ESL 13 
Fall 2007

Course Objectives
By the end of this course you should have acquired the skills necessary to function effectively in college level courses that require writing. Specifically, you should be at the entrance level for the first year of college English (ENG 111/9).  You should be able to write a multi-paragraph essay which contains:

• an introduction with a main point or thesis
• several paragraphs supporting the thesis
• an effective conclusion
• relatively few language errors that prevent effective communication
• no major errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling that prevent effective communication

Classwork will emphasize improvement of grammar, spelling, and punctuation as well as the writing of a paragraph, several essays and a library project. At midterm and at the end of the semester, some of these essays will be submitted to a portfolio committee for evaluation.  A passing final portfolio is one of the requirements to exit this class.

Course Materials - Bring to class everyday!

• Text: Sentence Skills, Form B, 7th edition, Langan
• Text: Writing Academic English, 4th edition, Oshima & Hogue
• Longman Dictionary of American English
• two 3 1/2" floppy disks or a flash drive, labeled with your name and course
• manila folder for portfolio
• binder or notebook with pockets to keep completed grammar tests and writing assignments
  

Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected, and absences will affect your grade. Remember, you are responsible for any assignments given and material discussed in your absence. While it's important that you notify me if you are abasent, it is your responsibility to check with a classmate to learn what you've missed and to submit the required work to me.   If you miss more than four classes, you cannot pass the course.

Late students disrupt the learning process, and this can be very irritating.  Most of my explanations are given at the beginning of class, and these explanations will not be repeated for late students. You will be marked tardy if you arrive after I have begun speaking.  Three tardies will be equal to one absence. If you are more than fifteen minutes late, you will be marked absent. If you do not return to class after the break, you will be marked with 1/2 an absence.  If you miss a pop quiz because of your tardiness, you will not be allowed to make it up.

Classroom Behavior: Courteousness is expected at all times. This includes turning off all cell phones and beepers during class, and turning off your computer screen when we are not using the computers.  If in doubt about what is appropriate by college (i.e. adult) standards, please consult the NVCC Student Handbook. You will gain more from this class if you actively participate by asking and answering questions.  American higher education is built upon a lively dialogue between the professor and the students.

Honor Policy: Academic dishonesty is unacceptable. Any act of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the course. Academic dishonesty is defined as representing the work, ideas, and/or words of others as your own in any format or providing your work to others. We will be using turnitin.com to verify the originality of all written assignments.   

Course Requirements - This course is divided into two components: grammar and writing/reading. To complete this course with a satisfactory grade, you must pass each component. On writing assignments, a "P" indicates that an assignment has met expected criteria. On grammar tests, a 75% is considered passing. Failure to submit all assigned papers and complete all assigned grammar tests will result in failure of the course. Plagiarized papers may result in a grade of "U" for the course.

Class Binder/Notebook
Each student should purchase a class folder where all writing and grammar tests are to be kept. You should check your folder regularly to be sure that you have completed the required assignments.

Blackboard
We will be using Blackboard, an online course management system.  Blackboard will contain your writing assignment sheets, additional resources, announcements, your daily/grammar quiz grades, and your weekly dialogue journals postings.  During the course of the semester, you are required to login to Blackboard at least once a day to check for any special announcements and reminders.  Checking in daily will be particularly important if you are absent or if classes have been cancelled for any reason. Blackboard keeps detailed statistics on student logins, so I can monitor your online presence.

Homework Assignments
     1. All written formal writing is due in final form at the beginning of class.  If you are absent on the day a written assignment is due, you should email me your work by           4 pm on the day that it is due, or your work will be considered late.
    2.   You are expected to read the assigned chapters in your texts and to do the required exercises before coming to class.
    3.  Failure to submit all assigned papers and all assigned grammar tests will result in failure of the course.
   4. Plagiarized papers may result in a grade of "U" for the course.

The Portfolio Process
In our portfolio process, you will submit your formal writing assignment on the day it is due.  If your assignment is not complete, I will accept it up until the next class meeting, but your work will be marked down for being late. I will accept no formal writing assignments after the one-day extension, and your absence does not exclude you from this rule.  When you receive your assignment that I have reviewed, you will have one week to revise it.  Before you revise it, however, you must complete an error analysis where you list the categories of errors you've made and each specific error within each category.  Then you need to write the rule that governs your correction; this rule can be found in your textbooks and/or online.   You must do this for each of your mistakes.  When you submit your revised essay for me to review for the second time, I will not accept it unless you have completed an error analysis. I will review each essay no more than twice.   After that, if you still need more help, you can visit the Writing Center. 

If your first submission of a formal writing assignment does not address the assignment (probably because you did not understand what you were supposed to do), when you get it back from me, it will say "No Credit."   You will have one week to figure out what you did wrong and re-submit the assignment for credit.  Assignments that I have not reviewed at least once or those that have received any credit cannot be submitted for your portfolio.  Reme,ber, in order to pass the class, you must successfully complete each formal writing, not just those that become a part of your portfolio.  No formal writing assignments are optional, and all must be done sufficiently well enough to receive credit. 

At midterm and the end of the semester, you will submit a portfolio, a collection of your work to be evaluated by the Portfolio Committee.   Each essay in your midterm portfolio will be evaluated individually as passing or failing based on its content, organization, and language use.  However, work in your final portfolio will be evaluated holistically and rated between 1-4.  Final portfolio scores of 1-2 are not passing, while scores of 3 - 4 are passing.

Grading
S = Satisfactory - Student has met the course requirements.

• Student's final portfolio has passed with a score of 3 or 4
• Student has satisfactorily completed each and every formal writing assignments 
• Student has a grammar/daily average of 75% or better
• Student's attendance and class participation are satisfactory - no more than four absences
• Student's work in Blackboard is satisfactory

R = Re-enroll - Student is making satisfactory progress towards meeting the course requirements but needs more time to compete them. Student must register for ESL 13 again to complete the course.

U = Unsatisfactory - Student has excessive absences and/or work is unacceptable or incomplete. Student must take ESL 13 again.

W = Withdraw - Students may withdraw themselves without grade penalty until October 29.

Submission of Papers: We will write several formal essays during this term. Each of these must be submitted in final form. Final form consists of:

• Typed in 12 point font
• Double spaced
• On one side of 8.5x11 inch white paper
• Stapled in the upper left-hand corner
• Follows MLA Guidelines
• Contains your name, course, professor, and the date in the upper right-hand corner of the first page only (single spaced)
• Contains all your work, including assignment sheet, pre-writing, outline, one rough draft that you have reviewed, essay checklist, and most recent final copy in chronological order with the assignment sheet on the bottom and most recent draft on the top.
• Late Papers:  I will accept papers up to one class meeting after their due date; however, your grade will be lowered. All papers you submit for you midterm and/or final portfolio must have been reviewed at least once by me and given credit before they can appear in your portfolio.

Turnitin Submissions
Each formal writing assignment must be submitted to turnitin.com before you can submit it for my review.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you have done this before coming to class on the day an assignment is due.  I will not review an essay that has not been submitted to turnitin.

Early Registration -  Only those students who have high passing grades in both writing and grammar will be allowed to register early for the next semester.

Computer Lab - In addition to using the computers in our classroom, you are welcome to use the open computer lab at the end of the second floor of the Waddell building.  The lab is open seven days a week; please check with the assistants regarding its operating hours.

Writing Center - Room LR 135   Call for an appointment: (703) 450-2511
The Writing Center offers free one-on-one tutoring and provides you with advice on your writing's content and organization. Please keep in mind this is not an editorial service.

Eng 199  is a one-credit course that requires a weekly tutoring session with a writing tutor.  The tutor helps you with your writing for ESL 13 and any other classes.  If you are repeating ESL 13 or if you struggle with writing academic English, you should register for this course immediately so that your chances of passing ESL 13 are improved. 

If you have a disability that requires class and/or testing accommodations, please meet with me privately during the first week of class to discuss the issue.

Debbie's Desk

Last revised: Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Comments to: Debbie Naquin