Week 1 Instructions

WEEKLY DEADLINE 

ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE

each week on Saturday right before midnight.

The time is set at 11:59 pm.

Each weekly module contains all of the information for each given week. Next to each assignment there are specific instructions about how you will turn in the work. You may do activities and turn in assignments anytime before the weekly deadline.

There are no excuses for not completing Week 1 by the Saturday deadline. You do not need the textbooks to do any of the work for Week 1. 

______________________________________________________

Week 1

**Note: Always read the entire weekly assignment schedule carefully before you begin so that you can use your time wisely. It is best to do a few tasks a day in order to finish by the Saturday deadline. Either save and print out these instructions, or write out a list of assignments. Make a weekly checklist to keep track of your progress on the weekly modules.  

______________________________________________________

  1. Quiz #1: Read the Course Orientation Module, which you will find under the Week 1 Module. You can go to the next section of the module by clicking on the Next button in the lower, right-hand corner of each module section. Then take the Course Orientation Quiz found in the Week 1 Module. 
  2. Discussion #1—Personal Introduction.

Write one, long paragraph about yourself so that I can get to know 
you a little bit, and so that your classmates can get to know you. Post this in Discussion #1: Personal Introduction, which you will find in the Week 1 Module. Comment on at least two other students’ profiles. Spend no more than 30 minutes on this assignment. Please include a photo of yourself.

To upload photo files, go to your Account icon in the top, left-hand corner of the Canvas account menu and click on the Files section. You can upload photo files here to use later. When you are inside the Discussion editing panel, use the photo icon and choose Canvas as the place where you can retrieve your photo.

Suggestions for what to include in your Personal Introduction are: your name, year in college, family, pets, hobbies, travel, creative endeavors, business endeavors, exciting life experiences, cultural influences, educational background, educational goals, career goals, experience with online learning, and what your expectations are for your growth as a writer, thinker, and scholar. Be sure to look at “Meet Your Instructor,” so that you can read about me and to see an example of how to write your introduction.

Also, this assignment will show me how you write at this point. 
DO NOT use any email/texting abbreviations or symbols. This assignment needs to be written properly and in a serious manner. All of your writing for this class must be properly written to the best of your ability, using correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization for everything. Even when writing on the Discussion board, use your very best English writing. This might be new to you, but it is a good habit for you to get into.

Now, post your Discussion #1: Personal Introduction

3. Listen to the “Writing Voice” lecture.

To listen to this lecture, find the link in the Week 1 module.

Note: Some of these embedded videos are meant to be podcasts. Listen to them. The visuals are mostly there as place holders. 

4. Discussion #2: Essay 1--Opinion

The instructions for writing Essay 1--Opinion are on the Discussion #2 board, which is located in the Week 1 module.

Discussion Forum Instructions: After you post your own discussion assignments or comments, respond to another student’s work or contributions. You must have at least two entries per discussion to earn full points for discussion participation. 1) Your own post.  2) Reaction to another student’s post. However, feel free to post more than once per discussion. It is appropriate to use the first-person point of view on the discussion board.

**Note: This is not the place to correct your fellow students, but do your best work so that you can all produce excellent examples for one another. However, please with analyze and critique one another’s opinions and work in a specific and polite manner. The discussion forum is the place for the class to conduct fruitful discussions about the subject matter, just as you would in class. Please avoid simply agreeing with or praising one another—if you lead with a positive for a fellow student, always follow it with specific examples of what you mean or add additional commentary of your own on the subject. If you lead with a negative, balance it out with a positive. Each post should further the conversation about the subject at hand.