Author: geoffreybelliott

Sample Diagnostic Exercise: An Entering Hope

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As noted here, the students in my Fall 2016 section of ENGL 1301: Rhetoric & Composition at Schreiner University were asked to complete a diagnostic writing exercise during class on 26 August 2016. My usual practice (although I am not always able to follow it) is to do the assignments I give my students, so, as the students wrote their diagnostic exercises, I wrote to the same prompt. That prompt and my response thereto are below.

The Prompt

One motto of Schreiner University, that long displayed at the main entrance, is “Enter with hope. Leave with achievement.” With what hope do you enter Schreiner? Why do you harbor it? How do you think to enact it?

The Response

Like most or all of the students in my section of Rhetoric & Composition, I am new to Schreiner University; I grew up in Kerrville, to be sure, but I went elsewhere for my college coursework. As I return to the Hill Country, though, and to working in Kerrville, I am struck anew by the idea of entering the Schreiner community with hope—and I do have several hopes as I begin my work at the campus. Perhaps chief among them is that I will do that work well, but that would be true of any job. More specific to my work at Schreiner University is that I hope to make a new beginning for myself, primarily as a professional, but also as a person.

I have been in need of a new professional beginning, to be sure. For one thing, more than one of my previous jobs employed me on term contracts, and those terms ended without promise or hope of renewal; at the level of simple employment, then, I needed to make a new beginning. At a deeper level, though, I realize that I had grown into a mixture of complacency and, I am sorry to say, disdain for the work I had been doing at one place. (The other was much better, although the certainty of my limited term made engaging more difficult than it might otherwise have been.) I make no excuse for it; I have no excuse for it. I acknowledge my failure to commit to my earlier work as much as I could have—and maybe ought to have—done, but that does not mean I cannot also recognize that a change was needed. And it does not mean that I do not recognize I was in a bad place, mentally and emotionally; I was disconnecting not only from much of the work I was doing, but also from family and friends—and many of my colleagues did become friends—and from most of the things in which I had taken delight. So I suppose my need for a new personal beginning emerged alongside the need for a new professional beginning.

Schreiner offers me hope that I can find such beginnings again. When I interviewed for my position, I was welcomed warmly and eagerly, and I have continued to be welcomed each time I have come to campus. Faces smile when they see me here, rather than falling into frowns or turning away, and I find myself smiling in return—which is not something I was prone to doing before coming here. A new instructional term has gotten underway, and I am pleasantly surprised to see my classes holding all of the students they are supposed to; it is not something that has often happened for me before. And the upbuoying that I feel as I come onto campus follows me as I leave it; I have gone home tired, but it is the kind of tired that follows work done well and diligently rather than the tiredness of being leached of vitality and plodding along despite it. It is a kind of tired that allows me still to smile at my wife and daughter when I arrive home, rather than collapsing in on myself and walling out all that I can. It is a kind of tired that bespeaks and ongoing hope for a new beginning fostered by the simple fact that it seems to be realized as I walk onto the grounds, from building to building, and from class to class.

I hope it will endure.

Class Report: ENGL 2340.01: World Literature through the Renaissance–26 August 2016

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After addressing concerns from and questions about the previous class meeting, discussion turned to concerns of the Discus assignments, file submissions for upcoming papers, and questions of canon-building.

Students are reminded of the following due dates:

  • Discus 1 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 9 September 2016)
  • Discus 2 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 16 September 2016)
  • Ppr 1 PV (in typed hard copy at the beginning of class time on 19 September 2016)

Please note that instructional materials are still being developed for the course.

Class met as scheduled, at 1100 in Weir 202. The class roster listed 12 students enrolled as of 0630, unchanged since the last class meeting. All attended, verified informally. Student participation was good. No students from the class attended office hours since the previous class meeting.

Class Report: ENGL 1301.03: Rhetoric & Composition–26 August 2016

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Class time was occupied by the Diagnostic Writing Exercise, a short writing assignment offering the following prompt: “One motto of Schreiner University, that long displayed at the main entrance, is ‘Enter with hope. Leave with achievement.’ With what hope do you enter Schreiner? Why do you harbor it? How do you think to enact it?”

Students are reminded of the following due dates:

  • Desc PV (in typed hard copy at the beginning of class time on 12 September 2016)
  • Desc RV (online before the beginning of class time on 16 September 2016)
  • Desc FV (online before the beginning of class time on 23 September 2016)

Please note that instructional materials are still being developed for the course.

Class met as scheduled, at 1000 in Weir 110. The class roster listed 20 students enrolled as of 0630, an increase of one since the last class meeting. All attended, verified by the Diagnostic Writing Exercise. One student from the class attended office hours since the previous class meeting.

Class Report: ENGL 135.60174, Advanced Composition–25 August 2016

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The final meeting of the course addressed the Course Project Reflective Postscript, completing the remaining portion of the course grade The whole session was taken up thereby, treating it as equivalent to a final exam.

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed nine students enrolled, a decline of one since the previous class meeting. Of them, four attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Reflective comments will be offered when they become available.

Initial Remarks for the September 2016 Session at DeVry University in San Antonio

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As the new session begins and I find myself teaching ENGL 227: Professional Writing, there are a few things that present themselves as needing attention. Chief among them are due dates and certain assignment materials, both of which are presented below.

Due Dates

The University generally holds that weeks begin and end at midnight Mountain Time on Sundays (so at 0100 Monday mornings in San Antonio). Each week’s assignments are due before the week ends, meaning that written assignments are due according to the following schedule:

  • Resume, to the dropbox before 0059, 5 September 2016
  • Quiz, completed online before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Routine Message, to the dropbox before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Group Project Informal Analytical Report, to the dropbox before 0059, 26 September 2016
  • Negative or Bad News Message, to the dropbox before 0059, 3 October 2016
  • Group Project Formal Proposal (Preliminary Version), to the dropbox before 0059, 10 October 2016
  • Group Project Formal Proposal (Final Version), to the dropbox before 1159, 23 October 2016 (although earlier would be appreciated)

That the final assignment is due at a different point in the week than other assignments is an artifact of anticipated grade submission deadlines. I cannot put in final grades until I have assessed all assignments–and it takes time to assess projects.

Additionally, discussions must be completed according to the following schedule:

  • Week 1, before 0059, 5 September 2016
  • Week 2 open, before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Week 2 group, before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Week 3 open, before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 3 group, before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 4, before 0059, 26 September 2016
  • Week 5, before 0059, 3 October 2016
  • Week 6, before 0059, 10 October 2016
  • Week 7, before 0059, 17 October 2016

Typically, in each class meeting’s report, I will indicate the next applicable set of due dates. Still, knowing them ahead of time makes drafting a personal schedule easier–which should, in turn, make getting done all of what needs to be done easier.

Assignment Materials

How to handle the discussions on which class relies needs some explanation. Some of it is taken care of by the course shell already, but most of it is not. As such, I present the following document, which lays out what I expect and how I will assess it in the September 2016 session: ENGL 227 Discussion Assignment Sheet. Hopefully, it will clarify matters in advance of them becoming confused.

I look forward to teaching more professional materials once again, and I look forward to working with the students enrolled in my section for the session. Both promise to be enriching experiences for all involved.

Updated 30 August 2016 to account for better information.

Class Report: ENGL/THRE 3333.01: Shakespeare: Comedies & Sonnets–24 August 2016

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After offering the instructor’s introduction (which works with materials found here), discussion turned to the course syllabus (ENGL/THRE 3333 Syllabus Revision). Noted also was the student choice regarding the FinEx to come. Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the syllabus and course calendar, as in-class quizzes may well be taken from them, as well as from assigned readings.

Students are reminded of the following due dates:

  • Discus 1 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 7 September 2016)
  • Discus 2 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 14 September 2016)
  • PProp (due online before the beginning of class time on 14 September 2016)

Please note that there are substantial readings to be done for next week. Attending to them early will be of help.

Please note that instructional materials are still being developed for the course.

Class met as scheduled, at 1435 in Weir 109. The class roster listed six students enrolled as of 0915. All attended, verified informally. Student participation was good.

Class Report: ENGL 2340.01: World Literature through the Renaissance–24 August 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After offering the instructor’s introduction (which works with materials found here), discussion turned to the course syllabus (ENGL 2340 Syllabus Revision). Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the syllabus and course calendar, as in-class quizzes may well be taken from them, as well as from assigned readings.

Students are reminded of the following due dates:

  • Discus 1 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 9 September 2016)
  • Discus 2 (to be completed online before the beginning of class time on 16 September 2016)
  • Ppr 1 PV (in typed hard copy at the beginning of class time on 19 September 2016)

Students should note that although there is no reading assigned for Friday, 26 August 2016, 1) getting started on the readings will be desirable, and 2) class will meet as scheduled. It will be a lecture-heavy day; note-taking will be advisable, as the materials covered may well be on quizzes and tests to come.

Please note that instructional materials are still being developed for the course.

Class met as scheduled, at 1100 in Weir 202. The class roster listed 12 students enrolled as of 0915. All attended, verified by a brief written exercise.

Class Report: ENGL 1301.03: Rhetoric & Composition–24 August 2016

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After posing an introductory question and offering the instructor’s introduction (which works with materials found here), discussion turned to the course syllabus (ENGL 1301 Syllabus). Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the syllabus and course calendar, as in-class quizzes may well be taken from them, as well as from assigned readings.

Students are reminded of the following due dates:

  • Diagnostic Writing Exercise (to be completed during class time on 26 August 2016)
  • Desc PV (in typed hard copy at the beginning of class time on 12 September 2016)
  • Desc RV (online before the beginning of class time on 16 September 2016)

Please note that instructional materials are still being developed for the course.

Class met as scheduled, at 1000 in Weir 110. The class roster listed 19 students enrolled as of 0915. All attended, verified by a brief written exercise.

Class Report: ENGL 135.60174, Advanced Composition–18 August 2016

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After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion turned to general concerns of the overall course project. Those students who had drafts to review were afforded workshopping time, and the workshops were discussed.

Students are reminded that end of course evaluations remain open. Completing them will help.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Course Project Final Draft (to the appropriate dropbox before 0059 on Monday, 22 August 2016)
  • Week 7 Discussions (completed before 0059 on Monday, 22 August 2016)

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed ten students enrolled, a decline of one since the last class meeting. Of them, six attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 135.60174, Advanced Composition–11 August 2016

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After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion exhorted better submission rates for remaining assignments. Concerns of graphics and layout were addressed, as was progress on student papers. It also laid out some ideas for peer review of papers (students had been asked to bring working copies of papers with them). A workshopping session ensued, after which came a breakdown discussion.

Students are particularly encouraged to fill out the instructor surveys. Comments about instruction are welcome, as is suggested here, here, and here, among others. They open 12 August 2016 and close 27 August 2016. Associate National Dean of Academic Quality Tracey E. Colyer notes in an email that students may access the surveys via the following (blog formatting imposes some changes to numbering):

  1. Go to your Student Portal (http://my.devry.edu or http://my.keller.edu) depending on your enrollment.  If you have trouble logging in, click on the Need Help? link.
  2. Enter your DSI# and your student portal password.
  3. Expand the menu on the left-hand side of the window, select Resources.  Then, select End-of-Term Survey.
  4. A pop-up window will appear listing available surveys; there will be a survey for each course in which you are enrolled.  If the window does not appear, please disable your pop-up blocker.
  5. Click any of the Evaluate links to begin.
    1. For the End of Course Evaluations, the name of your instructor and course title will appear at the top of the pop-up window.
      1. It is very important that you complete an evaluation for all courses listed. Please respond to all items before you click the final Submit button.
      2. Your name is not shared with your professor(s); Evaluation results are reported in aggregate several weeks after End of Course Evaluation closes.
    2. The survey system only tracks whether you have completed all evaluations. You will receive an email reminder within 4 days.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Course Project Second Draft (to the dropbox before 0059 on 15 August 2016)
  • Week 6 Discussions (completed before 0059 on 15 August 2016)

Samples of Course Project First, Second, and Final Drafts remain available in the course shell. Other samples of argumentative writing, albeit written for a different style manual, can still be found at the following:

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus; peer review was conducted across the hall, in Rm. 110. The class roster listed 11 students enrolled, a decline of one since the last class meeting. Of them, four attended, verified by a brief written exercise. Student participation was quite good. No students attended office hours.