Introduction Letter – Online Course Section 7017

English 101 – Fall 2007

Welcome English 101 students. I invite you to enjoy a new learning experience as we journey through this online course. Our focus will be on language – how to use it, read, it, analyze it, write it, and hopefully, come to a greater understanding of its power and influence in all that we do.

To start, you will want to know the structure of the class:

  1. The class is entirely on-line – there are no required on-campus meetings.
  1. The class will begin September 4th through the ETUDES-NG website. The website and information on how to determine your username and password can be found at: http://www.lavc.edu/virtualvalley/loggingonline.htm.

3.  This class will travel at the same pace as the in-person classroom sections. To keep up with the class and important announcements and discussions, you will need to log on daily, if only for a short time to check in.

4.  An online class can be both challenging and exciting. You need to have and make the time to complete all the assignments, participate in discussions, and be open-minded to learning. You also need to be self-motivated and self-disciplined to succeed. If you want to determine if an online class is really for you, take the quizzes at: http://www.lavc.edu/virtualvalley/areyouready2.htm.

Next, here’s what you need for an online class:

1.  Make sure that you have easy and reliable internet access.

2.  Check to make sure that your computer system is adequate, that you have all the needed software and that your cache settings are correct (http://www.lavc.edu/virtualvalley/whatyouneed.htm and http://www.lavc.edu/Distance/etudes_login_tips.htm).

3.  Have a back-up computer (know the computer lab locations on campus) in case of problems. Technical difficulties will not be an acceptable excuse for late or missed work.

4.  Have a working email address that you check regularly.

5.  Log on at least once before September 7th. If you have not logged on by then, I will drop you from the class as a “no show”.

My hope is that you learn from this course, enjoy the experience, and have fun in the process!
See you online!

Professor Jessica Mintz
Email:
Office: Humanities 109C
Phone: 818.947.2427