Rochelle Davis rdavis59@ valenciacollege.edu
Class Time: ___________
Class Meeting Days: _______
 Course Objectives
ENC025C is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for success in college-level writing courses. These skills will include choosing suitable topics for essays; gathering and organizing ideas; and composing, revising and editing essays which conform to the rules of standard written English.
 Core Competencies
The specific competencies that students are expected to develop in this course are directly related to Valencia’s core competencies: Think, Value, Communicate and Act. Please refer to the
Valencia College catalog for a complete explanation of these competencies .
 Required Texts
Focus on Writing: Paragraphs and Essays by Laurie G Kirszner and Stephen R Mandell. Second
Edition
College Level Dictionary
 Required Materials o 6 Blue examination booklets for essay tests o Standard loose-leaf paper for assignments not prepared on a word processor o Blue/Black ink for all in-class writing, pencils o 2 Green Scan-trons (available in the bookstore) o Reliable electronic storage for all writing assignments
– a USB drive is required for saving documents word processed in our lab
 Course Requirements
Successful completion of this course will be determined in part by state mandated college-wide testing of your writing skills. The testing will be done in one format. You will be asked to write an impromptu essay, which will be read and evaluated by two instructors in the English Department other than your regular instructor. From that writing sample, the evaluators will make a judgment as to whether you have acquired the minimum writing competency required for entry into Freshman
Composition I. The minimum passing grade on this essay is a 3. The test lasts 50 minutes and will be conducted at the end of the semester. In order to pass the course, you must pass the state-
mandated test AND pass the class with a C (70%) or better. Considerable practice in writing and revising essays is absolutely necessary in order for any student to be ready to pass this exit exam.
All assignments for this course are designed to prepare students to meet the standards by which the exit essays will be judged. The state exit test is only one of the course requirements.

 Lab
In ENC025C, classroom instruction is supplemented with lab work – intensive and individualized skill-building practice. We also have a lab
– the Communications Center in 5 – 15 -- which is both a computer lab and a writing center. In the Communications Center, students may work on their writing assignments (a particularly important kind of “lab work”), drill particular problem areas of English grammar, and get assistance from composition instructors and professional tutors.
The Communication Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 7 PM, on Friday from 8 AM to12 PM, and on Saturday 9 AM to 2 PM. It is an open lab, so students can have great flexibility in scheduling their lab time according to their individual needs and around changes in their non-academic schedules (on a seat available basis, of course). The Writing Center is available for students who would like a “fresh pair of eyes” in completing an out of class essay. The Writing
Center is run on an appointment system
– 3 per week, 1 per day – and is highly recommended for students needing one on one help. The hours of operation for the Writing Center are Monday through
Thursday from 10AM to 7PM, Friday 8AM to 12PM and Saturday 9AM to 2PM.
The amount of time which a student spends in the lab will vary, depending primarily on individual progress in demonstrating competence with the rules of standard written English and on individual needs for the services and computers available in the lab. Generally speaking, the lab is the best place for students to complete most of their out-of-class work.
 Classroom Protocol
Turn off your cell phone or put it on silent when entering class. Please refrain from texting in class. Drinks are permitted, as long as they have a cap. It goes without saying that If you make a mess, you have to clean it up. However, the class is conducted in a classroom, not a cafeteria.
Refrain from eating in class during lecture or group work. This class will have a ten minute or so break around the half-time mark; during this time, you can eat, walk around, make a quick call, pick something up from your car that you forgot, etc. This is the only time I will permit this activity.
Remember that some people are attending class directly after work and may not have had time to pick up a snack. Eating a sandwich or whatever in front of a hungry person isn’t nice, and I won’t teach someone who is eating in front of me.
 Expected Student Conduct
Valencia College is dedicated not only to the advancement of knowledge and learning but is concerned with the development of responsible personal and social conduct. By enrolling at Valencia
College, a student assumes the responsibility with becoming familiar with and abiding by the general rules of conduct. The primary responsibility for managing the classroom environment rests with the faculty. Students who engage in any prohibited or unlawful acts that result in disruption of a class may be directed by the faculty to leave the class. Violation of any classroom or Valencia’s rules may lead to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from Valencia. Disciplinary action could include being withdrawn from class, disciplinary warning, probation, suspension, expulsion or other

appropriate and authorized actions. You will find the Student Code of Conduct in the current Valencia
Student Handbook.
 Deadlines
All assignments are due at the beginning of the class period on the specified date. It is advised that you put your homework on my desk immediately after entering to avoid late points.
Absence is not an excuse for late papers. Essays submitted late will be penalized up to one letter grade for each day past date. I will ask for assignments at the beginning of class; if it is not in my hand at that time, then it is considered late.
 Attendance Policy
If a student is not in attendance on the first day of class, he or she may be dropped from the course. In addition, regular, on-time attendance is required of all students at Valencia College; therefore, students who are not able to attend class or to be on time may be officially withdrawn from the course. An excessive absence notification, the first step in the withdrawal process, will be filed for students who have missed two classes. This notification will be sent to the student via his or her atlas email. Due to the accelerated schedule of Summer classes, attendance is absolutely necessary to pass the class. If a student misses three classes, he or she will automatically be withdrawn.
Students who have difficulty attending class because of conflicts with their jobs or personal lives must resolve those conflicts. Students who come to class late or leave early not only jeopardize their own education, but also disrupt the educational process for their colleagues; this kind of disruption is among the distractions that cannot be permitted in this learning environment.
 Grading
The percentage system is in ten point increments. If you wish to ask about your grade, please feel free to ask me before or after class. Remember that your grade is YOUR responsibility. Keep track of your grades!
A: 100- 90 %
B: 89 -80%
C: 79- 70%
D: 69-60%
F: 59 – 0%
Note: Tests are worth 21% of your grade, homework is about 20%, and essays are 59%.

 Format for Writing Assignments
Essays written out of class must be typed, using standard word processing software (i.e
Microsoft Word). Computers are available for all students in the lab on the first floor of the library, and the Communications Center has Microsoft Word installed on all of its computers. You will be given a format to follow for all essay assignments. It is a standard form which is required in most college-level writing courses.
Essays written in class must be written in a blue examination booklet or on lined notebook paper in blue or black ink . You can get these blue books from the Valencia College book store. Homework is to be written in blue or black ink. Homework composed in pencil will not be accepted.
The essay format that you will learn to craft in ENC025C is the traditional five-paragraph essay form. This essay has an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph.
Each paragraph is made up of a minimum of 3 – 5 sentences. If a paragraph does not contain this minimum, then it is not considered a paragraph. Likewise, if an essay is not composed of at least five paragraphs and does not have an introductory and concluding paragraph, then it is not in the correct format required for this class. Points will be taken away for not following this format. There will be other criteria given for a correctly written essay given in class.
A paper that has any “text speak” or short cut language is similarly unacceptable. It is a very bad idea to open an essay like this: “OMG I don’t even know where to start.” Do not do this, or anything similar to it, even if it is what you are thinking! An essay is a formal document that is being read by a professor, not a friend over a cell phone. An example of the formatting for a typed paper accompanies this syllabus.
 Tests
Tardiness is unacceptable in a testing environment. I may not offer a test or an essay prompt to students who arrive late for a class in which a test is scheduled. This is to prepare the student for the final examination, where tardiness will prevent the student from testing.
 The Course Outline
The course outline which accompanies this document is meant to give students the overall plan for course content and a basic schedule for out-of-class assignments. More specific directions for assignments will be part of the classroom instruction, and getting that information is the student’s responsibility. Circumstances may require insignificant changes in the course outline, NOT the syllabus.

 Plagiarism
Each student is expected to be in agreement with the college policy on academic honesty as set forth in the admissions catalog and the student handbook. All work submitted by the student must be the student’s own work. I reserve the right to determine the appropriate penalties for work found to be authored by another hand.
 Emails
I will do my best to respond to emails in a timely manner. You should expect to receive updates and reminders from me throughout the course of the class. So, please check your atlas emails often and regularly.
If you are sending me an email, please type it as if you are sending it in a work environment.
DO NOT COMPOSE A MESSAGE COMPLETELY IN CAPITALS BECAUSE IT TRANSLATES TO
YELLING. I expect a salutation at the beginning of each email and a regards at the end followed by the students name. In the example below, I have italicized a correct form of a salutation in an email, and bolded a correct form for regards.
Professor Davis ,
I have a question on Chapter 1. Can I get some extra help after class on Tuesday?
Thanks,
Your name
This may seem to be common sense, however it is a communication skill that will make people respect you in your chosen career, or when job hunting. One of the skills I want to help you build is to be successful in a college setting and a career setting, and email etiquette is essential in creating a good impression. Please remember to be polite and use Spell Check . If I cannot understand your email, I will not be able to answer your question in the way it deserves.
 Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a letter from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities.
 Withdrawal Deadline
For the Summer Semester, the Withdrawal Deadline for a grade of “W” is June 29th.

Student’s Last Name1
Your Name Here
Professor’s Name
Day/Time Class meets (ex: MW 2:00)
Due date of the paper (ex: 06/03/2034)
Title of Essay. (Be creative!)
The first step in writing an essay is to hit the “TAB” button to indent a paragraph. The space from the left edge of the paper to where you start a paragraph is called an INDENTATION. You also need to make sure that the space between each sentence needs to be set at double. To do this, highlight the text you want double spaced and right click on your mouse. On the drop down menu, look for the tab titled “Paragraph”. This should open another screen. This screen is divided into four sections. In the third section, (titled “Spacing”) find the drop down menu under the words “Line Spacing” and choose “Double”. This should make your paragraph look like this one. Always remember to highlight the text you want to be double spaced. There are multiple ways to get this result out of Microsoft Word, but this is the simplest way.
At the top of the page, you’ll notice there is the word LAST NAME followed by a number 1. To get your paper to look like this, find the word at the very top of your screen titled INSERT. Instead of having the
Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing categories at the top of your page, you should have Pages,
Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header & Footer, Text and Symbols at the top. Under Header & Footer, click
PAGE NUMBER. A drop down menu will appear. Choose Top of the Page. Click Plain Number 3 as your choice. A number should now be at the top of your screen. Type your name before it, and now your formatting is on to a good start. REMEMBER THAT ALL REVISIONS OF IN CLASS ESSAYS AND ALL
ESSAYS ASSIGNED AS HOMEWORK HAVE TO BE TYPED AND FORMATTED THUS SO.
________________________________________________________________________________________
I have read, understood and agree to the terms on this syllabus, and agree to follow procedures to the best of my ability.
____________________________________
Your Signature
________________________
Date