English 111: Technical Writing
Mesa Community College
Mary Aldridge
Fall 2005
Course: 2545
Learning Online

Taking a course online can be a great learning experience for some students and for others it can produce less than optimal outcomes. For this online course, the student and the course instructor use online technology to collaborate together to study rhetoric and to practice writing persuasively. The course requires that students work independently and interdependently with the course instructor and with fellow students. Consequently, students must be able to make a commitment to sustain their participation in the course and to communicate regularly with fellow students registered for the same course and with the instructor.

Students must possess self motivation and direction to progress through the course without being required to physically come to class. Students must also feel comfortable with computer tasks such as using email, browsing the web, using word processing software, and posting messages to an electronic bulletin board.

The most difficult aspect of distance learning that students report is that time management rests on the student's shoulders. I know that you have many other demands on your time, but in order to succeed in this course, you will have to set aside regular time for coursework, reading and writing, and you will need to keep a detailed schedule.

Although the assignments vary from week to week, a typical progression through one assignment cycle of the course might be:

  • Sunday-Tuesday: Read the cycle's reading assignment(s) from the text. Read the weekly prompt on WebBoard and post your response. Don't forget to complete any invention work or writing assignments for that week.
  • Wednesday-Thursday: Read the responses other students post on the WebBoard, and choose one to respond to. Be sure to complete any invention work, peer reviewing, and/or writing assignments for that week.
  • Friday-Saturday: Double check the Assignment Cycle overview and make sure you have completed all of the assignments for the cycle.
As you can see, you will stay busy during the term, but student feedback has stated that the class is informative and fun. I hope you will feel the same way at the end of the course. To start, I recommend the following:
  • Read all the pages in "Getting Started"
  • If you have not already done so, buy the books.
  • Scan through the Course Modules to get an idea of how to manage your time this term.
  • Make sure you are familiar with all aspects of the course and that you know how to access your grade file. (In other words, just browse around the course so that you have a good feeling for where everything is)
  • Email me with any questions that you have as you familiarize yourself with the course.
Have fun, and I hope to hear from you in the next day or two!