Syllabus

Course: WRT 304 O1 (Session I, Summer 2020)
Instructor: Professor Michael J. Cripps
Email: mcripps@une.edu
Phone: 207-602-2908
Meeting Days: Online Asynchronous (Individual Conferencing TBA)
Office Hours: Asynchronous & TBA

My single most important piece of advice: Do not put off your DS106, Blog, and ePortfolio assignments to the last minute. Trust me.

Each assignment in the Schedule page has a due date at the end of it (in parentheses). With the exception of “Week 2,” nothing is due on a Monday, and you always have until midnight (11:59PM) of the due date. Some of the projects will take several hours over a few sittings. Flexibility, a key feature of online asynchronous courses, can breed procrastination. Procrastination will sink you in an online class. If you budget time (several hours) every day of the week for work on our class, you’ll find that you can probably have your weekends free.

Course Description

This course takes a hands-on approach to exploring reading and writing in digital (Web) environments. Students in the course consider ways that digital writing environments create opportunities for writers to address multiple audiences, to bring together visual and alphabetic texts, and to involve readers in the construction of those texts. Students in the course will develop a variety of digital texts, including blogs, websites, and wikis. Students’ work will be collected in an e-portfolio designed and assembled over the course of the term. 3.000 Credit hours.

Course Attribute: Advanced Studies

This course gives students the opportunity for advanced study in an area (or areas) outside of their major area, where they can explore methodologies, theories and/or concepts important in some aspect of the humanities. It will count as a Core ADV requirement for students majoring in a natural sciences, social sciences, or professional program area. It may also meet an ADV requirement for some in an interdisciplinary studies area. Students with questions about the ADV requirement should consult with an academic advisor.

Objectives

  • Consider how digital writing environments help writers address multiple audiences.
  • Bring together visual and alphabetical texts in a variety of webbed projects.
  • Experience the ways readers participate in the construction of multi-modal texts.
  • Understand principles and practices in several webbed projects, including blogs, websites, and more.
  • Develop a professional electronic portfolio.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students in this course will

  • Demonstrate the ability to write in both styles and syntax of several digital writing environments.
  • Apply key principles of web writing style to both individual and collaborative writing spaces.
  • Critique blogs and websites using design and style principles introduced in the course.
  • Apply a range of digital tools to the creation of contemporary media products.
  • Plan and execute collaborative writing projects using relevant collaborative writing environments.
  • Create a professional electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) attentive to the visual and textual elements of web design.

Notes Regarding Online Asynchronous Summer Courses and Workload

It is not your professors’ fault that summer courses have lots of work. College credit workload expectations are defined by the US Department of Education in terms of the equivalent of in- and out-of-class work.

One college credit requires the equivalent of one hour in class and at least 2-3 hours of out-of-class work for a 15-week course. Ours is a three-credit course, which would ordinarily require 3 hours in class and 6-9 hours of out-of-class work. With a six-week summer session, each week becomes 2.5 weeks, which means that the required time-on-task can seem like a lot: 22-30 hours. If your summer classes didn’t require this level of work, UNE would be at a school at risk of losing its accreditation, which would undermine the value of your degree.

For our online course, both the in-class and out-of-class work are completed at home, or somewhere else. Work shifts to a more flexible, asynchronous model. Plan to spent about 20 hours per week, spread out over the week, and you should be ok.

I help you plan your time by creating due dates on assignments and by offering time estimates/expectations. You’ll see all this on the Schedule.

Principal Readings

  • Kristin L. Arola, “The Design of Web 2.0: The Rise of the Template, The Fall of Design” (Computers & Composition) – Online
  • Mark Bernstein, “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web” – Online
  • Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making us Stupid” (The Atlantic) – Online
  • Codecademy , “Learn HTML & CSS, Part I” – Online
  • Sue Anne Dunlevie, “16 Rules of Blog Writing and Layout. Which Ones are You Breaking?” – Online
  • Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think REVISITED: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability – Selections (©2014 | ISBN: 0321965515) The Only Book to Purchase!
  • Lawrence Lessig, Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy – Selections (©2008, Penguin Books) – Reserve Reading
  • Jonathan Lethem, “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” (Harper’s Magazine) – Online
  • Howard Rheingold, “Participation Power.” From Net Smart: How to Thrive Online (2012) – Reserve Reading
  • Clay Shirky, “Everyone is a Media Outlet.” From Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations (©2008, Penguin Books) – Reserve Reading
  • Michael Wesch, “The Machine (is Us/ing Us)” (Video Essay on Youtube)

Major Assignments

  • Blog on a Topic of Your Choosing (20%)
  • ePortfolio (20%)
  • DS106 Image and Web Assignments (30%)
  • Collaborative Publishing | Software or Tech Tool Tutorial & Product Review (15%)
  • Readings/Discussion/Other Participation (15%)

The principal focus of this course is the making of things in webbed environments. Read about the Big Picture for important additional detail.

We’ll be using many web and software tools this term, including Google Apps; Medium; WordPress; Twitter; GIMP, Photoshop, or another image editor; and web-based tools like Giphy, Timeline JS, X-Ray Goggles, and more. I don’t teach all these tools, but I can point us to some resources. Hint: a Google search can always surface a tutorial (written or video) that helps. Many projects can be done in more than one way, so restricting your choices is a bad idea. Don’t fear taking a risk and learning something new! I also have a Digital Creation Toolbox resource to help you!

Final Grade Range

A = 93-100
A- = 90-92.9
B+ = 87-89.9
B = 83-86.9
B- = 80-82.9
C+ = 77-79.9
C = 73-76.9
C- = 70-72.9
D = 60-69.9
F = <60
I = Nearly all work completed; regular ongoing involvement in course
WP = Withdrawal while passing after first two-thirds of the term
WF = Withdrawal while failing after first two-thirds of the term
W = Withdrawal during first two-thirds of the term

A word on grading: 45% of the course grade (DS106 & Reading/Discussion/Other) is marked as done/not done, or full/no credit. Late work in these areas considered not done, so don’t ask to submit it late. Do it and do you’ll do well on it. The Blog, ePortfolio, and Collaborative projects have criteria and rubrics for scoring. There’s no reason for any actively engaged student to earn less than a B, and I am anticipating high marks from each of you because you will do the assignments. I routinely have students end the course with a grade of 96-100.

Academic Integrity (Including Plagiarism) Statement

UNE’S POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (SOURCE: UNE STUDENT HANDBOOK)

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the university community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the dean of the appropriate College and, if upheld, will result at minimum in a failing grade on the assignment and a maximum of dismissal from the University of New England. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  • Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  • Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  • Actions that destroy or alter the work of another student.
  • Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  • Plagiarism: the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one’s own
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY (SOURCE: CAS DEAN’S OFFICE)

Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and dealt with according to UNE policy. Academic dishonesty will result in a zero on the associated assignment and can include up to expulsion from school. As specified per UNE policies, academic dishonesty is:

Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information including but not limited to

  • use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations;
  • dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the faculty in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments, including but not limited to calculators, handheld computers, smart phones, or any other electronic devices; or
  • the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic materials belonging to a member of the University faculty or staff.
  • Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers, reports, or examinations, either oral or written.
  • Actions that destroy or alter the work of another student.
  • Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  • Plagiarism: the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one’s own including but not limited to:
    the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; or
  • the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person, company, online purveyor, or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or any other academic materials.
RELEVANT WEB LINKS

Student Academic Success Center

The Student Academic Success Center offers a range of free services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test-prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com or visit the SASC. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, visit https://sites.google.com/a/une.edu/student-academic-success-center.

Students with Disabilities

The University of New England will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak with the professor at the beginning of the semester. Registration with Disability Services, located in Stella Maris 131 (ext. 2815) on the Biddeford Campus and the Lower Level of Ginn Hall (ext. 4418) on the Portland Campus, is required before accommodation requests can be granted.http://www.une.edu/studentlife/disability-services

All disability-related inquires can be directed to bcdisabilityservices@une.edu on the Biddeford campus or pcdisabilityservices@une.edu on the Portland campus.