Mythology & Folklore

In light of my last post, which focused on being honest in feedback, I feel I can proceed no other way with this post. I am not at all pleased with my my progress in this course. I am averaging earning a C in this class, and if I maintain that to the end of the semester, it will be the first C in my life. I realize that my schedule is considerably fuller than the typical student that takes this course, but I have found that the schedule is too rushed and crowded with small assignments to encourage real creativity. There have been several weeks when I have completed the reading in between all my other schoolwork, (actual) work, parenting work, and housework, but failed to find the time to write a blog post about my thoughts.  I understand and appreciate the concept of helping students to build good study practices by having many assignments with small point values rather than a few assignments with large point values. However, I don't believe that this method lends itsel...

There are few things more valuable to a writer than a great, honest, brutal critic. A theme or message that the writers believes they have implanted in their writing may be completely different than what the reader takes from it. Taking the time and having the opportunity to see your work through a reader's eyes is so helpful. I think in an online college course, though, you get very little chance to hear from someone who really takes an interest in your progress. When each person is required to leave a certain number of posts per week, choosing from a random sample of many  people, the task loses some of its value.  Feedback can be a touchy situation when the critic is trying so hard not to offend or hurt the writer. Likewise, if the writer senses that the critic is just being polite, all value is lost. Many of the comments that I've gotten have been somewhat helpful. The best comments are those that include suggestions and ideas. When leaving feedback myself, I also...