2 Sample Introduction to Course
Welcome to our online Writing 102 course! We hope you’re ready for an engaging, rewarding online learning experience with plenty of reading, thinking, and writing.
Completing the following steps will get you ready to begin.
Step 1 – Become Familiar with our Online Learning Environment
Your first step is to become familiar with our class website and the learning tools. You may be wondering: Where do I go first? How do I navigate? If this is your first online learning class, or if you’ve completed many online classes, please begin by exploring and becoming familiar with our class set-up. Every online course is organized a bit differently and getting a feel requires taking some time clicking around to understand how everything is laid out.
Tools and Resources for Activities and Communication
We’ll be making use of the following tools and resources. During the first week of class, become familiar with all of them.
Find the following resources:
- Content: You will access unit and module overviews, assignment instructions, and course readings through the Content area. To get there, click the “Content” link in the top navigation or use the Content panel in the left on the class home page. Begin every unit and module by reading the unit or module overview in Content. Check there for the the instructions for the activities and for readings.
- Calendar: Your due dates will be listed in the calendar, along with links to activities, assignments, and materials. The calendar can be exported to google or any i-Cal compatible calendar.
- Class email: Learn to retrieve and send email through the class email system. Your instructor may often communicate with you through class email.
- Discussions: Find the discussion page and learn how to post. You will complete two discussion activities for each module.
- Assignments: You will be submitting the initial and revised drafts of your essays through the Assignments tool.
Step 2 – Gain an Overview of Our Course
After you’ve become familiar with our course tools and learning environment, you’re ready for the overview of our class activities.
We will complete three main units:
- Unit 1: Close Reading
- Unit 2: Definition Argument
- Unit 3: Research Essay
Through the modules in each of these units, you will complete activities that follow this basic pattern:
- Reading for ideas and inspiration
- Drafting an essay
- Revising the essay, after receiving feedback from the instructor and classmates
Reading Strands
The readings in each unit are organized into three thematic strands:
- The Power of One
- Live Deliberately
- Identity Shifts
You choose which strand to read. You don’t have to read from the same strand in every unit: you can mix and match. On the other hand, if you find a theme that resonates with you, you are welcome to stick with that strand throughout the course.
Discussions
Each module includes two discussion activities so that you can explore, develop, and share ideas and insights