Information Science: Applied English
COURSE INFORMATION

Professor: Wayne Gregory

Phone: 3306

Office Hours:

Course Description: The main focus of Applied English is the development of your English language skills using material from Prof. Noland's course on Information Science as the content. Therefore, there is a direct connection between Prof. Noland's course and this course. The language learning you do in this course will help you better handle the material in the elective course. The primary goal of this class is to develop English skills.

We will concentrate our attention in the Applied English course in two ways:

1. We will use Applied English class time to answer questions you may have about the elective class and to assist you in preparing for the elective class. Because the Information Science elective class is a "hands-on" class, it is usually easier to understand the content of the class that it would be if you were in a lecture class. However, you may still have difficulties and questions and we will use time during each class period of Applied English (especially Wed. and Fri. classes) to provide assistance.

2. We will focus attention on using the technology skills you are developing in the elective class to do things with the English language. We will focus our attention on Cyberspace (The World Wide Web) and reading/writing skills in English. some of the general areas we will consider are:

Cyber-Language Learning
We will look at the many ways the World Wide Web can be used to help you learn English.
Cyber-Research
We will discover how to use the Web to do research and evaluate information sources.
Cyber-Culture
We will explore the growing world of the Web and what it means to be an active participant in an online community.
Cyber Literature
We will learn how to creative express ourselves in cyberspace through the creation of hypertext literature.

Course Activities: Although connected to some extent to the elective course, Applied English is a separate course and should be treated as such. This class will focus much attention on the development of English reading and writing skills. This class will focus on using technology skills and programs to do special projects. You will be working individually and in groups to use multimedia software and hardware to do assignments which will require you to use a great deal of English. Activities will include the following:

Grading: You will be graded on your participation as well as the quality of your work on assignments, presentations and projects. To do well in the class, you need to demonstrate that you have made significant effort in the following areas:

comprehension of content:
Students will use English to explore various topics and issues related to the Internet and computer technology. Students will gain enough knowledge of the topics to be able to respond through analysis, reflection, discussion, synthesis and self-expression both orally and graphically.
mastery of technological tools
Students will develop the technological skills necessary to complete the projects. Most of these skills will be learned in the Elective class. These tools may include Web authoring, e-mail, on-line discussion and the use of multimedia tools, such as presentation software (PowerPoint) and streaming audio.
development of English language proficiency
Students need to show that they are making an effort to develop their English language skills, especially their reading and writing skills.
self-expression
Students will be given opportunities for self-expression, such as group discussions, oral presentations, written work and Web authoring. Students will not be compared to each other, but will be evaluated on how much effort they make in their creative writing.
 

Grading Scale:

A+ 97-100%
A 93-96%
A- 90-92%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
F 69% and below
 
Final Grade will be based on:

© Wayne Gregory - Tokyo International University of America
September 1999. All rights reserved.