September November 2015 FIC: PROF. JANETTE M. SILVA TUTOR: PROF. MARIYEL HIYAS C. LIWANAG
Objectives Communication Skills 1 is a course designed to develop and reinforce your reading and writing skills in the English language. It aims to help you review the writing process and to introduce you to different modes of paragraph development. At the end of the term, you should be able to:
read passages/selections in English from different disciplines that serve as models of
paragraph development write clear, coherent, and effective paragraphs in English for academic purposes write clear, coherent, and effective compositions in English, using a variety of modes develop critical thinking by analysing texts structurally and contextually
Outline The course is divided into three main parts: Narration, Description, and Exposition. These are the main modes of paragraph development you will be learning to use in your own writing. These modes are further subdivided into sub-topics: steps in the writing process, word choice, grammar, mechanics and passage reviews. Below is a quick overview of the main topics for each week. I. II.
III. IV. V.
College Reading and Writing and the Varieties of English
Writing Effective Paragraphs A. Principles of Writing Effective Paragraphs 1. The topic sentence and Supporting details 2. Characteristics of Effective Paragraphs B. Guidelines in writing effective paragraphs Introduction to Narration Introduction to Description Introduction to Exposition A. Comparison and Contrast B. Classification C. Cause and Effect D. Definition
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E. Other forms of Exposition
We will study these topics according to modules, where you will find study guides with a set of readings, exercises, and other supplementary resources. In these study guides, you will encounter four sections: 1. Introduction Before using the resources and doing the activities for each topic, read the introduction sections first to get an overview of the topic or have an idea what the rest of the discussion and exercises will address. 2. Objectives Use the objectives as your guide to find out what you have to achieve at the end of each module. You may also use these as one of your bases to assess whether you learned or not. 3. Activities and Resources The details of what you have to do specifically will be enumerated under this section. Follow the instructions sequentially, or do the ones that you feel you need to prioritize mostly. You will also see the resources to consult and click as you do each activity in this section. Each resource is described briefly, so you will have an idea what to expect. Follow the instructions detailed in the activities section of each guide to know when each resource may be needed. Be guided by the icons below as you go over the different sections. 4. Materials As previously mentioned, the materials are divided into several modules, which will be uploaded in the course site. We will use some resources in previous COMM 1 classes developed by Mrs. Armida B. Mabitad-Azada and Ms. Rapunzel Tomacder, senior lecturers at the Faculty of Education, UP Open University. You will be asked to read and use other resources as well. All these resources will come in the form of Module Study Guides. Kindly make sure you download, read, and understand the discussions before you do any of the activities for the week. Throughout the term, you may use the following resources as well to guide you further: Strunk, W. and White, E.B.. The Elements of Style. Available at http://faculty.washington.edu/heagerty/Courses/b572/public/StrunkWhite.pdf Moxley, J. Using Academic Language. Available at http://collegewriting.org/opentext/genres/academic-writing/use-academic-language/421-usingacademic-language. OER Africa. Resource on writing what you know. Available for download at http://www.oerafrica.org/resource/writing-what-you-know Adapted from Prof. Ana Katrina T. Marcial
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Schall, J. Style for Students Online. Pennsylvania State University. Available at
https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/styleforstudents/
Study Schedule Look at the schedule for the first two weeks in the table below. Follow this schedule as you go about each week of the term. A detailed schedule for Weeks 2-10 will be uploaded in the course site as a separate file. Just in case, changes or adjustments which will be made in any of the items in the study schedule will be announced at least two weeks before the original schedule through our course site. Its best that you check the course site at least twice a week (once to check for updates, announcements, and summary of tasks for the week; and another for submission of your work). Week
Week 1 Sept. 05 11
Main Activity/ Task
Reminders
1. Download and read all files in
the Course Package: this course guide and the assignment guides. 2. Wait and get a copy of the rest of the weekly guides and readings which we will use for each week from Weeks 2-12 (to be uploaded on or before Sept 15). 3. Familiarize yourself with the sections of the course site. 4. Post your entry in the Selfintroductions forum (see reminders column for details). 5. Brace yourself for a term full of reading and writing activities. Look at this as an opportunity to learn and re-learn some basic principles of academic writing. 6. Read the Study guide for Module 1: College reading and writing and the varieties of English
Adapted from Prof. Ana Katrina T. Marcial
In 150-300 words, write a short
essay presenting the following information about yourself: 1. Your updated email address (preferably your UPOU email account) 2. Academic and work background (whether fresh from high school, from another CU, from another university, working abroad, extent of work experience, etc.) 3. Prior experiences with writing in English (in any form). 4. Your attitude towards reading, and the kind of reading and reading materials you actually enjoy. 5. Your honest reason why you chose the DE setting. 6. Your selfdeclared goal/s in relation to COMM 1, considering what youve read in the course guide and assignment guides. Ideally, you should post your selfintroduction within Week 1, or until Week 2, since this is the levelling off part. Read Module 1. Page 3
Week 2 Sept. 12 18
Follow the discussions in the
Study Guide for Module 1: College Reading and Writing and the Varieties of English 1. Read Handout 1. 2. Watch the short interview with Prof. David Crystal titled Which English? 3. Read Dennis Barons essay titled Why do academics continue to insist on proper English? 4. Read Harold Blooms Why Read?
Answer the short quiz about the
interview with Prof. Crystal and Barons essay to be made available in the course site. Share your insights on Blooms article in the forum, Why should we read? Post your entry on or before Sept. 16.
Course Requirements and Grading System
Major Requirements To pass the course, you must:
participate in asynchronous online discussion forums (15%)
answer exercises in the course site (15%) submit two writing assignments (45%) take and pass the final examination (25%)
Requirement Details and Submission deadlines
Discussion Forums and Exercises There will be three discussion forums for this course (marked DF1, DF2, and DF 3) and each forum is usually open for only one week from its first posting, so try to follow our study schedule faithfully if you do not want to miss your chance to participate in a forum. Although, in the case of small blessings, the forums might stay open for two weeks tops. Your participation in the discussion forums (DFs) will be evaluated based on your meaningful answers to the questions and your relevant contributions and reactions to your classmates answers as well (see Grading system and Assessment guide for the details on how your posts will be evaluated). Specifically, you are expected to 1) demonstrate a basic understanding (comprehension level) of the module content;
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2) develop a deeper understanding of the topics through a collaborative exploration of ideas,
reflection, analysis, application, and synthesis. Questions for each forum will be posted on the forum space in the course site. Read the questions and other instructions carefully and then do the following:
Post a contribution or response to the forum question/s within the first 5 days allotted to the forum. Read and respond to the ideas posted by your classmates
Aside from the DFs, you will have to answer exercises occasionally during the term. You will be notified whether an exercise made available in the course site is graded and will make up 15% of your final grade or just a practice exercise, so please take note.
Assignments There are two major assignments that you have to submit for this course. The details of each assignment are discussed in the Assignment guide files. Assignment 1: A narrative-descriptive essay is due on October 18, 2015 Assignment 2: An expository essay is due on November 10, 2015. You will have to accomplish all assignments independently. Final Exam The details of the final exam (an objective type of test reviewing all the principles you have supposedly learned throughout the term) will be announced two weeks before the exam date.
Important notes: The self-assessment questions (SAQs) and activities in the modules/ study guides are intended for self-reflection and self-study and you do not have to share your answers in the discussion forums except where and when it would be appropriate to do so (i.e. when relevant to the discussion forum questions). Late submissions for the assignments may only be accepted when you have a valid excuse for missing the deadline (such as being sickin which youll have to present a proper medical certificate; being on a rather long, unavoidable, and scheduled business trip where you have no internet access, etc.). However, there will be a 2-point deduction for each day that the submission gets late. If your final class standing is 60% and above, but you lack a major requirement, you will be given an incomplete standing, EXT, as your final grade. For those who are graduating this current term, receiving such grade could potentially mean youll be extended from your program as youll have to complete your standing by submitting whatever missing requirement you have and get a final grade. Further instructions regarding this will be provided towards the end of the term.
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Assessment Plan for the DFs
Your entries for each forum will be assessed according to the following rubrics. Assessment Guide for Participation in the Online Discussion Forums (based on the scoring guide for discussion forums prepared by Prof. Patricia Arinto, Dean FEd)
Forum: _______________________ Name of student: _______________
Professors comments
Scale I
II
Forum Content A. Points or insights from the assigned readings are reflected in the post.
B. Points from other relevant
materials and/ or personal experiences are incorporated in the post.
C. The post stimulates further
relevant discussion.
In this part (I), your forum
entry will be assessed based on how well you understand the resources and apply the lessons.
Manner of posting (delivery)
A. There are at least two contributions to the forum (the first is to share ones response and views about the topic and the second is to react on other peoples response in a professional and purely academic manner)
Part II.A of your post depends
on your active participation in reading other students entry and commenting on the merit of their posts in relation to your understanding of the lesson;
B. The student responds promptly
to forum posts.
Part II.B is concerned with
punctuality;
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III
C. The student makes few
grammatical errors that do not distract from the message.
D. The student expresses ideas
concisely and clearly.
Parts II.C-D are all about how
you write what you write.
Courtesy A. The student shows a clear effort to consider varied viewpoints and integrate others posts or resources in own work whenever relevant.
B. The student attempts to move the
discussion forward through logical and relevant responses expressed courteously.
45
29
13
Part III.A is still concerned
with how you acknowledge your sources when you post. Part III.B is about how polite you post and comment in others posts.
Important Reminders Please download and print this course guide, read it carefully (several times if needed), and post it where you can readily refer to it. Do not ask the FIC or the Tutor questions that are already answered or explained in the course guide and even in the course site. 1. All course discussions and submissions will be conducted at the course site. Log in to the course site at least twice a week to keep yourself updated with important announcements, discussions, and other class activities, including new readings or new learning activities. Check the Announcements box every time you log in. 2. Aside from the FIC, the tutor will also monitor and facilitate the discussion forums, and will check the drafts of your written assignments. 3. All class discussions are academic discussions, so relevant academic conventions apply. a) Write clearly, following the conventions of written English. Please refrain from using abbreviations and acronyms unless these are introduced in the readings. SMS language is absolutely prohibited.
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b) Respond to discussion questions thoughtfully, clearly, and concisely. Avoid merely agreeing or disagreeing to the course readings or modules. Base your responses on empirical evidence, such as the course readings. Do not post uninformed opinions. c) Read contributions made by your classmates and respond thoughtfully, appropriately, and courteously. Be polite or civil when arguing a point. Do not be rude and do not make remarks that may be construed as a personal attack. Refer to ideas/statements, not the person. Remember that the objective of debate and argument in higher education is to collaboratively produce a conclusion more plausible than the ones we started with. It is not for winning over your opponents. d) Do not post lengthy contributions. Be clear what your main point is and express it as concisely as possible. e) Avoid jokes or humorous statements in text that may be misunderstood by your classmates, and ask only questions that sincerely interest you. Other netiquette guideline can be found at http://oasisapps.curtin.edu.au/help/general/netiquette.cfm. f) Protect your privacy. Ponder before you post. If you wish to share something private, do it by email or private chat. 4. Acknowledge the source/s of any piece of information that you will cite in your posts and submissions. Paraphrase accordingly, but remember that even paraphrased information should be referenced. Use the APA style when citing sources. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in our class and is guaranteed to have serious repercussions. Include a list of references at the end of your posts and assignment. See Purdue Universitys Online Writing Lab available at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. 5. Remember that our term only lasts for ten weeks (nine, if we will not count the adjustment days at the beginning of the term and the preparation towards the end of the term, as the final exam draws near), so you are highly encouraged to follow the study schedule, read in advance, and anticipate possible conflicts for you to make the necessary adjustments. For example, if you will be traveling within the term, prepare well in advance any assignment that may be due within the period of your travel. Keep within deadlines and never ask for an exemption from a required task. Inform the FIC in advance about any unavoidable delays or absences or silences of more than a weeks duration. Please manage your time wisely. 6. Note that MyPortal is a virtual learning environment, not a social networking site. On your MyPortal user profile page, post a recent photo of yourself that will enable your FIC, tutor, and fellow students to identify you.
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File names Make sure that all your word documents are saved as Word 97-2003 documents (.doc). Do not submit a pdf file unless instructed to do so. For an assignment: Read the guidelines for each assignment on the Assignment guide to be uploaded. Subject line for an email: FAMILY NAME- TYPE OF SUBMISSION OR MESSAGECOMM3SECTION (Example: SILVA-QUIZ1- COMM1B or SILVA-GRADE INQUIRYCOMM1B) Contact information of the Faculty-in-charge FIC) The primary means of communication is the messaging feature of MyPortal. If you have not received any response within the next three days, forward your inquiry these email addresses janettesilva5.15@gmail.com and mhcliwanag.upou@gmail.com. In any case, a forum for your inquiries or clarifications regarding the course and some aspects of the course site may be posted in the forum, Course-related concerns. This way, other students may also benefit from reading about your clarifications. Use this forum section to assist your classmates as well (in case you know the answer to his/ her concerns).
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