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Take a few minutes to explore.
You can find a self-paced tour by clicking on Options at the top right of your WebTycho interface, then clicking on Orientation and completing WEBT 101, Orientation to WebTycho. You can also go directly to the tour from the link on this page.
Sure. All this can look a bit intimidating at first, but you will be surprised how quickly you get used to it
Unlike the face-to-face classroom where we meet once a week, this class is organized in terms of weekly lessons.Lessons start on Wednesday and end at 12:00 midnight on Tuesday .
All times are Eastern Standard Time.
You should always enter the class through the WebTycho login screen [http://tychousa.umuc.edu/].Some hyperlinks in the WebTycho classroom open new browser Windows. In Windows 2000, you can keep track of these windows on your task bar. If you cannot return to your classroom from your current Window, check the other Windows on your taskbar.
If you have a pop-up stopper program installed and enabled on your computer, it may prevent some content from appearing and may result in an inability to access some links on class Web pages. Prior to logging into WebTycho, please turn this program off temporarily, and then turn it on again after you have completed your course work.
I will be checking into the course several times a week and will be posting messages and announcements regularly.The best way to contact me is by e-mail: nancyhoagland2@comcast.net.
If you wish to speak with me by phone, my number is 703-671-0670.
Under ordinary circumstances, you can expect a response within 2 business days.
Audio, Video, and ADA Policies
This class may occasionally use short audio and/or video components to enrich the learning environment. You will need RealOne Player to access these streaming multimedia files. NOTE: The old RealMedia Player should also work on these files.
Most recent computers are already equipped with the RealMedia Player or RealOne Player plug-in. If you do not have the updated player, it is free and easily downloadable from RealOne Player at http://www.real.com/realone/?src=realplayer. There is a small link in the lower right of the page that will allow you to download Free RealOne Player.
If you have trouble with RealOne Player, RealMedia offers an excellent Help Support Site. Also, the WebTycho Help Desk supports the use of RealMedia files. Please call the WebTycho Help Desk at 800-807-4862 or e-mail the desk for help at webtychosupport@umuc.edu
In accordance with UMUC policy, any student who has a disability and is in need of classroom accommodations must inform the faculty member of his need and, if they have not already done so, contact UMUC's office of Veteran and Disabled Student Services at 301-985-7258.
If you need assistance with the WebTycho system, help is available. You can:
- access the online WebTycho user guide at http://tychousa8.umuc.edu/help.nsf/htmlmedia/user_guide.html
- attend a free online WebTycho orientation class at http://tychousa8.umuc.edu/webt.nsf
- use the "help" function in the WebTycho classroom,
- contact WebTycho Support by telephone at 1-800-807-4862 (available 24/7), or
- e-mail WebTycho Support at webtychosupport@umuc.edu.
- It is important to always be polite and professional, whether agreeing or disagreeing with colleagues.
- Remember NOT to write anything you wouldn't want to see publicly printed; computer messages are NOT absolutely PRIVATE.
- Since any E-mail message that you write can be (and may be) forwarded to others, students should not disclose trade secrets or company-confidential information as part of this course.
- Do not forward personal notes or messages to others unless you have obtained permission from the author.
- In the conferencing format, students will be responding to the entire class (public domain). If that is not what is intended, students should use E-mail to address one/several students or the instructor (private domain).
- Since there are no body language cues in the online environment, students should be cautious when using BOLD typeface (which gets attention--is it the type you want?), when using words or phrases that can stereotype people, when responding to ideas with which one feels strongly. Professionalism at all times is critical.
- Be sure to give citations for quoted materials or others' ideas, just as one would in hard copy.
- Since all communications are written, it is best to keep comments limited--one screen is usually sufficient for online attention spans.
- Be sure to reread messages before sending, and edit as necessary.
In order to facilitate communication and learning in this environment, it is very important that class members agree to respect the confidentiality of what has been shared in this class. Please DO NOT reveal /discuss any personally identifiable information (such as work site, comments about organization or persons, views of policies, etc.) verbally or by copying the information, without the express permission of the speaker/writer.
Online students are required to update their active e-mail address in WebTycho. There are two ways for students to update their e-mail address in WebTycho: via the Login Wizard on the WebTycho Login page or via the Options menu in the online WebTycho classroom.
Once you are in WebTycho, click on Options-->Account Preferences. You will see a place to change your e-mail address.
Beyond motivation and self-discipline, following are other traits that successful WebTycho students have in common:
- Successful WebTycho students actively participate in conferences. The conferences are set up to help you better understand a specific aspect of the course. Taking part in the interchange will lead to a better understanding of the topic.
- Successful WebTycho students are active members of their student group. WebTycho has a special feature that allows students to work in a private study area with or without the faculty member. This is an excellent place to work out your strategies on group work or run ideas by your coursemates.
- Successful WebTycho students take advantage of the fact that there are no time and place barriers. Students can access their courses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at home or away. The course work fits their schedule, it doesn't dominate it. They work on their course when they can give their full concentration to it.
- Successful WebTycho students ask questions. They put their questions in the Cyber Café whenever they have a question, and before they can forget it.
- Successful WebTycho students work at their own pace. Some modules may take some students longer than others (others may take less time). Successful students take the extra time they need to absorb material before moving on.
- Successful WebTycho students are adventuresome. The course material provided on the Web is just the beginning. The advantage of the medium is the window it provides to all sorts of electronic libraries and other interesting places to visit that give new perspectives or updates on the course material. Research is easier on the Web, and research is a significant advantage in understanding college-level material.
- Successful WebTycho students understand the power of their computer. In addition to the Web resources, WebTycho students know how to manipulate text, cut and paste citations (always using proper references, of course), e-mail, and chat.
- Successful WebTycho students start early. They don't wait a few days or weeks before they get started. They log on right away, get an overview of the course and the workload, plan their first few weeks, and surf around to see what resources are available (help desk, tutorials, etc.).
- Successful WebTycho students keep an informal and clear writing style that aids online communication, which is predisposed to textual ambiguity.
- Successful WebTycho students give correspondents the benefit of the doubt when their intentions seem unclear. Ask for clarification and always assume the best intentions. Sometime, it takes patience, courtesy, and kindness to listen through the noise.
- Successful WebTycho students submit work on time.
Individually graded assignments--such as papers, midterms, and finals--must be posted to your individual assignment folder, unless instructed otherwise. In this class, the preferred format for files uploaded to the student assignment area is WORD (XP, 2000 and below).doc files. You can also submit files in TEXT FORMAT (.txt) or RICH TEXT FORMAT (.rtf) but some formatting will be lost. If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can submit work as .pdf files. DO NOT submit work completed in Microsoft Works format (.wps).
NOTE: If you have Microsoft Works, please be aware that the teacher and other students may not be able to open documents saved and uploaded with the .wps extension. You should download, install, and use a plugin Works 6.0 Converter for Works and Word Users that converts your files to Word format. Otherwise, you will need to save files in Text Format (.txt) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). If the document loses its formatting, you will need to send the documents in hard copy by US Mail.
NOTE: You cannot attach an .html file in WebTycho. You must use another format to attach a file in WebTycho.
In some sections of WebTycho, such as the study group area and the conference area, you can upload a file from your computer so that class members (or members of your study group) can download it. These files can be MS Word documents, spread sheets, or even PowerPoint presentations. Your must realize, however, that:
- Only those students/faculty who have the same application on their computers can read the files.
- You must use the proper extension in your file name (the three characters that follow the period after the file name and "tell" the computer which application was used to create the file -- for example, .doc for Word documents, .ppt for PowerPoint presentations, and .xls for Excel spreadsheets).
Internet Explorer and Netscape Composer (along with the most recent versions of Word and WordPerfect) allow you to save your files as HTML. These files are cross platform and can be read by any browser. However, you can no longer upload these files as attachments in WebTycho.
- Files uploaded by students may contain viruses. Almost always, the student who uploads an infected file is unaware he or she has a computer virus. To avoid problems, save files you download to your hard drive or floppy and run a virus check on these files before opening the files. The WebTycho program cannot contract viruses because it only transfers files; it does not execute them. Viruses also cannot be hidden in plain text files.
You should b ecome familiar with the use of TurnItIn.com. UMUC now offers a Web-based plagiarism detection service available to faculty and staff worldwide who are teaching or supporting teaching activities at UMUC. TurnItIn.com has a database of over a million papers submitted to them, a digitized version of the Gutenberg Collection of Literary Classics, and papers pulled from the Internet and various "paper mills," (i.e., services that sell term papers).
Faculty may submit students' papers electronically, and TurnItIn.com will check them against its database of materials for matches or near-matches. It does not check them against books or articles in subscription databases but faculty may supplement the TurnItIn.com review with a search of MdUSA and the World Wide Web.
The TurnItIn.com service will be used in this class. I will follow UMUC Guidelines for Using TurnItIn.com available at http://www.umuc.edu/library/turnitin.html#guidelines. These policies include the following:
- A student cannot be compelled to have his or her paper submitted to TurnItIn.com if the student does not wish to.
- Student papers are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. If I submit a paper on behalf of a student for evaluation by TurnItIn.com, I will use an alias instead of the student's name. If I ask a student to submit a paper to TurnItIn.com, the student may use also choose to use an alias but must inform me of the alias.
Here is the college's statement regarding the use of this program that each teacher is requested to include in the syllabus or course information::
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
In case of suspected plagiarism, I will follow UMUC's Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy available at: http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml .
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This class is designed for people who do not speak English as their first language. The content of the course is the same content that is found in other COMM 393 classes. But the class will be adapted to the needed of non-native speakers in the way assignments are handled. You may send me the draft of an assignment as an email attachment. I will identify areas that need to be improved. I may also recommend special exercises to help someone with a particular writing problem.
Here are some additional Web sites you will need to complete the course with the best possible grade. Since COMM393X is a course in technical writing, you are expected to use special resources in WebTycho that are especially helpful to writers. These include the UMUC Online Writing Center and the UMUC Information and Library Services.
Finally, you should begin thinking about the final exam. See Item 3 below for more details about the final exam.
1. See the UMUC Online Writing Center for information on
- How to ask for online help with a writing assignment
- How to e-mail a quick question
- Access to self-study modules on
- How to Avoid Plagiarism
- UMUC's Online Guide to Grammar and Writing
- Analytical Writing for Science and Technology
- Purdue Online Writing Lab's ESL Resource.
- University of Texas List of ESL Web Sites.
2. See the UMUC Information and Library Services for help with
- How to chat with a librarian
- How to submit a question by e-mail
- How to register for a free class in the Virtual Library Classroom.
- How to use UMUC databases at Guide to Searching UMUC Library Databases and E-Journals
3. To prepare for the final exam, you should review the Focus Questions found in Lessons 1-13 located under Course Content in the WebTycho menu.
NOTE: The exam will count 20% of your final grade and will consist of 10 essay questions based on the chapters you are assigned to read in Markel, Technical Communication, 7th ed. The test will be an open book exam. In the exam you will be asked to apply course information to writing activities you have completed during the course. For example, you might be asked to describe the primary audience for your class project and of course you need to understand the definition of a primary audience and the kind of characteristics a writer would need to know about that audience.
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