Heartland Community College
Course Syllabus
Course Prefix and Number: ENGL 099.14
Course Title: Composition I Companion: Writing, Reading, and Reasoning
CREDIT HOURS: 3
DAYS AND TIMES THE COURSE MEETS: M/W, 7:30-8:45 P.M., ICB 2801
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructors name: Dirk Wethington
Phone number to contact instructor: N/A
Instructor e-mail address: d.wethington@gmail.com
Location of instructor’s office & office hours: N/A but willing to meet by appointment
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on English placement exam or successful completion of
ENGL 094 with a grade of C or better. Concurrent enrollment in READ 091 is strongly
recommended. A companion course that offers writing and learning support for students in a
related section of ENGL 101. Course grades will be determined in part by writing
assignments and language convention skills assessments.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:
 Connect Composition Essentials 3.0: an online learning management system.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY: ENGL 094, 095, 099 are designed to enhance students' academic
performance for other college courses for which they are currently under prepared, as
indicated by their performance on HCC's English placement exam or the review of approved
documents. Credit earned from successful completion of this course (or other developmental
course) is not calculated into students' HCC GPA, will not apply toward degree or certificate
requirements, nor will it transfer to other colleges or universities. However, some institutions
calculate admissions GPA using grades from all courses, including developmental courses.
NOTICE OF CANCELED CLASS SESSIONS: Cancelled class sessions, for all HCC classes,
will be listed under Cancelled Class Meetings in the A-Z Index and under Academic Information
in the Current Students page on the HCC Web site. Go
to http://www.heartland.edu/classCancellations/ to learn what classes have been cancelled for
that day and the upcoming week. Be sure to check the last column, which might contain a
message from the instructor.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: Class time will be divided between in-class activities,
discussions, small group work, writing activities, and online language conventions work.
ENGL 099 LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Course Outcomes
General
Range of Assessment Methods
Education
Outcome
1. Identify strengths and
PS 1
 Language conventions
weaknesses in their
quizzes
understanding of language
 Learning Management
conventions (LC) including
Systems exercises
grammar, spelling,
 Individualized study
punctuation, and MLA
plans
documentation and
 NoodleBib assignments
formatting.
 Writing assignments
2. Effectively manage writing
CT 1
 In-class activities
projects including
 In-class participation
understanding requirements;
 Class discussion and
setting and revising goals;
activities
thinking critically; and
 Pre- and Post-Surveys of
solving rhetorical problems.
students’ opinions and
3. Demonstrate responsibility
knowledge about writing
for their own learning
 Tutoring Services and/or
including attending class;
Writing Center
completing required work;
participation
identifying what they do not

Group activities
know; and framing useful
including peer response
questions to help them move

Conferences with
forward.
instructor, advisors,
4. Demonstrate successful
CO 1
librarians
writing strategies including
writing to learn, inventing
ideas, revising, and editing
drafts.
5. Work interdependently with
DI 1
others to support their
writing and learning goals.
CO 1 (Communications Outcome 1): “Students compose a message and provide ideas and
information suitable to the topic, purpose, and audience.”
DI 1 (Diversity Outcome 1): “Students are receptive to beliefs and values that differ from their
own.”
PS 1 (Problem Solving Outcome 1): “Students solve problems based on examples and
frameworks provided by instructor.”
CT 1 (Critical Thinking Outcome 1): “Students gather knowledge, apply it to a new situation,
and draw reasonable conclusions in ways that demonstrate comprehension.”
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
 Language conventions including grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage, mechanics, and
documentation
 Read, write, and discuss texts
 Practice writing strategies
 Manage writing projects
 Accept personal responsibility
 Develop interdependence skills
 Support ENGL 101 assignments
 Advising and enrollment support
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
ENGL 099 and ENGL 101 are companion courses, but they are also separate courses. You will
earn a grade for each course.
Assessment Method
% of final grade
Learning Journals
40 %
In-class Activities including language
60%
conventions instruction
TOTAL
100 %
A = 92-100%
B = 83-91%
C = 74-82%
D = 65-73%
F = Below 65%
NOTE: Your enrollment in any course that requires concurrent ENGL 101 enrollment will be
affected by your standing in ENGL 099. For instance, if you drop ENGL 099, you must also then
drop ENGL 101 AND any course (like Sociology, Business, History, etc.) that requires
concurrent enrollment in ENGL 101.
PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE:
Your participation in ENGL 099 is crucial to your success not only in your ENGL 101 class
but in all the courses that require concurrent ENGL 101 enrollment. If you stop attending
ENGL 099 and are therefore dropped from the course, you will also be required to drop
the non-English courses that require concurrent ENGL 101 enrollment (e.g. Psychology,
History, etc.).
Consistent tardiness may count as an absence. If you miss more than three weeks of class, you
may be dropped.
MIDTERM WITHDRAWAL POLICY:
Students are expected to attend all classes and meaningfully participate each day. Any student
who does not make reasonable attempts to successfully complete all course activities (exams,
homework, quizzes, etc.), may be withdrawn from the course at midterm.
However, if any of the following situations apply, the student will be automatically withdrawn
by the end of week eight:
 was absent for any two consecutive weeks without appropriate notice
 has more than five unexcused absences
 Did not complete at least 60% of assignments
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING: Students are required to complete at least five
written, reflective assignments called Learning Journals, and any other assignments given by the
instructor. Students will read from the textbook and the Connect website. You will be assigned
about six hours of work per week in addition to class time hours.
LEARNING JOURNALS: An important part of the learning process is reflection and
evaluation. As you move through college, you will experience successes and failures (or
“learning opportunities”). Expect both. To help you along the road of learning about writing, the
most important thing is to think about where you are, how you got there, and what you should do
to keep moving forwards. That’s where the Learning Journal assignments can help.
Each week or so, your assignment is to think about a particular aspect of your writing. The
purpose of these learning journal entries is to encourage you to reflect not only on what you are
learning and relearning but on how you are learning it. As you progress through the assignments,
don’t worry if your responses overlap or if you feel one question has already been answered in
your response to an earlier question. Eventually you can look for recurring themes to identify
your writing preferences and strengths.
For each learning journal assignment, be sure to include all the required components. Your
teacher may assign a specific page length, but you will need to write at least 250-500 words for
each Learning Journal. Each one should be typed. After you write each essay, proofread it, and
correct any grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
CONNECT ACHIEVE: Throughout the semester, you will work on Achieve, a grammar
program via the Connect website. You will access Achieve through Blackboard. The purpose of
Achieve is to address gaps in your knowledge of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics.
Each student will have an individualized, interactive plan that is created based on his or her
grammar strengths and weaknesses.
SYLLABI DISCLAIMER: This syllabus is subject to change. Any changes will be discussed
in class.