English 1302 Internet

Dear Internet Student...

Students in past classes have submitted the following comments to help you. They were asked to respond to this question: What would you say to a student enrolling in this course next semester to help him or her have the best experience possible in the class?

The writing is just as it was submitted -- errors are left in. I inserted the bullets and links.

To read, you may click on the links or just scroll down.

It's Not Luck, It's Effort

Organize

Realistic Goal, Not a Slide, Not Self-paced

Self-discipline, Hard Work & Planning

Do Not Take, Fair, Visit

Not a Freebie: Limit Class Load

Read and Take Criticism as Not Personal

sLuff, MLA, and Knowledge

Habit-forming Reading

Slap into the Real World

To Brave Souls From a Survivor

From Students in an 8-week Summer Session

I Am Now Invincible

Set Aside Time Each Week

Check Locations Systematically

Time Is of the Essence

No B.S., Priority, Calls Returned

Challenge

Not an Easy Passing Grade; Pace Yourself

Not Reader's Digest version

Always be confident and believe that you will succeed in this class.

• Prioritize your time and always have a plan for completing your assignments.
• Definitely print out and complete the chapter study questions early so that you have time to concentrate on other assignments before studying for the quizzes.
• Read all the material not just to read it, but to understand it. After reading the material, "write anything and everything that occurs to you" (Roberts and Jacobs 15).
• Check the discussion board often and
• take advantage of any extra credit offered.
• Remember "literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually" (Roberts and Jacobs 1).

You will get from this class what you put into it. It's not luck, it's effort.

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

The long journey has come to an end. It is said that "whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." Right now I feel invincible.

Though I have learned many skills to add to my experience from English 1302, the key points include the

• handling of electronic sources and
• the importance of testing my reading.

The latter is illustrated in Prof. Garcia's instruction at the end of one of my assignments to "check my interpretation against the details." I have experienced growth by studying the human aspects of literature.

I believe we students should have had a better awareness of how difficult a composition course would be if taken during the abbreviated summer session. As for the instruction, I would like to see more legible remarks on essays, especially in terms of a pen with a finer point. [Teacher's note: at one time, we faxed hardcopies.]

The best advice for future students is to set aside a lot more time for the course than what they think will be necessary, insuring the truth of the syllabus' demand to set aside "several hours over several days each week." Finally, future students must take one step at a time as not to become overwhelmed by the course work load.

Thanks to students and professor alike for a memorable experience, and good luck to all.

Dear future students,
Please add the following items to your list of purchases for English 1302:

• 1 very large three ring binder three hole punch several packages of copy paper
• Dividers
• A printout of the calendar to use as a homework check list

The above mentioned items will help you stay organized which is what you will need to be for this class.

You will also have opportunities to meet with your instructor and receive tutoring throughout the semester please take advantage of the time and information being offered to you.

If you stay organized, block out enough time to study, and not let outside influences divert your attention away from your internet classwork, you should do just fine in this class.

First, I would tell him or her that this internet course is time intensive and requires discipline. In order to do well, one must understand that

• it is not a sluff-off course. I would add that
• it is vital to know the MLA Documentation extremely well right off the bat.

Second, I would tell him or her that taking this course will increase his or her knowledge in literature and writing and to hang in there.

Message to future students:
If you are going to be a part-time student like myself, I would recommend you take no more than 2 courses for the semester. This course takes a lot of reading and research which is very time consuming.

I believe though, that it has helped me become better prepared for future courses where a lot of writing will be required. It has taught me the steps and processes I will have to go through every time I prepare and write a paper. I've got to admit there is a a lot more to this course than English I. It's not a freebie!

If you are considering enrolling in a distance education class such as an internet course, I would suggest that you take a look at your own studying habits. Internet courses are not for everyone. A person enrolling in these courses should be self disciplined and be able to set realistic goals for themselves. The type of people who will do well in distance classes are those who can learn by themselves and do not need groups.

These classes are great for student who may not have a lot of time to spare and can not adhere a strict schedule. However, one must not take these types of courses for granted. A person should not enroll with the idea that this is an easy class and that they can slide. These classes are just like regular on campus classes; they have exams, and deadlines. Overall, if a person is highly motivated, I highly recommend enrolling in an Internet course.

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

Students who are interested in or considering taking composition from the Internet, I would recommend that you take it with only one other course. A course that wouldn’t be as demanding as the composition course. This course is definitely reading and writing intensive, and if you’re like me it takes a long time to compose an essay. If you think you are like me then plan on spending at least sixteen to twenty hours a week on the combined homework, studying, and taking quizzes/tests.

The course texts are not boring and Mrs. Garcia really provides some great study questions. I also found the text interesting enough that I was reading other parts, such as the poems and plays, outside the assigned reading. The text is structured so that it’s direct, to the point and provides plenty of examples to grasp the concepts to be learned. The homework assignments are well rounded and Mrs. Garcia’s Internet study questions provided great support for studying for the quizzes/test. The quizzes and tests are straightforward and definitely bring out the highlights of what’s important in each chapter.

If you decide to take this course over the Internet I would highly recommend that you have someone else review your essay drafts. I didn’t have anyone to help me in this area and I could see that benefit it would provide. It’s hard trying to write and edit your own work.

There’s a tendency to overlook mistakes when you’re closely involved. Fresh eyes will help make improvements. I don’t believe that I’m a strong writer, however, I do think I have gotten better with this course. It has made me more conscientious of my writing skills. The essays are progressively graded harder, thus increasing the stress of trying to meet the grading criteria. Adding this to the time involved, this course is one that I would consider difficult and highly challenging. Therefore, it is important to take into consideration your personal schedule and whether you will be able to give it enough of your time to emerge successful. Again, I would recommend that it be taken with a less difficult course and ask someone to help you proof your essays and help you study.

My advice to someone who is thinking about taking about distance learning as an alternative to a classroom environment would be, get prepared for lots of reading and I mean lots of reading. I think where I missed the boat is not finding something that would capture my interest, and stimulate my mind, cause if it is not interesting at the beginning it fades fast. It would be very helpful if you understood the different type of writing styles. I preferred the technical writing style myself.

The material that you are studying must be habit forming, you will need to set aside the time each day just to read. With the subject matter such as literature, there are always opportunities to explain your mind. It has been fun.

For the new students, the best advice I can give you is two-fold.

• First, pay attention, not just to your instructor but also to what you read and how you read
• Second, don't take criticism from your instructor personally. If you do, it will distract you from your main objective which is to pass this course.

You will see as you go what you learn in this class is automatically applied to your life. For instance, from a personal standpoint, I've noticed when I am watching a movie, I automatically see things I hadn't before or hadn't paid attention to, i.e. plot structure, how setting is used, theme, etc.

Though a challenge, seeing this class to the end or any class for that matter will give you a sense of accomplishment.

When I first read Mrs. Garcia syllabus I really did not understand how true it would turn out to be. She stated "every student who sets aside several hours over several days each week to read the chapters and literature in the text and explore the Web's offerings on the readings, then to write, should have no trouble." This is an understatement. I have taken two other Internet courses and this English 1302 course took more time than the other two combined.

Do not take this course if you are not ready to make the time commitment. In turn, I have learned more about poetry and drama than I would have thought possible just two months ago.

I have found Mrs. Garcia to always be helpful and fair. Living out of town and working odd hours, I was never able to go to the SAC campus and visit with her. I think this would be a good idea to

• plan ahead for a couple trips to SAC and receive her personal impute on your essays.
• Keep up with all assignments and allow plenty of time to work on your essays.
• Do not let yourself get behind and keep working "until the fat lady sings."

Bets of luck and don't give up.

To all future students:
English 1302 is a subject that is writing and reading intensive. Taking this subject on the Internet requires self-discipline and hard work.

• It is important to set aside hours for each day. This will prevent you from getting behind in the work.
• It also important to go over the syllabus thoroughly and constantly look over the semester calendar. This will help keep you aware of the future assignments, allowing you enough time to complete them.
• When writing essays, it is important to refer to the MLA style, which is explained in the handbook.

Keeping up with current assignments and planning ahead for future ones are an essential key to succeed in this class. Good luck to all of you!

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

Dear future students,
Internet English is not a piece of cake. English is a language that seems to be constantly changing.

The day of footnotes and bibliographies are long gone. MLA is the way to the future. Learning MLA should be a class in itself. Read the information on MLA, learn it, practice and utilize it. You will be glad that you did.

English II demands attention.

• Don't be foolish and think that this is a class that you can B.S. your way through.
• This class takes proirity and discipline.
• Make time everyday to go over your assignment,
• answer the study questions, and
• save everything to disk.

I wish all the future students well in this class. You WILL learn alot, even though your grades will not tend to show the progress in the beginning. Good luck to all and always know that when you call Mrs. Garcia, she will answer.

Good luck!!

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

I cannot say what one should do in a Fall or Spring semesters. For the summer -- Time is of the essence. Make sure that you CAN and WILL devote the time to the class. In my case, it required seven days a week with a minimum of four hours each day. I was taking two classes and working a full time job. I had to take vacation twice just to catch up and my family life suffered for seven weeks.

A strict schedule is required.

• Set up a time to do your work and
• do not let anything impose on that time slot.
• Treat this as a job requirement. Be there every day, so you can complete the required work as required.

Good luck.

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

Don't misunderstand the meaning of this internet class. It is designed so you will learn something. If you didn't learn in this class, you probably didn't complete the course.

If you decide to take this course, and have anything that resembles a family life, you will need to be able to put everything on hold or else your grades will reflect your inability to prioritize. If you are taking this class with the anticipation an internet course will be less work, you will be sadly disappointed.

The internet aspect only makes commuting back and forth to school easier. Mrs. Garcia has no way of know how proficient her students are until they begin submitting their work, so be sure to take advantage of the short essay work so you can understand how the system works.

Be sure to systematically check the different locations where information is posted:

• your e-mail,
• the discussion board and
• notes that Mrs. Garcia post on returned work.

And it is a good idea to check all these locations frequently, a minimum of once a day.

One thing to always remember, Mrs. Garcia is available to you if you need help with the class, but she won't know you need help unless you ask (or until she grades those lousy papers).

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

To future students of Ms. Garcia's English 1302 summer Internet class, the following are just a few well thought out pearls of wisdom.

1. Unless algebra is second nature to you do NOT take it in the same summer semester.

2. While it is extremely important to set aside as much routine time for studying as humanly possible, keep your literature book with you at all times. You never know when the opportunity to get in extra studying might occur.

3. Print out and answer as thoroughly as you can the study questions Ms. Garcia provides you.

4. Know the material in the study question backwards and forwards before attempting to take the quizzes.

5. After taking a quiz print it out and highlight the ones you missed, for they will more that likely be on a test.

6. When studying for tests separate the matching in the quizzes from the rest of the test. It is easier to study.

7. Study all Ms. Garcia tells you to, for the only real control you have is the grades on the quizzes and test.

8. Do as many of the extra credit question as possible they can raise your grade one grade level. Anything that can add to your final grade is going to be needed.

9. Concerning essays: Although research and content is somewhat important the MLA rules and regulations will flunk you essay. So if the rules are confusing ask Ms. Garcia for clarification. This is what I did not do and my grade is suffering because of it, so don't do as I did ask when you need help ask. The time it takes to get, an answer will be well worth it.

10. DO NOT enter Ms. Garcia's English 1302 summer Internet class thinking that it will be the Readers Digest version of her regular semester class, the realization that it is not will be overwhelming.

Future students of 1302 English take to heart my advice, for it is by my misfortune that this advice is born. To coin the old saying "If I knew then what I know now."

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

The Internet English course is for every student who is disciplined and up for a challenge. If you are not disciplined, it will teach you discipline quite quickly.

Do not be misled by thinking it's an easy passing grade. Mrs. Garcia stated about this class in one of her notes, "The goal is give students real confidence in writing that's important without dumbing down the course."

She was absolutely right. I found myself struggling to keep up with the pace and analyzing the literature. The material truly stimulates the mind and thinking abilities: "Literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually" (Roberts and Jacobs 1). I know I grew in these areas. Mrs. Garcia responded back to me with some very thought provoking questions from a different perspective.

To get the most of out this class, you must understand that "we need to follow the work and understand its details, but just as importantly, we need to respond to the words, get at the ideas, and understand the implications of what is happening" (Roberts and Jacobs 3). Yes, you must carefully read, think and analyze the literature you are reading.

You'll enjoy the readings more. You will have several opportunities to post messages on the discussion board on the readings. Take them serious. These are practice exercises in preparation for the essays. Be sure you dedicate adequate time to your assignments. Studying for the quizzes and test is essential. Pace yourself. This was one of my weakeness and it showed. If you study the material, have self-discipline and adhere to a schedule, you will succeed. Everything falls into place.

(These comments come from an 8-week summer session student.)

In order to be successful in this class one must be attentive to many things.

• Take it one week at a time.
• Read over the weeks requirements and look at your schedule.
• Set aside time each week to devote to this course. It works best if you can work at the same time each week, but as long as you set specific goals one will be fine.
• Make sure you read the discussion board because Professor Garcia often posts additional information that is vital to one's grade.
• To make good grades on the quizzes simply complete and study the study questions for each chapter. It takes some time, but it proves very helpful when test time comes.
• If you have trouble with your essays don't hesitate to ask Professor Garcia for help; she is more than willing to be of service.

Everything I Need To Know in Life…

For the average student at San Antonio College, English 1302 is expected to be a simple continuation of 1301. The student will read a few stories, write papers that are expected, and move on. A student who is proficient in his or her writing skills might even expect to breeze through it in the same way she or he has gone through previous courses. An internet course makes it sound that much easier, because the student doesn’t have to suffer through endless lecture hours.

Unfortunately, students in Professor Garcia’s internet courses find that is not the case. In this course, students will find themselves challenged by a professor that remains involved in spite of the distance between her and her students. The course requirements don’t seem to be more extensive than other classes, but a professor with high expectations takes more time to satisfy than one that simply wants a student to fulfill a school mandate. Professor Garcia has a way of finding a student’s weak spot and tearing it down until she or he is forced to learn from his or her mistakes.

If this seems tough, it is. Another professor in a traditional setting is probably an easier way to go. Other professors will let a student spend three hours on a term paper and score a top grade simply because the point is well stated. Of course, a student in those other classes isn’t going to learn what she or he might have learned had she or he opted for the rougher road.

A student considering this course must realize it will be more challenging than any other section. However, it will also be the most rewarding. In this course, Professor Garcia started with a student who relied on her past experience to get her through a course without working at it.

By forcing her to step back, take some time to consider the beauty of what she is reading, and dare to learn from it, she has managed to do what no other English teacher has done for this student – teach her. A professor that dotes on a student because of what she or he doesn’t need to be taught teaches him or her nothing; a professor that slaps the student into the real world gains the student’s respect and admiration for a lifetime.

For all of the students who follow in the footsteps of these brave souls, I will say a prayer.

I will pray for a 29-hour day in an 8-day week.

I will pray for a computer that is under warranty and a repair shop that has same day service.

I will pray for a world were AOL is compatible with every program and where a little thing called the Web CT doesn’t eat your test.

The prayer will be long to remind us of some of the reading and the prayer will contain words that are big and hard to understand: maybe even in another language at times.

The prayer will give you directions on how to use the library to find a reference and how to use the Internet when the book is already checked out.

I will pray that you can find the extra credit to improve your grade.

I will pray that your grade does not need the extra credit help (yet, I know it will and then some let me tell you).

My prayer for the further class will help to inspire and will help to motivate and like this class, my prayer will end with a conclusion from the wsords of the teacher herself as she writes in the syllabus. Mrs. Garcia writes, "Every student who sets aside several hours over several days each week to read the chapters and literature in the text and explore the Web's offerings on the readings, then to write, should have no trouble." I will pray that you should have no trouble as well.

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