English 111 College Composition I
(English 12/ Dual Enrollment)
Fall 2015
Course Syllabus
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Instructor: Lara Alt, NVCC DE Adjunct
Email: lara.alt@lcps.org
Description:
English 111 is a 3-credit college course that introduces students to critical thinking and the
fundamentals of academic writing. Through the writing process, students refine topics; develop and
support ideas; investigate, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate resources; edit for effective style
and usage; and determine appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Writing activities will include exposition and argumentation with at least one researched essay.
English 111 will prepare students for all other expected college writing and for writing in the
workplace through understanding the writing process and creation of effective texts.
Prerequisites:
Students must achieve satisfactory scores on placement tests or SATs as established by the VCCS and
adopted by their college, or have satisfactorily completed either ENF 1 or ENF 2, depending on where
the student was placed.
Course Objectives:
Goal One: The Process of Writing
English 111 will help students understand that writing is a process that develops through experience
and varies among individuals.
Objectives
• Students will engage in all phases of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing,
and reflecting.
• Students will incorporate reading and experience into their writing processes.
Goal Two: Critical Thinking for Writing
English 111 will develop students’ ability to analyze and investigate ideas and to present them in wellstructured prose appropriate to the purpose and audience.
Objectives
• Students will competently read, summarize, and respond to college-level texts—their own
and others'—of varying lengths.
• Students will create unified, coherent, well-developed texts that demonstrate a self-critical
awareness of rhetorical elements such as purpose, audience, and organization.
• Students will appropriately employ grammatical and mechanical conventions in the
preparation of readable manuscripts.
• Students will learn, in the course of completing a research paper, how to use and evaluate
outside sources of information, incorporate and document source material appropriately, and
avoid plagiarism.
• Students will produce a minimum of 15-20 pages of finished, graded text, including at least
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one documented, research-based essay.
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English 111 College Composition I
(English 12/ Dual Enrollment)
Fall 2015
Course Syllabus
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Virginia Grade 12 SOL Standards:
Through the English 111 curriculum in the fall semester and the English 112 curriculum in the spring,
the following Virginia Standards of Learning for high school grade 12 will be emphasized:
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
12.8
The student will make a formal oral presentation in a group or individually.
The student will examine how values and points of view are included or excluded and how
media influences beliefs and behaviors.
The student will apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative language to
extend vocabulary development in authentic texts.
The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British literature and
literature of other cultures.
The student will read and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts.
The student will develop expository and informational, analyses, and
persuasive/argumentative writings.
The student will write, revise, and edit writing.
The student will write documented research papers.
Classroom Guidelines and Expectations:
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Blackboard. All assignments will be posted on Blackboard. We will also use Blackboard to turn
in several of the writing assignments using Safe Assign. As this is a lab-based, writing course,
you will be expected to write during scheduled lab time as well as outside of class. It is your
responsibility to check Blackboard to retrieve assignments and be aware of due dates.
Materials. The following are required in this English class:
o A notebook dedicated to English 111/112. This notebook will be either spiral-bound
with folders for handouts or a loose-leaf binder with tabs for handouts. Please note:
individual sheets or scraps of paper, even if safely stored in a back pocket, are neither
acceptable nor satisfactory.
o At least one working blue or black ink pen.
o A jump drive is recommended.
o Books and handouts will be provided and are listed below.
Essays: Required Format
o Typed and double spaced and saved in .doc or .docx format.
o 12 Point Times New Roman
o A right header on each page containing the student’s last name and page number.
o A title centered above the introductory paragraph on your first page.
Classroom Etiquette:
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This is a college course, and you are expected to behave like a college student. This means
refraining from all distracting behavior including participating in irrelevant discussions, using
personal electronic devices, and completing work for another class.
As this is a computer lab, food and drink will not be permitted in the classroom.
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English 111 College Composition I
(English 12/ Dual Enrollment)
Fall 2015
Course Syllabus
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Instructional Materials (subject to availability):
Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. Print.
Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. The Bedford Reader. 10th ed. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.
Wyrick, Jean. Steps to Writing Well. 11th ed. Independence, KY: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
NVCC Grading Scale:
A = 100 - 90
B = 89 - 80
C = 79 - 70
D = 69 - 60
F = 59 and below
Note: The NVCC grading scale does not use pluses or minuses. In terms of percentages, it is the same
as the Loudoun County grading scale. On your Loudoun County transcript, the grade will reflect the
Loudoun County grading scale. A grade of 91, thus, will be an A-.
Loudoun County Grading Scale
A+ 98-100
A- 93-97
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
F 0-59
Year grade for English 12 DE:
The student’s year grade for English 12DE is the average of the four quarter grades. Each of these
grades is weighted at 25% of the year grade.
Note: English 111 and English 112 are, through Northern Virginia Community College,
semester courses. You will receive a separate grade, and three college credits, for the
successful completion of each course. The grade for English 111 does not affect the grade for
English 112. By Northern Virginia Community College guidelines, a dual enrollment student
must earn a grade of C or higher in English 111 to continue to English 112.
Academic Honesty:
All students are expected to complete their own work. Neither cheating nor plagiarism will be
tolerated. If you are found cheating or plagiarizing you will receive a grade of 0 and the incident will be
reported to the department and dean. According to the NOVA Student Handbook, “Academic
dishonesty cannot be condoned. When such misconduct is established as having occurred, it subjects
you to possible disciplinary actions ranging from admonition to dismissal, along with any grade penalty
the instructor might, in appropriate cases, impose. Procedural safeguards of due process and appeal
are available to you in disciplinary matters.” Official sanctions become part of your NOVA record.
See Section VII of the Student Handbook (http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/policies-forms/student-handbook/) for more information about this policy.
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English 111 College Composition I
(English 12/ Dual Enrollment)
Fall 2015
Course Syllabus
GRADING BREAKDOWN:
1st Quarter:
Close Reading (1)
Paper 1* (College Essay)
Paper 2* (Documented Essay)
Paper 3* (Division /Analysis OR Classification)
Writing Workshops (3)
Quizzes (Readings, Grammar, Writing Strategies)
Class Participation
Portfolio Reflection (Goal Setting)
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50 points
100 points
150 points
100 points
60 points
80 points
20 points
10 points
2nd Quarter:
Close Reading 2 (Posted on Discussion Board)
50 points
Paper 4* (Definition OR Example)
150 points
Paper 5* (Speeches and Technical Writing)
150 points
Paper 6* (Webtext: Compare and Contrast/Cause and Effect) 250 points
Writing Workshops (3)
60 points
Quizzes (Readings, Grammar, Writing Strategies)
80 points
Class Participation
10 points
Portfolio Reflection
20 points
First Semester Journals
50 points
*Must be submitted to Safe Assign.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Points/assignments are subject to change)
How to turn in papers:
 Safe Assign: As part of the writing process, you will submit your papers to Safe Assign, a data
check similar to Turnitin.com. Safe Assign is found on NOVA’s Blackboard site. Instructions for
using Safe Assign will be provided. Papers will also be printed and turned in to the instructor.
 Due Dates: Papers must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day they are due or
they are considered late. That means that students should print their paper by the time the
bell rings and/or submit to Safe Assign before class on the due date. Even though we are in a
computer lab, you should plan ahead and make sure that you have printed your paper before
class so that you can meet the deadline.
 Late papers: Late papers will be docked 10% for each day they are late, up to 40% off (max of
60/D- on a perfect assignment). If you have a legitimate emergency and need to make
arrangements for an extension, do so before the due date. Late papers will be accepted up to
one week beyond the due date if they are accompanied by written proof of your emergency. If
the student has an excused absence from English class but is present for any other portion of
the school day, the student must turn in the English assignment on the scheduled due date in
order for it to be graded at full credit.
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English 111 College Composition I
(English 12/ Dual Enrollment)
Fall 2015
Course Syllabus
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Revisions: All students will be allowed at least one revision, but no more than three revisions,
on formal essays/papers. Revisions are accepted only from students who turned their initial
assignment in on time. The student will earn the higher/better grade on a revision when it is
evident that the student initially put forth his/her best effort on draft one AND worked to
learn from and improve subsequent drafts. Note: Students will be allowed up to one week
from the day a paper is returned to submit a revision.
Attendance:
Attendance is extremely important in any college class. As per LCPS policy, students have one class to
make up any missed work for each class missed. Note: Writing Workshops cannot be made up, so plan
to attend or see me in advance if Writing Workshop must be missed. If a student is absent, Blackboard
MUST be checked. Blackboard contains the information and assignments essential to student success.
Special Services:
To the extent allowable by NVCC, students with IEPs or 504 plans will receive the accommodations
specified in those IEPs or 504 plans. It should be noted that such modifications will NOT include
excusing students from completing the minimum page requirement for the class specified by the
university.
Drop Date:
The last date to drop is October 19, 2015. If you are not proving successful in this college course due
to its rigor or personal issues, the course can be dropped by the above date. Your school will not be
billed for your participation in the course. With your agreement, your teacher will send an e-mail with
this request to the DE Registrar. If a transferrable course, you must be removed from the course. If
non-transferable, you can take the high school only credit and remain in the course.
Withdraw Date:
The last date to withdraw is December 11, 2015. If you missed the drop deadline, you may also be
withdrawn from the course. A withdraw places a W on your college transcript but does not impact
your college GPA. To be withdrawn, with your permission, your DE Instructor will complete the DE
withdraw form and send to the DE Registrar. Please note, a “W” on a college transcript may impact
your ability to secure financial aid in the future!
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