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Hi Welcome to English Comp I
my name is Barbara Staknevich.
I just want to talk to you for
a few minutes as we
begin this semester.
In this Comp class, we will
be working on the writing
skills that you will need in order
to succeed in your academic
and professional lives.
Over the next 15 weeks,
we will be working hard,
but, I hope we will also have some fun.
As we get to know ourselves
a bit better, get to know
each other Much better,
And finally, we together we create
a community of learners.
The first thing I need you
to know about this course
is that it is a strengths-based course.
An approach to education
that many colleges are pursuing
and one that I find exciting
and empowering.
Traditionally, students and teachers
have focused on deficits.
What are my weaknesses
and what can I do to fix them?
You can see how this can
lead to grim faces,
wrinkles brows and frustration.
But, even more importantly,
this approach often means
that I neglect what I am good at.
Instead, a strengths-based approach
changes this paradigm.
Now I discover what I am good at
and I work to maximize those talents
to achieve my goals.
We will talk a lot more about this
as the semester progresses.
This course is conducted online
using Blackboard.
The course is divided into modules,
each one dedicated to one essay.
Within the module for each essay,
you will find a Read Me First File,
the required pages you need to read,
quizzes, discussion board questions
and an essay assignment.
What you won't find is lecture notes.
The heart and soul of this course
is discussion, what You think
about the reading matters.
What do you find important
or interesting or puzzling.
You are responsible for completing
the reading by the assigned date
and posting your responses
to the discussion board.
We will literally be creating
the content as we go along.
As you can see,
this course will require
a time commitment on your part.
We will not see each other in class,
but we will be spending
a lot of time together online.
Everything you need
for the course is found
in the course, but you can
always ask me any questions.
You can see the home page
has three icons, and for now,
start reading.
Begin at the Start Here icon
and just keep going.
You can always email
any questions to me
through the course.
But I have also found that
one of the joys of teaching online
is that online students are
fabulously helpful to each other.
I have created a threat
called Help on the discussion board.
Please feel free to post
any questions or concerns there
and you will probably get
a quick response.
Also, keep checking the threat
to see if you can answer
one of your classmates' questions.
At this point, I just ask you
to relax, breathe and read around
in the course until it starts
to make sense and seem familiar.
Good Luck!