See how you're improving!

I have asked some students who have written good paragraphs to publish them in the Medallion Zine. (I have included a couple of paragraphs from last year about those dangerous consumer products, so the data is slightly different.) Take a minute to read them! Maybe on this next assignment, I'll ask you to publish your paragraph too! Kudos to these writers.

I have also updated the web-based gradebook
so you can see how you're doing. Check your email for a message from me (sent 9/13) with your "secret code." I have also posted a class-wide "Grade Analysis Worksheet" so you can see how much the whole class is improving. Check the Archives for links to these and other documents I have posted this semester.

All about emergency room visits

You're published! Read your own paragraph and those written by others in the Zines. Don't limit yourself to just your section. Some paragraphs are just great!

Yesterday, I sent out several email messages to you detailing your progress in this class, including one email with your "secret code" which will identify your line on the class grade spreadsheet. You can check your scores there against your own personal spreadsheet (MyENG101Grades.xls) available in the course folder and see how you are doing. The spreadsheet includes points as of Monday. All these tools are available in the archives linked on the right.

Use all this information to devise a strategy for improving your writing in this class (and your grades). What's the plan? Once you have come up with some ideas, share them in your section's discussion group (College Life | Developing a Success Strategy).

If you need to do some catching up, make sure to do it this week, by midnight on Sunday, September 16th.

Let's do this a different way

Because Blackboard has been unreliable and unstable, I have moved all the course materials to the class web page and the course blog home page. Right-click on these links to add them directly to your Favorites or Bookmarks. See the links to the far right for frequently-used pages (to the assignments, the archives, and the discussions). Do not access this course through Blackboard. I have stopped updating materials there.

I have created a grading rubric for this Short Take on Bartering. If you have already submitted your paragraph, you can still make changes and revisions right up to the deadline and afterwards too. Just open your paragraph to edit it in the Zine and paste in your revised version, replacing your earlier version. If you have any questions about elements of the rubric, ask them in this special area in the the discussions

If you're a little behind, don't worry. You will not be penalized for Blackboard's technical problems. I'll work with you to get caught up and to get all your work submitted properly. There's a lot of help in the discussion groups -- everyone has been wonderfully generous with advice and encouragement! If you need one-on-one help, contact me by email and we will arrange an appointment by phone or on campus.

You're published!

The first paragraphs have been published in the Zine. Hooray!

Read (and listen to) the ones from your section and maybe some of the others too. Read my comments about this assignment, and then comment in the discussion group about these -- your first "publications" in this class.

Did you know that I list all the files (well, almost all the files) for this in the archives? If you can't find something, check the archives. Most likely it's listed there. If you can't find something, ask me!

Don't forget to check this assignment off your task list in Blackboard.