Welcome to ENGL 28-13861, 100%Online

Intermediate Reading & Composition (3 credits)
Winter 2018:January 2-31, 2018

Dear Students,

Welcome to English 28 for Winter 2018! I also sent a copy of this letter to your email addresses, so hopefully you received it. My name is Dr. Karen Crozer, and I am your instructor for this course. I am so excited to get to know each and every one of you. Please read this orientation carefully so you can decide if English 28 Online is the right choice for fulfilling your curriculum needs. Our class begins Tuesday, January 2, 2018.

Preparing for an Online Class

While an online course offers students more flexibility in terms of where they do their work, some students are surprised to find that an online class has strict assignment deadlines, just like a traditional course. In fact, an online course requires more self-discipline than a face-to-face course, and some students become overwhelmed with the responsibility of keeping up with weekly readings and postings. Here are some resources to help you:

  • Please consider visiting the Online Student Readiness module for tutorials that will help you develop the skills required to be successful in an online course:
  • In addition, a 12-minute introduction to online learning is available here:
  • Los Angeles Mission College has also put together this helpful list of what you need to do to get started in your online classes called “I’ve Registered, Now What?” Visit this overview at:

All email communication regarding this course will be sent via the LACCD student email system and Canvas Announcements. Checkyourstudent email account daily, or you will not have the information that youneed. Also make sure you click on Announcements regularly or set up an email notification when there are new announcements. You can set up email notifications by clicking on Account and then on Notifications.

About English 28

This is a course in reading and writing designed to strengthen the student's ability to use basic communication skills, including grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Instruction will include the assignments of expository and argumentative essays, online grammar and writing exercises, and a research paper. (Prerequisite: English 21 or placement exam.)

About Canvas

This online class is made available to you through Canvas. Before the firstday of class, please visit the Canvas log-in page at the link below and make sure youcan log on. You can find the syllabus, schedule, and other relevant materials at .Use your SIS log in. Use a browser other than Internet Explorer with Canvas, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. A few helpful tutorials are available that cover the following topics:

  • How to change your password:
  • How to set your notification preferences:
  • How to reset your password if you forget it:

I invite you to view the Canvasstudent orientation video available at

I also encourage you to download the Canvas smart phone app.

  • For Android devices:
  • For iPhone users:

About Your Instructor

I have been teaching composition, literature, and creative writing for 10 years. I have taught in New York City and Los Angeles, and I have an M.A./Ph.D. in English, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and an M.S. in Education. I love rescue dogs, have a2-year-old son, and have visited every continent (including Antarctica). I want to make our virtual classroom a fun, productive place where we can learn together!

Course Expectations

This class is 100% online. You will need to login to Canvas at least 2-4 times per week to keep up with postings and to check for updates from your instructor. Click on the link for ENGL 28-13861, which will take you to our home page. The home page is broken into folders labeled Important Documents, Essay & Writing Assignment Guidelines, Tasks to Complete Before the First Day of Class, Weeks 1-5 Tasks & Objectives, and MLA Resources. Each week, you will need to click on a variety of links and read documents, watch videos, and view prezis. In order to break up the work for you, I’ve divided each week into three days’ worth of activities. However, you are not required to follow this format as long as you work your way through all the links. Some students may prefer to spread the links over more days or fewer days.

After each week’s module of tasks, you will find a module that covers what is due that week. There you will see the week’s assignments, when they are due, and how many points they are worth. We have deadlines on Wednesday and Sunday nights (and during Week 1 only, we have a deadline on Tuesday).

Students who do not login and completethe first posting on Discussion Board 1: Self-Introduction by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2018,may be dropped from the course as “No Shows.” Students who miss a week’s worth of assignments prior to the add/drop date may be dropped for excessive absences.

Netiquette

Please be respectful and professional in all your interactions with your classmates and instructor. In the online world, acceptable and appropriate behavior is known as “netiquette.” For more information about netiquette, please visit the following link:

Syllabus

You can find, download, and print your syllabus by logging into Canvas and looking under “Important Documents.”

Required Text

You will need to purchase Reading and Writing About Contemporary Issues, 2nd Edition, Pearson, 2016, by Kathleen T. McWhorter.Print ISBN:9780133949612 or 0133949613. The textbook is available at the LAMC Bookstore. You may rent the book, buy a used copy, or buy an electronic version of the book, but this textbook is required. Not being in possession of the course materials is not anexcuse for late or missingwork.If you are waiting for financial aid, use the text that is on reserve in theLAMClibrary for the firstweek.

Grade Breakdown

This course has three essays, with required prewriting for each essay. These writing assignments make up 55% of your grade. An annotated Works Cited page is required for Essay 3 and is worth 5% of your grade. The instructions for these writing assignments can be found under “Essay Guidelines.” Discussion forum participation is 20% of your grade. Quizzes are 14% of your grade, the final exam is 5%, and the plagiarism certificate is 1%.

E-Counseling

If you would like tocommunicate with a counselor online,please click on the link below to enter E-SARS,where you will be able to book youre-counseling appointment with a counselor.Visit:

Student Services

There are many student services available to you. Please check out the Orientation to Student Services for Online Students: check out this link to Online Student Services:

Closing Thoughts

I am looking forward to working with all of you. Please download the syllabus from Canvasbefore the course start date. Don’t forget, you must complete your first post for Discussion Board #1: Self-Introductionbefore 11:59 pm on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, or you may be droppedfrom the class as a “No Show.” For an online course, it is especially important to hit the ground running. I’ll “see” you all online!

Sincerely,
Dr. Karen Crozer (“Dr. C”)