1. Welcome to Composition II
Unit 1

2. Unit 1 seminar Course outcomes Syllabus information Tips for success
Academic writing
Writing experiences

3. Contact information
s: use CM 220-xx: Concern in subject line (for example: CM Unit 3 project question)
Office hours: by appointment (on AIM)
AIM ID: sylthompson94
Other instructors in cohort:
Michele Turecek:
Julie Kares:

4. Flex seminar times Day Time Instructor Wednesday Noon to 1 pm ET
Thompson
9 to 10 pm ET
Turecek
Sunday
8 to 9 pm ET
Kares

5. Course description
This course helps students apply research and critical thinking skills to develop effective persuasive arguments. Students will create professional writings, incorporating post-draft revision strategies and working constructively with colleagues.

6. Course outcomes CM220-1: Construct logical arguments
CM220-2: Develop strategies for effective problem solving
CM220-3: Conduct research to support assertions made in personal, academic, and professional situations
CM220-4: Articulate what constitutes effective communication in personal, professional and diverse contexts
CM220-5: Demonstrate effective listening strategies

7. Course level assessments
0: No progress
1: Introductory
2: Emergent
3: Practiced
4: Proficient
5: Mastery
9: Cannot be assessed (didn’t turn in assignment)
Used by Kaplan to measure student progress
Helps to determine if courses are helping students fulfill course outcomes
Leads to needed revisions in course
Does not affect your grade
Found in grade book in units with assessed projects (unit 2 exercise and final project)

8. Late policies Projects: one-letter-grade late penalty per unit
Discussions: no credit for responses to classmates posted more than 2 days after the unit ends; one-letter grade per late unit penalty for discussion posts
Seminars: must attend one of the live seminars or post a response to the seminar question in the seminar discussion thread by the end of the unit (no exceptions unless prior arrangements are made with me)
Work submitted more than 3 units late will not be accepted
No final projects accepted after the end of unit 9 unless prior arrangements are made with me or an incomplete is granted

9. Project guidelines Projects due Tuesdays by 11:59 p.m.
Use the correct unit’s dropbox to post assignments
Write documents in MS Word with “doc” or “docx” extension
Read grading rubric and project guidelines carefully!
Be sure to review Kaplan’s plagiarism policy (see the syllabus and the Writing Center for details)

10. Hybrid grading rubrics
CONTENT
ORGANIZATION
WRITING STYLE
MECHANICS A
points
Focused thesis statement. Shows original thought. Describes in detail three specific claims and clearly explains how they will be developed. Describes at least two challenges. Full, correct APA references for two sources are included.
Should be very well-ordered. Each section must have a strong internal organization. Transitions found between and within sections must be clear and effective.
Appropriate to the assignment, fresh (interesting to read), accurate (no far-fetched, unsupported comments), precise (say what you mean), and concise (not wordy).
Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted conventions. Citations and formatting follow APA guidelines.

11. Substantive discussion posts will. . .
Avoid short expressions of agreement or disagreement or summaries of a classmate’s post.
Pose follow-up questions to issues raised by myself or other students in order to encourage further discussion.
Use personal experiences to illustrate your points.
Recommend alternative solutions to problems and offer constructive disagreement with issues raised by your peers.
Refer to our course readings and offer relevant parallels between those readings and our discussions.
Demonstrate your knowledge of the course material.
Stay on topic.
Be about words for the main response and 100 words for responses to classmates. Requirements vary for each unit, so read instructions and review any examples carefully.

12. Effective seminar discussions
Be respectful
Avoid side conversations
Be prepared—briefly review material before class
Stay on topic
Ask questions! Use ??? before a ?

13. Option 2 seminar assignments
Only required if you miss the live seminar
Select the “seminar” tab for that unit.
Review the questions carefully.
Post a response of about words in that seminar’s discussion thread by the end of the unit. No seminar credit will be given after a unit ends.
Review the archive before responding to the question(s).

14. Unit 1 assignments
Readings: “Communication Skills” and “Write Well, Go Far” (both in the Kaplan library Academic Search Premier database, Electronic articles)
Optional: “Leadership in Writing”
Post in the “introduce yourself” thread.
Discussion 1: What aspects of the final project worry or intimidate you? (includes exercise questions—need to review under “Assignment” icon)
Discussion 2: Summary/review of article from Writing Center library that addresses one of your concerns; go to Writing Center to find articles
Attend the unit 1 seminar or post in the option 2 seminar dropbox.

15. Unit 1 exercise (post in DB)
Read the "Final Project Requirements" information in unit 9 (see “Project” icon).
Open a new MS Word document and develop a thoughtful response to the following questions: 1.) Based on your current writing skills and work habits, which parts of working on the paper (coming up with a thesis statement, research, time management, etc.) do you anticipate will be most challenging for you? 2.) Please list and discuss three of the challenges or concerns you have, save your document, and post your response to the Unit 1 (Looking Forward to the Final Project) Discussion 1.
Cut and paste your responses into the discussion board along with the answers to parts 2 and 3.

16. Other course projects/assignments
Unit 2 exercise: Analysis of speech (writing vs. speaking)
Unit 3: Choosing a topic, discussing controversies, and developing a thesis statement
Unit 4: Revised thesis and two sources
Unit 6: Draft of persuasive essay
Unit 7:Peer review of classmate’s draft
Unit 9:8-10 page persuasive essay on topic selected in unit 3

17. Final project
Write an original persuasive essay (begin selection of topics in unit 2)
Must be 8-10 pages, not counting title and references page
Use APA formatting and citations
Must cite a minimum of 5 credible sources, no more than 2 internet-only
At least 2 sources must be books or academic articles (from academic journals).
One great way to find academic sources is to look in the Kaplan Library for articles in refereed or peer-reviewed journals.
"Academic Search Elite" (one of the Kaplan Library Electronic Articles databases) allows you to limit your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed journals.
Google Books and Google Scholar are other database options.

18. Tips for success
Review the “course home” materials about the library, plagiarism, and navigating the E-college platform.
Review the documents posted in Doc Sharing.
Check and announcements frequently.
Communicate with me and ask questions!
Participate actively in the weekly discussions and seminars.
Read grading rubrics and assignment guidelines carefully.

19. Some questions to consider. . .
What are differences between informative and persuasive writing?
What kinds of persuasion do we see and use in our daily lives?
How might you use persuasive writing in your professional life?
What are some positive (or negative) experiences you have had with writing?
What apprehensions do you feel about this class/final project?

20. Your toolbox Returns from internet searches Blogs Wikipedia USE!
BE CAREFUL!
MS Word
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Bartleby.com
Kaplan library
Kaplan Writing Center (live chats, Q & A, paper review, library)
Google Scholar
Google Books
Free academic databases and electronic journals available on-line
emic_databases.html
Returns from internet searches
Blogs
Wikipedia

21. Academic, formal, and informal writing
Uses Standard American English (no slang, contractions)
Is carefully revised and edited for errors
References and cites credible sources using conventions of a field (APA, MLA, etc.)
Stays in third person
May use slang, abbreviations, contractions
Often not edited for grammar, mechanics, spelling
Uses first and second person pronouns

22. Why write?
Inform
Persuade
Entertain
Deal with specific audiences

23. Advantages to writing
Writing gives you time to reflect and research – shape and reshape material.
Writing makes communication more precise.
Writing provides a permanent record of thoughts, actions, and decisions.
Writing saves time-- we absorb information more swiftly when we read than when we hear.

24. What to know before you write
Purpose: Why are you writing?
Audience: to whom are you writing?
Context: Terminology
Nature of text (essay, , etc.)