English 1301 Joe Dornich

During the first class: Overview of the Course Course Policies/ Additional Course Policies RaiderWriter/ St. Martin’s e-Handbook Class blog: http://dornich1301.wordpress.com BA 1: Due Tuesday 1/21

Course Policies Page xix in your textbook, First Year Writing: Writing in the Disciplines, 2013-2014 While we will cover the high points of the course policies in the textbook and in the additional course policies, we do not have time for me to read every word today. You are responsible for reading these course policies and knowing them. Being familiar/unfamiliar with course policies often impacts grades!

PRINT YOUR COURSE POLICIES! You will need to print these course policies and sign the last page. Printing your name and then signing the last page will be part of next week’s participation grade.

RaiderWriter (where we submit our work) RaiderWriter’s url has changed!!/ Change your bookmarks if you took the class before Spring 2011. https://raiderwriter.engl.ttu.edu Use Firefox for RaiderWriter. Download it for free from http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/fx/ Avoid Google Chrome Within 24 hours of our first class, you will be emailed a link to 1) activate your RaiderWriter account and 2) take a grammar diagnostic. If you ignore this email, the link for setting up RaiderWriter will expire. Set up your RaiderWriter account as soon as you get the email! (It will only take a few minutes). If you have technical trouble setting up your RW account, see the FAQ sheet on the class blog BEFORE emailing me.

BA 1 DUE: Tuesday night in RaiderWriter (1/21) 11:59 p.m. deadline There are several steps you will need to complete in order to submit BA 1 and some of them involve technology (technology sometimes goes wrong). If you wait until the night of, it may be too late to contact the correct channels for help. Please make every effort to have BA 1 done early (aim for Sunday).

BA 1 Steps 1) Register in RaiderWriter (link forthcoming in email) Take the grammar diagnostic. The link for the diagnostic will be on your RaiderWriter homepage. * YOU CAN ONLY ACCESS THE DIAGNOSTIC ONCE. Do not click on the link to take the test unless you are ready to sit down and take it. If you exit the diagnostic, you will not be able to get back in and complete it. Set aside 1 and ½ to 2 hours.

2) Diagnostic You need three pieces of information to take the diagnostic: 1) Your TTU email address 2) Your instructor’s name Dornich) 3) Your section number: Wednesdays 11-12:20 1301-20 /Wednesdays 12:30-1:50 1301-21

Submit into RaiderWriter 3) Your results will be emailed to me. You will be able to view your results by finding a link on your RaiderWriter homepage (“Click here to see your diagnostic score”),*but only if the email you used to register in RaiderWriter matches the email you reported in the diagnostic. Complete your diagnostic by Sunday night so I can address any technical problems Monday. 4) In RaiderWriter, read the assignment description for BA 1 carefully. Type a response in Word or another program that helps catch errors and paste the response into RaiderWriter.

BA #1 Description: To receive full credit, you will need to take the pre-semester diagnostic. You will also need to read the provided Writing Reviews. Then answer the following in a reflective essay, being as specific as possible as you discuss each topic: 1.What was your score on the diagnostic? Was it higher or lower than you expected? 2. After reviewing your results, and based on your previous writing experiences, which particular grammar elements would you like to focus on this semester? Look at the top 20 errors in the handbook. What error(s) do you see most frequently in your own writing? 3. What is your experience with academic writing? What types of writing have you done in the last few years—you might discuss high school, college-level, or workplace writing, for example. 4. What do you think your strengths are as a writer? Your weaknesses?                 5. After examining the writing reviews we have provided you, identify some of the challenges the writers faced. How might you handle these challenges? According to the writers, what are some of the benefits of the class?   6.  In light of your assessment of your own skills, the results of the diagnostic and your reading of the writing reviews, discuss your goals for the class.  For example if you want to exit the course with a good grade, what do you need to do to accomplish that? What specific skills do you want to work on to improve your writing? Your reflection should be 400-600 words in length.

BA 1 Success: Answer the questions thoroughly ! Key components for success in this assignment are 1) answering all of the questions in the prompt thoroughly, and 2) putting effort into the assignment. A few short simple sentences with no expansion and very little thought and work are not what we want- the grade will reflect the issue. Specific and thoughtful answers, especially to last three questions, will help you get a good grade. Write complete sentences and check the document for errors.

The Bedford St. Martin’s Handbook You must purchase the e- version for this class. If you have purchased a used copy from a bookstore, take it back as soon as possible for a full refund. You can either 1) purchase an access code for the book at the bookstore, or (easier) 2) use a credit/debit card to buy the book online. A link to the e-handbook is on the class blog!dornich1301.wordpress.com under “Links” and “St. Martin’s e- handbook” If you are having trouble with the class blog, try a different browser. I’ve had some students tell me explorer works best for the blog. The screen will give you an option to either purchase the book or use the activation code if you bought one at the book store.

Technical Trouble If you have technical difficulty setting up RaiderWriter or purchasing the handbook, view the FAQ sheet on the blog. If you purchased the wrong e-handbook from Bedford, use the link on the blog to get to St. Martin’s homepage. Choose the “Contact us- Technical Support” link at the bottom of the page and follow the directions.

What is Rhetoric? Take a few minutes to write down what you think the word “rhetoric” means. After our discussion, what are some concerns/questions you have about the class? Tell me something interesting about yourself! Please print your name at the top of the right side of the page.

REVIEW 1.) Buy the textbook and e-handbook and activate your RaiderWriter account. 2.) Take the grammar diagnostic by Sunday night and complete BA 1 by Tuesday night. Submit BA 1 into RaiderWriter! Do not email BA 1 to me. For Class Next Week: 3) Read the course policies again and read the back page carefully (print your name and then sign). 4) Bring in your “What is Rhetoric” sheet with answers to questions (slide #14)