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Courtney King's Customized Course Introduction
- 1. ELI 184 Online: DualWriting Section #: 222222222 with Courtney King
- 2.
- 3. The Basics Courtney King(just call me Courtney) This is my seventh semester in the CMU English Language Institute. I’m a full-time teacher and a full- time graduate student. I love technology and writing.
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- 5. Educational Background B.A. EnglishLiterary Criticism from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO M.A. English Literature from Washington State University in Pullman, WA M.A. TESOL (in progress) from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI
- 6. Professional Background Washington StateUniversity 2011-2013 Taught 5 sections of Freshman Composition and 1 section of Composition for International Students Lewis-Clark State College Summer 2012 Taught in the Intensive English Institute Conversation, Idioms, Reading & Writing, and Vocabulary Managed the language learning lab Organized conversation partners Saginaw Valley State University Fall 2013 Taught 1 section of Women Writers Central Michigan University 2013-present Taught every level in the English Language Institute Taught Grammar, Speaking and Listening, Reading, Writing, and Vocabulary
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- 8. Course Overview This isa process-focused writing class for international students. Although 184 is a writing course, a majority of the assignments require students to read and analyze authentic readings in order to both respond to the texts and to incorporate relevant information (through paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting) into their essays to support their ideas and opinions. Therefore, access to themed readings is provided through articles on general academic topics, CMU’s Course Reserve, links to online articles, and other resources provided on Blackboard. Activities will be student centered, including group discussions, and individual assignments. Other activities will be based on instructor models with a workshop-style format, and teacher-student conferences on drafts of essays.
- 9. Textbook Longman Academic Writing Series5: Essays to Research Papers (2014) by Alan Meyers ISBN- 13: 9780132912747 ISBN: 0132912740
- 10. Evaluation Formal Papers (500points) Expository (125 points) Summary/Response (125 points) Cause/Effect (125 points) Argumentative (125 points) Timed Essays (300 points) Expository (100 points) Summary/Response (100 points) Argumentative (100 points) Quizzes (160 points) Grammar Quiz 1 (30 points) Grammar Quiz 2 (30 points) Grammar Quiz 3 (30 points) Grammar Quiz 4 (30 points) APA Quiz 1 (20 points) APA Quiz 2 (20 points) Graded Assignments (40 points) Error Log (20 points total) Discussion Board (20 points total)
- 11. Genres Four genres willbe covered in this class: Expository Summary and Response Cause and Effect Argumentative
- 12. Paper Assignments For eachof these genres students will write a peer review draft, participate in peer review, revise the paper for submission, receive instructor feedback, revise again for an improved grade (optional), and finally, take a proctored timed writing exam.
- 13. Peer Review Peer reviewwill occur one week before the paper is due to the instructor. Peer review will take place in Blackboard groups and will be completed through the discussion board. After uploading your own paper to the discussion board, you will read your group member’s papers, make margin comments, and answer writer’s workshop questions about their draft. All of your feedback will be provided to your peers in the form of a reply on the discussion
- 14. Instructor Drafts After receivingquality feedback from peers, you will revise your paper and submit it to your instructor. This draft should be very clean and should meet all of the assignment requirements. Once you get instructor comments (and a grade) you may choose to revise once for a better grade, or keep your grade if you are satisfied with it.
- 15. Timed Writing After receivinginstructor feedback, you will have a timed version of the same genre with a new topic in a proctored testing environment (for the Expository, Summary and Response, and Argumentative genres only). In this timed writing you will not be able to bring in any outside materials. You will be informed of the reading beforehand and can read it before the exam begins, but a clean copy of the article you will base your writing on will be distributed at the testing site. Find out more about proctors: 989-774-4461
- 16. Grammar and APAQuizzes For each writing unit there will also be a grammar focus determined by the most common student errors observed on the previous draft. Videos, worksheets, and practice activities will be provided for each grammar point. A Blackboard quiz will accompany each of these units. We will also have a few APA quizzes to help us get in the habit of consulting style guides while we write.
- 17. Error Logs After receivingfeedback from your assignments, you must create an error log for each assignment in which you identify the four most frequent errors you made in the paper, make a plan to help prevent these errors in the future, give an example of each error from your paper, provide corrections to your examples.
- 18. Discussion Board Each weekwe will have a discussion board post . Ten posts are required, but twelve discussion boards will take place. You may skip any two you would like. Discussion board topics will be related to the genre we are currently working on and/or the grammar point we’re learning. To get the full points you will need to create a thread (150 words or more) and respond to two threads (100 words or more).
- 19. Discussion Board Etiquette Itis of the utmost importance that you be kind to your peers. A rude comment or reply will exempt you from receiving any credit for the week’s discussion board. Everyone’s ideas are valid. The discussion board is not for fighting, it is for exploring ideas.
- 20. Grading All of yourgrades will be based on rubrics. I will provide the rubrics for each assignment (including the peer reviews, discussion board posts, and error logs) on Blackboard. I will grade your work no later than one week after you turn it in.
- 21.
- 22. Course Expectations It isimportant that you check our Blackboard site regularly (multiple times a day!), participate in all activities, and complete all assignments on time. You will be expected to type all written work (paragraphs and essays) and submit them to me electronically (on Blackboard). If you need typing practice, see the “Resources” tab for some good online practice sites. “My computer is broken” is not a fair excuse. You are taking an online class. You must have access to a working computer in order to participate. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me or make an online conference appointment.
- 23. Late Work Under normalcircumstances, no late assignments will be accepted. Rarely, I will accept a late assignment from a student with a legitimate emergency that prevents them from submitting their assignment on time. These RARE accepted late assignments will be graded down by half a grade for each day they are handed in late so it is very important that you finish your assignments on time and have them ready before the due date.
- 24. Academic Integrity Academic integrityis extremely important in this class and the rest of the university. Ideas about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism differ from country to country. For this reason, the ELI has worked with the OIA and other CMU groups to make this workbook. You will be expected to understand the contents of this text and will be responding to prompts related to this text for your first discussion board.
- 25. Tolerance Policy I willnot stand for any student who is disturbing others, bullying other classmates on the discussion boards, writing inappropriate posts, or otherwise inhibiting others from learning. I expect respect and courtesy from my students (toward me and your classmates) and will not hesitate to report any issues to the ELI administration. Repeated abuse in my class can result in serious repercussions and can impact your status as a student in my class and in the university.
- 26. Communication Policy If youare not sure about some element of the course, follow this procedure: Check the syllabus Check Blackboard announcements Check Assignments Check Course Materials If the answer isn’t found in one of these places, email me. If you want to get in touch with me about questions that cannot be answered with the process above, or if your question is unrelated to the assignments, please email me. Be as specific as possible in your email. Expect a response from me within 48 hours. I get a lot of emails, and I respond as quickly as I can. I will always return your work to you with a grade within one week (7 days).
- 27.
- 28. Getting Started Everything youneed to do during the week can be found in the Weekly Tasks tab under the current week. This week (Week 1) your current tasks are these (due on Sunday at midnight): Read the Academic Integrity Policy and complete the Nearpod I posted in “Assignments” Respond to the questions posed in the “Academic Integrity” discussion board. Buy your textbooks (digital copies are available for the quickest delivery)
- 29. Contact Me I canbe reached the quickest by email: king2ce@cmich.ed u or courtney.elizabeth. king@gmail.com
Editor's Notes
- #2 Let me welcome you to 184 Online! You may also know this course by the name “Dual Writing” or “Level 4 Writing”. I’ll be your facilitator in this exciting course
- #3 Before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
- #4 My name is Courtney King, but you can just call me Courtney. I’ve been teaching in the English language institute at CMU for seven semesters. I am a full time teacher, but I am also a graduate student so I understand the kinds of demands the university can place on your time. I love technology and writing, and I am going to do everything I can to help you improve your relation with writing and with computers.
- #5 I have lived in four different states in the U.S. I was born in Los Angeles, CA, moved to Missouri where I went to high school and college, moved to the state of Washington where I got my first Master’s degree, and then moved to Michigan where I am getting my second master’s degree.
- #6 That leads us to my educational background. I’ve moved a lot for school, and I’ve gotten a diverse education. I got my Bachelor’s in English Literary Criticism from Truman State, my Master’s in English Literature from Washington State University, and I’m currently working on my M.A. TESOL (that’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from CMU.
- #7 I’ve also worked in a range of academic settings. At WSU I taught 5 sections of English Composition (a writing class) and one section of the same class altered to better serve international students. During my first summer in my master’s program I taught in Lewis-Clark State College’s Intensive English Institute. I taught Conversation, Idioms, Reading & Writing, and Vocabulary classes at Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. I also managed their computer-based language learning lab, and organized their conversation partners program. In 2013 I moved to MI and got two jobs: one SVSU teaching a women writers class for domestic students, and a one at CMU teaching part-time in their English Language Institute. I’ve continued to work at CMU since, teaching full-time. I have taught every level in our program and have taught every type of class: Grammar, Speaking & Listening, Reading, Writing, and Vocabulary. I have not yet taught every class AT every level, but I’m getting there!
- #8 Now let’s talk a little bit about our class.
- #9 This is a process-focused writing class for international students. Although 184 is a writing course, a majority of the assignments require students to read and analyze authentic readings in order to both respond to the texts and to incorporate relevant information (through paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting) into their essays to support their ideas and opinions. Therefore, access to themed readings is provided through articles on general academic topics, CMU’s Course Reserve, links to online articles, and other resources provided on Blackboard. Activities will be student centered, including group discussions, and individual assignments. Other activities will be based on instructor models with a workshop-style format, and teacher-student conferences on drafts of essays.
- #10 In order to jump right in, you’ll need to get our textbook. This semester we are using Longman Academic Writing Series 5: Essays to Research. Be sure to use the ISBN number provided (9780132912747) to get the correct textbook!
- #11 The course will be evaluated as follows: formal papers will make up 50% of the class, or 500 points. Each of your papers will be worth 125 points. Your papers will be Expository, Summary and Response, Cause and Effect, and Argumentative. More on that later in the presentation. You will then complete three timed essays which total 30% or 300 points. Each will be worth 100 points. These include Expository, Summary and Response, and Argumentative. The Cause and Effect essay is not conducive to a timed writing and we will not test it. You will also be responsible for 6 quizzes making up 16% of your grade: 4 grammar quizzes and 2 APA quizzes. These will all be taken on Blackboard and will correspond with the assignments we’re working on at the time. The final and smallest category is Graded Assignments. This makes up only 4% of your grade. It is made up of your error logs and discussion board posts. We’ll discuss each of these categories in greater detail as we proceed.
- #12 The four genres (or types of writing) that we will discuss and practice in this class are Expository (the kind of writing that explains things), Summary and Response (in which you will summarize an article and then provide your thoughtful, critical response to it), Cause and Effect (in which you will describe how a set of events caused another event to take place), and Argumentative (where you will persuade your reader to agree with your point of view).
- #13 For each of these genres, For each of these genres students will write a peer review draft, participate in peer review, revise the paper for submission, receive instructor feedback, revise again for an improved grade (although this is optional), and finally, take a proctored timed writing exam.
- #14 For each of your papers you will participate in a guided peer review. Peer review will occur one week before the paper is due to the instructor. Peer review will take place in Blackboard groups and will be completed through the discussion board. After uploading your own paper to the discussion board, you will read your group member’s papers, make margin comments, and answer writer’s workshop questions about their draft. All of your feedback will be provided to your peers in the form of a reply on the discussion board.
- #15 After receiving quality feedback from peers, you will revise your paper and submit it to your instructor. This draft should be very clean and should meet all of the assignment requirements. Once you get instructor comments (and a grade) you may choose to revise, or keep your grade if you are satisfied with it.
- #16 In addition to your formal assignments, you will also have timed versions of the Expository, Summary and Response, and Argumentative genres. These will take place after you have received my instructor feedback to make certain that everyone is clear on the expectations for the assignment. The timed writing will occur in a proctored testing environment. You will not be allowed to bring in outside materials. In the Summary and Response and Argumentative timed writings you will be given an article that you can review before the exam occurs, but a clean copy will be given to you at the testing site. The Expository essay requires no outside sources. You should start searching for proctors now. Follow the link in the slide or call (989)774-4461 for help procuring one.
- #17 There are a few additional assignments that will support the writing we do in class. For one, we will take quizzes. The grammar quizzes you take will all be in alignment with the common errors I discover in your drafts. The grammar units will be designed to serve YOUR needs. Which is pretty unique. Videos, worksheets, and practice activities will be provided to accompany each grammar point. A Blackboard quiz will then evaluate your understanding of the materials. In addition to these grammar quizzes, we will have a few APA quizzes to help us practice hunting down solutions to our formatting problems. All of the aforementioned quizzes will be open book, open note, open internet. Please use the resources available to you to help you succeed!
- #18 After you get feedback from your instructor (that’s me!), you will create an error log for your assignment. In this error log you will identify the four most frequent errors you made in the paper, make a plan to help prevent each particular error in the future, give an example of each error from your paper, and correct each of those examples. This assignment is more difficult than it sounds and it should not be put off until the last minute. As with the quizzes, I encourage you to consult with others who might help you. Speak with tutors, ask your friends, consult with whomever you need to get these right. Faulty corrections will not receive full-credit.
- #19 Each week of this 12-week course we will have a discussion board theme. 10 posts are required, but 12 discussion boards will take place. You may skip any two you like. Discussion board topics will be related to the genre we’re working on in class or the grammar point we’re working on and they will often involve a reading of some sort. To get full points for the week, you need to create a thread of 150 words or more and then respond to two threads with 100 words ore more of text.
- #20 This may be obvious, but I must emphasize this anyway. It is SO important that you be kind to your peers on our Blackboard site. A rude comment or reply will exempt you from getting ANY points for that week’s discussion board. Everyone has valid ideas. The discussion board is a place for polite discussion. Repeated offenses can jeopardize your position in the class. We’ll discuss this in more detail when we get to Course Policies.
- #21 All of your assignments (including peer review, discussion board posts, and error logs) will be graded with a rubric. I will always get grades back to you in one week or less time.
- #22 Now let’s talk a little bit about course policies. This may seem boring, but we need to understand these things to keep our class running smoothly!
- #23 First of all, let’s talk about what I expect from you. I need you to check blackboard often, (that’s multiple times a day), participate in all activities, and complete all assignments on time. I expect you to type everything for this class. You may feel unsure about your typing skills, so this is a great time to work on them. See the “Resources” tab on Blackboard to practice a bit. You may not use the excuse “my computer is broken” to get out of a deadline or assignment. Find a working computer. The class is online. You need to everything in your power to get access to us. If you have questions or concerns, just email me or set up an online conference.
- #24 Under normal circumstances, no late assignments will be accepted. Rarely, I will accept a late assignment from a student with a legitimate emergency that prevents them from submitting their assignment on time. These RARE accepted late assignments will be graded down by half a grade for each day they are handed in late so it is very important that you finish your assignments on time and have them ready before the due.
- #25 Academic integrity is extremely important in this class and the rest of the university. Ideas about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism differ from country to country. For this reason, the ELI has worked with the OIA and other CMU groups to make this workbook. You will be expected to understand the contents of this text and will be responding to prompts related to this text for your first discussion board.
- #26 This is my tolerance policy. It becomes especially important when you’re working directly with your peers in the discussion board or peer review groups. I will not stand for any student who is disturbing others, bullying other classmates on the discussion boards, writing inappropriate posts, or otherwise inhibiting others from learning. I expect respect and courtesy from my students (toward me and your classmates) and will not hesitate to report any issues to the ELI administration. Repeated abuse in my class can result in serious repercussions and can impact your status as a student in my class and in the university.
- #27 : If you are not sure about some element of the course, follow this procedure: (1) Check the syllabus (2) Check Blackboard announcements (3)Check Assignments (4) Check Course Materials (5) If the answer isn’t found in one of these places, email me. If you want to get in touch with me about questions that cannot be answered with the process above, or if your question is unrelated to the assignments, please email me. Be as specific as possible in your email. Expect a response from me within 24-48 hours. I get a lot of emails, and I respond as quickly as I can. I will always return your work to you with a grade within one week (7 days).
- #28 You did it! You followed along through the whole presentation!
- #29 Everything you need to do during the week can be found in the Weekly Tasks tab under the current week. This week (Week 1) your current tasks are these (due on Sunday at midnight): Go to the Discussion Board and introduce yourself in the “Hello!” discussion board. Read the Academic Integrity Policy and complete the Nearpod I posted in “Assignments” (you will receive a grade for this). Respond to the questions posed in the “Academic Integrity” discussion board. Buy your textbooks (I would recommend buying them online for the fastest delivery)
- #30 Now that you have an idea of what this class will be like, I want to give you my email address(es). Either of these will come to me, but the second one might do so a bit faster. Feel free to email me if after consulting the syllabus and Blackboard site, you cannot find the answer. Thank you for listening and I can’t wait to meet you all online!