Correcting the Curmudgeon in My Course Information Document

 

Brenda Jo Sanchez

 

With some diligence and prodding, I went from an instructor who came off as being a curmudgeon, to a much more friendly and inviting instructor. One that you might enjoy a class with and learn something.

Beginning two years ago, I worked with a group of colleagues to learn more about emotional intelligence. This fall, after working with a smaller group that was planning a fall In-service project, I decided it was time I put some of this learning to work and revised my Course Information Document (CID). At first, I felt like my students must feel when I tell them to rid their writing of “to be” verbs—I was a little clueless. But soon, I could easily see how much more attractive the revision my CID was. I think students might even enjoy reading it!

Listed below are examples of what the original language looked like on the left, and the revised language of the right.

 

 

Original Text	Revised Text
Required Textbooks: You need to have a copy of this book, digital or paperback, by the end of the first week of class! 1.      Harari, Yuval N. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. First edition, Spiegel & Grau, 2018. ISBN-10: 0525512195.	Required Textbooks: To get a great start, be sure and have access to these need texts by the end of the first week of class. 1.      Harari, Yuval N. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. First edition, Spiegel & Grau, 2018. ISBN-10: 0525512195.

 

When I looked at this two months after the change was made, I was a little startled. Was I really that rude!? I even have an exclamation point behind the original to emphasize that the individual who does not have the book by this day will disappear in a dark alley. Starting with the reason they will want this book early on is so much more inviting.

Something so simple as this—why had I not thought of it before.  Here is another example for you of this new kinder, more helpful CID language.

 

Suggested Materials: 2-3 highlighters, or colored pens/pencils for annotating, sticky notes—small square ones, or some fun shape! 😏 These items will make annotating your reading and writing much easier! If you are working with a digital text, you will need to know how to insert notes, highlight, underline, and other ways to mark up your text.

Suggested Materials: To help you navigate and perform your best in this course, please have: 🖍2-3 highlighters, or colored pens/pencils. 📌sticky notes—small square ones, or some fun shape! These items will make annotating your reading and writing much easier! If you are working with a digital text, you will want to know how to insert notes, highlight, underline, and other ways to markup course materials—the more we engage with information, the more likely we are to remember and understand!

 

I guess I used to think adding a smiley emoji would soften everything 😂. Now I know that I also need an explanation of why these materials are suggested. While this example is not as draconian in tone as the earlier example, it is more friendly and more informative. I can hear the previous CID recipients saying, “WTH, Sanchez? Why do we need highlighters—I’m just going to use whatever pen I can find.”

Overall, I replaced all the “You are required’s,” along with all the imperative statements with reasons why completing or doing this would help them succeed in the course.

 

Course Policies and Expectations Assignments Do course work in the order it is assigned. Do not skip ahead. Some assignments are set so that if you have not completed the earlier assignment, you will not be able to open the next assignment.     Formatting: All assignments must be in MLA format. When saving, save in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf), or I will not be able to read and grade your work.

Course Specifics and Student Expectations: Most assignments build upon an earlier assignment, so to be the most successful, complete course work in the order it is assigned. If you skip ahead, you may confuse yourself and others including me with questions that are not about current work.   To ensure that everyone can open each other’s documents, please use Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). The college provides you with a Microsoft account, and we will go over how to do this in the first few days of class.

After working to overcome my earlier battleaxe tendencies, I am now revising project details, goals, and directions to be more helpful and more inviting.

 

Brenda Jo Sanchez is a developmental English faculty member at Southeast Community College