Introduction

Welcome to Kick Start Your Academic Writing. This course is designed to develop undergraduate research writing skills. Writing in an academic community has a certain set of "conventions" and formats unique to the specialized purposes it serves. Research assignments are the most common and most challenging writing tasks you will be engaged in as an undergraduate and certainly as a graduate student. This course focuses on helping you become aware of the expectations of this specialized form of writing and guiding you through the research resources specific to a university library and to the formats and styles expected in writing a college research paper.

Recommended Textbooks (Optional) Course Materials

Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. A Writer's Reference. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 2011.

Netiquette

Netiquette, or network etiquette, refers to the guidelines and recommended practices for online communications. In a nutshell, it is the etiquette for the Internet, and should be used in all areas of communication in your class: email, chatting, blogging, discussion forums, messages, etc.

Netiquette provides excellent guidelines for online behavior that facilitates the productive and thoughtful exchange of ideas. Some of the basic tenets of netiquette include:

Be respectful. Remember that you are communicating with actual people, and be sure to be courteous and show respect, even if there are differences of opinion. Remember the golden rule: treat others as you’d like to be treated!
Think before you post. Be aware of who may be able to view your posting, and how your post may be interpreted. Try to maintain a fair and objective tone.
Stay on topic. Make sure your communication is related to the subject at hand and does not wander off-topic.
Write clearly. Even though the online environment may seem more informal than your face-to-face class, this is still an academic course and intelligible, mature communication is expected. Correct spelling and grammar are required, and proper sentence structure and punctuation should be used.
Use appropriate language and style. Profanity or offensive wording will not be tolerated. ALL CAPS and repeated punctuation (???? or !!!!) should also be avoided.
Be considerate of others. Do not make derogatory, condescending, or harassing remarks. Communication should be well-intentioned and well-articulated, and aimed at fostering a positive learning environment. Be aware of how sarcasm may be misinterpreted by your readers.
Allow for misunderstandings. Keep in mind that writing can often convey the incorrect tone or intention, and make allowances for unintended rudeness.
Cite your sources. If you post work that is not your own, be sure to reference your sources.

Minimum Technology Requirements

In order to be successful in this course, the end-user should have access to the following:

A computer with internet connection

Minimum Technical Skills Requirements

In order to be successful in this course, the end-user should have possess the following skills:

ability to navigate internet pages
upload documents, submit forms
send emails