PHSC 1012K

Dr. Alan Zhang
Office: F-120E
Phone with Voice Mail: (229) 317-6884
Fax: (229) 317-6650
Email: alan.zhang@darton.edu
Office Hours: See Syllabus at the Course Site

Things You Need to Know
to Succeed in ENGL 1102-Online

1. What is new with WebCT Vista?

With this new version of WebCT, you may need to wait 48 hours after the semester starts before you can log in to the course. That is because Darton College does not populate its own online courses any more; the University System of Georgia does that. Before a course is populated--i.e., all the students' names are imported into the course--a student will not be able to log in.

WebCT Vista will not run if you do not set up your browser according to the requirements. Click on "Browser Settings" at the log-in page and follow the instructions to set up your browser before logging into the course.

After you have set up your browser, double check whether everything is fine by clicking on "Check Browser."

2. How do I access the online ENGL 1102 site?

Information at <http://online.darton.edu/Handouts/log_on.htm> gives you step-by-step instructions on logging in to WebCT Vista.

Once you have logged in, bookmark the site for fast and easy access in the future. It is recommended that you print out both the syllabus and the course calendar.

3. What do I need to have to take this online course?

Access to a computer with Internet connection

The required textbooks

Edgar V. Roberts, and Henry E. Jacobs, eds., Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 8th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007).
Muriel Harris. Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage. 6^th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.)

4. What computer skills are necessary for the course?

Ability to type and save a file in the required file formats, and print documents with a computer

Ability to surf the Internet

Ability to send, receive email and handle attachments

5. What information about myself do I need to provide to the instructor?

I will need your phone numbers and email addresses for communication purposes. I will also need to know your Regents' Test status and a few other things contained in an information datasheet for you to complete and submit to me on the first day of class. The datasheet will also give you a chance to communicate to me any of your concerns, difficulties, hopes, and suggestions. This Student Information Datasheet is in the "Welcome Aboard" folder at the course site. It should be returned as an email attachment. (For tips on sending attachments in WebCT, refer to Question #8 below.)

6. What do I need to do to succeed in this class?

Read the Departmental Comprehensive Course Guide and my syllabus to understand the requirements and policies of the course.

Follow the syllabus and complete all reading and writing assignments as they are scheduled.

Participate actively in the discussions of assigned readings. Make sure you post your responses by the deadline.

Print out the course syllabus and the calendar. Know and remember all deadlines, and plan your time well to meet them.

Communicate with me whenever you have a question, a problem, a difficulty, or a suggestion. Be sure to submit your request for an extension of the deadline prior to the deadline.

Log in to the course to check for announcements and email at least once every day, looking particularly into the folder "From the Instructor" at the Bulletin.

Do not plagiarize.

7. How many times are we required to come to campus?

None. However, you may need to use the library and other resources on campus, and you are always welcome to visit with me during my office hours.

8. What email program do I use in this course?

You use the WebCT email. Unless WebCT is down, please do not use your other email addresses.

To send an email in WebCT, click on "Mail" in the top toolbar at the course homepage. Choose "Create message." Click "Browse for Recipients" to select the name of the person you intend to email, and the rest will be the same as you do with other email programs. Be aware that you CANNOT TYPE in any email address in the "To:" box.

To attach a file to the email, click "Add Attachments." Wait until the "My Computer" icon to show and click on the icon to locate your file. Click "Open" to load the file. If you see the name of the file appear beneath "Add Attachments," your file is successfully attached.

9. Can I work ahead of the schedule?

Most of the time you are able to work at your own pace. While you will have to abide by deadlines, you will have plenty of chances to use the syllabus to get ahead of the schedule. For example, you may certainly read the next week's selections if you find time to do so this week. You may also post discussion items early--as long as you post them under the right topics at the Bulletin. Basically, except for the timed essays and other works that are not accessible in the syllabus, you may always complete tomorrow's work today.

10. How do I submit my work?

There are three types of assignments in this course: 1) Online discussions, 2) Essays/Tests and the MLA exercise, and 3) the Research paper.

1) Online discussion items are to be posted at the Discussion board. (Read Question #14 below for a more detailed explanation about this assignment. I will include specific instructions about how to post your responses in my "Online Discussion" message to you in the beginning of the course.) Please note the following in particular:

DO NOT send your discussion items to me by email.

DO NOT post them as "attachments."

DO NOT post them under the wrong topic at the Bulletin. Always click into the correct topic first.

2) Un-timed essays, tests and the MLA exercise are to be typed and submitted by email. (Read the next question for information about timed essays.)

ALWAYS send them as email attachments.

Make sure you save a copy on your hard drive or any other storage media.

Faxed copies are usually blurry. Use a fax machine only when you are not able to send your work by email. If you must fax your work to me, make sure you send it to my attention.

I also accept work submitted in person to my office.

3) The research paper may NOT be emailed or faxed. You either hand-deliver or send it to me by mail (certified or with delivery confirmation) in hard copy form. Look out for specific instructions one week before the paper is due.

11. How do I complete timed essay assignments?

Every student will need to complete two timed essays in the semester. For each essay, you are to write on one of the four given topics within 50 minutes. I will give everyone two more minutes to wrap up and submit.

To access the timed essay assignment, click on the right number of timed essay according to the syllabus. The topics will be available from 7:00am till 11:55pm on the same day of the assignment.

Please hit "Enter" twice to create a new paragraph. Otherwise, the paragraphs will not show and your essay will turn out to be a big block of words.

Be aware that the clock starts ticking the moment you open the topics. Do not log out from the site until the essay is completed. If you do, the computer will continue recording the time that lapses between the two logging-in's and will count every minute as part of your writing time. Anyone who exceeds the 52-minute limit will not be able to submit.

When you are ready to submit, make sure you click "Save Answer" first to save your essay. Then, click on "Finish" to submit. When the confirmation message appears, click "OK."

12. How is my essay evaluated?

I use the grading criteria in the "Comprehensive Course Guide" to assess the overall quality of your writing. (Read the Course Guide at the course site.) I would respond to your essay with corrections, suggestions, and comments. The letter grades that I apply to your essay are A, B, C, D, and F, along with plus, minus, and slash grades. The following is a rubric for converting letter grades to number grades:

A = 95-100, A- = 90-92, A-/B+ = 89, B+ = 88,
B = 85-87,   B- = 80-82, B-/C+ = 79, C+ = 78,
C = 75-77,   C- = 70-72, C-/D+ = 69, D+ = 68,
D = 65-67, D- = 60-62
F = 0-55

13. How is my work returned?

Your essays will be returned by email. If you hand-delivered an un-timed essay, you may pick it up at the Writing Center (C-144) after I finish reviewing it. Faxed papers will be returned by fax. Tests, the MLA exercise, and research papers will not be returned, but I will inform you of your grades. You are welcome to review your work with me after I have graded it.

Please DO NOT call or email to ask, "When are you going to return my essay?" I teach four to five composition classes every semester, which means I always have about 100 essays in my hand when I collect yours. It usually takes me a week to ten days to return your essay. I will make an announcement once an essay is read.

14. How do I complete the discussion requirement?

The discussion requirement accounts for 10% of the course grade. It involves responding to the discussion questions in the syllabus about the assigned readings and posting your responses at the Bulletin on or before the deadline . Check the syllabus about the dates by which responses need to be posted. The cutoff time is the midnight. If a discussion is due on a Friday, you may post your response by Saturday midnight.

Your responses shall be complete and substantive, consisting of statements responding DIRECTLY to ALL PARTS of the discussion questions along with supporting details in the form of discussion, explanation, examples, etc. I will evaluate each of your responses in terms of completeness, relevance, substance, coherence, originality, and timeliness. Please note that you are not being evaluated for correctness. Late submissions are usually not credited.

You are encouraged to respond to each other's contributions by clicking on the item you intend to respond to. Such spontaneous responses may be much more flexible than the required ones in terms of length and structure.

Every time the class completes a discussion, I will post a summary to address the discussion questions and comment on the class's responses. Every time you complete a discussion assignment, you receive a grade ranging between 60 and 100. I will post your first discussion grade and will update it periodically. Each updated grade represents the average of the sum total of all the grades you have received up to that particular point. You will receive a zero for a discussion that you fail to participate in or for a late posting without prior approval from me for an extension of the deadline. For example, if at a time of update, the class has completed four discussions, for which you have received 90, 92, 0, and 90, your average at that point is (90 + 92 + 0 + 90)/4 = 68.

15. What is considered to be plagiarism and what are its consequences?

You are required to complete your written work independently. Copying each other’s work, letting a classmate copy a part or the entirety of your work, and borrowing language and ideas extensively from any outside source without proper documentation in your essays, tests, and the research papers are considered to be plagiarism. These acts of academic dishonesty will result in a zero on a particular work where such acts happen. Depending on the seriousness of the offense and the offender’s attitude, these acts may be reported to the Division Chair, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Vice President for Student Affairs, who may take further disciplinary actions against the student(s) at fault.

Current Students