CTYOnline Writing The Johns Hopkins University
Course Information Writing and Language Arts Email and Web-Based Formats
Course Information Packet: Do Not Lose or Throw Away. Students and parent/guardian, please read this document together. Parents, please save a copy along with your parent information documents.
Š Johns Hopkins University, 2009
Welcome to CTYOnline! CTY began offering courses at a distance in 1983 with assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The program began with postal mail, but courses moved to the internet in the 1990s as the net became more accessible to our students and schools around the world. Each year, thousands of students from more than 50 countries enroll in CTY's distance education program, called CTYOnline.
If you have questions about the program, please contact the program managers: Steve Barish at 410-735-6140 (sbarish@jhu.edu) Kathy Thurlow at 410-735-6144 (kthurlow@jhu.edu) Ben Reynolds at 410-735-6149 (ben.reynolds@jhu.edu) Starting the Course CTY Registration will send an assignment email message showing your instructor's contact information. You will receive this the Friday before your course begins. If you have not received this email, phone CTY at 410-735-6277 or email ctyregcde@jhu.edu The day your course begins, your instructor will send an introductory email letter. This email will give you more details about your course. This email will also confirm your instructor’s phone number, and e-mail address. Instructors also phone students in North America. Differences Between Email- and Web-Based Courses This Course Guide contains information about a range of courses. Some of these are emailbased while others are web-based. You will see headings labeled either ―Email-Based Courses‖ or ―Web-Based Courses.‖ If you are taking an Email-based format course, read the entire course guide, skipping the sections marked ―Web-Based Courses.‖ If you are taking a Web-Based format course, read the entire course guide, skipping the sections marked ―Email-Based Courses.‖ If you are taking any of the Young and Younger Readers courses (Dog Stories, Horse Stories, Dragon Tales, Magical Life Lessons, On Our Own, or Quests and Challenges), read the entire course guide skipping the sections marked ―Email-Based Courses.‖ In addition, read the Young/ Younger Readers Quick Start Guide. Download it from Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information at http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu CTYOnline Login Your username is your CTY student identification number. Your password was sent to you via email and postal service earlier. If you don't know your CTYOnline username and/or password, see Technical Assistance, below. Course Information is always available in Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information at Download this document at http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Click on Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information
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http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Put Email from CTY on Your Safe List Please see http://www.cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/support/webmailsettings.html for more information. If you do not put CTY email addresses on your safe list or filter them into a specific folder, messages may go into your bulk mail directory and/or be deleted before you see them. This is especially true for users of hanmail and netvigator. Technical Assistance If you have any technical problems with the online classroom you cannot fix yourself, please contact the technical assistant at kkambon@jhu.edu. If you lose your login information or forget your password, you can send an email for help to ctypassword@ctyonline.net Include your full name, course title, and CTY Student ID Number. Web-Based Courses: Classroom Your classroom is not available until the start date. On the start date, to access your classroom: Go to http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Username: enter your CTYOnline username (which is your CTY Student Identification Number) Password: enter your CTYOnline password (this is not the same as your MyCTY password)
Email-Based Courses: Format for Assignments Send your assignments as a Microsoft Word .doc attachment. The attachment must have a .doc extension after its name, for example, Assignment1.doc. Inside every file, key in – at the top of the first page – your Name (e.g., Ben Reynolds) The Date (e.g., September 18, 2009) Assignment Number (e.g., Assignment 1) Then skip a line. Generally, your essays should be a minimum of 200 words. Minimum means ―the least you should write.‖ When working on drafts and revisions of prose, you will likely write more. Many assignments require that you send multiple items including letters and short exercises. Instructions for writing tasks other than essays are in the particular assignments.
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Email-Based Courses: First Assignment If you are in the Email-based Courses Crafting the Essay, Writing Analysis & Persuasion, or Crafting Fiction, your first assignment is online, and can be found by following these links. Crafting the Essay http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/writingcourses/samples/ema3.html Writing Analysis & Persuasion http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/writingcourses/samples/ema4.html Crafting Fiction http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/writingcourses/samples/dfic.html Email-Based Courses: When to send your first assignment Your instructor will send you a list of due dates. Follow the instructor’s schedule. Web-Based Courses: When to send your first assignment Your schedule is in your classroom. Keep a Copy of Each Assignment Print a hard copy of each assignment before you post it, and always back up the files on your hard drive by copying them to a properly labeled floppy disk, CD, or flash drive. Protect against loss! Web-Based Courses: Online Writing Workshop By enrolling in this course, you have become a member of an online writing community. Your online community enables you to access up-to-date course information and communication tools, to comment on the work of the other writers in your group, and to have your writing read and critiqued by your peers. There is no better way to improve your writing than to have your work studied by fellow writers in workshop. Your instructor will provide guidelines for workshop in an email message that you will receive prior to the start of the course. You will expand your writing skills by using the techniques explained in your lessons, and you will develop your revising and editing eye as you workshop the essays (or poems, in the case of Crafting Poetry) posted by your instructor. PARTICIPATION IN THE ONLINE WRITING WORKSHOP IS MANDATORY. For each lesson, your instructor will assign one or two pieces in workshop. You must read and comment on each piece posted. Satisfactory Progress You must complete any writing exercises within the lessons/assignments. For 5 lesson/assignment courses (Art Meets Science and Language Rules), the minimum number you need to complete is 4; however if you complete fewer than 5, your final evaluation may recommend that you not continue in CTYOnline but rather work in the more structured environment of a face-to-face classroom.
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For 10 lesson/assignment courses (Young/Younger Readers and Writing Series), the minimum number you need to complete is 8; however if you complete fewer than 10, your final evaluation may recommend that you not continue in CTYOnline but rather work in the more structured environment of a face-to-face classroom. We expect you to adhere to the schedule. Time away from the course (known in CTYOnline individually paced courses as "POST Policy") is not permitted in this session-based course. If you know in advance that you will be unable to turn in an assignment on time, please discuss a make-up schedule with your instructor well in advance of the original due date. Students may be withdrawn from the program or switched to audit status if they do not attend to their academic work in a satisfactory manner Late Assignments from Students If your assignment is not posted on the scheduled due date, your instructor will follow this procedure. 1.
Your instructor will contact you to ask about the missing assignment and For 5 lesson/assignment courses, set a make-up date, remind you about the minimum completion requirement. Separately, the instructor's supervisor will send a warning letter that, if you miss a second lesson/assignment, you will be put on audit status. For 10 lesson/assignment courses, set a make-up date, and remind you about the minimum completion requirement. Young/Younger Readers & Language Rules: Building Blocks: Your parents will also be contacted.
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If the make-up assignment does not arrive as scheduled For 5 lesson/assignment courses, the supervisor will contact parents and students. For 10 lesson/assignment courses, the instructor will contact student and notify parents.
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If two assignments are missing, For 5 lesson/assignment courses, the supervisor will notify student and parents that the student is on audit status. For 10 lesson/assignment courses, the supervisor will send parents a notice that two assignments are missing and the student can only achieve minimal completion of the course. The instructor may help you create a make-up schedule for the missing assignments.
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For 10 lesson/assignment courses, if the student fails to adhere to the make-up schedule and/or three assignments are missing, the supervisor will notify the family that the student has been switched to audit status. Auditors are not eligible for refunds. Failure to complete a course does not ordinarily affect a student's application to CTY Summer Programs.
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Because instructors have other commitments, your course cannot be extended. Because we are obligated to pay your instructor for the time set aside to work with you, courses cannot be postponed.
Audit Status Students may switch to audit status if they are not able to keep up with the course work or if they do not intend to complete the entire course. Students with a pattern of late or missing assignments may be switched to audit status by the Program Manager. The audit option allows a student to stay in the course with missing work. The student can work at his/her own pace and turn in whatever work can be finished by end of the course. Auditors retain access to the instructor's expertise until the end of the course. The instructor will respond to the auditors' work after responding to other work submitted on time. Because audited courses are considered "incomplete," the course will not appear on the CTY Official Academic Record, the student will receive neither a certificate nor a final evaluation, and the course cannot be used as a prerequisite for other courses in the writing series. NOTES for Writing Series (Process of Writing, Writing for an Audience, Crafting the Essay, Writing Analysis & Persuasion, Crafting Fiction, Crafting Poetry) 1) Instructors are not required to accept assignments that are more than 3 lessons overdue. For example, instructors do not have to accept the final writing assignment for Lesson 3 if it arrives when Lesson 7 is due. 2) Instructors are not required to provide individual critiques for assignments submitted in bulk. If you send multiple assignments at once, your instructor will comment on the group of assignments as a whole. Confidentiality Anything you write about for this course may be mentioned in the feedback, reports, and final evaluation sent to your parents or guardians (and to your schools, upon your parents’ or guardians’ request). Therefore, you should only mention or discuss sensitive issues about yourself, your family, and others with the understanding that the instructor cannot promise confidentiality. In addition, if you mention subjects that may be harmful to yourself or another person, Johns Hopkins University requires the instructor to notify your parents or guardians and the proper authorities. Your Thoughts and Work Only We want to know what you think. Your writing should reflect your own thoughts and style. Your writing and your comments should originate from you. However, please cite quotations (including page numbers) from the books you read to support your opinions. If you use quotations from your reading, a website, or a classmate's post, please use quotation marks or paraphrase the materials in your own words and name your source. Maintaining Communication with Your Instructor CTYOnline courses work best when instructors and students stay in close contact with Download this document at http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Click on Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information
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one another. The sooner a breakdown or delay in communication is addressed, the better for all concerned. Most problems can be quickly and easily resolved with a short phone conversation between the instructor and parent or student. During a 10, 12, or 20 week course, you should check email at least every other day. During mid-summer intensive courses, you should check your email, classroom, and phone messages daily. Instructors send updates, and other useful information via email. It's important to stay connected. WHEN TO EXPECT MAJOR COMMUNICATIONS FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR Young/Younger Readers and Language Rules: Building Blocks About two days after each lesson has been completed. Mid-term reports go only to students in academic jeopardy. All Other Courses You can expect to receive the instructor critique of a final writing assignment on the due date for your next final writing assignment. For example, your critique for FWA 1 will arrive on the due date for FWA 2. If you do not receive a response from your instructor within one working day of when you expect it, notify your parents and phone your instructor. If your instructor has not responded to you within one working day, please contact the instructor’s supervisor, whose name and contact information will be sent with the instructor’s introductory letter. Email-Based Courses: How the Correspondence Process Works What follows is a general outline of the correspondence process. Academic Year: About every two weeks, you will send 1) a writing assignment 2) a letter in which you reflect on the experience of writing that assignment. Note: This is a requirement for each lesson. Early Summer: About once a week, you will send 1) a writing assignment 2) a letter in which you reflect on the experience of writing that assignment. Note: This is a requirement for each lesson. Intensive Summer: Every few days, you will send 1) a writing assignment 2) a letter in which you reflect on the experience of writing that assignment. Download this document at http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Click on Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information
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Note: This is a requirement for each lesson. Both Academic Year and Summer At about the same time, your instructor will send you a critique of the previous assignment in an email letter that: 1) comments on that assignment and 2) responds to the reflections in your letter About Your Reflections You are asked to reflect on your instructor’s response when you send your next assignment and letter. One part of the course is writing your assignments, and the other part is talking back and forth about writing your assignments. It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that correspondence between instructors and students should be appropriate in language, tone, and subject matter. Email-Based Courses: Phone or Email Your Instructor While You are Writing THE PROCESS OF WRITING AND WRITING FOR AN AUDIENCE Your instructor’s introductory letter will list at least four hours for every assignment when you must phone in with questions or comments. These hours should be times when you are out of school and likely to be near a phone. Phone your instructor during these hours, even if you don’t have any questions or problems. Phone just to say that you are doing okay. Be sure to get your parents’ approval before phoning, and remember that it usually costs money to phone long distance. If your assignments have been going well and you don't have any questions, you and your instructor may choose to do your check-in electronically. Talk with your instructor about the best time to send your email; establish a schedule just as you would if you were calling on the telephone, and stick to it. If you are having problems or have questions about an assignment, it is best to contact your instructor by telephone instead of email. You must check in with your instructor at least once during the writing of each assignment. This is your obligation. What to Say (or email) to Your Instructor This may be the first time you’ve had to speak on the phone with an adult about your academics. Your conversation will go much more smoothly if you think about what to say before you call. Before your first few calls, you may want to plan with your parents what you will say. Here are some subjects that you may want to talk to your instructor about:
What you like most about the assignment and about your instructor’s last letter. A part of the assignment that you don’t completely understand. (You might say, ―I understand the part on page 1, but I don’t understand the part on page 2.‖) A part of your instructor’s last letter that you don’t understand. (Of course,
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if you don’t understand a particular word, you should look it up.) A suggestion your instructor made that you are going to ignore and an explanation of why, or a suggestion from your instructor that really made sense and why you like it. Why you are writing about what you are writing about.
CRAFTING THE ESSAY, WRITING ANALYSIS & PERSUASION, CRAFTING FICTION, CRAFTING POETRY Your do not have a required phone check in. Your instructor's introductory email will list some times when he or she is likely to be available by phone. You may also email questions any time. Instructors generally respond in 1 or 2 days, so please don't save your questions for the night before your assignment is due. Web-Based Courses: Phone or Email Your Instructor While You are Writing Most communication will be done in your classroom with the messaging system. Your instructor's introductory email will list some times when he or she is likely to be available by phone. You may also message questions any time. Instructors generally respond in 1 or 2 days, so please don't save your questions for the night before your assignment is due. Student Code of Conduct CTY expects the highest standards of behavior both in deportment and in dedication to academic pursuits. Students are expected to
Adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity Strive to do the best work possible Respect individuals of different races, cultures, religions, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and national origins Be friendly, cooperative, and responsible to all people in the CTY community Observe all rules for student conduct
Students may be dismissed from the program, with no tuition refund, for any of the following reasons:
Cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, including failing to follow quiz or exam rules for time limits, closed book, etc. Plagiarizing, defined as the submission or presentation of work, in any form, that is not a student's own, without acknowledgment of the sources Harassing or interfering with the work of others, whether via email or any other medium Not attending to their academic work in a satisfactory manner
How Students are Evaluated After the course's end, you'll receive a detailed descriptive evaluation of performance. This evaluation focuses on academic performance, progress, and effort. The evaluation is addressed to you (the student) and written in a formal tone. Topics discussed in the evaluation are content-centered and are specific. Educators are able to recognize the high level at which the program operates and to measure student achievement by Download this document at http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Click on Welcome: CTYOnline Student Information
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their own standards. Letter grades are not given, but we can provide them if your parent or guardian submits a written request to the CTY registrar. If you complete fewer than 10 lessons, your final evaluation may recommend that you not continue in the CTYOnline but rather work in the more structured environment of a face-to-face classroom. Issues of Credit and/or Placement Most English classes are literature-based reading courses. In CTYOnline's Writing Series, Crafting the Essay, Writing Analysis & Persuasion, and Crafting Poetry are college-level courses. Schools granting credit and/or placement generally allow these courses to replace, at the least, a one-semester high school writing course. We recommend a full year. Please note that the usual requirement for a one-semester college composition course is four to six papers while the CTYOnline writing series expects about twice that. CTY cannot ensure credit or placement. Students who wish to receive credit or placement must work closely with their schools. CTY is accredited for grades 5 through 12 by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Pizza Party Pizza Party is a non-academic online discussion group where CTYOnline students can talk about books, movies, music, and philosophy— whatever. Gentle monitoring is provided to enforce reasonable rules of good taste and appropriate behavior.
To get to Pizza Party, CTYOnline login
you need your information. Go to
http://bluejay.cty.jhu.edu Once you login, you will see a link to Pizza Party. If you have forgotten your CTYOnline login information, please phone the CTY Information Office at 410-735-6277 or ctyinfo@jhu.edu
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR COURSE!
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