George Mason University

Face to face meetings: Hybrid sections of English 302 meet 50% of classes face to face. Writers are always writing for other people and thus learn best when they have an established, supportive community of peers with whom to practice.

Attending class for all the face-to-face meetings is very important. These class meetings are highly interactive and information-rich. Instructors use this time to strengthen the community of writers in the classroom and to help students learn and practice the skills they will need for the online segments of the class. Class meetings may include short lectures, small group exercises, class discussions, and guided practice in writing strategies or technologies. Assignments and exercises for the face-to-face meetings often cannot be made up if a student is absent.

Online meetings: Hybrid sections of English 302 meet 50% of classes online.

Much of the work of writers involves writing, researching, and reviewing others' writing, activities that are well-suited to individually-paced online work. In addition, moving some class "discussion" to an online setting helps writers become more fluent and confident, allows everyone to have a say, and lets writers practice for writing in "the real world," where much communication will be online.

Online class "meetings" will generally be asynchronous: that is, students will have deadlines, but they will be able to complete their class-meeting tasks at different times, like people who post comments to an online bulletin board or blog. (Activities will usually not be "synchronous," or all at one specific time like a chat room or IM.)

Students will complete reading and writing tasks that take them about 75 minutes every week -- or 150 minutes every other week -- but they will choose how and when to complete that work before the specified deadlines. Some students may participate in online class meetings from a computer lab at 3:00 pm; others may participate in class meetings from their living rooms at 3:00 am.

Online class meetings will be interactive: that is, students will not just write their own ideas but will respond to other students' writing, and will have guidance and feedback from the instructor. Missing the deadlines for online meeting activities will reduce your and your peers' opportunities for feedback and interaction.

Homework: Like all writing classes, Hybrid sections of English 302 have homework that students will complete on their own and turn in to the instructor. You may be asked to turn homework in via an online resource such as WebCT or TownHall, or to upload work to a website.

When your class is having an online meeting period, you may have spend some of your time on the computer doing homework and additional time on the computer interacting with other students as part of your class meeting. That is, even though you may be working at home, participating in an online class meeting is part of your class-time, not your homework time: you have to do both.

To succeed in a Hybrid English 302, you will need

• to have regular, reliable Internet access (high-speed recommended)
• to be comfortable working online: navigating a point-and-click environment, and uploading/downloading files
• to be motivated and organized enough to complete work by a deadline even when there is no face-to-face class meeting
• to be willing to take the time to communicate with your class or group members using online postings
• to be willing to ask for help when you get confused
• to be able to be patient with occasional technological glitches

You should understand that

• a Hybrid course is not easier than a face-to-face course: you will still need to complete reading and writing assignments equivalent to a "normal" section of English 302
• a Hybrid course is not entirely self-paced: you will need to stay on a regular schedule of meetings and assignment deadlines
• a Hybrid course is not an independent study: it will require interaction with many other students, and may require a significant group project
• a Hybrid course requires regular online postings that make it clear when individual students have completed or not completed their work

You may find that you prefer a Hybrid course if

• you enjoy interacting with other people online
• you like to complete some assignments on your own without waiting for a whole class
• you often feel "rushed" in a face-to-face class, and would sometimes like more time to think about questions or issues
• you want to develop your online writing skills as well as your traditional writing skills
• you're interested in working online, but don't want to give up face-to-face interaction with the teacher and other students
• you commute to school and can schedule fewer trips to campus

1. Check the course catalog and pay attention to the notes to see which days or weeks are face-to-face meetings.
2. If you register for a MTWR daytime course in a 75-minute slot, your section will meet face-to-face only one day per week, with all other meetings online, times TBA
3. If you register for a 150-minute class in a once-per-week slot, your section may meet the first week face-to-face, or may meet the second week face-to-face, and alternate online meetings (TBA) every other week
4. Email the instructor of the course if you have questions about the meeting schedule
5. Make sure that you have regular access to the Internet
6. Make sure that your computer's software is as up-to-date as possible

Sample A: 75-minute class sessions

WEEK ONE

• Monday August 25, 9:00-10:15 am:
  Meet F2F in IN 345
• Wednesday, August 27, 11:59 pm:
  Online Post 1 due
• Thursday August 28, 11:59 pm:
  Online Posts 2 & 3 due

WEEK TWO

• Monday Sept. 1: LABOR DAY, no class
• Wednesday September 3, 11:59 pm:
  Online Post 4 due
• Friday, September 5, 11:59 pm:
  Online Post 5 due

WEEK THREE

• Monday Sept. 8, 9:00-10:15 am:
  Meet F2F in IN 345
  Writing Assignment 1 Due In Class
• Wednesday September 10, 11:59 pm:
  Online Posts 6 & 7 due
• Friday, September 12, 11:59 pm:
  Online Post 8 due

Sample B: 150-minute class sessions

WEEK ONE

• Tuesday August 26, 7:20-10:00 pm:
  Meet F2F in IN 345

WEEK TWO

• Tuesday September 2, 11:59 pm:
  Online Posts 1 & 2 due
• Wednesday, September 3, 11:59 pm:
  Online Posts 3 & 4 due

WEEK THREE

• Tuesday September 9, 7:20-10:00 pm:
  Meet F2F in IN 345
  Writing Assignment 1 Due in Class