English 101 Online: Course Structure
Welcome to English 101. I’d like to give you a brief overview of how the course is set up.
Important: in this course, underlined blue words are links.
Homepage
When you log into the course, you will be brought to the course homepage. From the course home page, you’ll be able to get to everything you need to communicate within the course, complete assignments, check on your progress, and find help.
At the top of the page, you will see my contact information, the course syllabus, the course schedule, and a link to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL). Below this basic information, you will find module folders that contain instructions and links you need to complete your assignments each week. I will add folders to the end of the list as the semester progresses. I will not remove previous weeks’ folders so that you can always go back and review. In addition, you navigate to the week’s folder by clicking on the link on the left side of the page. I will keep several weeks worth of links in the navigation area for your convenience.
Course Menu Area
The course menu area on the left side of the page also contains links to the library home pages, the course dashboard, course resources, discussion forums, course blogs, announcements, the course messaging system, and your grades. You may use this area for navigating throughout the course.
Course Dashboard
The course dashboard provides you with a list of new activity, including new announcements and course messages that have occurred since the last time you logged in. It’s important that you check the course dashboard each time you log into the course.
Weekly Modules
You’ll notice that the course home page contains a module folder for each week. When you open a module, you will find a detailed list of what needs to be completed for the week, including reading assignments, along with the dates for that week. You should follow the instructions listed in the folder very carefully. Notice that there is a table of contents on the left side of the module page. Simply click on an item in the table of contents to open it. Generally, each week you will need to:
● Read, watch, and or listen to the week’s lecture notes, including the week’s overview.
● Read the assigned textbook pages and any additional posted readings. Read carefully; make notes while you are reading. Engage with the texts, and don’t give up! Ask for help from me, from your classmates, or from ASC if you need it..
● Post an answer to the discussion question or questions (DQs) by the due date listed in the module folder. For non-peer review discussions, initial posts will be due on Thursday of each week. However, due dates will for discussions in which we are reviewing peer writing. Discussion question posts should be detailed and specific—at least one well-developed paragraph long, though often more is required to answer the question. Be sure to complete the reading before answering the question(s). I strongly suggest that you write your discussion question posts in Word, and then copy and paste them into Learn (the classroom system) to avoid losing your work if Learn crashes or logs you out. (This suggestion is based on experience!) The Muddiest Point – Help blog you will find a post titled “How to Make Online Course Discussions a Success.” Please read this post as it contains very specific instructions for participating in class discussions online.
● Read all of your classmates’ posts!
● For each discussion question, respond to at least two other students’ posts by SUNDAY (unless otherwise noted). Your should respond directly to your classmates’ posts. Response should be relevant, insightful, and help advance the discussion. You can agree with your classmate, explain why you agree, and add new insights or questions. Or you may respectfully disagree and explain why. It is not enough to simply compliment a post, or say that you agree. I will monitor class discussion and participate when clarification is needed. You will find that, just as in a face to face class, much instruction occurs in these class discussions. Again, it is important to read all the posts and replies in the discussion forums. The discussion board forums are an essential part of this course.
● The Muddiest Point – Help blog you will find a post titled “How to Make Online Course Discussions a Success.” Please read this post as it contains very specific instructions for participating in class discussions online.
● Complete homework assignments (most weeks). Follow the instructions for submitting the assignment carefully. Most assignments are due by 11:59 pm SUNDAY. Some assignments will be submitted through the assignment tool by attaching a Word, or Word compatible file to the assignment. Some will be submitted through the journal tool, in which case you may copy/paste your work directly into the text box. Clicking on the link in the module folder will take you to the correct location for submitting your work. When in doubt, be sure to ask! For help with submitting assignments using the assignment tool and with posting to the journal tool, please read the appropriate files found at UNM’s Learn Help site by clicking on the “How to Use Learn” link in the course menu area.
● Work on a Writing Project. We will complete eight writing projects (including the mid-term and final projects), and most projects will take more than one week to complete. Projects are to be submitted to me for grading through the assignment tool. Again, clicking on the link in the week’s module folder will get you to the right place. Generally, writing projects will be due at the end of a week (Sunday, 11:59 pm).
Course Communications (Check Announcements and Messages each time you log in)
There are several ways we will communicate in this course:
● Overviews – I will provide you with information you need to complete the week’s work. Each week’s overview can be found in the week’s module folder.
● Course Messaging System—This course tool is essentially an internal email system. It works only within the course. The course messaging system is the best way to communicate with me about personal issues such as grades, illnesses, or emergencies. I will use this system to communicate with the class as a whole and with individual students, and you can use it to communicate with me. Please check the course messaging system each time you log in. You may miss important course information if you do not!
● Announcements—I use announcements from time to time to communicate with the entire class. Please check for announcements each time you log in. Announcements are also listed in the Course Dashboard.
● Muddiest Point Blog (Help) —Use this blog to ask questions about assignments, course structure, or course navigation that may also be relevant to your classmates. I will also use this blog to post information about using Learn and other course technologies. Personal concerns, such as grades, illness, or emergencies, should be sent to me using the course messaging system or my UNM email address.
● General Discussion Blog Forum —Use this optional blog to make comments or ask questions about readings or other issues that come up concerning the study of literature that is not covered elsewhere. It provides us the flexibility to interact as we would in a face to face class.
● Sharing Our Work Blog—Use this blog to share your homework, class Writing Projects, or even personal writing projects with your classmates. You may ask for advice about your work, respond to a classmate’s blog post, or show off something you are proud of. I will also use this blog to post examples of excellent work.
● Course Café—Use this optional, ungraded discussion forum to socialize with your classmates, just as you would before and after class in a face to face classroom. As always, please observe the netiquette rules.
● UNM Email Address— If you are having difficulty with Learn, you may contact me at my UNM-email address (). The course messaging system works only within the Learn system.
● Phone/Text—Very occasionally, the quickest and easiest way to solve a problem is with a phone call. You can call or text me at [insert phone number here] (9:00 am – 5:00 pm only).