During the fifteen weeks duration of this course, you will write seven to nine papers, and post a number of responses to questions or assignments I will post on the WEBCT discussion group site. A number of your responses will be based on readings in the Patterns text. In addressing grammar and mechanics issues, we will refer to your Writers Reference text and to a grammar site available online.

You will be expected to post responses on the WEBCT weekly (this lets me know you are still "out there", as well as keeping you moving toward your goal of having your work "in the bank," so to speak, instead of finding too much of it still on your plate at 2:00 a.m. the morning of the last day of class). I have seen students who find themselves in the latter position, and they don't look good.

That said, I am flexible on "deadlines." My chief concern is that by the end of the semester your writing has improved (as evidenced by a substantial body of written work) and you have a load of writing strategies, techniques, and coping skills in your kit. I will work with you to adjust the demands of the course (chiefly as to when things get done, not as to how much), in so far as feasible, to your particular situation.

My guess is that if you are taking a course online - - a choice which requires more self-motivation and discipline than that of falling into a seat in a classroom and having sixty minutes access to a live human being who will explain and respond while you "passively" listen - - you may be doing so because your life is complex and education needs to fit into a niche that can accommodate your priorities. I take pleasure in seeing that working together we achieve a successful outcome.

I think a major key to success in any class, online or in a physical classroom, is keeping in touch - - especially making sure to ask any questions you need to ask to clear up confusion as to an assignment, an expectation, etc. In the event circumstances arise that will "interrupt" your attention to the course (e.g., illness, other commitments, etc.), it is especially important that you contact me so that we can work out a "game plan" for seeing that you lose as little forward progress as possible. I welcome such queries and will respond as expeditiously as possible.

For a sample overview of the types of essays you will be writing in the class, you can go to http://staff.niacc.edu/dcameron/essays.html.

For a sample syllabus (the informational section) see below. This sample should answer a lot of your questions, if they are typical.

So, if you choose to go forward with this course, or have questions at this juncture, e-mail me (camerdia@niacc.edu) or call me (office 1-888-GO-NIACC, home 641-422-9056), and we will chat.

In the event you choose to go forward with the course, I look forward to working with you.

Syllabus -
Diana Cameron
Room 212, Beem Center

Texts:
Patterns for College Writing, 8th ed., Kirszner and Mandell
A Writers Refere, 5^th ed., Hacker

Texts are available through the NIACC College Bookstore.

Communication Skills I is a course designed to provide you with writing skills suitable for and adaptable to many writing tasks. Upon completion of the course, you should be able to write an essay demonstrating good expository writing skills, and effective use of description and narration. You should be able to analyze an argument and to set forth an argument.

You should be able to support your writing skills with good research and documentation skills. You should be conscious of the purpose for which you are writing, the audience to whom your writing is addressed, and of techniques which enhance and expand your writing strategies.

For a more detailed discussion of the purposes, goals, requirements, and content of the Communication Skills I at NIACC, please see the "Student Manual for Communication Skills I (30:101) and Communication Skills II (30:101)" (the "blue book") provided to you with this syllabus.

I will provide you with an "Essay Overview," an "Essay Rubric," and a list of Categories" of common grammatical problems that will assist you in determining what is expected of essays written for the class. I will, relative to a number of assignments, provide you with copies of sample student papers to give you an idea of the type of work you will be producing.

You will use Writer’s Workbench, a software program created by Bell Laboratories to assist its employees in writing better, cleaner prose, and modified to assist students in writing essays.

Writer's Workbench is available to students in the Workbench Lab on campus, in the same building in which I have my office (Beem Center), and in the computer lab in McAlister Hall. For those of you for whom campus access is not feasible, the Workbench program (CD or download) can be purchased at a cost of $99.00 by going through the following website http://www.emo.com/ and through the NIACC College Bookstore.

Some of your assignments will be submitted to a class discussion forum linked to the class web page, an arrangement which will enable each of us to post communiques to every member of the class with one push of a button, so that we may easily enjoy seeing more of each other’s written reactions to certain questions and issues.

You will be expected to have at least two "formal" fifteen minute office conferences with me, one at midterm and one near the end of the semester, during which we review your work and discuss what we think you need to do to expand your writing skills. This conference can be scheduled as a telephone conference or, if you prefer and live nearby, an on-site conference in my office at NIACC.

Your grade will be based on essays, WEBCT responses (usually short--a paragraph, perhaps), and your participation in conferences. Some of the points are qualitative, some quantitative. I will provide you with a grade allocation sheet and will provide access to your grades online.

On rare occasions, a grade of "incomplete" is warranted, based on extenuating circumstances, and on the real possibility of the student's being in a position to complete the semester's work successfully, a judgment I will make based on the quantity and

quality of work already submitted. In the event I do submit an "I" (incomplete) grade for a student, I will expect the outstanding assignment(s) to be completed within six weeks of the submission of the grade. In the event the outstanding work is not submitted within the six week time frame, I will submit a grade change from "I" to the grade earned by the work in hand at that point.

NIACC's Communication Skills faculty observe the intellectual honesty policy set forth on page 9 of the "Student Manual for Communication Skills I (30:101) and Communication Skills II (30:102)" (the "blue" book). Instances of plagiarism will result in appropriate reduction of the points awarded for the work in question, which may include an 'F' for the assignment and/or for the course. In addition, the college may take disciplinary measures. If you have any questions or feel confused about the

concepts surrounding the use of material that you have not written, please see me and I will help clarify the issue.

Attendance (in an online course, I define "attendance" as your checking into the WEBCT at least once a week, to read my postings and respond in some way) is critical to orderly progression through the concepts, theories, and assignments in the course. I design my coursework so that one class session builds on the next, cumulatively, so you will benefit from keeping up as you will give yourself time to absorb one concept or technique before moving to another.