Instructions & Notes for CrCrTh 692 (on using wikis, on requirements & expectations, etc.)

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Contents

and additional details in green for online students.

General Instructions

Instructions for written assignments are given on the checklist wikipage on your personal CCT-xx wiki and in the link for the assignment (which takes you to a page describing the tool or process involved in the assignment). Use the class email listserv to ask for elaboration if needed.
To use the checklist wikipage as a drop box: read the technical instructions on the homepage of that wiki and follow the directions about practicing wiki editing & file upload in the sandbox.
Students should also upload copies of each initial submission to the wikipage for peer commentary 9as well as to their own checklist wikipage).
Written assignments are due in class or, for online students, on the first day of the week of the session in which they are due.
See rationale for the assessment system. Ask for clarification if needed to get clear and comfortable with this system.

Accommodating various kinds of students
Substitutions for assignments are possible--read what follows, then consult with the instructor. This course aims to accommodate students of various skills and experience, so you need to assess what kind of student you are and let the instructor know how you plan to approach class activities and assignments. Be prepared to revise your assessment and plan as the semester unfolds.
If you are experienced in extended research projects, adjust the sequence and make-up of assignments to suit your project and your style of research and writing. Use the course as an opportunity to make sense of what you have done (or regret not having done) and to practice teaching others during class. Provisos: Keep me informed about what you're doing; take note of the goals of the phases (e.g., many people are able to compile a bibliography, but an annotated bibliography is different—it disciplines your to check that the readings relate to your Governing Question), experiment with new tools, and be open to surprises.
If you are experienced in term paper research projects and confident about extending that to semester-long project without cramming in work at the end of the semester, the explicit phases/goals should help you meet the challenge of not cramming work in at the end of the semester. Consult with instructor about adjusting the sequence and make-up of assignments to suit your project and style of research and writing.
If you are experienced in term paper research projects, but liable in a semester-long project to cram work in at the end of the semester, take the role this semester of someone looking for more experience, structure and tools re: research, writing, and forms of engagement.

Notes on participation and contribution to the class process


Ongoing development of the course
Through the mid-semester self-assessment and the support survey, students are encouraged to approach this course as a work-in-progress. Instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the course is over, we can find opportunities to affirm what is working well and suggest directions for further development. Throughout the semester please make suggestions about changes and additions to the course activities and materials. Also email the instructor addresses of valuable websites with a brief explanation (1-2 sentences) of their value. Support the instructors as they experiment in developing this course.


a. Building learning community (see also f & g.)
Prepared participation in class sessions is expected. One item fulfilled for each class you participate in (except not if you are unprepared). For face2face students participation includes being punctual and not taking cell phone calls.
For online students participation means that you listen to the audio recordings and join in the WIMBA sessions. (You are making a mistake if you think taking an online course allows you to skip or skim the class materials.) If you cannot attend a WIMBA session, you should view/listen to the recording of the meeting (on WIMBA) and upload the makeup notes to the session participation box on your personal 693checklist page. The makeup notes required may be specified on the discussion thread. If not, identify one point from the start, another from the middle, and one from the end that was new to you, or that was unclear to you, and explain what you thought about it, or what you need to understand to get clear about the point.
Allowance is made for other priorities in your life. You are not required to give excuses for absence, lateness, or lack of preparation (altho' don't expect to get a participation item). Simply make up the 80% of participation items in other ways (b-j).
See also: pointers on class preparation and participation and good etiquette for email.

b. Syllabus quiz or treasure-hunt

c. Conferences
in-office or phone, for discussion of comments on assignments (see Dialogue around written work), the overall direction of your project, your workbook and research organization, and the course as a whole. They are important to ensure timely resolution of misunderstandings, and a chance to open up significant issues about one's relationship to audience and influencing others. If you are falling behind, conferences are especially important for checking in, taking stock, and getting a recharge. Minimum of two conferences--one before session 5; the other before session 11.

d. Research workbook and organization
e.g., Journal/workbook, organized system to store handouts and loose research materials, copy of system of folders/files from your computer, system for backup.
This will be perused during conference before session 5 and again during session 12 or 13, checking for changes made in response to early- and mid-semester comments.

e. Mid-semester self-assessment of the gap between where you are and where you'd like to be in three regards, with respect to your

f. Peer commentaries
on other students' assignments. Five times during the semester comment on a submission from another student. (Except for in-session commenting in session 13, at the end of a session pick up a submission from the "Comment on This!" folder and give them comments at or before the next session.)
Include your comments in your workbook.
One component of taking initiative in or through relationships is sharing one's work at the same time as defining the kinds of response you need at that point. Keep Elbow, Writing with Power, chapters 3 & 13 and Varieties of responses in mind when you decide what approaches to commenting you ask for as a writer and what to use as a commentator. In the past I made lots of specific suggestions for clarification and change in the margins, but in my experience, such suggestions did not often lead students beyond touching up into re-thinking and revising their ideas and writing. On the other hand, I believe that all writers value comments that reassure them that they have been listened to and their voice, however uncertain, has been heard.

g. Support survey
An open question, that is, one always worth discussing is: By what means can the group function as a support & coaching structure to get most students to finish their reports by the end of the semester? Complete the survey, which provides material for a practical vision cardstorming process on this question (item j).

h. Extra, optional item: Briefing on topics about the process or mechanics of research and engagement
For this item select a topic on which to prepare a summary (2-4 pages) in written form that gives other students in this and future classes a quick start when they face that topic. These briefings are intended to provide or point to key resources = key concepts, issues and debates, lesson plans, web sites and bibliographic references, annotations on and quotes or paraphrases from those references, informants/contacts on and off campus, relevant workshops, etc. Imagine as your audience peers who you can interest in your topic, but who do not want to start from scratch in finding key resources on this topic and learning how to think about it. To begin preparing their briefings, students view previous versions linked to course website ([[@http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/briefings-TOC.html |http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/briefings-TOC.html]]) or meet with instructor to get initial suggested resources. It's OK to revise/refresh/update a previous briefing.
The briefing assignment addresses the goal of students becoming better able to fulfill the needs of your school, community or organization, address the information explosion, adapt to social changes, and collaborate with others to these ends. (Draft due by session 7)

i. Extra, optional item: Volunteering to have your work discussed in front of session for certain assignments, session 4, 6, 9, or 11. See sign-up sheet.

j. Extra, optional item: Participating in a small group "cardstorming" session to digest the responses to the support survey (see item g).