Welcome to English
131! You should find this 95% online version of freshman
composition to be challenging but convenient—given that you can complete most
writing assignments in the comfort of your own home. To learn more about my
teaching philosophy and background, click on the following link: http://adm.hfcc.edu/~cbriggs/cbriggs.htm
But first a word of
caution: If you are not a solid writer, please reconsider an online
version of composition. You will
actually have more responsibilities than you would in a face-to-face class.
You need to read all online postings and be aware of due dates, reading assignments,
essays and examinations. To be certain that you are ready for the
commitment of an online course, complete the self-test on the HFCC UCompass
login page http://henryford.ucompass.com.
The web address for
our English 131 online course is: http://henryford.ucompass.com.
You will not have
access to your online course until the first day of regular classes for the
semester. Log
into UCompass using your WebAdvisor username and the four-digit mmdd
of your birth as your password (if your birthday is July 4, your password
would be 0704). If you do not know your WebAdvisor username find it
through the HFCC website, http://www.hfcc.edu. Click the blue
WebAdvisor box, then click the link for Students and follow the prompts to
display your username.
As recommended by the college IT department, once the semester begins, please
only use the course email (username@henryford.ucompass.com) to communicate with
me and not any free email accounts like Hotmail or AOL as these are filtered by
the UCompass software, and I will not be able to receive email from them in
order to protect the system from spam or viruses.
To ensure that your
computer is ready for online learning click "PC Requirements" in the
Student Resources section of the UCompass login page - http://henryford.ucompass.com. The
Technology Analysis at the bottom of the page will evaluate your computer to
make sure you have the necessary software applications to access the course
content.
You have the option
to submit assignments using Microsoft Word or "rich text format"
attachments through the "submit" option under each assignment on the
UCompass website or through the UCompass course email. If you do not have a word processing program
on your computer, you can download a free Microsoft Word compatible program at
the following website: http://download.openoffice.org/
Type of
Assignments:
You may submit
assignments using Microsoft Word or "rich text format" attachments.
All the English 131
assignments relate to the following: personal development and college writing.
My class combines informal writing in discussion boards with formal
essays. In a typical English 131 class, you might complete five
discussion boards and write essays like the following:
·
A
classification essay based upon the Myers-Briggs personality test, the gold
standard used by employers to screen job candidate.
·
A summary and analysis essay (required by the
Nursing and Social Science divisions)
·
A
contrast theme (assigned frequently in history, biology, and
telecommunications)
·
A
researched persuasive essay on a topic that engages you.
The textbook for the
course is, Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, Handbook, 8th ed. The text is
available at the college store: http://collegestore.hfcc.edu
Feel free to purchase
the textbook, The Longman Writer (eighth edition), to get a head start
on assignments. Only one textbook is required to reduce the cost
for students. If you would like
to get a head start on the class, begin reading the first seven chapters.
These chapters review the writing process from prewriting to revision and
introduce you to patterns of development used in composition. Online
quizzes and in-class discussion boards will be used to assess your
understanding of the reading assignments
I look forward to
working with you. Students who persevere with online courses often end up
with better grades than those in traditional classes—given that almost all
communication takes place in writing. Practice makes perfect:-)