Category: Announcements

I just wanted to send a note to everyone acknowledging that most of the peer review teams have started circulating their first drafts of the 500-word summary via email. Excellent work!

While it would be ideal to have drafts circulated and peer review feedback received by Wednesday when I post our next lecture, it is okay if you need a little extra time on this first project.

What I would ask students in need of additional time to do is please send an email to your peer review team members letting them know that you need a little extra time and that you will send your draft to them by such-and-such date and time. This gives your team an important heads-up about your needs and it helps them adjust their work to be ready to read and respond to your writing as quickly as possible after the time you promise to send it to them.

We will be making use of the peer review that you receive, so hold on to it for next week’s weekly writing assignment and the conclusion of the 500-word summary project.

Greetings, everyone! I hope that you are all doing well today! Let’s meet to discuss your questions during my virtual office hours today from 3:00pm-5:00pmon Google Hangouts. [link removed after office hours]

Hello, all! Let’s meet to discuss your questions during my virtual office hours today from 3:00pm-5:00pm on Google Hangouts. [link removed after office hours over]

I hope that everyone is doing well and off to a strong start in all of your classes!

Also, remember to scroll down after landing on our Course Site to make sure that you don’t miss any class content!

I wanted to say that our class is off to a great start on the OpenLab! Almost everyone enrolled has joined the OpenLab Course, and I’m in the process of getting back to folks’ first weekly writing assignment/email introductions.

There’s still plenty of time to watch the lectures and complete this week’s writing assignment before next Wednesday. Though, as I mentioned in the first lecture, there is extra time to get assignments done during the beginning of the semester as I know we are all acclimating to this mode of instruction.

I’ll post the next set of lectures and talk about the first major project on Wednesday, Sept. 2, which begins week two.

Keep up the good work and good luck in your studies!

And, try not to fall asleep like Mose while studying!

Greetings, all! I hope that you’re making your way into the OpenLab Course and beginning to watch the lectures. I’ve already received some of your weekly writing assignments, which I will respond to soon.

If you have any questions or want to talk about the class, you can find me in this Google Hangout today from 3:00pm-5:00pm. [link removed after office hours over]

I would like to welcome you all to our Fall 2020 Technical Writing (ENG2575 OL70) class.

Since our class is completely online and we meet asynchronously, we will use OpenLab as our primary meeting place online for lectures, weekly writing assignments, and coordinating the major projects.

Each week, I will post video lectures that you should find time to watch and make notes from at some point during the week before the next week begins. I have detailed how this works on the schedule available at the bottom of the syllabus linked in the menu to the left.

In addition to deadlines for the major projects in the class, there are weekly writing assignments that help develop your reading and writing skills both in general and in ways specific to the major projects that we are doing.

Please keep in mind that an online class is a marathon and not a sprint. Like a normal class, the benefit that you get out of it comes through consistent effort applied across the semester. Cramming and short cuts deprive you of the long term benefits of the class. Hang in there and be tenacious. We will see the class through together.

Budgeting and scheduling your time is key to your success in this class. Making notes from lecture and paying attention to details relating to your projects will keep you focused on doing things right to the best of your ability.

Of course, there’s nothing normal about the present. I understand that both as your professor and as a fellow human being. I want you all to succeed in the class, so if something comes up that might get in the way of your success, please reach out to me by email (jellis at citytech.cuny.edu) or come to my weekly video office hours (I post a link on our OpenLab site each Wednesday before they begin) to discuss things with me. We can come up with a plan that can keep you on track or get you caught back up.

Be well, stay safe, and good luck!