Course Description:
This course is specifically designed for students who want
to do focused work on particular writing skills—skills
that they may have lost over time, or never acquired in other
classes, but need for success in other courses or in their
occupations. In English 365: English Writing Skills, students
will receive individualized instruction in writing skills such
as sentence-level grammatical skills and mechanics, writing
clear sentences, developing strong paragraphs, developing an
essay, and using research skills and documentation techniques.
Instruction includes one-on-one conferences with faculty and
online writing skills learning modules.
Outcomes and Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will:
1) Demonstrate improvement in the specific aspects of the
writing process covered in the modules selected by the student,
for example, thesis
development, paragraph unity, correcting fragments, correcting
comma splices, and using quotation marks.
2) See improvement in their ability to implement writing
strategies by comparison and contrast of their writing before
and after one-on-one tutorials and completion of assigned
modules.
Assignments:
The assignment sequence and structure is the same for
all modules.
1. course overview: Students visit the lesson
page of a particular module for a list of specific objectives
and an overview of the topic to be covered.
2. pre-test/skill assessment: The next step
is to take the pretest. This link, and all other links
to assignments are provided in the order in which they are
to be completed on the left column of the module pages (with
the exception of the quiz & test pages). The pretest provides
a starting place for the course. It
measures the student's present skill level, and thus provides
a point of comparison for the student's level at the end of
the course. When the instructor has evaluated the results
of the pretest, the instructor will contact the student to
discuss the results and answer any questions the student may
have at the start of the module.
3. lesson: The lesson includes a written
lesson and a video or audio lesson, often with text animation
to illustrate a process. On
subsequent assignments,
students will be responsible for all the material covered in
these lessons.
4. learning resources: The learning
resources page provides students with links to sites
that have been pre-screened for content and quality. Each
link is accompanied by a short description of what students
can expect to find on the site. Students are not required to
visit these resources (unless otherwise indicated); however,
these sites often contain helpful explanations and quizzes
that supplement instruction.
5. quiz: This graded quiz measures
students' comprehension of the skill being studied and their
ability to use the skill in short sentences and paragraphs
(typically). When
the instructor has evaluated the results, the instructor will
contact the student to discuss the student's progress and provide
tutorial assistance to solve any problems.
6. skills in context: By the time the
students gets to this stage of instruction, they should be
ready to use the skill in real-world writing situations. The
Skills in Context page provides a bridge to real-world writing
by showing students how writers have used the skill or technique
effectively in their writing, or by challenging students to
try a technique for themselves, in which case students can
click on an instructor's answer for comparison. Though students'
work in this section is not evaluated, the Skills in Context
page does prepare students to complete the exit assignment.
7. exit assignment: This assignment is usually
a written assignment or a correction assignment in a writing
sample (in the case of punctuation and grammatical errors).
The task is meant to be challenging, and to encourage students
to achieve mastery of a writing skill. When the instructor
has evaluated the results, the instructor will contact the
student to discuss the exit assignment results and the student's
achievement over the module as a whole, comparing the student's
skill level at the end of the module with beginning skill level.
How do I start?
To begin this course, you may select modules
yourself if you know what skills you want to work on, follow
the recommendations of an instructor in another course, or
take the diagnostic
exam (after enrolling in the course). Your results will
be automatically submitted to your instructor, who will
contact you soon afterwards with a recommendation for
modules that would best meet your needs. To select your modules,
complete the
create
my 365 form. Your choices will be sent to an instructor
and a Progress page will be generated for you (accessible
from the "My Progress" link in the horizontal menu bar above).
How do I pass this course?
You must acquire a total of 25 points to pass
the course. Each module will give you between 2 and 10 points. Therefore,
you must choose a combination of modules to give you a total
of 25 or more points (partially completed modules do not count).
For example, one might construct the following courses:
8 points Developing a Thesis
8 points Creating Unified Paragraphs
8 points Introductions & Conclusions
2 points end punctuation
26 points Total
8 points Working with Sources
6 points MLA style
6 points Primary Resources
5 points Run-on sentences
25 points Total
Again, welcome to English 365: English Writing Skills. We
hope that you enjoy this course and will feel free to contact
your instructor or visit the student Q
& A Board any time
you have a question or concern.
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