• Some of you worried about how well you were doing on the portion of your grade that would mean that you earned a grade higher than a B in the course.
• Several of you used a form of the word competition to describe how you felt about the course because of the curve that is mentioned on the syllabus.
• Some have commented that you aren’t sure how you are doing in the course because of the unusual grading system.

About the Grade Curve

Your worries about the grade curve concern me for several reasons:

• If you are anxious about the course, you aren’t able to focus on doing your best work.
• This labor-based grading system is intended to make you feel free to take risks and revise as much as you like—it’s meant to make you less anxious, not moreso.
• I did some additional reading on the kind of Complete/Incomplete, no-grades system that I am using, and I found this comment on Jesse Stommel’s blog: “Grading on a Curve: In brief, it pits students against each other, discourages collaboration, and privileges the students who our educational system has already privileged.”

As a result, the statement on the Requirements page that “Grades higher than a B will be based on a bell curve” will not be used in this course. The passage is marked out on the page. The difference between a B+, A-, and A are still related to the value of your contributions and how they demonstrate your leadership and add support to the writing community; however, you will not be compared to any other student.

About Your Grade in the Course

I posted details on How Canvas Grades Work, which I intended to help you tell how you are doing in the course. That information does seem to be adequate, so I want to try something new.

I have created three completion checklists for the course:

• Midterm Completion Checklist (for all work up to Spring Break)
• March Completion Checklist (for work from March 3 to March 31)
• April Completion Checklist (for work from April 1 to April 30)

By completing these checklists (quizzes in Canvas), you will tally up how you are doing in the course. There are 100 points for each week, for a total of 1500 point overall.

These checklist quizzes are totaled automatically. You can complete them as many times as you like so you can keep a running tally on work in progress.

Because of the way the Canvas gradebook works, I cannot make the points total properly. You will have to add the scores on the three checklists yourself. Divide the number of points you accumulate by the number of points possible to get an idea of your grade in the course. Here’s an example:

• The midterm checklist is worth 700 points.
• If you did not do any extra work toward a B and you missed one labor log, you would accumulate 586 points.
• 586/700 = 83.7 (so you are close to a B in the course)

The checklists are based on the assumption that if you turn in your major projects, you will eventually earn a Complete on that work. You must earn a Complete on all five major projects to earn a B or higher in the course.

About Your Final Exam

The completion checklists are a simple way for you to keep track of the work that you have done in the course. You can use the points from the checklist as you write your Final Exam, in which you propose the grade you should receive in the course.

The final exam and its purpose in the course are NOT changing. The numbers from the checklist will give you a general idea of where you stand, but your actual grade in the course will be based on how effectively you present your argument in your final exam.

Remember that the numbers from the checklist are a guideline only. You explain how I should read those numbers when you write your final.

Questions?

If you are confused or want to respond to these changes, you can leave a comment on this post.

Photo Credit: Tombstone: What up Holmes by Warren Rohner on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license.

Comments on Daily Discussion Posts

Problem
The way that the site was set up there was no way to see all the comments that a person had made. This arrangement made it hard for someone to tell which posts that they had commented on and which they had not.

Solution
I have changed the Discussion system that the site uses so that there are a few more tools available. This video provides an overview of the new capabilities:

How to Add a Gravatar (Optional)
Gravatars are the little images that show beside a person’s name in comments on the course website. The word Gravatar itself stands for Globally Recognized Avatar, as the official explanation states. If you do not have a Gravatar set, the site displays the sideways G image. You do not have to add a Gravatar for this course, but you may if you’d like.

To upload an image for your Gravatar, you have to create a WordPress.com account (or log into one if you already have one). You need to use your vt.edu email address in order to match the comments you have made on the course website. Once you have setup your account, you can follow the instructions for Uploading Your First Profile Image.

Break Genre Analysis Report into Milestones

Add Quizzes

Add Job Application Resources

Final Comments

I am still working on changes to the grading system in response to your comments on the midterm evaluation. I will have that information posted later this week.

Additionally, if you want to say anything more about how the course works, you can add a comment to this post. I am always eager to improve the course if I can.

Photo Credits: Mile Marker by Preservation Maryland, QUIZ: Who is your favorite Doctor from Doctor Who? by methodshop.com, and Application – pen by Flazingo Photos—all three on Flickr and used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license

What’s the Activity

Ideally, everything in this course should be accessible to everyone. For instance, videos and audio recordings need transcripts, and images need alt attributes and long descriptions.

The goal of this activity is to create transcripts and descriptions that are missing for some of the resources used in the course. Your work will focus on accurately presenting the words from the original as well as applying document design principles to ensure that the transcript is easy to read and navigate.

These resources provide how-to information and tips:

• Creating a Video Transcript, from Colorado State University
• Adding Alt Text to Images in Microsoft PowerPoint, from Colorado State University
• Adobe PDF, Universally Designed, from Colorado State University
• Web Accessibility for Designers (an example of a text transcript for an infographic)

How Are They Graded

The transcript activity is completely optional. If you create a transcript, I’ll check it for accuracy to the original, standard correctness, and good document design. If necessary, you can revise a transcript until it is usable for the course. Your transcript will be graded either Complete (signified by a checkmark in Canvas Grades) or Incomplete (signified by an X in Canvas Grades), meaning you can revise.

If you are working toward a grade higher than a B in the course, you can create one transcript as part of the extra work you do to build community in the course and share ideas. This transcript activity is just one of several options available to you.

How To Participate

Creating a transcript is an independent activity. You won’t interact with anyone other than me. Here’s the process you’ll follow:

1. Choose a resource that is missing a transcript. They will usually be things that are posted in the Daily Discussion posts. You will find a note at the end of the post if a resource needs a transcript.
2. Email me with the details on the resource you want to work with. If you are the first person to claim the resource, I will send you an approval. Wait for that approval before you begin your work.
3. Use the resources above for tips on how to create your transcript.
4. Use a word processor to type and format the text from the video or image that you have chosen.
5. Submit your transcript in Canvas in the Optional Transcript Assignment once you have finished.
6. If your work is finished, I will mark it Complete in Canvas Grades and add it to the course website and credit you. If it needs to be revised, I’ll mark it Incomplete in Canvas Grades, and you can revise.

There are limited options to create transcripts, as most resources already have transcripts or long descriptions. Because of the limited number, you may complete only one transcript.

Photo credit: Disabled Parking by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine on Flickr, used under a CC-0 Public Domain license.

What Is Tracked in Canvas Grades

Canvas only tracks what you have done and what you have not done. It’s not calculating your course grade.

As explained in the Syllabus and on the Requirements page, your grade in this course is based on labor, on the work you put into the course. There are essentially three categories your work can fall into:

• If you complete the required activities, you will earn a B in the course.
• If you do not complete the required activities, you will earn less than a B in the course.
• If you complete additional work, you will earn a grade higher than a B in the course.

Most of the work you do in the course earns either a Complete or an Incomplete. In Quizzes, because of limitations in Canvas, your work earns a 100 (Complete) or a 0 (Incomplete). If you do not attempt an activity at all, your work (or lack thereof) earns a 0.

Because Canvas Grades is a computer program, it will provide you a Total calculation at the bottom of the list. Remember that calculation doesn’t matter. Canvas doesn’t have a way to calculate your grade in this labor-based system.

Completes vs. Incompletes

Canvas Grades tracks the Complete and Incomplete status of your work with icons. Here’s a screenshot of the Grades for an Example Student:

As shown under the Score column in the image, a checkmark means that the work is Complete. An X mark in the Score column means that the work is Incomplete. It doesn’t desginate that anything is wrong for most people. As long as you have submitted your work, the X mark tells you that you need to revise.

If you did not submit your work by the end of the grace period however, the X mark indicates that fact. In these cases, you cannot revise. Unlimited, punishment-free revisions are NOT intended to support those who never did the work in the first place.

How to Tell How You’re Doing

If you have submitted all the work that is required, you are on track to earn at least a B in the course. Even if you have an Incomplete on a Major Project or a Labor Log, you are still on track to earn at least a B in the course. As long as you are putting in your best effort, you don’t need to worry.

If you’d like confirmation, look at Grades in Canvas for one of these indications:

• Look at the Score column in the light gray list of activities at the top of the table. If you see 100s, checkmarks, and X marks, you are on track to at least a B in the course.
• Find the categories followed by an asterisk (*) in the medium gray list at the bottom of the table (marked on the Screenshot above). Look at the Score column for those categories, which are required for a B. If you see 100% for those categories, you are on track to at least a B in the course.
• If you do not see 100% for the required categories, look at the Out of column in the medium gray area to tell how far off you are. If you see 200/300, for instance, you’ll know that just one thing is missing (so you are still likely to be on track for at least a B in the course).

If you are working toward a grade higher than a B, pay attention to how many of the additional contributions listed on the Requirements page you have completed.

Photo credit: Grade book by David Mulder on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license.

To get started, we need to review the Principles. You can read the Principles online or watch the video below (click the CC button if you want to see the subtitles):

These Principles relate particularly to how we, as Hokies, interact with, treat, and think about other people. They are especially pertinent then when you work with your Writing Groups and when you enter into conversations in Discussions, on Facebook, and in website comments.

We can narrow the ideas down to some simple guidelines for our interaction in the courses:

• Respect everyone. Listen to what others have to say.
• Allow everyone to state their ideas freely and openly.
• Support diverse ideas and the diversity of those in the courses.
• Commit to following these guidelines in order to support our classroom community.

To sum it up, remember that everyone is welcome, and be nice and supportive to one another. That’s it. If you have any questions about the Principles and how they apply to the course, you can leave a comment below and we’ll work out an answer.

• to give you information that relates directly to projects you are already working on.
• to cover topics important to workplace writing that we are not covering in the major projects.
• to share resources that help with writing generally (such as writing strong sentences or techniques for document design).

What I Will Post

These Daily Discussion Posts are organized around a series of hashtags:

• #TuesdayTutorial
  These posts either demonstrate something or tell you how to do something. They may explain how to write a specific thing (like a memo) or how to revise something you have already written (like revising for concise phrasing).
• #WednesdayWrite
  Each post asks you to consider how you would handle a specific situation in the workplace or in the course. As an example, you might consider an ethical scenario and discuss the various options available.
• #InfographicInspiration (on Thursdays)
  Every post will present an infographic about communication and writing in the workplace. Some will provide information a particular kind of writing while others will offer general writing tips.
• #FridayFact
  These posts will share a specific fact about writing in the workplace, which you can compare to what you know about your field. Usually these facts have an accompanying article that supports the fact.
• #WeekendWatch
  Every weekend post (usually on Saturdays) will share a video that presents something relevant to what we are covering in class or something else related to writing in the workplace.

There may be other kinds of posts, of course. Sometimes there will be announcements about something important or something that needs to be clarified or changed, for instance.

How Do These Posts Work With Grades

These additional posts supplement the projects that you are working on. I encourage everyone to read through them, especially since they frequently relate directly to the projects you are working on. They’re short. I believe most of them will take 2 to 3 minutes tops. The one exception is the #WeekendWatch posts, which may have videos that take a bit longer to watch.

Responding to these posts is completely optional. You decide whether to participate and how to participate. If you are working toward a grade higher than a B in the course, you can respond to these messages as part of the extra work you do to build community in the course and share ideas. Responding to these Daily Discussion Posts is just one of several options.

How To Respond to the Posts

Responding should be relatively easy. If you can comment on YouTube videos or Facebook posts, you will do fine responding to these posts.

What should you write in response? Respond with significant, well-explained comments. This is not the place for “yeah, I agree” or “me too” kinds of comments. Instead, aim to contribute ideas, engage with others, and extend the conversation.

How do you respond? Just use the comment form at the bottom of the posts. You do not have to enter your real name. I understand that you may not want to have your name come up in a Google search. Do, however, use your vt.edu email address so that I can confirm you are a member of the course. Your email address will not appear on the site. Remember to keep track of your comments in your Labor Log.

When will your comment appear? The first time you post, I have to approve your comment before it appears on the website. After that first post, as long as you use the same name and email address, your comments will appear automatically.

Photo credit: Winn Army Community Hospital Pharmacy Stays Online During Power Outage by MC4 Army on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

What’s the Goal

In addition to providing an option for those working toward a grade higher than a B in the course, the posts that you make to the Facebook Group have several goals:

• to encourage you to research topics related to writing in the workplace.
• to give you the chance to share and discuss what you find with others in the course.
• to build community and interaction in the course.
• to allow you to contribute material that may be shared on the course website.

What about Privacy

If you are in other Facebook Groups, you probably know all of this. I’m explaining it just to be sure everyone knows and is comfortable participating.

I have set up a closed Facebook Group for the course. I approve every request to join the group to ensure only members of the class get in. Only members of the Group can read and post messages and comments in the group.

If a potential employer Googles you, the messages you post to the Group won’t show up in the search results. Posts and comments that you make will not appear in your Timeline, so your friends and family won’t see them. Members of the Group (including me) can only see information on your profile and Timeline that are public. Of course, anyone can see information that is public.

How Are They Graded

Facebook posts and comments should relate to writing in the workplace, so they can be useful for anyone in the course to read. That said, reading and participating in the Facebook Group is completely optional. Participate or lurk whenever you want to (or not at all). It’s your choice.

If you are working toward a grade higher than a B in the course, you can post and comment in the Group as part of the extra work you do to build community in the course and share ideas. The Facebook Group is just one of several options available to you. If you hate Facebook, there’s nothing to worry about. Just choose another option.

How To Participate

Joining the Group

Whether you want to lurk and read or post and comment in the Group, the first thing you have to do is request to join the Group. Go to the Group on Facebook, and make a request. Approval may take a few hours, as I must manually confirm that you are in the class before adding you to the group.

Posting to the Group

This Group should function something like a shared bulletin board for the course. As you find interesting resources about writing in the workplace, you can share them with the Group.

You can post advice articles, how-to webpages, relevant images (like infographics or memes), and other resources you find to the group. You can also ask questions or discuss class readings if you like.

In addition to sharing a link or uploading an image, say a bit about why you are passing it along, how you connect to it, and/or why you recommend it.

Commenting and Replying

You already know how to respond on Facebook, so I don’t need to tell you how that works. I do ask that you respond with good comments. Aim to contribute ideas, engage with others, and extend the conversation. You can also Like (or any of the other options) posts. Feel free to use emoji, polls, and any of the other things available to you. Keep things appropriate for the classroom, but otherwise you can be yourself.

Photo credit for the cover image: Drill Field Virginia Tech by Thilbong at English Wikipedia, used under a Public Domain license (CC0).