English 420Y - Business Writing Online

By Monday, June 11, at midnight

• If you have not done so already, read Welcome to English 420Y, Business Writing (Distance Learning).
• Complete:
  • Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site
  • Getting Started 2: Logging in for the First Time
  • Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time
• Review carefully the Course Description, paying particular attention to all requirements. It is important that you become very familiar with the course policies so you can understand what is expected of you in this class. It might be best if you read through the course description twice; ignorance of the course policies will not be an excuse for failure to complete an assignment properly. Please do not fall behind on the first day. This course will proceed at a quick pace, so don't wait a few days to get going!
• Read Learning to Navigate the Site. Then explore the class website. Make sure that you login; some class website features are not available to guests. It'll be easier as we move forward if you take the time now to explore. Get familiar with where things are located, which links take you further into the class website and which take you outside to other resources.
• Read through the rest of this page so that you know when assignments are due the rest of the week.

By Tuesday, June 12, at midnight

• Now that you have had a chance to read the course description and explore the class website, email your instructor with a note letting him or her know that you have finished registering for the course. Your email should include a subject line, a greeting, a short message, and your real (full) name. It is important that you complete this task so that you know how to get in touch with your instructor.
• Review How to Post Your Individual Weblog and then How to Post Comments and Replies
• Read Instructor Blog #1: Welcome to Professional Writing. Post a comment in response that elaborates or reacts to the ideas presented.
• Respond to the "Let's introduce ourselves" prompt on the home page. Add a new comment in which you:
  • describe where you are from
  • give your course of study and year
  • talk about your career goals
  • tell what you would like to get out of this course
  • share at least one thing personal about yourself (a hobby, your favorite sport, a favorite activity, etc.
• Reminder: As you work on assignments for this course, always read ahead a few days to give yourself time to ask questions about future assignments.

By Wednesday, June 13 at midnight

• You should have received the course textbook by today: The Thomson Handbook (Comprehensive Edition), by David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. This book is available at local bookstores and may also be purchased online (e.g., through Amazon, here). You can buy the hardcover or paperback versions.

Reading

• Familiarize yourself with the content and structure of The Thomson Handbook. Scan the frontmatter (including the the table of contents) and the backmatter (the "Glossary of Web Terms" and the "Glossary of Usage") so that you know what the book contains.
• "Writing for Business and the Workplace" (TH, 217-238)

Reading Response

• Post a reading response. Respond to this prompt: based upon what you have read in the The Thomson Handbook and your own experiences, what do you expect the substance of this course to be? What do you expect to get out of it? How are you going to use this opportunity to augment your own skills? In your response, point to specific material in The Thomson Handbook. Since this is your first Reading response, you'll want to follow the tutorial for using the class site software, How to Post to Your Individual Weblog. Use the tag "Reading response Week 1" in the category field.

By Thursday, June 14, at midnight

Employment Project

• Read the Employment Project description. You can ask questions about the project by emailing your instructor. Try to answer your own question before emailing it too hastily.
• Read Instructor Blog #2 on Getting a Job. Post a comment in response.
• Step 1: Skills Inventory, Job Description and Rationale. Start this step by completing the Job Search Activity 12-1 (p. 221) in The Thomson Handbook. In a blog post, respond to each of the questions with a few sentences, or a list. Don't forget to post it under the "Skills inventory" category.
• Begin searching for a job for the Employment Project. Consult the following sites:
• http://www.careerbuilder.com/
• http://www.collegegrad.com/
• http://www.job-hunt.org/
• http://www.truecareers.com/
• http://www.monster.com/
• Purdue Center for Career Opportunities
• yahoo jobs
• yahoo career fields

By Friday, June 15, at midnight.

• Finish Step 1 of the Employment Project by doing the Job ad analysis and posting it to your blog. Reference the sample job ad and sample response in The Thomson Handbook (p. 223-24). Remember to copy and paste an actual job ad (or provide the link) that you will be applying for in your project. Don't forget to post under the "Job ad analysis" category.
• Continue posting comments and replies using Principles for Comments and Replies. You need to contribute five (5) comments to classmates' posts each week, so check the tag for Reading response Week 1 frequently and participate in the conversations. For reference on how to do this, review How to Post Comments and Replies. Your posts should adhere to the guidelines found in chapter 28 of The Thomson Handbook (beginning on page 621). Pay particular attention to the Project Checklist for Networking in Online Forums on page 627.
• Check out Week 2. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.