English Composition 2
Welcome to English Composition 2 Online!
Welcome to English Composition 2 Online at Illinois Valley Community College! Whether you have taken online courses before or are new to online learning, I hope that you find the course a rewarding experience. My name is Randy Rambo, and I am the instructor of this course. I have been a full-time English instructor at IVCC for about 15 years, and I have taught online courses for about 9 years. I have also been a student in online courses. I know from personal experience that taking an online course can be a rewarding learning experience.
There are no specific times when students must work and interact online in this course, and we do not have any class meetings on campus. These features of the course make it especially convenient for students whose busy schedules prevent them from attending classes during regular times on campus. The class meets whenever and wherever you sit down in front of a computer. The course does not require special computer skills, but students enrolling in English Composition 2 Online should enter the course with basic computer skills. These skills include the ability to use a Web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape), familiarity with using a word-processing program, and experience communicating via e-mail. This online course can be an excellent alternative to attending classes on campus.
Learning online is different from learning in the traditional classroom. The course does not include any lectures, so the course instead involves a lot of reading, including reading of comments posted in our discussion forum, and we probably will have more student-to-student interaction in this course that what occurs in many traditional on-campus courses. Students likely to succeed in the course tend to be highly responsible, self-motivated, and self-disciplined, the kind of students who take charge of their own learning and have no problem completing assignments even when the instructor is not there in person to remind them of the due dates.
The content and course work is the same for students in English Composition 2 Online as for students who take English Composition 2 on campus. The focus of the course is on writing, and students will write a few short essays and one longer research paper. Students should gain a better understanding of the principles of effective expository prose and should gain the ability to apply these principles to their own writing. Because English Composition 2 at IVCC is literature based, all of the writing assignments will be based on our readings of various works of literature.
Students in English Composition 2 Online should be able to devote a total of at least 6 to 9 hours a week to the course. The time commitment that English Composition 2 Online requires from students is about the same as, or a little more than, the time commitment required from students taking the course on campus. Please do not misinterpret the flexibility and convenience of the course as an indication that completing this online version of the course is any easier than completing an English Composition 2 course on campus. It is probably an accurate generalization to say that online courses tend to be more challenging and require more of a time commitment than do courses taught on campus.
English Composition 2 Online is not a correspondence course, an independent study course, or a self-paced course. Students contribute to the class and interact with the instructor and other students on a regular basis. There are opportunities for such interaction every week. In addition, all assignments have specified due dates, and English Composition 1 Online follows the same semester timeline as courses taught on campus.
I hope you find the course to be an engaging and enjoyable learning experience. And please remember that, even though we "meet" online, I would be happy to meet with you in person during my office hours. Just see the Contacting the Instructor page for information about how to contact me. I look forward to helping you do well in the course!
If you are a student in English Composition 2 Online, you should read the Course Outline and Policies page and the Course Schedule. It's important that you know what to expect from the course. And, of course, please feel free to send me an e-mail message (at Randy_Rambo@ivcc.edu) or to call me (at 815-224-0338) if you have any questions or comments.
Again, welcome to English Composition 2 Online at Illinois Valley Community College!