English 111C - Composition (Distance Learning - Email/Internet)

An author makes three major choices when engaged in the generation of new text: 
     1) the author's aim  --how strongly the message goes out into the world 
        for the reader? 
     2) the author's options  --what tools work best to built the author's 
        picture in the reader's mind? 
     3) the author's style  --what techniques can be personalized to mark 
        the author's natural voice? 

English 111C

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Welcome to class!

If you are an experienced college student and computer user, the table below will be familiar to you, and probably you have already clicked through the hyperlinks to see how the course works. By doing this, you discovered what you will need and are ready to begin. It helps, however, to review the beginner instructions below the table to be sure you haven't missed anything. Please pay particular attention to the information about the TRP Manual, the print-outs, and the special note about assignment names.

If this is your first college course or you lack computer savvy, it is imperative that you read and study all the explanations beneath the table before you begin.

Begin by carefully exploring the above table. An underlined word is called a hyperlink, and as you click your left mouse button (when the arrow is anywhere on the underlined word), it will link you to a new location. For example, if you click anywhere on the underlined words "Introductory Letter", your page will jump to the Introductory Letter. "back" or "next" buttons are provided for you at the top of each page. Additionally, buttons to take you to the top of the page are provided. Once you have read your Introductory Letter, you can return to the top of the letter and then return to the table. Clicking the back button on the menu bar provides a second way to return to the previous page. Either way will work when moving through different parts of a home page.

When you read the syllabus, you will see some items that are needed for this course:

• text - Aims and Options;
• supplement text - TRP Manual;
• computer drills - MLG.

You will need your own copy of the text since you will be writing in it on Mondays and using it for your composition on Wednesdays. Do not share a text even if you have a roommate taking the course.

The TRP Manual is the homepage you are reading right now. This Internet Course page printed into a booklet is called the TRP Manual.Some students have email service without Internet access. In such cases, the entire Internet page would be printed and mailed to the student at cost. Other students desire to print out only certain pages of the TRP Manual (Internet Course page) such as the lessons. I recommend printing out the lessons one week in advance in case the Internet lines have problems since many servers are having problems keeping up with rapidly increasing demands. A lesson printed a week in advance is a safeguard against interrupted service. Assignments are expected to be completed when due even in the case of interrupted service. Remember the printed homepage is called the TRP Manual, and you can print anything you wish with no charge.

SPECIAL NOTE: Each student needs to print two items to use as the course progresses. Print a hard copy of the Course Outline, so you can check off your assignments as you do them. Print a hard copy of the score sheet on the syllabus, so you can keep track of your own scores as you earn them. The Outline will show you when assignments are due, and the Lessons will tell you how to do them.

• Please call assignments by name.
• Please email them by name.
• Please ask questions about them by name.
• The name provided on the Outline is your guide to communication with your instructor. Keep it handy for use whether your line is up or down.

The MLG grammar drill program is discussed under the Course Software link. The Course Software link should be read completely, so the student knows about and understands what Software the course uses. If access cannot be gained to the software called MLG, the student will be expected to drop the course. MLG is written in DOS. Students have been very creative about gaining access to the MLG program. If they find their own family systems will not carry the MLG program (such as older MAC machines), they have installed the program on machines belonging to other siblings, friends, relatives, or neighbors. Students with campus access can make arrangements with the instructer in some cases. It is the student's responsibility to assure access to the MLG program. It is not the teacher's responsibility to design alternate methods for grammar support grade points or the school's responsibility to give full refund after the loading grace period if it is discovered the program will not work on a personal system.

To guarantee a smooth start in the course, spend some time becoming familiar with each box in the above table. Each of the five first-column links is imperative to this course. The five second-column links are course supplements for those who need them. The Introductory Letter and Course Syllabus should be read thorougly--even studied--to understand what is expected in the course. The Course Outline and Course Lessons should be scanned in succession, so the student has a good expectation of what the course requires. Online courses do require discipline and dedication from the student. They offer a unique and extremely rewarding experience to those who are self motivated. Do not fail to scan the remaining first-column links now. Each of the five second-column links provide expansion areas for students who need help or stimulation. Explore the second-column links when needed or desired. A brief description of the imperative first-column links is as follows:

• The Introductory Letter link unlocks the mystery of how/when assignments will be submitted to the instructor.
• The Course Syllabus link unlocks the mystery of what materials need to be accessible before starting the course, how many assignments are to be completed, and how the assignments will be graded.
• The Course Outline link unlocks the mystery of due dates for each individual assignment to keep on task with the course schedule expectations. Assignments may come in early but not late.
• The Course Software link unlocks the mystery of where to obtain the MLG computer drill program for your own PC.
• The Course Lessons link unlocks the mystery of not having an instructor at your side to guide you and answer common questions as in a real classroom. These supplement lessons are called TRP lessons because they are the ones that go on the TR(i)P across Internet lines to supplement your text chapter. Each written lesson serves as the virtual classroom teacher that provides guidance to better understand assignments, give additional skills or expertise which augment the text, and distinguish the most important points. A FAQ's feature can be found at the end of every lesson. FAQ's means Frequently Asked Questions. These FAQ's features provide review for major concepts and, similar to a pop quiz in a classroom, are good study guides for exams. Be sure to read FAQ's whenever they appear.

Much of what you learn today won't be true five or ten years from now; many things you haven't heard of today will be important five or ten years ahead. If I teach you something supposedly "relevant," I'm guaranteeing irrelevance. If I teach you how to work, to have good attitudes, to take responsibility for your own ideas, to communicate and to think a problem through, no matter what the subject matter . . . then I'm giving you something you can use for a very long time.

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© Mary Lula Welch