Frequently Asked Questions
Course Policies (revising, late work):
Assignments:
How can
I get help with assignments?
Grading:
How do I view my graded
assignments in Turnitin.com?
How can I check my average in the course?
Citing Sources:
How do I cite sources IN my essay?
How do I complete a works-cited page?
Computer Issues (emailing, attachments, page breaks, headers, so forth):
How do I change my margins to 1"?
How do I send (via email) an attachment?
How do I insert and format my header (my
last name and page # in the top right corner)?
How do I save two assignments as one
document/file?
How do I save my works-cited page with my
assignment/essay (as ONE file)?
How do I send (via email) an attachment?
Here's
a generic overview on how to send an e-mail attachment:
· First, open your e-mail program.
· Look for a button or command that says "ATTACH" or
"File to attach ___________ |BROWSE|." Click on it.
· The computer
should open up a disk drive tree menu that allows you to look for a file on
your hard drive or disk drive, much like what happens when you click on OPEN or
FOLDER in your favorite word processor.
· Locate the file you want to attach. Highlight it and click
OKAY or OPEN.
· The file
should now be attached to your e-mail.
· Click SEND.
HINT:
You may want to practice by e-mailing yourself an attachment. That way you can
check to see if you did it right by verifying that the message you receive from
yourself has the attachment (and that the attachment opens).
No
work will be graded that is more than two days late. Discussion posts
cannot be submitted late or made up. All work is due in
Turnitin.com by 11:59 pm.
Unless
specified, you cannot revise assignments.
How can I get help with assignments?
You have several options:
1) Email instructor
2) Come by my office
3) Visit the writing center
4) For help with research, email a librarian:
Click
here to email a Collin
College librarian for help
5) Online Students: use Smarthinking.com
Collin College has partnered with SMARTHINKING to provide free, online tutoring for currently enrolled students. SMARTHINKING is the leading source for online tutoring and academic support. Log on to SMARTHINKING from anywhere, at anytime and interact with the live e-structors (tutors), submit your writing to the online writing lab, or submit a question to an e-structor and receive a reply within 24 hours.
To get set-up for Smarthinking, complete the "Tutor Request Form (link)" and return it to
any of the following offices:
SCC room G200 or G121
PRC room F109
CPC room D117
You can also fax the form to: 972.881.5896. You will
receive a response by mail or e-mail in a timely manner.
· Live tutoring hours: (Hours are subject to
change)
All Math (excluding Statistics): Sun. - Thurs., 8 a.m. - 11 p.m
and Fri., 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Chemistry,
Economics, Statistics, Accounting & Writing: Sun. - Thurs., 5 p.m. - 9
p.m
· Technical
Requirements:
Processor:
Pentium 100 processor (or Mac equivalent)
Browser:
For IBM PC Compatibles users - Netscape Navigator or Communicator 4.07 or better,
or Internet Explorer 4.01 or better. For Apple Mac OS users - Internet Explorer
required.
Connection:
56K modem recommended, but 28.8 K modem acceptable.
I
want you to take your work very personally, in the sense that I want you to
invest your time and ideas. However, do not interpret your grade as a measure
of your intelligence or my opinion of you, as a person. We all have strengths
and weaknesses, so if writing is not your strength, try hard and do the best
that you can.
If
we were all "naturally" excellent writers, college English courses
would not exist. In addition, you have the opportunity to revise any of your assignments.
I give you this chance because
(1) writing is VERY HARD and very subjective;
(2) because it is hard for us to be objective and critical of
our own work (of course everything that you write will make sense to you), we
usually do not know where we stand (in terms of the quality of our work) until
we have teacher feedback;
(3) you improve by doing and revising.
That
said, I am, what most students call, a tough grader. Your work must be
excellent or "really good" to earn an A or a B. If you are not personally
engaged in the assignment, you will not do well. While I understand that
writing is often not enjoyable for most students (especially when compounded
with other classes, your job, spouse, children, etc.), I want you to customize
your learning. Choose a topic that is close to your heart. For example, if you
have to write a literature essay, choose a story that you like or one that you
can examine from an interesting perspective, perhaps psychology, if you are
interested in psychology. Likewise, you may want to choose a topic that makes
you very angry, so you can argue for or against a certain course of action, so
forth. The point is that I want you to become impassioned by your work and by
the expression of your opinions.
In
addition, I VERY RARELY assign a 100 (or the
equivalent). My reason is that no writing is perfect, and we can always
improve. Usually, there is at least one minor, minor, minor,
"mistake," confusing sentence, awkward word, etc. Therefore, if I do
not make a "negative comment" or do not tell you to change something,
and you still make a less-than-perfect grade, this is why.
How do I view my graded assignments in Turnitin.com?
Click here: http://turnitin.com/static/knowledge_base/viewing_GM_for_a_paper_newtii.html
How can I check my average in the course?
All
grades will be posted in Turnitin. Your average will also be posted there
and updated (automatically) as assignments
How do I cite sources IN my essay?
See
this web page: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_s1-0001.html
***Remember,
place periods and commas after the parentheses.
How do I save two assignments as one document/file?
You
will insert a page break.
1)
When you get the to bottom/end of your first assignment, go to
Insert/Break/Page Break.
2)
Begin typing/writing your next assignment.
How do I save my works-cited page with my assignment/essay (as ONE file)?
You
will insert a page break.
1)
When you get to the bottom/end of your essay, go to Insert/Break/Page Break.
2)
Begin typing/writing your works-cited page.
These instructions are for older versions
of Word (before 2007); if you have a newer version, use Word's help feature.
Go
to Insert/Break/Page Break.
These instructions are for older versions
of Word (before 2007); if you have a newer version, use Word's help feature.
How do I insert and format my header (my last name and page # in the top right corner)?
Create the same header for each page
· On the View menu, click Header and Footer to open the header or footer area on a page. .
· To create a header, enter text or graphics in the header area.
· Click on Align Right icon that appears on the toolbar.
· Type your last name
· Insert a space and then the page number--on the header toolbar, click on the FIRST page # icon.
These instructions are for older versions of Word (before 2007); if you have a newer version, use Word's help feature.
For further instructions, refer to this web page (scroll down) http://www.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/headers.htm and/or use the Microsoft Word help feature
How do I complete a works-cited page?
See
this web page: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_s1-0011.html
Email!!!!!!!!!!!
I usually respond to an email within an hour or two. If you do not receive a
response with 24 hours, email again.
Telephone:
972-516-5050 (please do not leave a message—send an email instead)
Office: B105 Spring Creek Campus
E-mail: kmartin@collin.edu (you may contact me through Collin College email or
Blackboard email)
How do I change my margins to 1" inch?
Go
to File, and then click on Page Setup.
Change
each margin to 1".
These instructions are for older versions
of Word (before 2007); if you have a newer version, use Word's help feature.
Click here: http://online.collin.edu/CougarWebLogin2_demo.html