This syllabus is currently under development and subject to change. If you're looking at a printed syllabus, you may want to visit this page on the web and print out an up-to-date copy (http://www.usd.edu/~mrogge/SILDL/101F00syllabus.html).

About Our "Classroom":

On Tuedays and Thursdays, we will have class at 7:00 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. central time. This is a virtual classroom in a sense because you are not physically in the same room with all of your classmates. You will see many of your fellow students who are at other locations on screen on the Southeast Interactive Long Distance Learning network  (SILDL). You will have an opportunity to talk with them during class. It may be helpful to think of you,  your fellow students, and  your instructor as being all together in one virtual classroom. Note that the originating site for our course is Vermillion, South Dakota at USD in the Education building (Delzell), room 203.

In addition, our classroom will be extended to include WebCT, a form of web courseware, which all students from every site will use for such tasks as submitting  writings, carrying on conversations, and journaling online. Because this course has a significant Internet component, our class will meet for only 50 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In order to get familiar with both WebCT and the course structure, you must open your web browser and go to http://courses.usd.edu:8900. On that page, click on "my WebCT" and log in with your USD internet account user. i.d. and password. If you do not have a USD internet account and you know that you are properly registered for this course, contact Cheryl Tiahrt at catiahrt@usd.edu or 605-677-5388 to request an account. Once you log into "my WebCT," you should see "Introduction to Composition (SILDL - SWES)" listed as a link; click on that link to go to the home page for our course. From there, you can explore our course structure and get comfortable with it. If you do not see a link to our course, contact your instructor at mrogge@usd.edu.

Contacting Your Instructor:

E-mail: mrogge@usd.edu or WebCT mail (select WebCT mail icon on home page in WebCT)
Phone Office Hours: M/F 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; T 12:30-2:30 p.m. central time; tele. 1-800-233-7937 or 605-677-5973
Emergency Fax 1-605-677-5298

Our course in WebCT:  Go to http://courses.usd.edu:8900 and select "my WebCT" to log in with your USD internet account user i.d. and password. Once you've done this, click on the "Introduction to Composition (SILDL - SWES)" link.

Required Texts/Materials:

• Access to a computer with a reliable Internet connection and an up-to-date  web browser--Netscape version 3.0 or higher or Microsoft Explorer 4.0 or higher. VERY important! The latest version of Netscape is downloadable for free at  http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html ; Explorer is available free to educational institutions at  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/  (note that some versions work better than others in WebCT).
• Ramage, John D. and John C. Bean. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. 2nd edition. Needham Height, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Available from SWES.
• Kirszner & Mandell. The Brief Holt Handbook. 3rd ed. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace, 2000. Available from SWES.
• In order to access some of our course materials, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it on your computer, you can download the Adobe Acrobat Reader free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
• Once you've registered for the course, you should receive a USD Internet account within a few weeks. Although you can use this account for e-mail, you'll need the user name and password primarily for accessing our course in WebCT and for doing research in USD's electronic databases. If you don't receive info. about a USD Internet account, contact Computing Services at USD (605-677-5388; catiahrt@usd.edu). Note: you can send and receive mail in WebCT instead of using e-mail.

Late Registration:

Course Description:

Attendance/Deadlines:

Respect:

Grading:

"If the USD server goes down, are we given extra time on an assignment with a deadline?"

Your instructor generally knows when the USD server goes down, making it impossible to get into our course in WebCT. When this happens (very rarely), you'll be given extra time to complete an assignment.

"My computer crashed." . . . . "My disk isn't working." . . . . "My dog ate my paper!"

Always, always copy your writing assignments onto a second or third disk or hard drive. A disk error or your computer crashing will NOT excuse a late assignment. Nor will a flat tire, other assignments for other classes, overtime at a job, being busy, forgetting, etc. We all have "other lives," but if you are going to take the class, with that comes the responsibility to perform the specified tasks on time. So, it is a good idea to plan to submit assignments at least a day or two ahead of schedule to avoid problems.
 
 

Assignments for ENGL 101	Percentage		Letter Grade	Percentages
Writing Project #1 Autobiographical Narrative (1300-1500 words)	10		A	90-100%
Writing Project #2, Part 1: Argument (500-700 words)	10		B	80-89%
Writing Project #2, Part 2: Argument with sources (1000 -1250 words)	10		C	70-79%
Writing Project #3: Rhetorical Analysis (1300-1500 words)	15		D	60-69%
Writing Project #4: Argument From Sources (1750-2000 words)	20		F	Below 60%
Presentation in WebCT (based upon Writing Project 4)	5
E-journal/rough drafts	10
SALON/Peer revision/Class participation	10
Quizzes	10
TOTAL:	100

Declaring number of words:

When you create a document in a word processing program, you can usually find out the number of words in your document quite easily. In Microsoft Word '97 or higher, go up to the Tools menu and select Word Count. In AppleWorks (ClarisWorks), go to the Edit menu, select Writing Tools, and select Word Count.

Submitting Assignments:

Copy-and-Paste Procedure:

To copy your documents/assignments that you create in a word processing program and paste them into the appropriate areas of WebCT, this is what you should do:

• Open your document that you created in your word processing program (note: with copy-and-paste, it doesn't matter what word processing program you use).
• Go up to the edit menu and choose "Select All." All of your text will be highlighted.
• Go back up to the edit menu and choose "Copy." Your document will now be stored temporarily in the computer's memory
• De-select your highlighted text by clicking anywhere in the document (so that you don't accidentally delete it).
• On this same computer, go into WebCT, into the appropriate forum or area where you will submit your document.
• In the menu on the left, select "Compose" to start a new message.
• Fill in the subject line appropriately (if it's an essay draft, name the essay type and draft number).
• Make sure your cursor is in the message textbox before you paste.
• Paste the text that you just copied by going up to the Edit menu and choosing "Paste." Your text should pour into the message textbox.
• Proofread carefully for any corrections that you might need to make.
• If you are submitting an essay draft and need to add an attachment, see the instructions below. If  you're not including an attachment, go ahead and submit the message/document.

Attachment Procedure for essay drafts in the E-Journal:

• Click on the Attach.... button.
• A new window will pop open; click on the Attach... button.
• Click on the Browse button to look for the document on your hard drive or disk; select it and click on the Open button; then click on the Continue button.
• The name of the document will appear; select the box next to it so that it is checked; then click on the Done button.
• You can preview the results by clicking on the Preview button. If you need to make changes, select the Edit button. When you're ready to submit the message, click on the Post button.

Conventions, Etc. Quizzes (in WebCT):

E-Journal (a private forum in WebCT):

The SALON in the Bulletin Board Area (in WebCT):

"What are the rules for our forums?"

• If you disagree with a classmate, be honest but be polite. Remember, human beings with feelings are reading your messages. Also, avoid typing messages in capital letters, as this is a form of "shouting" and can be considered rude.
• Occasionally, we may have messages that deal with our personal lives; for the most part, however, we should stay focused on writing-related concerns in the forums.
• Type a subject line that's clear and specific, directly related to the content of your message.
• When you reply to someone else's message, be sure to include at least a portion of the original message, so that everyone can understand the context.

To make your comments stand out from the writer's text, put your comments in bold like this:

<b>Your essay has a wonderful attention-getting introduction!</b>

In other words, you type a B surrounded by brackets to start putting your text in bold. Then type your comments. Then, to end the bold text, type a slash and a B surrounded by brackets. This is how your text will appear:

Your essay has a wonderful attention-getting introduction!
 

• Although this is informal conversation, check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A message hampered by lots of typing and spelling errors and other mistakes can be discouraging to read and can affect the reader's opinion of what you have to say. You can usually preview (and, if necessary, edit) your message before you submit it.

Assignments: