if I just plain hate to read? Reading
is absolutely crucial to any Web course, for the obvious
reason that everything is delivered back and forth in
written language. So if you hate to read or your reading
abilities are poor, you should not be taking a Web
course, mine or others.
- Is this course self-paced?
No, they are not. I
announce the various assignments and their due dates as
we go along, and frequently I will build in an element of
electronic discussion, which is the equivalent of
in-class discussion in a traditional course.
- How important are
motivation and self-discipline to a Web student?
These are crucial
qualities. If you are not mature enough to be motivated
and disciplined in working my Web course, then you will
fall among the quite high numbers of students who waste
their money and time because they do not complete the
course. Frankly, many students enroll in Web courses thinking they
are less work, and the result is that in some
semesters, more students drop or simply quit working the
course (and thus fail) than complete the course.
- Does this course use
Blackboard? No,
it does not. You will need to enroll as a user in a
website called Nicenet, which is free of charge. I will
explain elsewhere how to do that.
- What technology do I
need to take this course? You need
very easy access to a computer (almost certainly at home)
which has (a) a full-fledged word processing program, and
(b) Internet access, along with a Web browser and email
software which allows you to attach files to
email.
- What if I just bought
my computer and I'm still learning how to use
it? Do not take a
Web course at the same time you are learning your
equipment. I have seen very intelligent students have to
drop my course because of this.
- What do you mean, "very
easy access"?
I mean that you will
need to spend lengthy periods of relatively uninterrupted
time, often several hours at a stretch, at your
computer, especially when it comes time to write essays
for ENGL 1301 or more complex documents for ENGL 2311. A
few minutes here and there simply will not do.
- Why can't I use my
computer at work?
I strongly advise against
this. Will your boss really be pleased when you need to
spend several hours of company time working on your
English assignment?
- What about just using
one of the computers on campus, in the LRC?
I have never yet had a single student
complete a web course when the student has to go to a
public-access building and perhaps wait in line to use a
computer. The barriers of geography and time are simply
too much. It becomes too hard to make the time and make
the journey to the distant computer, even if it is just
across campus.
- What do you mean by "a
full-fledged word processing program"? You
will need something other than WordPad, in other words.
For 1301 you will need to be able to center a title,
change line spacing, perhaps use bold and italics,
spellcheck, do a wordcount, and most of all, you will need full editing
capabilities such as cutting and pasting. For 2311, you
will need these capabilities plus the full range of
professional document formatting capabilities, such as
being able to build bulleted lists, page headers/footers,
number pages, work in columns, etc. You will also need a
program which will allow you to save files in RichText,
though I have to explain how to do that to most of my
students. I'll do that elsewhere.
- What do you mean by
"browsing the Web"?
If you do not know
how to use a browser, you should not be taking this
course. I am very serious. That skill is a prerequisite
for this course.
- How do I attach a file
to an email message?
Once again, if you do not
know how to do that, you should not be taking this
course. I expect my students to already know this. File
attachment is how you will submit all your major assignments.
- So given all of the
above warnings and rules, what advantage is there in
taking a Web course?
If you are looking for
less work or an easier time of it, there is no advantage
at all. But if you are willing to work hard and have an
awkward work or family schedule, for instance if your
work shifts change or if you are seldom able to leave the
house for various reasons, and if you have the
technology, the know-how, and the motivation, then Web
courses can be of huge advantage to you.
For more detailed information on
either ENGL 1301 or ENGL 2311,
follow either of the links below.
Keep in mind that I constantly change my courses, though
usually incrementally rather than drastically.
Courses I currently teach on the
Web:
- Current Offering: Spring
2008
|
|
- Next Offering: To Be Announced
|
|
|
