1. Welcome to Effective Writing II for Arts and Sciences Majors Unit 1 seminar Enjoy chatting until we get started

2. Introductions Course Outcomes Tips for success Project guidelines Discussion guidelines Seminar guidelines Course projects Writing experiences Unit 1 seminar

3. Contact information Email: jholster@kaplan.edu Office hours: By appointment AIM ID: JoyHolster KU

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Course Level Assessments 0: No progress 1: Introductory 2: Emergent 3: Practiced 4: Proficient 5: Mastery 9: Cannot be assessed (didn’t turn in work)  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 gradebook in units with assessed projects

7. Assessed assignments Unit 2 exercise Used to assess outcomes 4 and 5. Read instructions carefully and make sure you address all of the questions. Final project Used to assess outcomes 1, 2, and 3. If you fulfill the requirements described in the rubrics, you should do well.

8. 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 e-mail and announcements frequently. Communicate with me and ask questions. Participate actively in the weekly discussions and seminars.

9.  Read grading rubrics carefully.  Review and respond to my feedback, particularly on returned writing assignments.  Submit your work on time! Don’t get behind in your classwork. Tips for success

10. Late policies: Projects Due Tuesday by midnight ET of assigned unit. Policies may vary by section. In my section, late projects penalized 5 points per day. No late projects accepted after four weeks from deadline unless arrangements were made in advance. Extensions: You may request extensions when you have extenuating circumstances. Remember that you are asking for an extension, not telling me that you are taking one. Absolutely no late submissions of final projects.

11. Late policies: Seminars Policies may vary by section. In my sections: Without extension:  Option 2 posts due Tuesday, midnight  Late seminar posts subject to a 0.5 point per week late penalty.  No late postings more than two weeks after the assigned unit. With extension granted in advance:  Late postings accepted for units 1 - 4 through end of Unit 5, with penalties as described above.  Postings for Units 5 - 8 accepted through end of Unit 9, with penalties as described above.

12. Late policies: Discussions Policies may vary by section. In my sections: Without Extension  Due Tuesday midnight ET of their assigned unit.  After the unit deadline, late postings to the discussion board will be penalized a deduction of one letter grade per unit.  Late postings to discussion will not be accepted more than two weeks after the assigned unit. With Extension  Late postings for Units 1 - 4 will be accepted through midnight Tuesday of Unit 5, with penalties as described above  Postings for Units 5 - 8 will be accepted after midnight Tuesday of Unit 9, with penalties as described above.

13. Any questions so far? ? ? ?

14. Project guidelines Projects due Tuesdays by 11:59 p.m. Use the correct unit’s dropbox to post assignments Write documents in 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)

15. Substantive discussion posts 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 to encourage further discussion. Use personal experiences to illustrate your points.

16. Recommend alternative solutions to problems and offer constructive disagreement with issues raised by your peers. Present all comments in a professional style and tone - no extremely negative or personal comments. Substantive discussion posts

17. Refer to course readings and offer relevant parallels between those readings and our discussions. Demonstrate your knowledge of the course material. Stay on topic. Are at least 200-300 words in length for the initial response (see instructions in each unit) and about 100 words each for the follow- up responses to your classmates. In follow-up posts, ask questions, agree/disagree (and explain why), give additional examples. Substantive discussion posts

18. Participate. Stay involved and on topic. Be respectful Avoid side conversations Come prepared—review material before class Ask questions! Effective Seminars

19. Only required if you miss the live seminar. Review the PowerPoint from live seminar (posted in Doc Sharing after the event). Select the “seminar” tab for that unit. Review the questions. Post a response of about 150-300 words in that seminar’s discussion thread by the end of the unit. Effective Seminars Option 2

20. Unit 1 Topics What are the qualities of formal writing? How does it differ from informal writing? Why is collaboration useful for a writer? How can I write a helpful peer review? What are some tools that I can use to improve my writing? What are the expectations for the final project?

21. Formal and Informal Writing Academic/formalInformal Uses standard American English (no slang, contractions) Carefully edited and revised Academic writing references and cites credible sources using conventions of a field (APA, MLA, etc.) May use slang, abbreviations, contractions Often not edited for grammar, mechanics, spelling Examples: text messages, e-mails, Facebook entries, Tweets, diary entries

22. Constructive Collaboration Provides writer with useful feedback Gives specific suggestions regarding grammar, mechanics, APA Offers ideas about how to strengthen argument Notes what works, what doesn’t, and why Includes specific references to course materials to support suggestions Avoids personal attacks

23. Trustworthy Not so Trustworthy MS Word Dictionary Thesaurus Bartleby.com Kaplan Library Kaplan Writing Center Returns from Internet searches Blogs Wikipedia (don’t use as a source for academic papers) Tools You Can Use

24. Unit 1 assignments Readings: “Communication Skills” and “Write Well, Go Far” (Kaplan Library). Optional: “Leadership in Writing” Post in the “Introduce Yourself” thread. Discussions: Respond to questions such as: what aspects of the final project worry or intimidate you? Summarize article that addresses one of your concerns. Seminar: Attend the live seminar or post in the option 2 seminar dropbox.

25. Unit 1 Exercise: Read the "Final Project Requirements" document located under the Course Home section. Respond to the questions provided. Unit 1 assignments

26. Looking Ahead: Final Project Write an original persuasive essay (takes position on an issue of your choice) Must be 8-10 pages, not counting title and references page Use APA formatting and citations Must cite a minimum of 5 sources At least 2 sources must be books or academic articles (from academic journals). Sources can be found in the Kaplan Library. Look for articles in refereed or peer-reviewed journals. Academic Search Elite (a Kaplan Library Electronic Articles database) allows you to limit your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed journals.

27. QUESTION: Why do we write? What are our reasons? Our goals?

28. Why write? Inform Persuade Entertain Express yourself Deal with specific audiences

29. 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.

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

31. 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?

32. Any questions? Comments? Got all your ducks in a row?