Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | ENG-1015-VO01S - English for Academic Purposes

Synchronous Class

Synchronous courses are delivered through a combination of online and regularly-scheduled Zoom sessions. In synchronous classes, students must attend Zoom sessions and actively engage with each other and faculty in course activities and discussions.

Faculty

Gilberto Diaz Santos
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Candace Lewis

General Education Requirements

VSCS Humanistic Perspectives

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an examination of the English language as used in an academic setting. Students will acquire and demonstrate reading, writing, and listening skills appropriate to post-secondary institutions in the United States. This course provides an introduction to the classroom culture, pedagogy, expectations, history, and design of English-speaking academic institutions, and is designed for non-native speakers of English.

Essential Objectives

1. Recognize and consistently apply the English language in a post-secondary academic setting.
2. Describe basic features, traditions, and elements of daily academic life in the United States.
3. Apply learned vocabulary, grammatical, and organizational structures to write academic papers.
4. Read and interpret materials from diverse academic disciplines and use English to demonstrate their comprehension, reflect on their reading, and apply their insights to other contexts.
5. Employ vocabulary and grammatical structures of the English language in verbal and written expression to: a. Communicate and solicit academic information, including program/major, course schedule, learning resources (texts, library, learning assistance), program requirements, and habits of success. b. Participate in complex interpersonal exchanges associated with success in academic institutions. c. Identify and comprehend academic jargon necessary for success in higher education. d. Describe essential elements of academic life including, but not limited to, the connection between class and independent work, necessary level of investment, progression of courses from introductory to advanced, and the scaffolding and trajectory of educational institutions in the United States (primary school, secondary school, advanced certificates, Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate). e. Demonstrate the ability to recall information and recombine it using their own words in order to respond effectively to questions on selected academic topics. f. Examine cultural conventions in the American classroom such as rhetorical norms, linear and evidence-based arguments, debate, and disagreement.
6. Explain and apply cultural conventions regarding citation and academic honesty, including plagiarism, as practiced in US institutions.
7. Explore self-expression and professional identity in academic writing in American institutions of higher education.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

This class will meet on Zoom every Tuesday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Typical activities of this course are:

• Reading assignments with quiz-type comprehension questions
• Mini-lectures - through PowerPoint presentations, and video tutorials
• Pair-work and small group activities
• Discussion forums
• Writing assignments
• Portfolio project

Students are expected to complete a number of online activities (readings and assignments) in preparation for the weekly in-person meetings.

Evaluation Criteria

Graded assignments will be weighted in the following way:

• Graded activities and quizzes 40%
• Activities (to be completed) before the weekly class 30%
• Portfolio project (equivalent to final exam) 20%
• Participation in online discussions 10%

Some other practice activities and quizzes will be graded as well, but their score will not impact (negatively) the final grades.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

All meetings will require that you do some previous work and come prepared to the weekly class. If you do not do this work in advance, you will feel pretty lost in class.

Meetings start at 6:00 pm. Please, make sure to log on to Canvas and Zoom before that time, and that you have Canvas activities and reading texts open in different windows.

In order to be marked present, you need to appear on camera for most of the class period.

Since you will be doing a lot of writing and re-writing in this course, I recommend that you:

(1) use a computer or tablet, and not a cellphone;

(2) compose your drafts offline in a Word document and keep copies of your versions; quite often we will reuse those drafts/versions;

(3) use Grammarly to review your draft before you upload it to Canvas. This will help you avoid typical mistakes in spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and capitalization. Open a free account at https://www.grammarly.com it will help you not only with your writing for this course but with other documents you will need to write for other purposes.

While we encourage the use of Grammarly and other tools to avoid language mistakes that non-native speakers of English normally make, the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) -such as ChatGPT- or translation apps -like Google Translate- are not allowed in this course, as it rests in the value of developing your skills to communicate in English.

I generally review and grade assignments on Mondays before our next meeting. If you have an urgent question or need to communicate with me, do not hesitate to send me an email. I will respond in less than 48 hours.

I am also open to meeting with you in-person in Winooski on weekdays and on zoom on weekends. If you want to meet on a Saturday or Sunday, we need to coordinate this well in advance - I have other professional and personal interests...and a family life... outside CCV.

Missing & Late Work Policy

In preparation for a class, you will be assigned either PREP or APPLY learning activities. These activities will be announced in class and published on Tuesdays (after the class).

Most deadlines will be Tuesdays at 5:50 pm. This means that assignments will be locked 10 minutes before the class. Make sure that you have at least an hour and a half to complete assignments for the next class, especially if you do this work on Mondays.

Late work will not be accepted, especially with PREP activities. It makes no sense to unlock an activity, especially if the answer has already been published. However, you can discuss with me submitting late work under the APPLY category or resubmitting improved work.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity