The American Dissident: Literature, Democracy & Dissidence


Davenport University (Grand Rapids, MI)—Free Speech in Peril!

At the time of the "summit" meeting, in October 2007, positive psychology had a lot to celebrate. It was gaining ground at all levels in academia, with more than two hundred colleges and graduate schools offering courses in positive psychology, sometimes dubbed "Happiness 101," in which students reflected on their happier moments and engaged in exercises like writing "gratitude letters" to people in their lives.
       —Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-Sided Bright-sided:  How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America

The editor was employed at Davenport University as an online adjunct instructor for nearly two years, then suddenly was given no further courses to teach... because of several student complaints.  The editor had failed to provide sufficient positive, ego-boosting feedback to students whose writing skills were, to say the least, horrendous.  Read about the problems confronting the University of Phoenix, another online institution.  The following two "post-mortem" lectures were sent to the administrators and students.  Send any comments to todslone@yahoo.com


Post-Mortem Lecture for ENGL 211 (Professional Writing): 
Democracy and the First Amendment at Davenport University

Many of you wrote positive comments in your evaluations regarding my teaching and I thank you for that.  A few of you wrote damning comments, which was certainly your right.  In any case, I write this “post-mortem lecture” to inform you what occurred due to the damning student complaints and lack of Free Speech and Expression at Davenport University.  In fact, much more important than taking a course in Professional Writing, DU students (and administrators) ought to be required to take a course in Democracy and the First Amendment.  In such a course you’d learn a little bit more than “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make thee mad” (Aldous Huxley).  Indeed, amongst other things, you’d learn

"The Constitution may impose limits only on the government, but the First Amendment is premised on the idea that there should be a free marketplace of ideas.  Private universities, for example, are not constrained by the Constitution, but most choose to follow it anyway, because they recognize that the exchange of ideas—no matter how wrongheaded or obnoxious—is good for education." (Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor)
“…The function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute.  It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger." (Supreme Court, Terminiello v. Chicago)

The Academic Dean, Sherry Roslund, wrote the following “professional” email:

"DUO wants to thank you for teaching for us; however, this message is to inform you that we will be unable to assign courses to you in the future as our needs have changed.  We want to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors." 

Unfortunately, “professional” seems to have come to mean anything but the truth, as long as polite and civil.  How sad for America.  Why not simply write that due to student complaints and one of your lectures (“Writing Well”), we do not want you teaching with us any more despite your loyal one and a half years with us.  And what kind of inanity is “We want to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors”?  Sounds a bit like Enron “professionals” probably wrote to the thousands of employees that got shafted by their corruption.  It is a hypocritical statement, if one considers that the Academic Dean will not write me a letter of recommendation.   “Professional” is more than suit and tie and vacuous civility.  More than anything else, it is truth.  The SS Nazi gang was very “professional,” but hardly truthful.  In fact, the Angel of Death Mengele was known to be quite civil.  The Enron-gang wore suits and ties and were vacuously civil, but they failed when it came to truth also. 
 
For some students, as well as the Academic Coordinator and Academic Dean, that “Writing Well” lecture was entirely incomprehensible, akin to the Communist Manifesto for Senator Joseph McCarthy. For them, the discourse on criticism and Emersonian “rude truth” must have been like Nuclear Physics or the Republican discourse for Democrats… or vice versa.  Equally incomprehensible must have been my statement on not including positive comments on my teaching in that lecture because that would be self-serving.
It is astonishing to me that “Writing Well” lecture could actually anger students and DU administrators.  Astonishing, that is, if one omits to consider higher education today, where praise has become its purpose, as opposed to truth seeking, as it once was supposed to be.  It is sad that some students and even administrators lack the ability to read a text without drawing unfounded conclusions.  That “Writing Well” lecture never stipulated that I only speak “ugly truth” (yet how can truth be ugly?).  I have always praised students in my classes.  It has never been my policy to be nasty to students, but rather frank.  The following is what the Academic Coordinator Sabina Mulvaney wrote:

"I have gotten numerous student concerns about your ENGL211 course this session.  Most of them have the same comments as to your style of instructing:  'rude', 'condescending', 'arrogant', 'inappropriate' etc.  While we both know that some students write abysmally, we are in the business of instructing budding writers and not just critiquing.  I did read your 'Writing Well' lecture (although that was not brought to my attention, surprisingly enough) and I would agree that false praise to raise one's esteem is not called for and not effective in producing good writers.  Neither, though, is the 'ugly truth' in many cases. There are many ways to point out mistakes and redirect writing, and frankly your style is turning off a number of students to the writing process as a whole and Davenport in particular. I am not sure what to do to reconcile our two 'styles' at this point of the session, but I would hope that you would put yourself in the role of the learner and contemplate what you would want to be brought to your attention in a public forum and what tone you would like that constructive criticism to take." 

As I’m certain you know by now, I am an avid defender of American democracy above all else, including my pocketbook and American higher education.  Sadly and most oddly, both democracy and higher education seem to be increasingly in conflict today (e.g., censoring or firing instructors who present undesirable viewpoints).  Numerous instances of that conflict have been recorded (see for example www.thefire.org).  In fact, many institutions of higher education like DU establish and encourage an Enron-like culture of rampant self-censorship, back slapping, and weeding out of anyone apt to question and challenge, or otherwise make waves.  In reality, these are not universities that provide open forums for the free flow of ideas at all.  They are training schools.  To call them universities is intellectually fraudulent.  DU, if honest, should call itself Davenport Professional Training School.  The following was my response a month ago to the Academic Coordinator’s email.

"Well, I’ve waited a few days before responding to your email in order to contemplate the serious issue you’ve evoked.  As I’m sure you’d agree, this is a delicate matter for you and me to discuss.  My viewpoint on the issue is probably irrelevant given my status as adjunct instructor and even moreso given the very state of higher education today, where students have become clients and thus a measure of profitability.  But I shall express them anyhow. 

Needless to say, I am appalled at the level of English composition of a number of my DU students and have asked myself how they managed to enroll in a university and more importantly how this is going to affect democracy in America… down the road.  (Of course, other DU students write quite well and receive compliments from me for it.)  I do receive assignments—not most, but a handful—that have essentially no merit and that entirely ignore the suggestions provided on previous assignments.  I have found it difficult, where I suppose most other instructors have not, to include positive and encouraging remarks regarding those assignments and students.  In fact, the only way to do so would be to suppress the truth and express myself dishonestly. 

It would perhaps be interesting for you to ask students who have complained to provide the remarks I’ve made on their papers that provoked the complaints.  Just the same, given the state of higher education and our country as a whole today, I fully comprehend that a “good” instructor is one who satisfies his or her student clients (all of them, more or les)… and evidently that has not been my case.  Clearly, dissatisfied students might be tempted to bring their business elsewhere and that, sadly, has become the bottom line in higher education today and will inevitably continue to help erode democracy in America. 

By the way, I was not aware that so many of my students were dissatisfied [this semester].  Sadly, it seems that adult students are somehow being encouraged to be fearful, rather than courageous, and bring their concerns directly to an instructor’s superior prior to giving the instructor a full opportunity to resolve them.  How is this type of encouraged behavior going to be positive in the business world for these business students?    

Here is an interesting comment from student Towanda McCallum:  “Hi Tod, I am sorry.  I thought I read the agenda thoroughly.  Thank you for sharing with me the explanation for the results of my assignment. Other online instructors post grades with no explanation.” 

If you prefer, I’d gladly do as those “other online instructors.”  It would certainly be less time consuming and, evidently, no comments probably lead to fewer complaints.  On the Discussion Board, I often express what I really think and encourage students to do the same.  Perhaps I should not do this because some students do not like my opinions and complain about them.  Yet wouldn’t that run entirely contrary to a university’s obligation to permit, if not encourage, freedom of expression? 

Here is an interesting comment regarding the Writing Well lecture from student Jarod Reif, one that DU administrators perhaps might wish to contemplate:  “I enjoyed the lecture, I thought it really spelled out what was expected of the students in this class.  I have felt during my time at Davenport that a lot of students were getting away with a lot.  In all of my classes online, students were allowed to get away with atrocious spelling and grammar mistakes in assignments and on the discussion boards.  The same goes for on campus classes, but that's a slightly different ball of wax.  I am glad to finally see an instructor who doesn't sugar coat things and forces the students to watch spelling and grammar.  I cannot fault an instructor for being rude, if they are correcting me and trying to make my work better.  The only thing I saw wrong with the lecture is, I think someone else said it as well, it is a little on the long side.  It was nice to see other students comments though.”

Does DU not run the risk of gaining a reputation of being an “easy,” as opposed to rigorous and demanding, institution?  Such a reputation would doubtfully be positive in the eyes of would-be employers who want to hire graduates who can write a sentence without committing numerous errors and who are able to take hard critique without getting overly upset. 

Student S. Rainey wrote regarding the Writing Well lecture, which by the way I did spend a lot of time composing for DU:  “I have even passed along some of your 'tips' to my fellow students in my other class in which we are writing a group project and I am the proof-reader—isn't that ironic?” 

Student Alissa Bolema stated regarding the lecture:  “Your views on honesty are refreshing.  Although the truth is often referred to as brutal, it is only brutal if the recipient is not ready to admit a mistake or fault.  I will try to remember this the next time I feel guilty about being honest.” 

These things said, I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching for DU and would certainly be willing to follow directives with regards my exchanges with DU students, though I suspect my honesty in this email and with students will prove fatal to my future employment with you.  If you like, I’d certainly be willing to eliminate the Writing Well lecture or just the discourse on Emerson’s “rude truth,” since most people cannot seem to comprehend it.  I could also make it a point to place a sentence of praise in each and every assignment, merited or not, if you would like me to do so.    

Below I include the student evaluation comments made by 13 of you, something you probably never get to see.  They are anonymous.  I do not know who made which comments and do not care.  However, it is sad that a student writing “G. Tod is a horrible teacher and a horrible human being” was not held to provide precise instances to back such a damning assertion.  Does that student even know what the definition of “horrible” is?  I cannot fathom what I might have possibly written to that student for him or her to make such a nefarious declaration.  It is mind-boggling.  Clearly, DU must have an open-enrollment policy, admitting essentially anybody… with the appropriate cash.  The harshest thing I wrote on papers (unless a student had been exceptionally rude to me—and that does not interest administrators) was “Please read the agendas carefully and please do not continue ignoring my Writing Well lecture.  You’ve made numerous errors examined in it.”  True, I also wrote on one or several papers that the work ought to have been outright rejected because of the 20-30 spelling errors.  Well, if I were “smarter” like other DU instructors, I would have simply given the students in question a B-grade and without comment. 

In general, the evaluations were not that bad at all, but the student who wrote “FIRE him and hire no other instructors like him” evidently got his or her wish. Too bad I’ll never know what I wrote to get that student so hateful.  Well, today I am “fired” and without health insurance, though DU does not offer health insurance to its many instructors because it simply does not care about those instructors.  In fact, it willingly partakes in the cheap-labor scheme of hiring adjuncts to avoid having to bother with health insurance.  Yes, you ought to have examined that in your group projects on the health-insurance crisis.  In any case, how does one possibly please everyone?  Yet apparently there are instructors who manage to do this at DU.  Well, that is certainly not my goal, nor will it ever be.  That is the goal of our politicians and sadly, it seems, our academicians too.  My goal is to express myself and the truth as I see it, as well as encourage free and open debate.  Those students who were unhappy chose not to debate with me, but rather to complain to my superior like children.  Because I tend to speak openly does not necessarily mean I am not civil.  On the contrary, I am polite.  George Orwell also spoke openly and he too was known to be polite. 

By the way, I am founding editor of The American Dissident, a literary journal of critical thinking.  Last year, one DU student complained about the journal’s website (www.theamericandissident.org).  DU administrators therefore requested I remove mention of it from my DU biography, which I did.  What a great DU lesson in what democracy and the First Amendment are not!   In any case, good luck in the future.  Despite what this letter might seem to argue, I really do enjoy teaching and did enjoy your class.  Please reserve a little place in your minds, hearts, and “professional” behavior for democracy, the free expression of all ideas, debate, and intellectual criticism.  If we do not stand up for these things today, the whole of America will one day consist of nothing but  democracy-indifferent institutions like Davenport University.  Indeed, we will become a fascist nation proudly boasting how great our democracy is… in an Orwellian-twist.  If you would like further discussion on the issues underscored here, feel free to email me and consult my DU-banned website (www.theamericandissident.org). 

Thank you for your attention. 
Sincerely, Ex-Instructor G. Tod Slone, PhD

1. How would you improve this class?

A new instructor. I'm sure this class would be great it it were taught by a professional instructor. G. Tod was ALWAYS rude, unprofessional, inpatient and condecending. I learned absolutey nothing in this class except to dislike something I used to enjoy. He clearly was reprimanded during the last few weeks of class and this made him even more mad. He was more rude, and condecending, totally inappropriate. G. Tod is a horrible teacher and a horrible human being.
The instructors so called constructive critisim was at times unprofessional. Though he preached professionalism the second he was informed of complaints from students he began changing assigned disscussion questions to reflect his apparent anger and resentment at the complaints. This is very childish for a professor who seems to have the abilty to "dish out" the critisim, yet can not apparently take it. I expected more from a Davenport instructor. Very disappointing.
The only thing I would like to see improved, but probably won't happen is students to take criticism as helpful and not taken personal. Its not the class that needs to be changed it would be the students taking it.
There isn't much I would do to improve. THe instructor was great, I really enjoyed it. I would make the Portfolio Artifact a personal assignment instead of a group project. I hate working with people who have NO IDEA on how to write papers.
I thought the class was well formulated in regards to business writing. I had a mixture of research and personal type documents.
I would improve this course by not writing such a long lecture about how rude previous students felt the instructor could be. I think this only sets up the current student to expect this from the instructor instead of forming their own opinions. I would only inform the students I was going to be honest about their writing.
2. How was this class directly related to your career?
I have gain the knowledge to better prepare a memo, resume, coverletter, and a follow up letter. This will help me not only gain a career but also know what to detect when resumes are submitted to me.
Not at all, I learned nothing
It was supposed to teach me how to communicate in a business enviroment.
This class helped to prepare me for things such as resume writting and professional memos. The content was very helpful.
This class, I would consider, to be directly related to every career. Writing is something that is done in every job and everyone should have this as a requirement for any career path.
It improved my skills in looking at my writing.
Professional writing relates to everything.
This course helped improve my writing skills and learn to better communicate using facts
As a accountant it is important to be able write in a professional manner, therefore this class has directed in the right direction.
This course did teach me how to be a more professional writer. I originally thought the course would be geared toward writing for business, but I learned from the class all the same.
This class will help to improve my written communication skills for memos, letters, and reports.
3. Was this class consistent with the quality that you expect from Davenport University? Please explain:
I was surprised by T. Slone was an outstanding instructor. I will always remember him because he has allowed us as student to explore the world of writing, my favorite subject
By no means. All of my experiences at Davenport were positive before this point. G. Tod has certainly tainted my impression of this institution. I think it would be wise to have more people monitoring the online classes so that the university is more aware of how teachers treat students. I know several people dropped this class right near the end, presumably because of the instructor, I'm sure other sessions have felt the same way. FIRE him and hire no other instructors like him. Being rude and condecending is by no means contructive criticism.
Not at all. The instructor was very unprofessional and very rude and arrogant. His instructions were very unclear and in one instance he waited until two days before a portion of the group assingment was due to tell the class who was in our group and we then had to rush to get the assingment done. I would not recommend Mr. Slone as a instructor to anyone. His attiude towards his students is very rude and unprofessional. His teacing skills leave something to be desired.
The content of this class was consistent with my expectations, the instructor was NOT!!
This class was above and beyond my expectations. The criticism I recieved was very straight forward and understood. I feel this instructor was not like any other. I am not saying that other instructors were not good, just that this instructor has been my favorite.
I have come to not expect much at Davenport. Every class I have been in has changed direction to teach to the least common denominator. I never walk away learning much.
Very good learning experiance!
Yes, expectations were high and I appreciate that I have to present hard work and dedication in order to succeed.
It was beyond my expectations. G. Tod Slone has been the best instructor I've had at DU so far. He's received a lot of grief this term and I don't feel it is warranted. His approach is direct and honest, by no means rude. DU could stand to have a few more of him around to weed out the slackers, which there seem to be plenty of.
Yes it was. The instructor expected a high quality of work from his students as he should. I felt the course was challenging and represented Davenport well.

Post-Mortem Lecture #2 for ENGL 211 (Professional Writing): 
Democracy and the First Amendment at Davenport University

“[…] the vitality of your college or university depends in great part on the freedom of your teachers to speak freely, including to speak freely with you [the student].
            —French, Lukianoff and Silverglate, constitutional lawyers and authors of FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus
Half of my former class will not receive this second lecture because the reaction of the Academic Dean, Sherry Roslund, to the first lecture was not to engage in healthy debate but rather to immediately curtail my access to DU.  Your email addresses I have because when you wrote I saved them. 
What really angers me, as an American citizen, is that the Dean, and other university administrators like her, are teaching students to remain ignorant of the very importance of free speech at a university, public or private.  They are also teaching professors to be self-censors. 
“In a free society, speech is permitted to demean, upset, and offend (indeed, much honest criticism and polemic aims to do precisely that), and such speech is protected under the First Amendment,” note  French, Lukianoff and Silverglate.  
The Academic Coordinator, Sabrina Mulvaney, ought to heed those words.  She, along with a couple of students, found my Writing Well lecture to be somewhat reprehensible (“ugly truth”).  The best thing she could do for those complaining students would be to have them read this very lecture, as well as FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus.  The best thing she could do for herself would be to contemplate the following:  “Sheltering students from speech is patronizing and paternalistic” (French, Lukianoff and Silverglate).  Here is what a full professor at a state college in Massachusetts wrote the other day regarding the first letter I sent and the Writing Well lecture:   
“Took time to read your letter which was excellent.  I have already told you how outstanding the writing well lecture is.  In fact, if you could download and print out, I would be eternally grateful for a copy.  It is the highest professional ethics for writing as well as creative thought.  You are to be praised rather than chastised.  Also, it represented a hell of a lot of work on your part.  What is wrong with these people who need always to be praised for shit?  That is right.  Praised for shit?  That is what it is coming to.
‘Forget the learning process….don’t even bother to mark my papers….just tell me what my grade is/was.’   There, I’ve hit it on the head.  Give me the grade.”
The following is another quote from French, Lukianoff and Silverglate.  Evidently, all administrators at Davenport University ought to examine it carefully.  Will they?  Of course not. 
“Is the administration simply interested in ‘quiet on its watch’ rather than real education and honest human interaction?  Remind administrators that pain and offense—the inevitable by-product of having ones fundamental beliefs challenged—is a vital part of the educational process, and that if students graduate without ever having to evaluate their positions on fundamental principles, then the university has failed them.  Finally, for those who are not interested in principled arguments, remind them that history shows us that the censors of one generation are the censored of the next. […] You are part of the community; do not let the administration that it must censor speech to please the community.  The idea that there is a conflict between free speech and the academic community fundamentally misunderstands both the goals of higher education and the nature and role of free speech.”
Finally, one must wonder why administrators like Roslund, Mulvaney, and Faculty Development Coordinator Linda Crosby (because of one student complaint, the latter requested I remove mention of The American Dissident in my DU biography, as if it where a shameful publication) are so fearful of ideas and open discussion. Why do they seem to detest democracy and the First Amendment?  Why do they encourage students who detest the latter to have a “chilling effect” (i.e., stifling) on a professor’s right to express himself?  Do they really believe that my voice is so powerful as to threaten them?  Do they believe that by killing my voice, they somehow protect students or is it rather themselves and the general façade of DU?  How did their education fail them?  What went wrong?  Do they not even realize the damage they do to democracy and this country?  Yes, they will teach you how to become “professional” appearing, sounding, and thinking, but they will certainly not teach you how to become responsible citizens. 
When adults like DU administrators become obsessed with censoring anyone and anything that might be OFFENSIVE to someone, deeming him or it as UNPROFESSIONAL, they inevitably OFFEND the very Constitution of the United States of America.  Since there has been no response to the previous lecture with the exception of the Academic Dean’s indirect response, this will be my last lecture.  After all, what point is there in talking to a vast brick wall?
Thank you for your attention.
 
Davenport University (Grand Rapids, MI)—Free Speech in Peril
But in the world of positive thinking other people are not there to be nurtured or to provide unwelcome reality checks. They are there only to nourish, praise, and affirm.
          —Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-Sided Bright-sided:  How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America

The following lecture was revised over and again in a futile effort NOT TO OFFEND student clients.  In higher education, NOT TO OFFEND has sadly supplanted "truth telling."  At the time, I liked my job as online-adjunct instructor, so was willing to bend... but only to a certain point.  After all, how can one provide positive feedback to a student making 28-spelling errors on a one-page assignment?  Yet instructors exist who would give such a student positive feedback—the nation’s universities are filled to the gills with them.  Davenport University is filled to the gills with them.  Despite my efforts, I still could not please each and every student client.  After all, I was not a businessman, nor was I an academic educationist.  I was a truth-telling poet-citizen.  Despite my efforts to teddy-bear'ify the lecture, a few students (i.e., adults) still felt "intimidated" by it, complained to the dean about it, and after completing the semester was given no further courses to teach.  Student comments and a discussion forum follow the lecture. 


Dr. Slone's Writing-Well Lecture
Consult this lecture prior to submitting each and every assignment!  Study it over and again, unless of course you are a proficient writer!  Do not be intimidated… open a grammar book and dictionary instead!  If you are having difficulties with the Blackboard-platform environment, try the tutorial sites on OASIS http://duo.davenport.edu/oasis/presidium/student_tutorial_bb6.htm.  If dictionaries weigh too much for you, try www.websters.com.  It is very easy to use and free! 

As your instructor, you might find me somewhat unique because I do tend to follow America’s greatest 19th century critic Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice to “go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.”  Do not misconstrue “rude” as brash or nasty.  What it means in the context is “straight” as in the straight truth.  In a sense, "rude truth" is the only truth.  Any other kind is a watered-down version, thus not the whole truth and often not the truth at all. 
Unfortunately, the trend in education today is anything but the “rude truth.”  George Orwell wrote: “At any given moment there is a sort of all-pervading orthodoxy, a general tacit agreement not to discuss large and uncomfortable facts.”  Indeed, discuss one of those “uncomfortable facts” and be deemed “rude.”  Since many students thirst for self-esteem building commentary, the instructor does make a conscious effort to present positive feedback on each paper.  Just the same, how does one say something positive on a paper that contains more than 25-spelling errors on one page?  

Student behavior in class…

Students are encouraged to challenge each other’s (and the instructor’s) ideas, as long as it is done in a respectful manner (i.e. challenging IDEAS, not PERSONALITIES).  Because of the lack of non-verbal feedback with regards online courses, the written word can be easily misconstrued. If you think you’ve been insulted or treated disrespectfully by a classmate (or the instructor), do not respond in anger or run to the dean with tears.  First, give the person the benefit of the doubt and ask what he or she meant by the comment in a private email.

Please observe the netiquette rules as found on OASIS: http://davenport.edu/du/oasis/policiesandprocedures/netiquette.htm

On the whole, students have praised this Writing Well lecture.  Many comments have been received including the following:  “This is an excellent tool.  Striving to improve writing skills is something that even the most popular writer has to do.  The writing-well document should be required as soon as a student enters college.”  Many students from past courses failed to study this lecture thoroughly.  Many simply made errors examined here on each and every assignment turned in.  Many also did not follow the instructions clearly indicated in the agendas.  Others failed to comprehend that communicating with instructors (i.e., sending them emails when questions and concerns arise), especially for online courses, is of utmost importance.   

“I was not sure of the instructions outlined in the agenda therefore my paper did not meet the criteria set out by the instructor.”

If you make errors examined in this lecture on your assignments, you will likely not receive an A.  The instructor’s assumption will be that you either did not read the lecture or read it much too rapidly.  Use the 24 points examined below on page five as a check sheet when done with each assignment. 
 
Make an attempt not to be so easily offended when the instructor corrects you.  Constant praise only superficially bolsters fragile self-esteem and ends up encouraging poor writing.  Take your time to absorb what is written here.  Study it several times per week, every week, and especially prior to handing in assignments.  If you do that, you should do well in class.  No assumption is being made here that you personally are a poor writer.  If, after reading the lecture, you decide nothing new in it has been revealed for you to learn, then evidently you need not reread it.  This lecture is flexible and edited periodically. 

Twenty-Four Points to Help You Write Well
If you have more than four spelling errors on one page of any given assignment, your paper will be returned ungraded.  You will then have to rewrite the assignment and provide a written explanation why you had more than four spelling errors.  The assignments for this course should be objective. Your feelings and personal problems should not be included in any of them.  Logical argumentation and objective truths will be considered pertinent, not feelings.  Read what a student had to say about her first week—note my comments in brackets.  Learn from it.

The first week in this course covered writing resumes, cover letters, and follow-up letters. The problem that I faced with this assignment was trying to avoid “I” statements.  It was difficult for me to complete the assignment if I wasn’t able to use “I” very many times.  My other instructors had always taught me to use “I” statements frequently to express my feelings.  [Your “feelings” ought to be irrelevant to the course!  Write objectively!  Focus on your current instructor, not on your past instructors!]  The Writing Well lecture helped to keep me focused on how to avoid “I” statements. 

Now, to help you write better, the following list was compiled mostly from errors made over and over by Davenport students… unfortunately, straight through week seven of the course!  Prior to writing each assignment, carefully study the following 24 points.  If you do not, the instructor will simply refer you back to this lecture… over and over… AND you will perhaps end up deeming him RUDE.  Your grades will also be adversely affected.  Writing poorly constitutes a professional obstacle!  Writing a grammatically sloppy cover letter, for example, will probably force a potential employer to eliminate you as a viable candidate.  You can write well, if you practice, proofread, and study frequently.   You can write well!
Grades.  If you receive less than an 80% on an assignment, it usually indicates you did not study this lecture sufficiently and/or wrote about the wrong topic.  The only way to resolve serious writing problems is to spend a lot of time trying to improve.  It can be done but only if you make a determined and prolonged effort.  If you make any of the following errors on your assignments, you will force your instructor to conclude that you are not trying to improve.  Never hesitate to ask the instructor a question.  Do not feel intimidated.  After all, your instructor lives in Massachusetts, cannot possibly benefit from your receiving a bad grade, has a much easier time grading well-written papers than terribly written ones, and only has two little canine teeth in his mouth.  Good luck! 

1.  Take your time.  Do not rush through the assignment.  Your instructor will be able to determine immediately if you do rush through it.  A botch job sticks out like a blood-red eyeball in a socket!  Don’t think you’re going to fool the instructor, at least not this one! 

2.  Read the textbook selections, lectures, and especially the Agenda before embarking on the assignment.  The latter will take precedence over everything!  Study this Lecture before submitting each and every assignment.  Do not make the same mistakes examined here over and over on your papers, as some previous students have done!  Consult your grammar handbook.  If you are not sure when to use a comma, look up the word “comma” in the index.  If you do these things, the instructor shall surely give you heaps of praise. 

3.  Papers should be entirely objective (except for the resume, cover letter, follow-up letter, memo, and progress report for ENG 211)! Therefore, do not use I or my or we or us or our in them.  

4.  Do not begin a paragraph with “I.” 

5.  Minimize the use of “I.”  Using “I” too frequently is by far the most common student error in style.  It indicates a certain level of immaturity.  The first sentence below actually uses “I” five times!
Do not write:  “I would like to tell you that I feel that I am the right person for the job because I feel that I have the skills to get the job done. 
Write:  My skills ought to be more than sufficient to get the job done.  (There, we’ve gotten rid of all five “I”s!) 
Do not write:  “I am responsible for researching and investigating two sources.” 
Write:  “Researching and investigating two sources are my responsibilities.” 
Do not write:  “I am applying for the position of manager, which was advertised in the Boston Globe.” 
Write:  The position of manager advertised in the Boston Globe (italicize because it is a newspaper) attracted my attention because...
Do not write:  “It was simply the kind of comment I receive when I criticize.” 
Write:  “It was simply the kind of comment received when I criticize.  (At least we’ve eliminated one “I”!)
Do not write:  “Did you not examine the examples I provided on the writing well lecture for eliminating “I”?
Write:  “Did you not examine the examples provided on the…”
Do not write:  “But how can I do that when I specifically state:  do not use "I" to begin a paragraph and most do it anyhow?” 
Write:  “But how to do that when it is specifically stated:  do not…”
Do not write:  “The most valuable lesson I remember [remembered] from the instructor lecture is not to start a sentence with I.”
Write:  “The most valuable lesson remembered from…”

6.  Do not use expressions such as “I feel that,” “I believe that,” “I am confident that,” or “I think that.”  Simply eliminate those expressions.  Clearly, you feel or think or believe because you are the one who is doing the writing. 
Do not write: “I believe [or I feel or I think or I am confident] that poverty is a problem.”  
Write:  “Poverty is a problem.”  [If you haven’t proved it, then all the feeling and believing and confidence aren’t going to mean anything at all.]
7.  Do not use overly-patriotic or religious (and thus non-objective) statements. 
Do not write:  “Thank God that here in America we have health care even in the poor parts of inner cities.”  Write:  “Fortunately, in modern-industrialized nations such as America, health care is available…”  Note when overly patriotic, we often do not (cannot) perceive the facts clearly.  For example, health care can be prohibitively expensive for the 45 million Americans not covered by insurance.  Those Americans doubtfully thank God for that. 

8.  Back all statements with concrete examples and references.  Be precise!
Do not write:  “Many companies engage in outsourcing.” 
Name a few of those companies and indicate where you received the information with a properly formatted in-text reference (Johnson 29). 
Write:  “Many companies, including Microsoft and Oracle, engage in outsourcing.” 
Do not Write:  “Employee abuse of company equipment is a problem for corporations.”  Name a few examples of both “abuse” and corporations.

Do not simply state, for example, “I am very excited about your job offer for the position of Safety Manager.” 
You must indicate a few reasons why you are thusly excited and omit “very.”
Do not simply state, for example, “I would be able to benefit the company.” 
You need also to state a few reasons how and why. 

9.  When finished with an assignment proofread!  Make sure to
            A. use the spell and grammar check function!  Committing two or more spelling errors   per page is simply sloppy and must be avoided! 
            B. print it out and read it out loud to yourself
            C. have another person read it; and
            D. put it away for a day or two, then reread it.
What do you imagine your instructor thinks when he reads something like the following? 
“I would also like to like to work as a a bunker.”  (Corrected:  “I would also like to work as a banker.”)  Read the document aloud to yourself… or, better yet, to another person.  (Prior to writing your assignment, you might wish to speak first in a recorder, then replay and write down what you have said.  This technique can help.).

10Use synonyms and/or pronouns.  The following sentence uses the same word three times.  This is unacceptable.  “Organizations with more than 75 employees are the organizations that (delete!) are easy to drift away from professional codes of ethics because of the organization (replace with “their”) size. 

11.  Keep your sentences short and precise.  Make sure each sentence links to the previous sentence.   Avoid using lengthy expressions, when shorter ones are current. 
Do not write:  “You and I may have the same problem with the subject, it frightens me to take this last English class.”
Write:  “You and I may have the same problem with the subject.  It frightens me to take this last English class.”

12.  Look up the word “antecedent” in your grammar book.  Learn to use the correct antecedents.
Do not write:  “Everyone will assign themselves one or two items.
Write:  “Everyone will assign his or herself one or two items. 
Do not write:  “Each person will have the chance to show their capabilities in leadership.”
Write:  “Each person will have the chance to show his or her capabilities in leadership.”
Do not write:  “The company made the decisions.  Their decisions were good ones.”
Write:  “The company made the decisions.  Its decisions were good ones.”
13.  Avoid there is or there are.  Try writing a paper without using either of these expressions. 
Do not write:  “There are many solutions.” 
Write:  “Many solutions exist (are available).” 
Do not write:  “There are a lot of positive ideas that come to mind when there are new global energies.”
Write:  “A lot of positive ideas come to mind when new global energies can be created.”
Do not write:  There is a psychology of human hype that seems to push must see/must have more than that of non-human hype.
Write:  A psychology of human hype seems to push must see/must have more than non-human hype.
14.  Learn the difference between “their,” “its,” and “it’s”! Also learn the difference between “companies” and “company’s,” “affect” and “effect,” and “than” and “then.”  Each semester a number of students make errors here.  Don’t be one of them! 
15.  Do not mix past, present, and future tenses! 
Do not write
:  Recruited applicants in positions, interviewing them, handled inquiries, greet customers and filing.
Write:  Recruited applicants in positions, interviewed them, handled inquiries, greeted customers and filed papers.     
16Spell out all numbers under 10!  Thus, do not write “3,” but rather “three.” Write out all numbers when they begin a sentence.  
Do not write:   “111 million of those are subject to working in situations that are hazardous and harmful.”   Write:  “One- hundred-eleven million…” if(top.MLRead) top.MLRead._messageLoaded();
17.  Avoid making blanket all-encompassing statements as in
—This is how women came to be thought of as insignificant.  (What about Condoleeza Rice, Oprah Winfrey and certainly many other women?  You could diminish the statement by adding “in general”) 
—Minorities cannot break through the glass ceiling.  (What about Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice?)
18.  Do not make statements that are simply not true as in
—Crimes across the world will never be unpunished; all grave crimes as well as the horrific war crimes will be punished internationally under the International Criminal Court.
—Women and minorities have been unable to penetrate the glass ceiling for hundreds of years.
19.  Avoid using clichés and platitudes (writing the obvious) as in
Society is evolving.
War kills people.
Money matters to working women. 
People like to eat.
This cycle continuously goes around and around and does not stop. 
But one thing that does not differ is that all people get hungry. 
20.  Avoid using “you.”  Replace it with “one.” 
Do not write:  “However, no matter what country you live in…”
Write:  “However, no matter what country one lives in…”
21.  Increase your vocabulary!  Do not fear unknown words, simply learn them. 

22.  That.  If you can write the sentence without “that,” do so.  “That” is much too much overused.
23.  Avoid using superlatives.  
Do not write:  “The advertisement attracted my attention because the position fits my qualifications perfectly.”
Write:  “The advertisement attracted my attention because the position fits my qualifications quite nicely.”

Do not write:  I have an extreme desire to work for your team.  [Extreme is extreme.  Avoid the word!]
Write:  I would like very much to work for your team. 

Do not write:  It was an absolute pleasure to meet with an individual such as yourself.
Write:  It was a pleasure to meet with you. 

24. Names of books and magazines should appear in italics, while those of articles and essays in quotes. 
For example, in the New York Times, it was stated that…
In an interesting essay, “Health Care in Today’s America,” it was noted that…


Student comments (and instructor’s responses) regarding this lecture
N.B.:  Reading the following comments is entirely optional.  If in fact you begin to read them and find them boring or rude or offensive, then just stop reading them.  This caveat was posted as a direct result of the complaints of several students. 

Any errors of spelling and/or grammar in the following comments have not been corrected since the Discussion Board is supposed to be of a “free” nature. 

The large majority of students apparently enjoy reading student comments, so the comments shall remain.   They also form a cogent argument for the Discussion Board, which is a place for debate and free and open debate is the cornerstone of democracy. 

A few students felt the comments should not be posted because they thought them irrelevant to Professional Writing.  The instructor evidently disagrees.  It is important that students of differing opinions learn to debate, rather than to sign off… for a variety of lame excuses.  In any case, students are not required to read this section of the lecture.  It is optional. 

From last semester’s evaluations, a student wrote:  “Shorten the lecture and shorten the section that includes student feedback. More compassion toward helping students get there vs. telling them to refer to the lecture with an explanation point! Ruduce [sic] the usage of explanation points when critiqueing [sic] papers.”
Unfortunately, I was unable to convince that student during the seven-week course to use spell check!  [Oops!  There I go again using the old exclamation points!  Now, rather than getting uptight over something as insignificant as exclamation points, why not learn how to use spell check?  Exclamation points are used for a purpose!  They emphasize, for example, that a student failed to follow the assignment directions and/or one or more points examined below!!!]  SIC, by the way, is Latin, means “thus,” and is used to indicate that the error was in fact made by the person being quoted. 
If you are offended by “student feedback” or find this lecture replete with too much of it, then simply skip it altogether and go directly to page five to study points 1-24.  If the instructor’s advice and rules, now and then, conflict with the textbook and/or previous instructors, follow the former not the latter. Feel free, however, to question and challenge the instructor, and otherwise point out any pesky discrepancies.  He’ll most likely thank you and make the necessary changes.  The textbook is not an absolute authority.  Your instructor is not an absolute authority either; however, he has the final say with regards grades and papers, not the textbook.  If previous instructors praised your writing, but the current instructor does not equally praise it, do not simply discard the latter’s opinion.  He will back his less than laudatory opinion with reasons for it.  If he does not, then email him and ask why not. 

Just the same, a few students each semester manifest their displeasure regarding the lecture and refuse to accept that my job as writing instructor is to criticize the assignments received, that is, to point out where errors are made, which in itself constitutes constructive criticism.  How else might a student improve? 
“Prof was rude and critized [sic] the work of the students. Prof should work on CONSTRUCTIVE critizism [sic] not just being mean!!!” 

Another student made an aberrant accusation with regards my request that the week-one assignment cover letter be addressed to somebody real or, if need be, fictitious:   
“The lost [sic] of interest from the first week of class when the instructor ask [sic] me to falsify the resume that was instructed to do and turn in was my reason for this behavior.  Due to not following the instructor (‘s) orders points was [sic] taken away and interest to do more was lost.” 
Yet another student researched me and discovered I was editor of a literary journal with a focus on rude truth, not at all to his liking and thus suggested I should not be teaching at Davenport… and probably ought to be placed in prison with a life sentence.  The implication is that a man or woman whose ideas differ from his are of lesser “quality” and should not have the right to teach in an American university.  That student needs to be informed that we live in a democracy, not in a fascist, groupthink dictatorship.  He ought to also be informed that what his instructors legally do exterior to the classroom is none of his business. 
 

Suggest you check the background of your instructors before blindly hireing [sic] them.   Just because its online doens't [sic] mean you shouldn't care about the quality of your instructors.”
A few interesting quotes…
The resume has to be free of errors or else you will not be called in. Our firm will not consider any resumes that have errors.”  [Let’s add cover and follow-up letters to this!]  —Julie Giegerich, manager and Davenport University student

Express everything you like.  No word can hurt you.  None.  No idea can hurt you.  Not being able to express an idea or a word will hurt you much more.  As much as a bullet. [...] A lot of energy is wasted on these superficial things [speech codes]... I can’t get upset about ‘offensive to women’ or ‘offensive to blacks’ or ‘offensive to native Americans’ or ‘offensive to jews’...  Offend!  I can’t get worked up about it.  Offend!
            —Jamaica Kincaid, well-known black writer—Washington Post, 1991
I can’t bear holding my tongue for fear of offending someone.
            —Susan B. Anthony
They have been heavily programmed. ...(Their) whole lives have really been based on what some adult tells them to do. […] This is a generation that has long aimed to please. They've wanted to please their parents, their friends, their teachers, their college admissions officers. […] They expect to be immediate heroes and heroines [when they show up for their jobs]. They expect a lot of feedback on a daily basis. They expect grade inflation, they expect to be told what a wonderful job they're doing. […] I talked to the CEO of a major corporation recently and I said, 'What characterizes your youngest employees nowadays?'  And he said, 'There's one major thing.' He said, 'They can't think long-range. Everything has to be immediate, like a video game.’
            —Dr. Mel Levine, foremost authority on learning, 60 Minutes, 8/3/04

 
Several more comments from a previous semester: 
1.  “Arrogant and homophobic.”  A student wrote this on his paper referring to the instructor because he’d suggested same-sex marriage was not a valid theme for the report on global issues.  Name-calling (denigrating epithets) is an infantile excuse, a kind of intellectual laziness, for not presenting a case built on solid, clear, logical argumentation and has no place in a college class.  Rather than call the instructor a derisive name, the student should have attempted to prove the instructor wrong via logical argumentation, including support data and facts.  The instructor is quite open-minded and will change his opinion if confronted with convincing argumentation.  He is not fearful of being proven wrong.  He welcomes it! 
2.  “The instructor was kind of rude sometimes and not very professional about his job. He made me personally feel like I knew nothing and that I did not know what I was doing....Make sure the instructors are a little better on constrcutive [sic] criticism.” 
 
Unfortunately, the writing of some, perhaps many, students is unacceptable in a job context.  The person who wrote that comment made over 30 spelling mistakes on a paper!  I correct student mistakes—that is my job—… not to try to make students like me and feel good, though that would be fine too.  Most students fully understand this, but now and again, I have been labeled rude.  Now, in my humble opinion it is rude for a student to submit a college paper containing 30 spelling errors. I do not have details as to what my alleged “not very professional” behavior was… but I would refer that student to point #8 below, rudely, kindly, or however.  Again, I am here to help!  If my helping is to be interpreted as rude, there is not much I can do about it.  I will bend over backwards to avoid being thought of as rude... but not if that means giving higher grades, less pertinent feedback, and prevaricating.  If your writing is not good, then I am the one to inform you, rudely or otherwise.  

Statistics and experts have been increasingly pointing the accusatory finger at the nation’s educational institutions.  Indeed, they emphasize the fact that many college graduates today cannot even write a simple letter without committing numerous grammatical errors… and some of these same students will even declare how much they loved their English professors and teachers!  Evidently, many of the latter have not been doing their jobs.  Instead, they have been feeding student self esteem with praise, praise, praise… and obtaining great student evaluations.    

Rudeness is subjective.  In vain, I attempted to make the students, who became fixated on alleged rudeness, aware that rudeness is subjective.  What might be rude to one person might also be good feedback to another.  From my perspective, handing in sloppy, un-proofread assignments and expecting A’s is RUDE!  In any case, it is not my goal to be rude or denigrate students.  I get nothing from that whatsoever!  It is my purpose to criticize the writing that comes before my eyes.  My prime goal is that, not to be nice and inflate student esteem.  It is my goal to respond to student questions in a fully honest manner.  The world of business is not one for students who fixate on whether or not the instructor (boss) is rude or kindly.  It is rather one for students who seek to improve and submit rigorously accurate documents.  Do not be afraid to email your instructor if you have a question!  Your instructor wants to help you… BUT it takes two to tango.  You must do your part.  An instructor cannot help a student who does not work hard on his or her own, yet expects easy A’s.  Ask the instructor a few questions pertinent to learning, as opposed to questions always about grades. 
 
3.  “I had a hard instructor who was excellent. He made sure that we understood the course. Always answered our questions in a very timely manner. I feel that he is a great professor. No, I wouldn't change a thing.”

Comment #3 is included simply to remind that, on the whole, students have greeted the instructor and this lecture positively.  Generally, the instructor does not like to flaunt positive comments. 

A.  Comments on the lecture
……………….
I thought your "Writing Well" lecture was refreshing.  In my opinion, it is helpful because it gives students a better picture of what is expected of them.  It is also refreshing because I think a lot of the online classes, while I do love the online format, are not taught extremely well and that expectations of students are not very high.  I would think that someone taking an online class would have to be a little bit above average because of the amount of reading and discipline it takes to do so. 
I was not offended by the lecture.  I get the impression that Instructor Slone wants us to do good, but also to learn.  In my opinion, people who cheat or who do as little as possible to get by are only hurting themselves because once they get in the real world they will not be able to do what they have supposedly been taught to.
Valarie
 
Some of the lecture is going to be helpful.  I like the fact that you are spelling out what it is you are going to expect.  One thing that I did not understand was in item #3.  You ask us to be objective. "...do not use I or my or we or us or our on objective papers".  Then you give an example using my.  What is the difference between the "don't" and the "do"?
I am in this course to get an education of how to qrite properly.  My knowledge of proper writing technique is not developed enough to allow you to offend me.  Does the fact that you take a hard stance on class expectqations offend me?  No.  I am a program manager by trade and a firm expectation is something I am use to.
Scott

”My” should not be used in objective papers.  My example was simply one used to eliminate “I.”
Instructor
 
Scott, I also liked how Mr. Slone told us exactly what he was expecting. I like direction and organization and my needs are being met with his "rules". I would of hated it if I turned in my first paper to find a ton of mistakes and then have him gives us the writing well lecture. It benefited me.
Jackie

When writing anything, especially a cover letter "I" catch myself writing I every other sentence it seems.  I was taught at an early age by my father to come up with alternatives to I.  It still is an extremely hard habbit to break, when it can be used in so many places, and it's just easier to put one letter.
Matthew

1.  The lecture on Writing Well is very helpful.  Because not only does the lecture list what is needed for the report, but also gives a lot of helpful ideas to create an interesting report.  With the help of ideas that may be of interest to write with a degree of passion.  And even starting the report out with a quotation.   The plan of how the report needs to look on paper is also very helpful.  It is very detailed, and organized.  Taking  online classes is difficult as it is, and listing everything this was is very helpful.  Doing so makes everything unquestionable to be willing to second guess everything.  It is listed to everything that is needed and helpful of a topic. 
2.  I did not find this lecture to be offensive at all.
Jamie

The Writing Well lecture will be extremely helpful for the entire seven weeks. I think the only people that will be offended by this lecture are those that feel that professors need to "hold their hands" and guide tham through the course step by step. If someone feels this way online learning is not for them.
Christopher
 
Chris, I agree with you, online learning takes a lot of self motivation. With a little direction, which was received through the lecture, and some dedication you should successfully complete online classes.
Jackie

I feel that this has been very helpful and I look forward to more of them in the future.
I feel that the outline of this was very encouraging and I knew what to expect from you. It however did not offend me in any manner, as we are all here to learn and this is a good way.
I would however disagree with Chris's comment on the "holding your hand" some are not familiar to the online course and need that extra boost. Remember we all were a one timer once.
Rachel

Hi, Rachel.  Now, please don’t get mad at me, but refer to #6 on the Writing Well lecture.  It’s good to nip this in the bud!  Otherwise, thanks for the comments. 
Instructor

Rachel, My comment was not only about online classes, there are people in "in seat" classes that feel they should be catered to. I speak from experience as a tutor, there are people out there that feel they do not need to read a book or do an assignment, and when they receive the grade that they deserve they blame the professor. I hear people complaining that a professor or a subject is too hard, and when I ask to see their homework so I can get a feel for what they are not understanding thay tell me that they have not done it, or that they missed tha "last few classes".
I don't mean to sound like I am lecturing, it just irritates me that some, not all, people can be so lazy.
Chris

Chris and Rachel,
Chris said, "there are people out there that feel they do not need to read a book or do an assignment, and when they receive the grade that they deserve they blame the professor."
I have been reading your comments and I also worked at the tutoring lab with Chris and he explains it very well. Many students want all the help they can get, they want the answer and the grade but they don't want to work for it. The lab is a great place for learning and help but the only time the lab is jammed is test week. Students procrastinate to the test and then want you to teach them three chapters. It is frustrating so I know were Chris is coming from when he talks about students that just want things handed to them.
The writing well lecture was a great first week lecture because it let us all know were our professor stood so there wouldn't be any disagreements.
Jackie

To be completely honest, when I read the first page I was scared. The quote from the student that said you were rude and that you made her/him feel like nothing made me scared. But your comments about being here to help and your number one advice was for us to take our time calmed me down. My writing doesn't come quickly, it takes me days to come out with a final copy. So when I seen that your number one suggestion was for us to take our time, I smiled!
The lecture was helpful to me. As I wrote my cover letter I tried to be objective. I think that a cover letter is suppose to be objective and my first draft wasn't. I wrote a lot about my feelings and what I thought. I changed it to what I know and it sounded much better.
I also like your suggestion about building our vocabulary. I need to become stronger in that area and this class will make me.
I was not offended by any means by your first lecture. Sometimes hard criticism makes us stronger and my writing needs the strength. Thanks ,
Jackie

Good responses, Jackie.  Thanks.  Well, I did seem to have a few problems last semester with RUDENESS.  I'm not quite sure how I was perceived as RUDE... after all, I was simply writing emails to people who had never seen me or even heard my voice.  IT is odd how people will fixate on the supposed TONE of a message, as opposed to the message.  Anyhow, ainsi soit-il.  This semester, for who knows what reason, student writing is 10 times better than last semester's.  One four-page paper I received had 28 spelling mistakes on it last semester, for example.  How not to be rude when addressing something like that?  
Instructor
The lecture was extremely helpful.  You are much more likely to receive a good grade when you know exactly what the professor wants in great detail.  You drew out a nice roadmap to follow for writing our paper.  I thought you got the point across well about grabbing the reader's attention early and to write the paper for someone that doesn't have a whole lot of time to try and figure out the plot or the gist of the report.  They should know exactly how I feel and what the paper is about in the first couple of sentences.
Matthew

The title of the course is Professional Writing! I agree it would be difficult to address someone who just made 28 mistakes on a professional paper.
Jackie
Valarie, I would like to comment on your statement: "I think a lot of the online classes, while I do love the online format, are not taught extremely well and that expectations of students are not very high."
I will have to disagree. I have completed about four online classes and I felt that I got my monies worth. I had to teach myself a lot with the help from the professor. I had to read, I had to learn, and I had to motivate myself to get on the computer. I feel that my instructors do expect a lot out of me and I try just as hard in an online class as I do in an in-seat class.
Jackie

I agree with you.  People who just do a little to get by are actually cheating themselves.  They need to work hard in order to learn.  If they learn half ass, then they will actually work half ass.  It is easier to put 100% effort rather than 50%.  Why bother learning if it's not what the person orginally wanted?  Jamie
I thought this lecture was very helpful.  It gave a lot of good points and some good advice on what should be thought of when writing.  It was very easy to read and follow.  It did not affend me and I am not sure why it would affend anyone.  Thanks for sharing this with us.
Jana

Matthew, I like the word you used, "roadmap". It describes exactly what that first lecture was about. Without that lecture I would of had no clue what our professor wanted or how he wanted. The word "roadmap" is a great explanation
Jackie
The section of the lecture titled comments from last semester where very helpful and amusing because they reminded me of one of my favorite movies Pulp Fiction.  The scene is about the problems of two hit men, Vincent and Jules who accidentally have a bloody corps in the back of their car after Vincent shoots the person in the head while driving.  The story evolves with great dialogue between the two and then proceeds to Jules friends garage.  The owner of the garage is Jules friend Jimmy who would like to help but also has a dilemma of his own involving his wife coming home and finding gangsters and a dead body in the garage.  The problem comes to full tilt when Jules calls his boss Mr. Wallace and explains the sticky situation.  The problem is finally resolved when Mr. Wallace calls Winston Wolfe also a professional gangster and is known as the ultimate problem solver.  Winston or better known as “The Wolfe” arrives on the scene in full style and quickly solves the problem but is questioned for being rude and slightly pushy, much the way Mr. Sloan is depicted by some of his old students.  The Wolfe’s reply as Mr. Sloan’s should be is this “ I am sorry if I am being curt with you but, time is something we have little of and if my presence is not needed I can simply leave, however if I am needed, shut up and get to work, pretty please!Jon
Jon, I had to chuckle reading your synopsis of Pulp Fiction.  Mr. Wolfe, eh?  Of course, if I did respond as Mr. Wolfe would have, I would probably be out of a job and you would be writing to a different instructor.  Thus is the reality not only at Davenport, but in higher education in general, where the student has become the client and the instructor a low-level manager whose job is to please the client... or the client will dish out a poor evaluation and ciao, professore! 
Instructor
Mr. Slone, after reading your writing well lecture I thought it was a great piece of knowledge. I have trouble at times when I'm writing because I write how I talk. However, not to mention I do it not knowing that I really do this. I can agree with some of the facts of rudeness. I didn't taken any of it personal, but I think how you expressed your feelings or thoughts was a bit harsh. Students learn in many different way and by doing that is with the guidance of the instructor. My goal is to be a better writing and with this tool I feel it can happen.
Ed Jackson
I found your lecture extremely useful.  I wanted to take this course to work on my writing weaknesses.  As you have already observed I have a tendency to use “I” often.  There are many other errors in my writing which I hope to eradicate or at least improve on.  I know I will continue to use this lecture after the course has ended.  Working for a Spanish company I have been fortunate that English is a second language for the company and most of my co-workers, so most errors go unnoticed.  However, now that I am General Manager I will need to communicate with other company owners and CEO’s.  Poor writing skills do have an effect on business decisions.  I have made some decisions based on my impression of people or companies because of something I have read written by them.
Kelly Lacy
Dr. Sloan, Your Writing Well lecture recalls some very good points that are easily forgotten, especially if one does not write often.  For example, using one in place of you and the use of synonyms rather than repetition of the same word.  There are or there is, are also commonly used in speech today and writing, many times, reflects the way we speak. Using a spell and grammar checker are necessary and useful.  Unfortunately, the checker alone can not catch all mistakes. Having someone proofread one's writing is extremely important too. 
It is interesting to note, that having read your Writing Well Lecture before starting the cover letter, resume and follow up letter this week, how many instances of "I" and "My" were found upon proofreading.  It is true that we are taught to write in that manner as children and it is a hard obstacle to overcome.  Checking the examples of letters and resumes in the textbook revealed that many of the sentences started with "I".  Even though you said in your lecture we could use "I", "My" and "We" in the first week's assignment it was a challenge not to do so. The lecture makes one conscious of the fact that a lot of sentences start with "I".
Your instruction to use concrete examples and references is a great piece of advice.  This can help a person get his message across and is less vague than making a blanket statement.
Proofreading is so important!  It seems that you have a sense of humor and I hope I do not offend you if I point out some errors. In paragraph 6 on proofreading there are a couple of mistakes.  The spacing between letter B. and the word print seems to be incorrect and the formatting of comment D. should read; put it away for a day or two and then reread it.  I found these mistakes using the spell and grammar checker.
Are these mistakes made intentionally to see if the students are paying attention?
Some other suggested changes:
"This lecture might come as a shock to you or maybe it won't.  Hopefully, it won't.  Take your time to absorb what is written here.  Study it several times per week, every week, and especially prior to handing in assignments.  If you do that, you should do well in class.  No assumption is being made here that you personally are a poor writer.  After reading the lecture, if you decide there is nothing new in it for you to learn, then evidently you need not reread it.  This lecture is flexible and edited periodically." 
Change the above bolded section to: If, after reading the lecture, you decide there is nothing new for you to learn then evidently you need not reread it.  The grammar checker did not like the form of this sentence and that usually means I need to rewrite it. 
I also found many misspellings and grammatical errors in most of the student comments at the end of the lecture.  Again, are these mistakes included intentionally?
Once again, I hope I did not offend, even though you said constructive criticism was beneficial.  My grade depends on you!  It is hard to get a feel for a person by the written word alone and assess his personality but you seem like an individual who is secure and has a sense of humor!
Pamela
Well, I did laugh aloud as soon as I read this:  “It seems that you have a sense of humor and I hope I do not offend you if I point out some errors. In paragraph 6 on proofreading there are a couple of mistakes.”  Humor or not, I do pride myself on being wide open to criticism.  How can I criticize others (that is my job) and not be thusly open? 
As for the space, I’ve just back-spaced one on the new version, thanks to you.  As for “then” vs. “and then,” I do tend to purposely skip the “and,” right or wrong, because it is wholly unnecessary.  Call it poet’s license.  Yes, I am a poet. 
“Secure and a sense of humor,” yes, I like that… well, as secure as one can be considering the world at large. 
I shall post an announcement thanks to you with regards criticism. 
The errors were not intentional, though, as you can see, I’ve questioned them as errors.  With regards the “if” sentence, I’ve decided to go with your version, though I do not find my version to be incorrect. 
As for being offended, how can I quote Kincaid on that lecture, [and] then be offended???  I’d have to be a blatant hypocrite!  Yes, I prefer “then” to “and then.”  I’ve also gotten rid of “there is” in that sentence… 
“If, after reading the lecture, you decide nothing new in it has been revealed for you to learn, then evidently you need not reread it.”
As for the student errors, I certainly did not correct them.  I suppose I ought to go back and put [sic] after each.  Just the same, the Discussion Board is supposed to be loose.  I shall add your letter and my comments to the lecture… since some of you are actually reading the comments.
Great analysis on your part!  
PS:  Get rid of “that” in “It seems that you have a sense of humor…”  Also, you have three “I”s in that one sentence!!!
PPS:  Spell your instructor’s name correctly!!! (Hmm, I hope you too have a sense of humor???)
Instructor
I feel that the Writing Well Lecture is really going to help me improve my writing style and structure.  The main thing from the lecture that I have to work on is not using the words I, me, my, you, your, etc in my writing.  In ENGL111, my final paper had to be written in a 3rd person viewpoint, and it was a challenge to me to avoid using those words.
The only thing that bothered me about the lecture is the mixed usage of capital letters, exclamation points and bolded words.  According to e-language guidelines, capital letters denote someone talking louder than normal, and that is how some of it was conveyed to me.  I'm not saying that was Mr. Slone's intent, but that is how I perceived it.  Also, the usage of exclamation points and bolded text with the capital letters didn't help it.
Nathan
Bold print, exclamation points, and capital letters were and are used in the lecture to EMPHASIZE and otherwise “break up” the monotony of a long piece of the writing.  Please do not take those items as ME shouting at YOU.   
Instructor

Nathan makes an excellent point  regarding how easily online collaboration or communication can be misinterpreted.  Perhaps the previous students that perceived efforts to communicate as being rude held the same view as Nathan.  If one reads or is taught that the use of certain e-etiquette is representative of a form of yelling then that is just how they will process it when read.  Perhaps an explaination of intent when using bold, all caps, exclamation, and underlines in lectures or responses should be clarified at the beginning of this course in an attempt to avoid further stress on both student and instructor. 
Linda
Good point.  I shall take your advice and place it in the very beginning of the Writing Well lecture!  Thank you.
Instructor
First of all, I would like to say that the reason that I wanted to take this class was because I need to learn to communicate better personally and professionally. As I read through the whole lecture,I found myself reading it for the second or third time just to see if the meaning were the same as I thought initially. What I really thought about the lecture had a profound affect on how I viewed the class. My opinion is that I needed to be told how essential and effective the outcome of this class can become with the right tools and practice that it takes. Not only did I like the way you explained many of the writing concepts, but I also enjoyed the assertive and precise way of how the lecture detailed explanations about writing properly. I hope to learn a great deal, and hopefully improve on mistakes that I thought were correct in the past.
Arletta

It is all about your tone and how you communicate with others.
Julie
Well, I tend to disagree with you here, Julie.  It is all about the truth, not the tone.  Too much "smiley-face" tone has been wearing away at the truth and democracy. 
In fact, the citizenry in general seems to have become obsessed with tone and not at all with truth. 
Instructor

I have both the first and second weeks lectures to be very informative.  I find myself going back to both lectures as I am writing to try to make sure to pay attention to the way I am writing.  I want to become a better writer and this is the first instructor that I have had for a writing class that trying to make sure that we are taught the correct ways to write.  I have already graduated with an associates degree and have never been told that I am doing anything wrong when I write a paper. 
Melissa

The writing well document is an excellent tool.  Although it contains a long checklist of items that need to be reviewed before submitting a paper, it is very helpful.  This long check list shows that writing is a skill which needs much training.  If a writer uses this tool before submitting any assignment, the writer should have no problems with the assignment.  It causes the writer to examine the paper written before submitting it. The writing well document will be used every week.  It is something that can be used for many years to come.
Amber
I said: I have actually made a poster of it to hang at my computer so that I won't intentionally make any of the bad grammer errors on my papers.
Dolly


B. On the fear of writing
Interesting this fear of writing.  My assumption was that most students didn't have that fear even if they wrote terribly because their teachers tend to praise them no matter what.  Am I wrong?
Instructor

Yes; I do strongly feel that you are wrong.  The fear exist and for me it has been a horrible challenge, but however I continue to try and work around the issue.  I've made excuses for myself; the best one is that I'm a personable person, so I believe in direct communication, via telephone or in person.  I don't have to think over what I will discuss or how to respond to another individual within the conversation it's all a natural comforting act for me and the words flow as proper English without comma's, semi colons, periods, exclamation points and etc...
Patricia

No, you are not wrong! For whatever reason it may be some teachers do praise students no matter what.  I do not know why, but English writing does not come easy for me. Speaking on the other hand is much better. I am very articulate. hmmm...
Nirmala
Mr. Slone, You are not wrong.  I think my case I have always gotten good grades so the teacher just over looked things that should have been with my writing. 
Melissa

Melissa I completely agree with you on this statement.  I fear the art of writing.  I have no idea why or when it began, but some how when it comes to writing I have to research and struggle through the appropriate words of which I plan to utilize.  It is a serious issue for me, but I do plan to tackle this problem and appreciate writing.   
Patricia

You are not alone! The understanding of why or when my writing fear began has got me wondering as well. Finding the right words to begin my paper confuses me, but this class is going to do me a lot of good. Besides we have an instructor who is very willing to help and not beat around the bush.
Best of luck on tackling this problem, you will not be alone:-)
Nirmala

Dear Nirmala;  Thanks for the comforting confession and it's always good to know we're not the only ones dealing with a particular fear.  Good luck to you!
Patricia
 
C.  Which is more important:  Not offending or being critical and speaking the “rude truth”?
“go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.”
            —Ralph Waldo Emerson
The following is an interesting debate on offending vs. speaking truth.  Most students favored the latter. 
 …………………….
Everyone has different standards. I expect for an English teacher to have higher expectations where writing is concered.  I don't expect for any instructor to be rude.  Perhaps no one ever told these people that they had bad writing skills.  Perhaps they thought their writing skills were just as good as the next person.  I think you have to deal with people on a individual basis.
Mildred
Just the same, this is an interesting area to debate.  AND it needs desperately to be debated as we are doing.  Should we emphasize being NICE or should we emphasize TRUTH?  That is really the question.  AND I do not believe that certain TRUTHS can be communicated via NICENESS.
Instructor

The TRUTH! Other teachers have been too nice and now look, ISSUES keep happening. If one is going to be the best they can be, the TRUTH is what one needs. In the business world one will be writing many letters (I am assuming). It is important to have them done correctly and professionally, and how is one going to accomplish this if the instructor does not give them the TRUTH. If a student does something wrong such as uses wrong grammar or has fragment phrases they should know about. This will show them their mistakes, and in the future they will know how to write it correctly without errors.
The truth may hurt, but at the end of the day it is all about how one can take it.
Nirmala

Mr. Slone says should we emphasize nice or should we emphasize truth?  I do beleive that truth is most important sometimes trying to put things in a polite proper picture perfect way can cause clouding, which leads to still the individual being uninformed.  Utilizing the direct method approach is the best way to present things for clarity and maybe resolution.  I can appreciate truth bring it on Mr. Slone that's why I'm here.   
Patricia

Way to go Patricia!  The direct method approach is the most valuable method in my eyes to get the point across.  There is much unpleasantness in the real world and things are said that make you stop and take notice.  This shall be a true learning experience for us all.
Tammy
Too much time and energy is wasted on worrying how not to offend!  America seems to have become unique in this endeavor.  People around the world mock America on this point. 
Instructor

The writing well lecture instructions are very needful for this class and for writing anything else. But all the rest of the added comments on rudeness, feelings being hurt, etc. really should'nt matter. You're the instructor and what rules you set forth for the class to better one as a student as well as a professional should be just that. Its all about the way you speak to people that matters. If someone says something offended them, then maybe it did. So what one needs to do is examine themselves to see if one is truly an offense to anyone else, then make the necessary changes about how one speaks to people.
Because at the end of our journey (life) we will be known for how we've traveled and the impacts we've made while traveling. Whether good or bad there is a final judgement. It takes a real person to search within ones self to make changes that are for the better and not to be thought as a put down in any way.
So whatever comments one may have about the writings your reading, feel free.
*Sorry for the two 'that's' and any other errors one may find.
Dolly

This is a good point. Mr. Slone is the instructor and the rules he has set forth for this particular class is what students need to follow. It is not about being rude or to hurt one's feelings, but to help one grow. ...This is good advice. Having an open-mind will be useful. Often times one is eager to think the worst when in fact the person was only trying to help.
Nirmala

Nirmala, I agree with you 100%.  One has to be able to take criticism and embrace it and use it as a tool to better themselves.  If one responds with anger, resentment and bitterness then one will find themselves making that same mistake over again.  If this is the attitude used at work, one could be looked over numerous times for job promotion and or more responsibility on the job.
Criticism is not made to belittle a person, it's purpose should be to push to reflection and change.
Vanetia
This is a good point. Mr. Slone is the instructor and the rules he has set forth for this particular class is what students need to follow. It is not about being rude or to hurt one's feelings, but to help one grow. ...This is good advice. Having an open-mind will be useful. Often times one is eager to think the worst when in fact the person was only trying to help.
I (Pat) completely agree with both statements that the instructor has the right to lay out the teaching format for the class activities, but as for critiquing a students class assignment the tone set used to discuss the areas of improvement should be more of a consulting tone, instructing and more so helpful tone.
Nirmala

Dolly indicated that if people were offended by comments in the writing well lecture, it should not matter.  I'll bet the reason some of those students felt the lecture was rude is because the truth hurts.  Everyone can improve their writing skills if you are willing to put in the time and effort.
Mildred

Dolly, You made some valid points as everyone re: your postings. I believe that the reason Dr.Slones speaking is taken personal is because you, don't expect your professor to speak in that manner. After all, we are a business school and you look for the highest levels of professionalism. Words have alternatives and if the ones you choose can be offensive or you have heard that they are offensive, find the alternative to what you are saying.
Jenice

You must not make generalized statements.  My criticism has been taken as offensive by only a few students out of many!  What you state is that I am not professional.  I don’t know if you meant to state it that way but that’s you’ve essentially said.  In other words, if I offend a few, therefore I am not professional.  Therefore, to be professional one must concentrate on NOT OFFENDING as opposed to speaking the RUDE TRUTH.  Well, if that is the case, I shall certainly always opt for the latter… and in that sense how right you are in my not being PROFESSIONAL!  I’m certain the crooked KEN LAYS of corporate America were and are all quite PROFESSIONAL in their appearance and critique. 
You imply that I’ve used OFFENSIVE words.  Please provide one or two precise examples.   
Instructor
If you don't care who gets offended when speaking the truth, then why care about the feedback? If someone bites, bite them back, right?
Dolly

The problem here is that TRUTH is OFFENSIVE to some people.  So, what do I do, not say the TRUTH in order not to OFFEND?  I chose TRUTH... that's why I added that quote.  And here's another quote for you:  "I can’t bear holding my tongue for fear of offending someone." (Susan B. Anthony)
Our whole society is swinging downhill because everyone is afraid of offending.  I think those who are easily offended need to look at themselves and determine why... not those who offend. 
Instructor

I say: Truth is very good, I'm for truth, but when one gives the truth they might want to give it in a manner where people will listen or else your wasting your time and 'your truth'. And, who's to say that everytime one opens their mouth or writes something that their speaking 'the truth'.
Dolly

Good points.  Of course, I do make an effort not to offend, but I do not spend tons of time in that effort.  Some people will simply not want to hear the truth.  And no matter what you do, you will not be able to convince them of it.  Time to get on to something else!
Instructor

Dear Mr. Slone; I agree with that quote the truth can hurt, but however in order to improve or make better we must acknowledge our weaknesses.  We are all aware of the things, which we fear the most, but for us to know them, and others to assume differently makes life a little simpler.  I expect to be challenged through each course of study I take, if not then I'm not addressing my fears as I conquer and achieve my goals.  Sincerely I thank you for the Writing Well Lecture!
Patricia

I would have to agree with you totally.  The truth can hurt, but if a person is not told the truth only what they want to hear or what will make them feel good than they will not grow to better themself as a person or an employee.  I wonder if these people that Mr Slone has be "offensive" toward are also offended when they are told they are doing something wrong at work.  I think that these people need to realize that everything that is said to you in life is not going to be what you want to hear.
Melissa

Mr. Slone, The reality is TRUTH hurts.  Oftentimes, people honestly do not want to hear criticisms regarding their work they would rather you give them a pat on the back instead.  In doing so you enable them to excel at whatever it is.
CRITICISM & TRUTH should be embraced and used as stepping stones to a better YOU.
Vanetia

Mildred said: I knew this class would be a challenge but the instructor is right. I love the idea of colleagues looking at my work and thinking that I have pretty good writing skills.  I also take pride in the work that I submit to any instructor.
You should definitely take pride in what you write. You seem to have a strong grasp on your writing skills. I think that the hardest part about taking a writing class is that every instructor is so different. One instructor may think you are the best writer they have ever seen, while another may think you are only satisfactory.  In my opinion, your work is very well written.
Kelly
Yours is a good point, BUT if you were deemed an excellent writer by one instructor and only satisfactory by another, YOU NEED to find the TRUTH and the TRUTH exists.  If the one who said it was satisfactory provides you with precise reasons to back the claim, then you must believe him or her and not the other instructor.  It is up to YOU to demand reasons if you do not receive them.
Instructor

Kelly, So true, I had an instructor tell me that I was a great debater however my writing was graded horribly.  Personally, I felt as though I was doing a good job.  I took the same class the following semester and the opinion was totally different.  It truly depends on the instructor that you have.  Also the second time around the instructor was more helpful in getting me to express myself well on paper.
Vanetia

Mr. Slone said: Good.  And of course, what is the object?  1.  To make you feel confident?  2.  Or rather to make you learn?  Educationists today seem to overwhelmingly support 1, not 2.  But in reality they are supporting false-confidence.  Real confidence  comes with real learning, not with having a teacher tell you how good you are. 
In my opinion, the object of this lecture is to help the poor writers get better and the good writers become great.  Obviously, I have already made my fair share of errors and we are only into week two. As the course continues, I will only get better.
Kelly
Kelly, not to change the subject but it just dawned on me that we are having issues at my work place concerning writing skills. We just had a file review session where several managers reviewed files for employees that are assigned to other managers. Everyone agreed that most of our employees need to improve their writing skills. I believe the plan is to put together a training program to solve this problem.
Also, it was discovered that most of the employees in the company, including managers require more training to improve their writing skills. I'll bet this is a problem that exist in most organizations.
Mildred

 

Discussion Forum on the Writing Well Lecture

Spring 1 2005 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 21 times 

Date: Tue May 10 2005 7:48 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: S L Reddick - Writing Well Lecture

Description: Remove Forum


 

 

Sweat poured down my brow as I read your lecture on writing well.  Bits and pieces of the information were items I'd encountered before, but overall, it was much more comprehensive than imaginable.  It will be challenging, but helpful to adjust my writing style to meet the criteria you've outlined.  Make no mistake, however, everything is clear.  Also, I enjoyed reading the material leading up to the lecture. 

In tip number five you explain that overusing the word “I” indicates a certain level of immaturity.  I would like some clarification on this point.  It seems overuse of “I” doesn’t represent a lack of maturity so much as the inexperience or inability to express ideas.  Sometimes it is a struggle to avoid the “I” monster, as well as the inundation of some of the other words you mentioned like; us, we, our, and my.

The tips I found most useful were numbers eight, thirteen, nineteen, and twenty.  Many times frustration levels have boiled over in me because a group member made general statements in their portion of a paper without backing them up.  For a thorough writer, such inconsistency and vagueness creates double the work when putting together the final draft.  I have been guilty of providing valid sources within a document, but not always knowing how or when to cite properly.  This is a continual personal struggle.

The “Writing Well” lecture was informative, thought provoking, intimidating, and thorough all at the same time.  It would be a valuable source for beginning college writers minus the commentary regarding the opinion of other students about the instructor’s feedback methods.  One will never get a consensus of fairness on grading or criticism because it's all based on a student's perception. 

I’m not a perfect writer and never will be.  It’s an awesome goal to work towards though – if you enjoy this sort of thing. 

 

 

Let me add to immaturity the word style.  It reflects an immature style of writing.  Writing better is always a “struggle.”  So if you want to improve your writing, you will have to “struggle.”  Good point on the impossibility of obtaining a consensus.  Only politicians seem able to do that now and then. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 15 times 

Date: Sun May 15 2005 1:22 pm

Author: Morgan, Sharon <slcooper@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture


 

I learned a great deal from your lecture.  The Do's and Don't chart was very helpful.  I can easily comprehend lectures when it is in a summarized format.  I am very happy to hear that you want a thesis statement that is straight to the point.  I have known a few teachers who taught that a a thesis statement should be ambiguous to not offend the attended audience's perceptions.  I especially enjoyed the quote from Marcus Aurelius, as well as the reference to an ATT advertisement.  I am a history buff, and enjoy reading quotes from historical figures.  I have never heard of Aurelius, so I'll look him in at the History Channel's web site. 
Sharon Morgan 

 

Good to hear that.  As you can perhaps tell, I am a proponent of OFFENDING... not for the mere sake of offending, but rather for the TRUTH!  Yes, the TRUTH often hurts and educationists tend to prefer NOT HURTING, as opposed to TRUTH TELLING.  They're focusing on ESTEEM-BUILDING, as opposed to good writing.  For me, it all indicates the beginning of the fall of DEMOCRACY. 


Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 11 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 12:38 pm

Author: Wilson, Yolanda <yowilson@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

Description: Remove Forum


 

 

Speaking the "rude truth" is more important to me than being superficially praised.  In my eyes, any critisism is constructive critisism because any statement that can get me thinking about whether or not I write well will strenghten my knowledge of the rules.  I've taken four other online courses and sometimes there are so many grammatical errors in a response that it is hard to understand the point being made.  It is definitely a hinderance when I can't express myself well enough to get my point across. Impressed with the writing well lecture, I look forward to learning new rules and reinforcing rules I've forgotten.
Where can I find the literary journal focusing on the rude truth?  I would like to read it.
Yolanda

 

 

Good to hear that, Yolanda.  As for the journal, you'll have to ask me the day after the end of the course.  I have been instructed not to include it or mention of it in the course.  The reason is that it is not pertinent to the course. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 9 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 9:19 pm

Author: Riva, Richard <rjriva@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Hi Yolanda,
Speaking the truth without beating around the bush is what I would prefer.  It is normal for people to get defensive when being criticized, especially if they worked hard on the project.

Rick 

 

 

Rick, now that’s an interesting statement.  I have been called all kinds of names (sometimes by professors with PhDs) because I’ve questioned and challenged (criticized) them.  Just recently, a professor called me a “creep.”  Name calling is easy.  Responding with logical argumentation is tough and requires a good mind.  Name calling puts an end to DEBATE, the very cornerstone of a thriving democracy.  When our professors no longer wish to debate then we no longer  have a thriving democracy.

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 9:23 am

Author: Wilson, Yolanda <yowilson@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

Rick said: 
Speaking the truth without beating around the bush is what I would prefer.  It is normal for people to get defensive when being criticized, especially if they worked hard on the project.
Yolanda:  I don't mind being criticized and I am not as defensive as I have been in the past because I now believe that criticism is not always a negative thing. 

 

We have far too many people in America running around with OVER confidence.  I often ask myself:  What are they so confident about?  When one can do a good job at something, then one can be  confident.  But today it seems even when one cannot do a good job, one is confident.

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 8 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 8:33 pm

Author: Warner-Walls, Kristie <klwalls@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

Your Writing Well lecture should be helpful, in that it provides information on what is to be expected.  Although I would like to achieve an excellent grade, the purpose of the class is to achieve excellent writing.  If excellence is my goal, I’m quite certain I will need correcting; probably more frequently than I’d like.

It would be beneficial to many students today, as you mentioned in your lecture, if so many teachers did not give false approval.  It only serves to lower the student’s expectations of themselves when they receive praise and high scores for mediocre work.  The fact is they won’t receive praise for sub-standard writing in the real world.

 

Excellent point!  Unfortunately, grade inflation, esteem-building, and over-confidence has become rampant in America.

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 10:44 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Kristie:
There have been many times when a department I've worked in required a lot of writing and no one was willing to volunteer.  Even today as a manager, I'm still the designated writer among my group of colleagues.  It's not so much my counterparts can't do it, they simply don't want to. Writing is a chore to them; one they'd rather avoid.  
Writing is fun for me, and always seeking to improve those skills, sincere and honest feedback is the best recipe an instructor can provide.  However, there is also a balance between constructive and destructive feedback.  A good instructor tailors his/her communication to encompass a cross-section of students.  Where does a student draw the line between acceptable or "rude truth" and going overboard? 
Many times you get back what you give out.  My employees receive tons of feedback regarding performance, behavior, successes, as well as problem areas.  It's the manner in which I relay the information that makes the task of providing constructive criticism easier.
Shaltreece

 

 

Today, the emphasis is on “manner” and “manners.”  Often, the “rude truth” can simply not be told with “civility” because “civility” is equated with “being nice and saying nice things.”   Criticism is not NICE.  Sure, we can criticize without using four-letter words or hollering.  BUT I’ve noticed even when I do that, I am deemed lacking in “manners” and even “hollering.”  I prefer to lack in manners and be one of the few people in America who dare “go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 1 time 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 9:29 am

Author: Wilson, Yolanda <yowilson@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

Shaltreece said: It's the manner in which I relay the information that makes the task of providing constructive criticism easier.
Excellent point Shaltreece.  Some people are not as excepting to criticism as others and each situation has to be handled appropriately in order to get the positive response from employees that we need.  Yolanda

 

Of course, working in an employment situation might simply mean not speaking the rude truth at all.  I imagine that was the case with ENRON as the big ship sunk further and further into the abyss.  Of course, I make an attempt not to upset students because I am well aware just how easily some get upset.  But there is a limit. 

To improve a rough piece of wood, what would you use, soap or sandpaper? 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 5 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 9:31 pm

Author: Walker, Kristen <kmwalker@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

I will have to admit when I first read it I was intimidated and considered dropping the class. After re-reading it I felt I was up for the challenge and that this would be a great learning experience in an area that I need lots of improving on.

But shouldn't a college course be a challenge?  Let high school course be unintimidating, but not college courses.

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 10:47 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Kristen:  Thank you for your candor.  The massive amount of material was intimidating, let alone the actual content!  We have to forge ahead.  There will be times in one's professional career where the option to drop-out or back down, won't be an option.  If we can't stand the heat from a tough class, how will we size up out in the world?
Shaltreece

 

Now, those are words of wisdom!  Thank you. 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 5 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 9:54 pm

Author: Riva, Richard <rjriva@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Does Dr. Sloan really review our papers in his bare feet?  My first attempt reading the lecture was intimidating.  After reading it several more times, I came to the conclusion this is a tool we need to use for all of our assignments.  I used to always use the word "that" too many times and have improved since my last writing class.  After reading the lecture, I have come the to conclusion that I use the word I in my sentences too much and I need to improve so I can receive good marks when I turn in my papers.  Note: The previous I's were used excessively only to make a point.  Seriously, this is something for me to improve for my writing. 
The lecture is thorough and at least warns the students about criticism.  It is human nature to get defensive when being criticized.  I work in the automotive world and one needs to have thick skin to survive.  There are many ways of communicating the same message when criticizing.  In my opinion, one approach is to sometimes start out with a positive, put the negative in the middle, and finish with a positive.  Not indicating everything needs to be warm and fuzzy and we all sing koom-bye-yah (most likely spelled incorrectly).  In my opinion this approach needs to be used for some people, just like managers need to approach people based on how they are wired to get more productivity out of the employee.  
As for the rudeness section, this can be subjective.  If someone stated "your paper really sucked and you'll never make it in the business world", this would be considered rude to me.  If it is stated "you are on the right track but do not use the word I so many times, try using one or my instead."  This may be a better approach.   
Lastly, the lecture is precise and communicates the proper criteria for writing our papers.  It is evident Dr. Sloan is on our side.  Looking forward to polishing my writing skills.
Rick

 

 

 The bare feet was meant to be a joke.  However, if you think I dress up in my finest suit and tie and polish my shoes every time I grade student papers in my home, well, not quite.  But I’m sure someone was probably OFFENDED by the cartoon.  And that is not my problem… it will be their problem.  In order not to OFFEND, we should really just keep our mouths shut and never exercise our FIRST AMENDMENT rights… unless we’re certain that when we do that EVERYONE will agree with what we have to say.  AND good-bye democracy.  Hello FASCISM.  
“If someone stated ‘your paper really sucked and you'll never make it in the business world’, this would be considered rude to me.”  I agree.  I certainly would never say that.  However, what to say when I receive a paper with 25 spelling errors on the first page?  And yes, I’ve received such papers.  And I was simply unable to write anything positive on them.  And I’m sure the students who submitted the papers were offended by whatever I wrote on them.  Sorry, I’m not a politician.  I’m an English instructor. 
PS:  That's SLONE, not SLOAN.  Am I offended?  Of course not.  If I were to be offended over such a minor thing, then indeed, I would need a psychiatrist.  Yet you'd be surprised how offended some get over such things. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 7:14 pm

Author: Riva, Richard <rjriva@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

My bare foot comment was also meant to be a joke. I liked the picture. My opening was only to try to grab the readers attention but I'm not sure it worked the way it was intended. It seems when people write, the words can be interpreted differently than what the writer is expressing. Maybe it is because one is not communicating face to face to read the person's body language and cannot hear the tone of the the conversation?

Sorry again about the name. I am now two for two. Please do not share your middle name because I think I will be in trouble if I go three for three:)

 

No offense taken whatsoever about the misspelled name.  Glad your bare-foot comment was a joke.  If the writing is precise, misinterpretation of it should be quite limited.  So, I don’t necessarily agree with you that face-to-face is necessarily better for communication. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 5 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 9:24 pm

Author: Usher, Sheldon <smusher@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Dicussion Question A - Week 2

 

 

The lecture was excellent, it was to the point and very understandable.  I believe that college students should know that its us who should adapt to the teacher and not the other way around.  College is so different then high school and it took me a while to understand and adapt.  The writing about terms and how they relate to me I overuse "I" myself and I'm looking forward to learning how to write more proficient.

 

Sheldon Usher

 

 

Now, I like that response! 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Mon May 16 2005 10:01 pm

Author: Riva, Richard <rjriva@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Dicussion Question A - Week 2

 

 

The lecture was excellent, it was to the point and very understandable.  I believe that college students should know that its us who should adapt to the teacher and not the other way around. 
Sheldon, you hit the nail on the head.  I always tell my kids they need to adapt to their teachers even if the teacher is despised.  If they cannot adapt to their teachers, they will never be able to adapt to the many different mangers they will be reporting to during their careers.
Rick

 

Well said. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 8:28 am

Author: Ferretti, Michael <mpferretti@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Week 2 Discussion Question

 

 

What I found helpful and interesting in Week 2’s "Writing Well" document is the section on picking subjects of interest. When I write for work, school, or personal reasons I find that my work is much more entertaining and original and allows me to grab the reader’s attention when it is something of interest for me. I also find myself wanting to dig deeper into my work because of my interest in the particular subject in which I am writing.
The second helpful hint I got from the “Writing Well” reading is the do's and don’ts. I often need to think of specific situations in which I am writing to make sure what I am writing is appropriate, this chart helps to elevate some of those questions.
Finally, I felt the "Writing Well" document was very helpful but one issue I had with this Week 2’s agenda is not using the words I or we in my papers. I find by using these words it gives a writer an opportunity to give an opinion once all the information has been given. Also, believe that most readers develop an opinion when they read, so if the writer expresses his/her opinion in the report it allows the reader to compare his/her opinion instead of trying to determine and guess what writers opinion or view point is.
Thanks,
Mike

 

 

How many “I”s do you spot when reading objective newspaper articles?  Answer:  NONE.  If you don’t believe me, check nytimes.com, for example.  Often, readers do not want to know what your opinion might be.  They want the facts.  Period.  Besides, when you sign the paper, we know that what you wrote about was your opinion.  So, using “I” simply becomes redundant.  “I feel that…”  Well, of course you do… you’re the one who wrote it.  So eliminate that tedious phrase.  It’s puerile. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 10 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 11:42 am

Author: Morgan, Sharon <slcooper@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

I like the phrase tough love when telling the honest truth.  Sometimes it is very necessary to do so, especially if the attended audience needs it to maintain a happy existence.  My husband is an advocate for diplomacy, but I think any type of communication needs tact and not subtlely.  Sharon Morgan

Sure.  Tact is important... but should not end up killing, overly diluting, or otherwise replacing truth.  It often does. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 4 times 

 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 9:51 pm

 

Author: Wrobel, Rochelle <rtwrobel@students.davenport.edu>

 

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

 

I have found that I have the tendency to take things like criticism a little more to heart when they are written, especially on the computer.  I can recall responses from students in other classes that were disputing my viewpoint that came across more hostile then the person intended, I'm sure. 
I think that in a class where you have to rely on the written word, you have to be careful what you write because you don't have voice or facial expressions to help convey the full meaning of your words.  What do you think?

 

 I agree entirely.  Just the same, so much can be done to try to avoid perception of hostility.  Some people will simply take any criticism as hostile no matter how nicely one puts it.  Since I do write a ton of emails, I do make it a point to hold the important ones for a day and reread and edit. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 1 time 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 11:04 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

Soap or Sandpaper - Now that's one I'm going to stash away and use some day!  That's a wonderful way to think about truthful feedback.
Shaltreece

 

Well, in-betweens do of course exist... soapy sandpaper and sandy soap!

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 1 time 

Date: Wed May 18 2005 12:05 am

Author: Usher, Sheldon <smusher@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Well I had english 111 and the teacher inform me that most high schools do not teach proper english.  I have been learning how much I didn't know since then.

 

 

English is spelled with a capital E and informed should be in the past tense.  I don't necessarily agree with your other instructor. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 5 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 3:40 pm

Author: Hill, Stephen <sthill@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Clearly, you take your Do’s and Don’ts message as an important factor for your students. The chart is listed both in week one’s lecture and revisited in week two. Anytime an instructor mentions an item they hold important more then once, a student would do well to pay close attention. I have struggled with each of these issues at some point in my college career. It isn’t until an instructor pays close attention to the details that their students will raise their own levels of expectations.

I will struggle with the overuse of the “I” word all semester. One must think before writing to avoid it’s over usage. Honestly, I did not know that this was such a no-no when writing. Any time you repeat the same word over and over your writing does not flow as well, the reader will become distracted and loose focus.

Your lecture is frank and to the point. Honesty is the best policy and it doesn’t appear that you withhold information on how you feel we can improve our writing. I look forward to the challenge of this class.

 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 4 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 6:36 pm

Author: Harrison, Toiya <tlharrison@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

After reading the Writing Well Lecture, I felt that my writing would get better.  I know that I'm not a great writer but he touched on a few items that could help me improve it.  He also pointed out a lot of mistakes that I normally make when writing papers. 
My teachers actually gave me good grades on my papers but after reading the Writing Well Lecture I know they could've been better.  I know some students don't like criticism but I like to know what I did wrong in order to correct it the next time.
Thank you Mr. Sloane for pointing out the frequent errors, my future assignments won't include so many "I's".

 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 9:44 pm

Author: Wrobel, Rochelle <rtwrobel@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

I think that tip #10 helped me.  I always wondered if I was using my thesaurus too much when I write papers and reports.  I hate to use the same word over and over again in a paper.  I was glad to see that listed as a tip. 

#11 is a rule I have to force myself not to break.  My sentences can be quite wordy and I have to proofread often while I am composing my papers to make sure I haven’t run-on for half the page.

#15 is another one of my problem areas.  I have a bad habit of starting a paper in one tense only to realize I have finished it in another.  I usually have to go back and make many corrections on the tenses.

Overall, I think that the Writing Well tips were extremely helpful and will help me with my future writing assignments.

 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 1 time 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 11:21 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

Rochelle: 
When in highschool, my English teacher, Mr. Daryl Cook, was the first person to tell me flat out to stop using so many big words.  This advice helped tone down my papers.  Mr. Cook said that my paper started low and reached a climax.  A climax which never ended until the writing did.  At 31, his advice still rings in my head each time I write. I save the fancy stuff for my journal and future book deal.  I was the best speller in the class, however!
Shaltreece

Big words are good.  One should look them up if one does not understand them, rather than complain.  Why tone down your writing and eliminate words you think others won't understand?  Write for yourself not for the lower spectrum of the herd; write the way how you think is best, not the way how you think others might perceive it.  That's what I do and yes at times I receive complaints about using big words.  What do I do?  I send the complainer this URL:  www.websters.com.


Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 5 times 

Date: Fri May 20 2005 7:33 pm

Author: Hill, Stephen <sthill@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

I fully understand what you are saying. I would argue that my employer is not interested in my expanding of the employee’s vocabularies outside of working communication. Rather, “big words” can be saved for those who understand them while in the right environment.

 

Well, I shall use the words I have at my disposal and not purposefully dumb down to a group that I may think is dumb and which just might not be as dumb as I might think it is. 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 1 time 

Date: Wed May 18 2005 11:33 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

 

 

Dr. Sloan:  You're writing style and philosphy seems to go against what most are taught in highschool.  I was always penalized for using too many big words and was generally instructed to write at about a sixth-grade level to ensure most could understand the material.  Where does the ability to use uncommon words come into play when writing or speaking for that matter, in the business world?  In a conversation with a counterpart the other day, I used the word "thematic" and was jumped on because it wasn't understand.
Shaltreece Reddick 

 

Excellent point.  “Dumbing down” seems to have become a sort of intellectual plague in America.  The country will suffer for it in the long run because it has been infecting all spheres.  European businessmen and women tend to be much more cultured than their American counterparts.  They tend to be well versed in the arts and literature.  America will continue “going down the tubes” as long as the excess positivist, dumb down, feel- good modus operandi continues gaining stature. 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 7:24 pm

Author: Warner-Walls, Kristie <klwalls@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Dicussion Question A - Week 2

 

 

It becomes increasingly obvious that anyone who graduated high school in the last ten or fifteen years was rarely trained well in grammar, and even more rarely told he or she had done a poor job.  Just as Dr. Slone has stated, the psychology of teaching has become about esteem building, rather than pure educating.  I graduated much longer ago than fifteen years, and while my teachers did not hesitate to tell me when I had done something wrong or poorly, they also did not teach enough grammar.
What is challenging for us is writing for someone who is an English language expert.  This is much more difficult than writing for an accounting professor, or any other field that is less focused on grammar and punctuation; even word choice.  We are not learning the basics here.  We are (or should be) working at the other end of the spectrum. 
I have already used knowledge I’ve been refreshed on this week to correct a co-workers Powerpoint presentation.  He had gerunds and verbs mixed in his bullet points.  Two weeks ago I would have known it didn’t sound right, but I wouldn’t have known exactly what the problem was.

 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 4 times 

Date: Tue May 17 2005 7:25 pm

Author: Riva, Richard <rjriva@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Dicussion Question A - Week 2

Description: Remove Forum

 

 

"Many of us listed overuse of “I” as an issue. Did we all learn the same bad habits? If so, why was this not made a larger issue in previous schooling? Bad habits are difficult to break and this one, I fear, will be a struggle."

This is not a sucking up comment but our previous instructors may not have been as good at writing as Dr. Slone

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Wed May 18 2005 10:11 pm

Author: Mumper, Mary <mbmumper@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

Description: Remove Forum

 

 

     The Writing Well Lecture will certainly be a tool that I will consult often throughout this course and beyond.  Unfortunately, I see myself in too many of the 24 points.  Re-reading this lecture before writing any of my assignments will be a good way to keep me mindful while writing and prevent me from slipping into poor habits.  It is helpful to know what one can expect throughout the course as well.  The lecture states the expectations and if I fail to meet them I have only myself to blame. 
     It was a bit surprising that some previous students considered anything in the lecture rude, or that being corrected for their errors was considered unprofessional on the part of the instructor.  You can’t learn from your mistakes if you do not know that you made them.  Maybe those students don’t realize how their poor writing skills will hurt them in the workplace.  My boss just passed someone over for a promotion because her written communication skills were so bad.
     Having been a History major, I have done my share of writing.  I enjoy writing but have never been very comfortable doing it.  Even when I’m confident of the research I have done and in my knowledge of the subject, I have a hard time getting the finished product to come out like I want it to.  I am looking forward to using the Writing Well Lecture and the feedback that I receive in this course to help me become a better writer.

 

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Wed May 18 2005 6:57 pm

Author: Hagon, Kristen <krhagon@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Hagon_writing well

 

When I read the lecture I became nervous.  Partly because I know that my current writing skills are not up to the standards that you have set out.  Partly because I know that I have turned in papers in the past that get good grades but should not have gotten such good grades.  I was so nervous that the thought of dropping this class flew through my mind.  But, I also thought "no" I can learn a ton in this course to only help me in the future. 
I guess that is where I am at now.  I have decided to stay stick out and see what happens.  I am willing to put forth the effort needed to make it a successful summonsed.  Thank you for laying out the ground work that will help me to achieve great things in English classes to come.
Kristen Hagon

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 2 times 

Date: Thu May 19 2005 8:41 am

Author: Ferretti, Michael <mpferretti@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Hagon_writing well

Description: Remove Forum

 

 

Thank you for laying out the ground work that will help me to achieve great things in English classes to come.
Kristen,
I agree with you hear. Often times I find it very difficult to understand the expectations in a specific class, Tod has done a great job giving us every opportunity to succeed.
Mike.

 

 

And I want to give you all As!  But how can I do [to do] that when I [it is specifically stated]specifically state:  do not use "I" to begin a paragraph and most do it anyhow? 
Note how I just eliminated the two "I"s in my own writing?


Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Thu May 19 2005 9:56 pm

Author: Warner-Walls, Kristie <klwalls@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Just have to wonder. . . .

 

There is one aspect of the Writing Well lecture that has not been given much attention.  Other than getting a bit nervous when first reading it through, one just has to laugh, even right out loud, at the phraseology chosen by the students complaining.  Even as they grumble about being critiqued, they slaughter the English language.

In so many classes the instructor advises students to compose their posts in Word so they can utilize the spelling and grammar checker.  Yet, so many students obviously don’t make the effort.  How many reminders does it take, to make the point that every posting is part of the learning process?

Being perfect will never be my claim to fame, but working diligently to improve and not repeat past errors may.

True, true, true.  I hadn't thought about posting in Word.  I'd be advised to keep the discussions informal and not to nitpick vis a vis spelling and grammar.  But I like your idea.  How does one post in Word?  Cut and paste? 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 6 times 

Date: Wed May 18 2005 9:25 pm

Author: Nahal, Malket <manahal@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: Writing Well Lecture

Description: Remove Forum

 

 

Mr. Slone

The writing well lecture is a great tool for this class. Davenport Online classes are great, but they lack one thing, the student’s ability to understand the instructor. By reading your lecture one really gets to know you and the kind of person you are. In my opinion the WW lecture is a really good idea, it really lets the students know what you expect from them. There are many different types of instructors and they all have their own expectations and most of the time the students do not learn about those expectations until they complete their assignments. With writing the WW lecture it really informs the students about the type of work you expect.

 

Good.  Now, what didn’t you like about the lecture?

 

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 7 times 

Date: Sat May 21 2005 7:08 pm

Author: Walker, Kristen <kmwalker@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: S L Reddick - Writing Well Lecture

Description: Remove Forum

 

 

I think the Writing Well Lecture is great. It explains everything very clearly that Professor Slone expects from us and our papers. The criticism and  feedback helps to correct the errors that are made so that we don't repeat them in our next assignments. But don't you think that sometimes criticism needs to be accompanied with some positive feedback on what you did correctly? Just a thought.

 

 

That is the trend in education.  Thus, most of the time I force myself to say something positive, whether I believe it or not.  And that is unfortunate.  Again, the trend is not toward "rude truth" but some watered down version, which often is not truth at all.

Current Forum: Discussion Question A - Week 2

Read 3 times 

Date: Sat May 21 2005 11:48 pm

Author: Reddick, Shaltreece <slreddick@students.davenport.edu>

Subject: Re: S L Reddick - Writing Well Lecture

 

Kristen: Absolutely! This whole concept of "rude truth", doesn't work well in most settings where one's role is to provide feedback. It can in this setting, though.
One of the models used by my company states that management is: "The ability to accomplish pre-determined goals through others". 
There is no way that giving rude truth to employees in our call center would help to accomplish our goals. 
For example, if one of my employees has an exhorbitant AHT (talk time), and the message given is, "You'd do alot better if you didn't let the customers talk so much", this would have a negative impact on this employee's morale and attitude even if the statement is true.  Dr. Slone throwing brash feedback at students does not really affect his ability to complete instruction of a class, so he's free to fling feedback in any manner he chooses.
My personal style is to use the build-break-build method when giving feedback: 1) Build up the employee by sharing what they did well  2) break down what the problem areas of performance are  3) build a constructive strategy with the employee to fix the problem. 
Shaltreece

 

My critique is not necessarily "brash" as you so state.  Perhaps you've misconstrued the word "rude" in the context.  Emerson did not mean it to signify "nasty" but rather "straight."  In a sense, "rude truth" is the only truth.  Any other kind is a watered down version, thus not the whole truth.