Course evaluations today!

Course evaluations help faculty improve their courses from semester to semester. Your responses are anonymous, and I do not even see them until the beginning of Spring semester. Please use this link to reach the evaluations; log in using your eGCC username and your Student ID number. Your feedback is important to me!

NOTE: I have posted the revised rubric for the evaluation of this essay on students and time. Before you submit your finished essay to the Zine, follow the instructions for revising and for proofreading. Then, using the rubric, predict what specific sub-set scores your essay will receive. If you have questions, ask them in the discussion group.

Rethink & revise

Having a rough draft is a great first step because it gives you something to work with. I have posted some suggestions about how to think about this topic of managing multiple demands on your time. Don't be upset if you find that you have to set aside some of what you've written in your draft; that means that your thinking is getting more sophisticated.

One of the wonderful things about writing with word processors is that moving text around, making changes, deleting and adding ideas is really, really easy. Take advantage of the Help files in Word to learn how to select whole blocks of text and rearrange them. I've explained these and other revising strategies in the Revise section of the assignment document. The most important piece of revising, however, is allowing yourself enough time to do it. Between now and Wednesday, you should be spending at least 6-8 hours working with your draft (more time if you didn't do all of the preparation activities in the assignment). Keep track of what you do and how long it takes you to do it.

A draft for peer editing

Submit your three body paragraphs only for peer editing!

The deadline for submitting your draft for classes that meet online is Tuesday (10/23) by 10 pm. Submit your draft in the Drop Box in the area for peer editing in the discussion group. The deadline for commenting on the drafts of others in your group is Thursday (10/25) by 11:59 pm.

Peer editing for the on ground will occur on Wednesday (10/24). Bring two printed copies of your three body paragraphs to class. Have them in hand as you walk in the door, and show up on time!

You can learn from peer editing in three ways: by seeing how others handled this assignment, by commenting carefully on the drafts of others using my peer editing questions, and by receiving thoughtful comments on your draft.

After peer editing, begin revising your draft right away. Most drafts will need significant revision! Ask questions about this assignment in the discussion group.

Essay #2 is about balancing demands . . .

. . . and shouldn't that be useful right about now? Many students are overwhelmed. How'd it get so bad so quickly? That's a good starting question for this next writing assignment.

I've included lots of start-up activities in the Prepare section for this next essay. Mostly they require thinking. Start now!

NEW: Take a look at this YouTube video that catalogs how students spend their time and then comment in the discussion group.

You're published!

I have published your Learning Styles essays. Make sure to go to your Zine, find your essay, and proofread it one more time. (I recommend you print it out using the "printer-friendly" link at the bottom of the page. ) Make sure the paragraph breaks appear properly in your essay. I won't read or grade essays that don't contain lines between paragraphs.

Once you have read your essay, read a couple of others in your section or in a different section. What makes these essays good?

Success strategies for this class . . .

Read the Rethink and Revise sections of the assignment document. Begin revising your essay!

A number of students have asked for some advice about how to improve in this class. There are several topics under College Life in the discussion group on that topic, so I suggest you go back and read those entries and then add to them. But here are some other ideas:

• Do everything! All the small assignments and activities, for sure. Read and write in the discussion group frequently.
  
• Read everything! Don't just skim or scan the pages. Read them carefully. Print them out. Highlight the important points.
• Write something for this class every day! If you've written a draft, revise -- and then revise again.
• Ask questions! The Help & Feedback section of the discussion group is the student's best friend. Ask your questions there!
  

Essay #1: Learning Styles

This first essay asks you to analyze your learning preferences using several inventories that are available on the web. Most of us have a preferred way to learn, although we may not have been aware of that preference. The inventories should help you look at your own preferences critically.

Teachers have preferred ways of presenting course content, and sometimes they aren't aware of those preferences either. In the classes you are currently taking, analyze your teachers' teaching styles or preferences.

Just as there is no right or wrong learning style, there is no right or wrong teaching style either. It's especially useful, however, to be able to size up a teaching style at the very beginning of the semester by looking at the course syllabus and class activities. Then you can adapt your learning strategies to make the best use of the teachers' styles in your classes. This essay will help you figure out how to do that. Useful, huh?

VIDEO: Use this link to access a video about learning styles. It is geared for elementary school teachers, but it presents information about learning styles in an interesting way.