English 111/9

Heiges/Jeddy

Class Information
 

 Assignments    Home

Class website:  http://www.learn.vccs.edu (Blackboard)

Course Description:  This course constitutes the first semester of the freshman English sequence, including expository writing ranging from single paragraphs to essays of some length and complexity.  The class sessions will be organized as writing workshops in the computer lab, LW221.  Students will enhance their critical reading skills by peer evaluation and will also gain writing proficiency by means of conferences, group projects, and written feedback.  Written work will be evaluated by means of a portfolio of writing.

Objectives:  To enable a student to

• Develop the student’s ability to write clear expository prose and, for this purpose, to provide the student extensive practice in writing assignments of varying lengths.
• Develop student’s ability to read with an understanding of meaning and structure.
• Encourage the student to think logically and independently, and to express ideas and opinions with force and clarity.
• Develop the student’s ability to investigate and to write about the ideas and argumentative strategies of others
• Develop the student’s familiarity with diction, usage, and syntax, and to strengthen vocabulary
• Explore and develop writing processes of planning, drafting, revising, and editing and to be aware of a purpose in writing.

Course Materials:   You must buy  the following materials and bring them to each class meeting.
  College Writing Skills 8th edition, John Langan

  USB key/flash drive

Overview:  This class is scheduled as a HYBRID course.  A hybrid combines traditional classroom work with independent online assignments.  In addition to being a hybrid, you will have the benefit of two instructors.  For this course, 50% will be face to face instruction in the classroom with Dr. Heiges every Wednesday.  The other 50% will consist of using Blackboard to complete assignments at a location convenient to you and sent to Ms. Jeddy by a specific deadline.  Each week, the textbook homework and online writing assignment will be posted on the Blackboard website for the course.  When a writing assignment is due, you will need to complete and submit it to Blackboard on the due date and make revisions before resubmitting to class for review by Dr. Heiges.  You will also have online grammar assessments that need to be completed according to the week each grammar chapter is scheduled.  Be sure to check the Blackboard website daily for homework information and special updates.

Attendance: 

·   Attend all class meetings.  Absences will lower your class grade.

·   Do not schedule appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.) during class time.

·   Email your instructor before class if you have an emergency.

·   Get information about assignments through Blackboard if you’re absent.

·   If you do not attend class for two consecutive weeks and/or do not submit any assignments for two consecutive weeks, your class grade will be lowered.

·   After March 23 (last day to withdraw without grade penalty) if you stop attending without notifying the instructors, you will receive a grade of “F.”

Participation: 

·   Actively take part in class work, group work, and class discussions.

·   Complete assigned activities by due dates.  Late assignments will lower your class grade.

·   Act like a college student.

·   Use computers for classwork only.

·   Do NOT use cell phones or any other type of electronic communication devices in class.

Communication

It is important for you to communicate with your teachers.  Outside of class, you can use office hours or email your teachers to discuss any questions or problems.  College policy states that you must use your Novamail to discuss school related issues.  When you email your instructor, be sure to include your full name, your class and be specific about what information you need (for example, test or assignment name).  You can expect a response to your email within 24 hours.  Always use courteous and appropriate language when communicating with your instructors or classmates.

Grammar:  Over the semester, you will complete several grammar chapters from the textbook.  The due dates are listed on the schedule page.  Each grammar chapter must be completed before you come to class.  After you review the material in class, you will take a Mastery Test on which you must score 70% or higher.  If you score less than 70%, you will restudy the chapter and then retake another Mastery Test.  All Mastery Tests are on Blackboard and may not be taken more than twice.

Essays:  Writing assignments and their due dates are listed on the schedule page and the Blackboard website.  Assignment requirements can be found on Blackboard.  All papers must be new and original material written specifically for this course.  Short essays should be approximately two pages in length. The review sheet, worksheet, all prewriting and rough drafts must be stapled behind your finished paper for each assignment or it will not be evaluated.  Overdue first drafts will not be accepted after March 23.  Late papers will cause your class grade to be lowered.  Failure to submit an essay will cause your class grade to be lowered.

All papers must have proper formatting:

• typed in Word

• 12 point font in Times New Roman

• double-spaced

• appropriate heading

• centered title

Revisions:  In this class, you will learn two types of revision:  content with Ms. Jeddy and grammatical with Dr. Heiges.  No paper is finished until BOTH of these revisions are complete.

Submitting Papers:  For a paper to be complete, you must follow these steps for each writing assignment.

1) First Draft: Your paper must be submitted to Blackboard by the due date listed on the schedule.

2) Revision 1:  By the next Wednesday class, Ms. Jeddy will return your paper with suggestions for content revision; you must revise your paper accordingly and bring it to class by the next Wednesday with the worksheet, all rough drafts and prewriting attached behind the second draft.

3) Revision 2:  Dr. Heiges will review your revised paper and return a copy to you in class.  Then you must make final edits to the paper.  The final draft must be submitted within two weeks with all the other drafts, worksheet and prewriting attached.

Your paper is not complete until you have finished the first draft and two revisions. If your paper is still not satisfactory, you are allowed a third revision.

Research Paper:  You will be required to write a documented argumentative research paper of five pages.  The work on the paper must be completed in stages over the semester as outlined in the schedule.  On each due date, the work must be submitted in class, not to Blackboard.  Research papers will only be accepted for final evaluation if you have shown Dr. Heiges, when due, the various stages of development in writing your paper and have attended the required conferences.  The final draft of the research paper must be submitted to Blackboard on the due date.  The research paper is a major portion of your final portfolio.  Therefore, it is your responsibility to complete the work when due in order to produce a well-developed and well-edited final paper.  A research paper that does not adhere to the requirements and is not well-edited will cause your final portfolio grade and final class grade to be lowered.

In-Class Writing:  During the semester you will write three papers totally in class.  During one class period, you will write the first draft, save it to a disk and hand in a hard copy.  During another class period, you will be given back your first draft to make revisions and print off a final copy to hand in.  All work on these papers must be done in the classroom.

Writing Portfolio:  At midterm, you will submit two papers (including an in-class writing) for evaluation.  For the final portfolio, you will submit two different papers (including a different in-class writing), the research paper, and a reflective letter to create a final portfolio.  This final portfolio comprises 70% of your grade for the course.  Specific requirements for each portfolio are on Blackboard.

Grading:  

In this course you are responsible for creating your own grade.  The course is set up as a workshop without official grading during the semester but just writing and feedback from the instructors.  Since we are required to give you a final letter grade, we will determine your final grade by means of a portfolio of writing and class participation.

The objective of this class is to create a culture of support where we function as allies rather than adversaries and where you cooperate with classmates rather than compete with them.  Conventional grading often leads students to think more about grades than about writing, to worry more about pleasing the instructor than to figure out what you really want to say or how you want to say it—to be reluctant to take risks with your writing.

Grading Requirements:  Fulfilling the following requirements during the semester will guarantee you a B for your final grade:

·   Meet course requirements on lateness, attendance and participation

·   Hand in assignments on time to Blackboard and to class as outlined in the three step process

·   Submit content revisions to class within two weeks of the date a paper is returned to you (with all prewriting and rough drafts attached)

·   Use class computers for class activities—no recreational use during class

·   Complete research paper in assigned stages and attend required conferences as outlined in the schedule

·   Revise significantly all final versions of papers—not just touching them up.  All papers must be revised according to the three step process.

·   Type and copy-edit all final drafts of papers (free from major mistakes in spelling and grammar)

·   Pass all grammar tests with a score of 70% or higher

·   Turn in on time the midterm and final portfolios and pass the final portfolio

Please Note:  If you do not submit a midterm and final portfolio, you will receive a grade of F.  If you do not submit a research paper, you will receive a grade of F.  Failure to turn in an essay will lower your final letter grade.

Documents will be judged on professional appearance and grammatical accuracy as well as on content.  An A grade means you have met the B requirements more fully. 

                        Portfolio of Writing      70%

                        Class Participation      30%

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of copying the ideas or exact words of someone else’s work and presenting them as your own without acknowledging the source.  This includes copying from a variety of sources, such as Internet sites, books, magazines, or even another student’s paper.  Plagiarism is unacceptable in a college course and will seriously affect your standing in this class.  A first time offense will receive a warning; repeated offenses may result in more severe penalties, such as receiving a 0 for the assignment or a U for the course.  For more information on the college’s policy on academic dishonesty, go to http://www.nvcc.edu/curcatalog/admin/academic.htm

Writing Center:  The Writing Center is located in LR, right outside the library and provides free trained tutors to assist with English assignments (understanding reading topics and writing/revising papers.  Hours are posted on the door of the center, located in the Reynolds building.

College Closings

In the event of bad weather, you should login to the class website on Blackboard and check the Announcements page for information about school closing or class cancellation.  For emergency situations at the campus, you should check the NOVA website for closing information.

If you have a disability of which I need to be aware (for class and/or testing accommodations), please meet with me privately to discuss it.  More information about the college’s disability policy can be found at http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/disability-services/

Last revised:  Wednesday, December 28, 2011
email:  Heather Jeddy