Course Syllabus

Spring 2023 | 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: Ashraf Alamatouri

General Education Requirements

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

Methods

This class will meet on Zoom every Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Typical activities of this course are:

• Reading assignments with quiz-type comprehension questions
• Mini-lectures - via Zoom, 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

Weekly meetings start at 3:00 pm. Please make sure that your Canvas course is open and that you have logged on to Zoom before that time.

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

Note that each meeting requires some previous work to be completed.

This course will require quite a bit of writing. I recommend that: (1) you use a computer or tablet and not a cellphone; and (2) you compose your draft offline and use Grammarly to revise it before you submit it through Canvas.

Missing & Late Work Policy

In preparation for a class, you will be assigned either PREP or APPLY learning activities. that will be published on Fridays (after the class). Please, note that most deadlines will be Thursdays at 2:50 pm. In other words, assignments will be locked 10 minutes before the class), so make sure you have enough time to complete them.

Late work will not be accepted, especially with PREP activities. 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