Preparatory College Composition
Can any other online English course
match this course's guarantee?

My year-long online English course for middle and high school students, Preparatory College Composition, is

• Writing intensive.

• Performance based.

• College level.

But unlike most other online English classes, Preparatory College Composition uses nonfiction reading material exclusively for its reading component.

And in this online English course, all the reading and writing is about some aspect of communication: written, oral, or nonverbal.

Why such a different approach?

The course focus is pragmatic, not artistic.

Most students find the English-class approach to writing a real turnoff. But all those students have to communicate.

Using communication as the theme for writing and reading allows investigation of a wide variety of topics from many disciplines. The guy who wants to be an accountant and the girl who wants to be a dancer will both find some topics relevant to their careers in this course.

At the end of Preparatory College Composition, students should be competent, strategic writers who can respond appropriately to writing situations students typically encounter in courses across the curriculum in the first college semester.

Instructional overview

The instructional component of Preparatory College Composition includes:

• 60 online classes with live video, audio, and written interaction between participants.

• Evaluation of 11 essay plans and feedback on them.

• Evaluation of 11 essays and feedback on them.

• Feedback on homework and informal writing assignments.

• Informal instruction in online forum.

• Direction of course portfolio development.

• Assignment of a course grade.

Compare that instructional component to that of any other online English course. I think you will find I work very hard at my teaching.

The instruction is delivered in two units of 12 instructional weeks. A third directed study unit is optional.

Unit 1 focuses on planning a persuasive-pattern essay with an eye to becoming efficient writers.

Unit 2 focuses on adapting the persuasive essay template to common nonfiction patterns such as comparison and contrast essays and argument writing. Students will plan six short essays and draft each of them in an hour. Later they will be given opportunity to revise and edit those drafts.

Students should achieve writing competence by the end of Unit 2; some students may need additional practice before they can meet the standard.

Unit 3 is an option for students who want to raise their course grade or expand their skills in through some directed study. Students who are still struggling toward competence also may take Unit 3. (See the course guarantee.)

Student admission

Students' ages or school grade is less important than attitude and discipline. Students must be able to handle the class work and the online setting.

Not everyone who can do college-level work at 15 or 18 can handle it in live, online English courses. The online environment adds stresses that other delivery methods don't have.

I require students to complete an application and take a timed writing test on a topic I assign. The test is not so much to see how well students write as for them to see if they are ready for the demands of this Preparatory College Composition class.

I'm a tough, exacting teacher. If students have too many other things going on in their lives to cope with the class demands, I prefer to turn them away. My goal is writing competence, not nervous breakdowns.

Competence is guaranteed

Preparatory College Composition carries my guarantee of competence:

If the student does his/her work as assigned but does not achieve writing competence by the end of 24 weeks, I will continue teaching that student for free until the student does achieve competence (or one of us dies in the attempt.)

What other online English course carries a guarantee like that? I even allowed for an optional 6-week unit in the schedule in case your student needs more practice than the course allows just to show I'm serious about teaching until your student is a competent writer.

If you are so excited by my whiz-bang guarantee that you want to sign up immediately, you can use this button to do that now.

I personally wouldn't sign up without reading the fine print (actually laid out in 12-point type in a detailed prospectus) but it's your call.

Grading: C is for competence

Students' grades for the course are determined entirely by the quality of their written work. I teach students to competence level.

When students meet the course standards on three essays in a row, they earn a C for the course. After that they can earn A's or B's will a little more practice or a little more effort without any help from me. Even if they goof off and do nothing after achieving competence, they still get their C.

Here's the rub. A student cannot become a competent writer by working really hard. To get to competence level, students have to do a moderate amount of work consistently throughout the course.

There is a good reason why you don't see ads "Become a concert pianist in just 28 days!" Skill is developed through practice, whether the skill is playing piano or writing essays.

I apologize if you find my hard-nosed approach to grading offensive; however, that's an issue on which I won't budge. Since I do not teach this online English course for an educational institution, I don't have to inflate student grades to bolster the school's bottom line.

Want to know the hairy details?

I laid out details about the Preparatory College Composition course in a PDF you can download and print. I've tried to make the document as complete as possible, but should you have questions after you read it, there's a link below and in the PDF to a form where you can ask your question.

The PDF includes a link to the course application form, which is a tad different than those for my other online English courses.

If Preparatory College Composition does not fit your needs, perhaps one of my other online English courses would.