3.6 English 111 Course Texts All sections will use the following: th
Raimes, Ann and Maria Jerskey. Keys for Writers. 7 ed. Wadsworth/Cengage: 2012 (Custom edition for Saginaw Valley State University) In addition to the grammar text, all instructors will choose one of the following readers/rhetorics: th
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. Brief 6 ed. Boston: Pearson/Longman, 2011* nd
Johnson-­‐Sheehan, Richard and Charles Paine. Writing Today. 2 ed. Pearson/Longman, 2012 th
Mauk, John and John Metz. Composition of Everyday Life: A Guide to Writing. Brief 4 ed. Wadsworth/Cengage, 2012: 13 Digit ISBN: 978-0-4-9580204-4 Book orders should be submitted to bookstore@svsu.edu as soon as a decision is made. If you need assistance from the bookstore, please call (989) 964-­‐4277. Contact the FYW Coordinator for desk copies, or contact the publisher directly. *Denotes default textbook for sections that do not have a book order submitted in time. 16
Syllabus and Essay Assignment Construction 4.0 4.1 Required Syllabus Components The English 080 and English 111 student syllabus will include all of the items listed below: 1.
2.
3.
4.
Course information (including course number and title, line number, section, meeting times, credits, course m eeting times and room assignments). Instructor contact information (including name, office number, office hours, office phone, e-­‐mail address). Course description, course outcomes, and course practices (for Eng 080, see sections2.1, 2.2 and 2.3; for Eng 111, see sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3). All required and optional course texts. 5.
A brief summary of all major course assignments (including and percentages or point totals for assignments, the purpose of the assignment in relation to the course outcomes, and, if a writing assignment, a range in number of words/pages. 6.
Clear criteria for computing final course grade (including grading scale). 7.
Disability Statement (See section 4 .2) 8.
Academic Integrity Statement (See Section 4.3) 9.
Other course policies (including attendance and late assignment policy). 10.
A tentative course calendar that includes: a. key university dates (i.e., holidays, course withdrawal deadlines, exams week, etc.) b. due dates for all reading and writing assignments clearly noted c. time allotted for writing center instruction, library skills instruction, student evaluation of the instructor, student assessment of the course, and final exam Note: A syllabus shell is available on the “FYW Program” V-­‐Space site for both 080 and 111. 4.2 Disability Statement (Required) Students with disabilities which may restrict their full participation in course activities are encouraged to meet with the instructor and contact the SVSU Office of Disability Services, Curtis Hall, Room C-­‐112, Phone # 964-­‐4168. SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical impairment, disability, or veteran status in the provision of education, employment, and other services. 4.3 Academic Integrity Statement (Required) According to the SVSU Student Handbook, “Academic integrity is undermined whenever one is dishonest in the 17
pursuit of knowledge. Dishonesty takes many forms, including cheating, plagiarism, and other activities for undermining the educational process. “ ‘Cheating’ occurs whenever one attempts to gain an advantage through a violation of rules regarding the relevant behavior. It should be assumed that collaboration is cheating unless explicitly authorized” (16). In English 080 and 111, cheating in any form will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment. “’Plagiarism’ involves intentionally or unintentionally presenting another person’s expressions – ideas, opinions, illustrations, data, style – as one’s own expression” (16). Forms of plagiarism include directly transcribing (copying) without quotation and attribution, summarizing without attribution, paraphrasing or patchwork paraphrasing without attribution, patching electronic materials (including pictures, graphs, and/or charts) without attribution. In English 080 and 111, deliberate plagiarism, whether on a paper’s early draft or on a paper’s final draft, will result in the grade of zero (0) for the entire assignment. “’Undermining the Educational Process’ occurs whenever one attempts to prevent another’s learning or subverts the recognized means by which learning occurs” (16). The goal of SVSU faculty is to help each student achieve success through learning the concepts and skills for which the course was designed. In a university classroom, the learning that takes place is determined by the quality of the interactions of all members of the class. Specifically the SVSU Student Handbook states: No student shall engage in conduct that disrupts or interferes with the educational activities in classrooms . . . computer laboratories . . . or any other place where education and teaching activities take place. This includes, but is not limited to, such behaviors as talking at inappropriate times, drawing unwarranted attention to him or herself, engaging in loud and distracting behaviors, displaying defiance or disrespect to peers or threatening any University employee or student. No student shall engage in conduct that is disruptive or interferes with the rights of others on University property . . . nor shall a student obstruct, disrupt, interfere, or attempt to interfere with another student’s right to learn or complete academic requirements. (34) In English 080 and 111, any student who engages in any of these behaviors that undermine the educational process will be asked to leave the class immediately and lose any possible credit for that class period. To return to the class, the student will be required to schedule a meeting with the instructor to discuss his or her plans for modifying their behavior in question. Important Note: In any case of cheating, plagiarism, or engaging in behavior that undermines the educational process, in addition to the consequences outlined above, the instructor may choose to report the behavior to the Office of Student Conduct, following the protocols outlined on pages 32-­‐37 in the SVSU Student Handbook. 4.4 Essay Assignment Guidelines Students in English 080 are required to complete at least four formal essays, and students in English 111 are 18
required to complete at least five formal essays. The First-­‐Year Writing program has intentionally left it to individual instructors to design and sequence the formal essay assignments that they give students. It is our hope that this freedom will encourage individual instructors to tailor essay assignments to their own strengths, knowledge base and interests, as well as facilitate a seamless relationship between assigned readings and other writing assignments in the course. While we accept as a program that there are multiple methods for constructing and delivering essay assignments, in order to ensure consistency across the program and the quality of essay assignments, we have adopted a set of guidelines for English 080 and English 111 essay assignments. Instructors must include the following elements in their essay assignments, or explicitly direct students to where they can find the required information (i.e. a specific page in the syllabus, course texts, handouts, etc.). Deviations from the language, headings, and organization are permitted so long as the changes are purposeful and in the spirit of the guidelines. Finally, a hard copy or electronic copy of every essay assignment should be made available to students during the unit in which they are working on said assignment; however, instructors may opt to assign ONE essay orally or in otherwise abbreviated form when necessary to meet course objectives. To encourage format consistency between English composition assignments, please include the following information in the order listed below: Instructor/Course Information: Give Instructor’s full name, email, phone number, and office hours at the top of the page. Also include class number and section, semester and year. Assignment Title/Due Dates: Provide a short title which represents the focus of the assignment. Specify all due dates (for first drafts, peer group drafts, and final drafts, etc.) in this section as well. Assignment Overview: • Clearly state the essay topic, including expectations and terms. (If students can select their own topic, give a set of general guidelines for selecting topics) • Provide typical structure(s) for essay: counter argument, summary/analysis, etc. • Indicate the audience for the assignment • If students can select their own topic, give a set of general guidelines for selecting topics • Give target page range or word count (minimum and maximum) • Indicate if the paper should use outside sources, and if so, what type and how many • Specify documentation format: MLA or APA • Indicate which course outcomes this assignment addresses • Explain how this assignment builds skills to write effectively in the university: How does this assignment make the student a better writer? • Suggest a time line/proposed plan/process for writing the assignment Possible Problem Areas: Indicate where students might struggle with assignment, and give suggestions for avoiding these issues. Provide references to the handbook and the reader/rhetoric to review key concepts needed for assignmen Where to Find Assistance: Encourage students to contact you with questions first. Point students to the assignment rubric and sample assignment papers. Students can also go to the Writing Center for assistance during any portion of the writing process. 19
Note: Sample syllabi and assignments for English 080 and 111 can be found on the “FYW Program” VSpace site. 20
Training and Assessment Overview 5.0 5.1 New Faculty Orientation As a member of the FYW faculty, all faculty teaching English 080 or English 111 for the first time must attend a new faculty orientation held before each new academic year. This orientation will be facilitated by the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing. (Part-­‐time faculty will be paid for attending this meeting.) 5.2 Preterm FYW Faculty Workshop Before the beginning of each new academic year, the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing will facilitate an annual daylong meeting for all FYW faculty to discuss program changes, university procedures, updated texts, along with providing opportunities for pedagogical workshops and discussion of best practices. All English 080 and English 111 faculty are expected to attend. (Part time faculty will be paid for attending this meeting.) 5.3 FYW Workshops Three times throughout the fall semester and two times during the winter semester, all English 080 and English 111 faculty will participate in a three hour workshop to share best practices, discuss programmatic changes, and conduct norming on sets of student papers. In order to facilitate these norming sessions, instructors of English 080 and English 111 will be required to provide the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing with two different sets of papers throughout the term. These papers should not contain students’ names (please use white-­‐out); they should have no teacher comments on them. Grades should be written on the back of each paper. PAPER SET ONE: At mid-­‐semester (specific date TBD), instructors will provide the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing with a set of papers from the mid-­‐semester assessment which should contain one above average mid-­‐semester assessment (A or B), one average mid-­‐semester assessment (C), and one below average mid-­‐semester assessment (D or F). PAPER SET TWO: By the end of exam week (specific date TBD), instructors will provide the Coordinator of First-­‐Year with one above average essay (A or B), one average essay (C), and one below average essay (D or F) as well as the corresponding essay assignment(s) from one of their final essay assignments. Note: English 111 instructors are required to submit essays that required students to incorporate documented research. Instructors do not need to submit sets from every course they teach. However, an instructor who teaches one section of English 080 and one section of English 111 will need to submit sets of papers for each course. 5.4 FYW Mentoring Mentoring: To support and assist faculty in the First-­‐Year Writing Program, to promote on-­‐going discussions in the teaching and learning of English 111, and to provide for increased collegiality, a mentoring program will be an important component of the First-­‐Year Writing Program at Saginaw Valley State University. All English 080 and English 111 part-­‐time faculty and full-­‐time faculty during their first semester of teaching English 080 and English 111 will be paired with an experienced FYW faculty mentor with whom they can discuss and share their teaching plans and practices in these courses and with whom they can feel free to query about resources and instruction as well as university procedures, practices, and resources. All English 080 and English 111 part-­‐time teachers will be evaluated for a total of two semesters. 21
Faculty Evaluation: During the first semester of teaching at SVSU, all English 080 and English 111 part-­‐time faculty will be evaluated by the FYW Coordinator. During the second semester of teaching at SVSU, all English 080 and English 111 part-­‐time faculty will be evaluated by an experienced FYW faculty mentor. This written evaluation will be based on the following: 1. An observation of a class session, the date to be determined by mutual consent. 2. A review of a set of papers evaluated by the instructor to determine if evaluations conform to standards as set in norming sessions. 3. An examination of the rationale statement, course syllabus, and first assignment to determine if the type and sequence of assignments help students gain the proficiencies needed to meet student outcomes. 4. A meeting between the instructor and FYW coordinator or experienced FYW faculty mentor (during the second semester of teaching) that discusses course practices, grading policies, course documents, and any other issues related to teaching composition. This written evaluation will be completed by week fourteen of the semester. This evaluation will include comments on course design and alignment with course outcomes; syllabus construction and the design, clarity, and sequence of assignments; incorporation of the course rubric into both student assessment and critique; methods and manner of responding to student work; pace, variety and purposeful nature of classroom activities; and student/teacher interaction. A copy of this evaluation will be sent to the instructor, the English department chair, and a copy will be retained by the FYW Coordinator. Based on mentor reports and student evaluations (see section 5.5), the FYW Coordinator will make recommendations to the Department Chair and to the Dean of ABS as to the continuance and scheduling of part time faculty in the English 080 and English 111 programs.
5.5 Student Evaluation of the Instructor Near the end of the semester (before finals week), all students will complete standard SVSU Faculty Evaluations. Forms are available from faculty secretaries or from Evening Services/Adjunct Faculty Services. Please remember that you should not be in the room when your students complete the form and should not look at the evaluations; one of your students (or a mentor in the case of new faculty) should collect the forms in an envelope, seal the envelope, and turn it in to Wickes 216. Full time faculty (who are not being evaluated by a team) may pick up their evaluations from Wickes 216 at the beginning of the next semester. Evaluations for part-­‐time faculty will be picked up and reviewed by the Coordinator or First-­‐Year Writing, who will confer with English 080 and English 111 mentors, if appropriate, before the evaluations are returned to instructors. 5.6 Student Assessment of the Course In the 14th week of class, students will complete a ten minute Final Course Assessment using the SNAP 080 or 111 assessment, found on the FYW VSpace site and completed while students are in the computer lab. 5.7 Instructor Assessment of the FYW Program At the end of the semester every English 080/111 instructor will complete a ten minute Program Assessment using the SNAP survey, found on the FYW VSpace site posted near the end of the term. 6.0 22
Policies and Procedures
6.1 Instructor Absence Full-­‐ Time Faculty: If you must be absent from a day class (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) and your absence is not pre-­‐
arranged (i.e. for a conference presentation), call the ABS Dean’s office–964-­‐7111 and notify them of your absence so that a note may be posted on your classroom door. If you have instructions for your students, also notify the Dean’s Office. When you return, please fill out an absence sheet and send it to the English Department Chair, who will send it on to the Dean. If you are absent from a night class (4:00 – 10:00 p.m.), please notify Evening Services at 964-­‐4050. Then follow procedures as above. If you are absent from a class because of a conference or because of some other pre-­‐arranged activity, please fill-­‐
out an absence sheet in advance of your absence and send it to the Chair. On it you will want to include the plans you have made for the continuance of your classes in your absence; attending or presenting at conferences does not remove our obligation to ensure that something meaningful is going on in our classes while we are gone. You will also want to indicate how any missed office hours will be made up. Part-­‐time Faculty: Adjunct faculty should follow the attendance procedure established by Evening Services/Office of Adjunct Faculty Support located in 201 Science East. All absences must be reported to the Office of Adjunct Faculty support (989) 964-­‐4050 and documented using the designated absence report form they provide. The Office of Adjunct Faculty Support will contact the chair and dean. 6.2 University Holidays The Labor Day recess is a two-­‐day holiday; that is, there are no classes Monday or Tuesday. We miss a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Thanksgiving, thus making an even week during the term. For other important dates, see Cardinal Direct. 6.3 Final Exam Period We are all required to do some type of meaningful instruction during the final exam period. That might mean meeting for final presentations, a final exam, a last discussion and assessment-­‐-­‐or it could even mean doing exit conferences with individual students. It does not, though, mean that you can simply collect papers—and certainly does not mean that papers can simply be submitted to you (electronically or otherwise) without some type of meaningful meeting during finals week. The finals schedule is available at Cardinal Direct. Generally, though, be advised that this is an issue of great concern—and rightly so, given that it's a week of instruction—to the University's administration. 6.4 Computer Lab Use The door code for all of the computer classrooms will be provided by the FYW Coordinator in an email at the beginning of the semester. The pads are a bit old, so go slowly and press keys firmly. Call ext. 4225 with any questions. Almost all English 080 and 111 courses are taught with weekly classroom time in the computer lab (check your lab days/times on Cardinal Direct). Since the purpose of the lab is to assist students in using technology to develop their writing, you are encouraged to have the students use the computers in the lab regularly through writing 23
workshops, VSpace assignments, evaluation of online sources, etc. However, you do not need to use the computers everyday you are in the lab: if they will not be used, simply ask the students to turn the monitors off. ITD provides technology workshops for faculty. For more information call 964-­‐7475. Please remember that there is no food or drink allowed in the computer. 6.5 VSpace VSpace is SVSU’s version of Sakai, an online teaching/learning system. VSpace allows you as the course instructor to post your assignments, class resources, and grades online, conduct discussions via a discussion board, and send group and individual emails. All FYW faculty are expected to use VSpace to access the resources on the “FYW Program” VSpace site. In addition, all faculty are strongly encouraged to use VSpace in their classes. Individual training sessions, along with regularly scheduled training sessions, can be scheduled by contacting the VSpace support office, 964-­‐2730 or via email at wits@svsu.edu. Note: A “VSpace Basics Training Manual” is found in the SVSU FYW Program Instructor’s Guide. 6.6 Permission to Use Student Writing During the first class of the term, instructors should present to their students the Permission for Use of Student Writing sign-­‐up form and instructions (see section 7.2) This form gives instructors permission to use student writing anonymously for grade norming, classroom instruction, and other scholarly endeavors. This form should be submitted to the FYW Coordinator by the end of week one of the semester. 6.7 Diagnostic Writing All instructors are required to solicit a piece of writing from their students during the first week of classes in order to ascertain student ability. Students are given a class period (or, in the case of a three hour class, an hour to an hour and 15 minutes) to write an impromptu essay in class. Listed below are the prompts for both 080 and 111. While you may adapt the language of the prompt, the basic idea of the prompt must stay the same. 080 Prompt: “Write about a person who had an influence (positive or negative) on your life. Specifically, describe this person, explain what you learned from this person, and discuss how this person has influenced your life.” 111 Prompt: “Write about writing!” (Some options may include asking the student to write about their own experience and history of writing, to discuss why writing is a valuable skill, to explore ways technology has changed the way we write (and read), or to examine their strengths and weaknesses as a writer and overall goals for this writing course). Based on this diagnostic, if you have a student in English 111 whose writing skills seem to place him or her in English 080, please submit the paper to the FYW Coordinator. The Coordinator will check on the student’s ACT scores, and may counsel the student to take 080. Likewise, if you have a student in 080 whose writing skills seem to place him or her in English 111, please submit the paper to the FYW Coordinator, who will again check the student’s ACT scores, and may advise the student to take English 111. The student may be moved from 080 or 111 if the student chooses to move, and if room is available in the desired section. Please note that it is very, very rare 24
that students are moved from one course to another. All such re-­‐placement will occur by the end of the second week of the semester. Note: A Diagnostic Instruction Sheet for Students,” explaining the expectations for writing this essay, can be found on the “FYW Program” VSpace site. 6.8 Mid-­‐Semester Assessment During the eighth week of each semester, students are assigned an in-­‐class writing assessment. Students are given a short reading (in English 111, the reading is a NY Times editorial; in English 080, the reading is a “This I Believe” essay from NPR), and given class time to write a summary and response. Both the prompt for the students and the reading itself will be posted on the FYW VSpace site on week prior to the assessment. Students in all courses are given an hour and twenty minutes to read the prompt and construct their summary/response. Their summary/response may be handwritten or computer-­‐generated, and their writing, along with the prompt and reading, is submitted to the instructor at the end of the class period. Students should NOT see the prompt or the reading in advance. The purpose of this assessment is to gauge students’ ability to read and respond to a piece of written text at mid-­‐
semester; with this in mind, the assessment has to count in some way towards the final grade (as extra credit, a small assignment, or an early draft of a larger essay). A sample set of midterm assessments will be submitted to the FYW Coordinator (see schedule for exact dates). 6.9 The Robert S. P. Yien First-­‐Year Writing Awards The Robert S. P. Yien First-­‐Year Writing Awards were created to recognize outstanding first-­‐year writing students. At the end of every fall semester, instructors are encouraged to solicit essays from their students that are examples of good student writing to be considered for this award. Instructors are asked to distribute copies of the student handout discussing the awards to all students. (For the “080 First-­‐Year Writing Award” student handout, see section 7.3; for the “English 111 First-­‐Year Writing Award” student handout, see section 7.4.) For English 080 there may be up to three winners, with cash prizes ranging between $100.00 – $50.00; for English 111, there may be up to five winners, with cash prizes ranging between $500.00-­‐$100.00. Students are asked to submit one entry only. All submissions will be judged by the FYW Coordinator and a selected group of FYW faculty. All winning submissions will be featured in a publication and honored at the FYW Awards Ceremony held during the winter semester. All submissions are due in rtf. format, along with an rtf cover sheet, to the individual course instructors by the end of the fall semester. Instructors can either upload these documents on the “FYW Program” VSpace site themselves, under the “Assignments” function, or email the submissions to the FYW Coordinator , who will post them on the “FYW Program” VSpace site by the deadline. No late entries will be accepted. (Note: See schedule for specific due dates and times) 6.10 Writing Center/Library Orientation Sessions All English 080 and 111 instructors are required to bring their students to a Writing Center orientation at the beginning of the academic year. These orientations are scheduled by the Writing Center: please check the “FYW 25
Program” VSpace site for your exact day/time. These orientations take an hour and fifteen minutes, and are held in Zahnow 303. English 080 Orientation: A Writing Center tutor will discuss the Writing Center services and conduct brainstorming/group tutoring sessions with students based on their first assignment. English 111 Orientation: Half of the class period, a tutor will discuss the Writing Center services; the other half of the class, a librarian will give a brief overview of the library and its services. All English 111 instructors are required to schedule a second hour and twenty minute library orientation during the second half of the semester to correspond with a research based paper assignment. Instructors will register for this orientation using the library homepage (see “Faculty and Staff”/”Library Instruction”/”Request for Library Instruction Form”). This second orientation will take place in Zahnow 111, and will be focused on using the library cardcat and database systems. At the end of the presentation, there will be twenty minutes left of the orientation for students to begin working on their research for their assignment; the “English 111 Library Research Form” will be distributed by the librarian and should be used as a guide for the students to conduct their research. Any instructor whose courses do not attend the scheduled orientations, or who dismisses their courses early during the second orientation should fill out an absence report (see section 6.1) and submit it to the Chair. 6.11 Peer Review Workshops/Student Teacher Conferences The FYW Program strongly encourages students to engage in peer review for at least one of their essays, and asks each instructor to schedule at least one individual student teacher conference over one of their essays. 6.12 Grammar Statement Instructors should not over emphasize grammar instruction in their writing courses. Instructors of English 080/111 have agreed to focus grammar instruction primarily on these key points: • Sentence boundary problems: run-­‐ons, comma splices and fragments • Subject/verb agreement • Irregular verb forms: (do, did, done; went, gone; write, wrote, written; etc.) • Commas after introductory phrases and clauses • Verb tense agreement • Possessives and possessives versus plurals: apostrophe use In addition, writers often carelessly confuse sound-­‐alike words: to, too; lie, lay; accept, except; affect, effect; their, there, they’re; where, were. Therefore, we will insist on accuracy in such usages and offer instruction as necessary. 6.13 Plagiarism Statement 26
The following statement is the official position of the English department regarding classroom practices that discourage plagiarism. If you suspect of student of plagiarism, please refer to pages 32-­‐37 in the SVSU Student Handbook. To develop student academic responsibility and integrity, all English 080/111 teachers have a responsibility to: A. introduce students to and teach about academic practices, including the appropriate use of outside resources; B. provide students with examples that illustrate the conventions of citation and methods to avoid plagiarism; C. actively engage students in writing process practices that lessen, if not eliminate, students’ opportunities to plagiarize; D. provide consequences for plagiarism that occurs after instruction and illustration have taken place in the instructional setting. 1. Teach about citation and plagiarism positively and non-­‐punitively, demonstrating with examples of both appropriate and inappropriate citations. Simply assigning students to read about citation and the responsible use of resources in a textbook without classroom discussion and illustration will not eliminate plagiarism; while most students readily understand the concept of direct transcription, many have particular difficulty with summarizing and/or paraphrasing and with the decision of when and how often to cite. 2. Distinguish inexperience and mistakes from deliberate plagiarism. 3. Design and sequence research assignments with process-­‐based checkpoints so that students choose topics of personal and local interest in which they have a stake; broad and over-­‐done topics like capital punishment and the legalization of drugs may promote plagiarism due to the many canned papers readily available on such topics; students have time to explore topics in depth and adequately develop responsible citation practices 4. Stay well informed as to students’ topics and support their research processes and progress as papers are drafted and redrafted. 5. Guide students so that their selections of research materials are timely and reliable. 6. Require the submission of research materials as drafts of papers are submitted. 7. Intervene at the early draft stage when finding evidence of plagiarism; ask about documentation directly and assist students to document correctly.” Note: see section 4.3 for the syllabus statement on “Academic Integrity,” and section 7.5 for the “Student Handout on Avoiding Plagiarism.” 6.14 Procedure for Piloting Course Texts The process of choosing the best textbooks for English 111 and English 080 is a very important task because textbook decisions affect thousands of students annually. In an effort to keep our lists current, and to give experienced faculty the chance to pilot textbooks that others then can use, the following procedure has been instituted: Full-­‐time faculty who are no longer being mentored and adjunct faculty with at least six semesters of SVSU experience teaching first-­‐year writing may apply to the First-­‐Year Writing Committee for approval to pilot a 27
replacement or supplemental text in their English 080 or English 111 course(s). No deviations from the program-­‐
wide handbook will be permitted, and the total combination of all assigned texts must provide students with access to both rhetorical instruction and readings. To obtain such permission for any Fall semester, the applicant must submit the following to the First-­‐Year Writing Committee: 1) Prior to Spring Break of each year: A list of proposed text(s) (and one set of desk copies), a reading schedule, and narrative explanation of how the texts will be used in the class to help students achieve course outcomes. 2) At the end of the term: An evaluation of the effectiveness of the text(s), the final reading schedule, and all writing assignments given to students throughout the term. At that time, the First-­‐Year Writing Committee may recommend the piloted text(s) as a continuing option for the individual faculty member or for the entire faculty. Or the First-­‐Year Writing Committee may revoke permission to use piloted text(s). Faculty who do not submit an end-­‐of-­‐term report will not be granted permission to pilot texts during the next academic year or to continue using the previously piloted text(s). 28
7.0 Appendix and Forms
7.1 First-­‐Year Writing Program Instructor Agreement (Form) To be submitted to the FYW Coordinator by the end of Week ONE Assessable program outcomes are essential to the continued improvement of any successful university program. Thus, to ensure a higher degree of consistency of course content and delivery and to increase the coherency of the First-­‐Year Writing Program in accordance with the outcomes specified in this framework document, all persons teaching English 080 and/or English 111 will indicate their intent to adhere to the following by signing below. As a teacher of English 111 and/or English 080, I agree To use the First-­‐Year Writing Program framework as the basis for my own course syllabus, copies of which will be provided to students and to the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing for review during the first week of each semester. Teachers new to the first-­‐year writing program may be asked to review their syllabi with the Coordinator one week prior to the beginning of classes each semester; To attend training sessions which shall be facilitated by the Coordinator of First-­‐Year Writing. Dates of trainings will be announced well in advance; To select and teach from textbooks listed by the First-­‐Year Writing Committee; To participate in program assessment; To cooperate with supervision and review by the First-­‐Year Writing Faculty Coordinator. Signature: ____________________________ Date: ______________________________
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7.2 Permission for Use of Student Writing (Form) By signing my name below, I give permission for my English 080/ English 111 (instructor please circle the appropriate course) writing to be used for educational purposes. I understand the educational purposes are limited to the following: 1.) Classroom instruction—papers to be used anonymously. 2.) Course and University assessments—papers to be used anonymously. 3.) Quoted/cited passages in professional conference presentations. 4.) Quoted/cited passages in professional publications. I also understand that by placing an A after my signed name, I ensure that any of my work used in professional publications/conference presentations will be used anonymously. 30
7.3 English 080 First-­‐Year Writing Award (Student Handout) You are invited to submit work from your English 080 course to be considered for the Robert S. P. Yien First-­‐Year Writing Awards. These awards showcase outstanding work by first-­‐year composition students in English 080 and English 111. Papers will be judged by a committee comprised of the First-­‐Year Writing Coordinator and selected English Department faculty. Winners will be announced at a campus-­‐wide reception at the beginning of the 2011 Winter semester. Winning papers will be published in an English Department publication, online, and may be : awarded the following cash prizes: First Place $100.00; Second Place: $75.00; Third Place: $50.00. Guidelines for submission: §
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Papers are to be newly created during the 2011 Winter 080 course or the 2011 Fall 080 course and written in response to an assignment in that course. Papers should exhibit the qualities endorsed by the English 080 rubric. Papers must be typed and double-­‐spaced. Only one entry per student will be accepted. Some minor editing changes may be required before publication. An electronic version of your paper and a cover sheet (see below), both saved as rtf. documents, should be submitted to your English 080 instructor by the last week of class. No late entries will be accepted. By submitting your entry, you are also granting permission for your essay to appear in an English Department publication (if your essay is among the winning entries). No remuneration will be given for the right to publish your essay. Papers must also include a separate rtf. document as a “cover page” that includes the following: Title of Essay: Contact Information and Permission: Name: Date: Street Address: City, State, and Zip Code: Phone # (w/ Area Code): SVSU Student ID #: Email Address: Instructor Name: Instructor Email Address: 31
7.4 English 111 First-­‐Year Writing Award (Student Handout) You are invited to submit work from your English 111 course to be considered for the Robert S. P. Yien First-­‐Year Writing Awards. These awards showcase outstanding work by first-­‐year composition students in English 080 and English 111. Papers will be judged by a committee comprised of the First-­‐Year Writing Coordinator and selected English Department faculty. Winners will be announced at a campus-­‐wide reception at the beginning of the 2011 Winter semester. Winning papers will be published in an English Department publication, online, and may be awarded the following cash prizes: First Place: $500.00; Second Place: $400.00; Third Place: $300.00; Fourth Place: $200.00; Fifth Place: $100.00. Guidelines for Submission: • Papers are to be newly created during the Fall 111 course and written in response to an assignment in that course. • Papers should stand alone—except in the case of a summary/response entry, in which case a copy of the piece summarized must be included. • Papers should be engaging and significant within their genre, and should exhibit the qualities endorsed by the English 111 rubric. • All papers should be typed and double spaced. Citations, if used, should be formatted in MLA or APA style. • Only one entry per student will be accepted. • Some minor editing changes may be required before publication • An electronic version of your paper and a cover sheet (see below), both saved as rtf. documents, should be submitted to your English 111 instructor by the last week of class. No late entries will be accepted. • By submitting your entry, you are also granting permission for your essay to appear in and English Department publication. No remuneration will be given for the right to publish your essay. • Papers must also include a separate rtf. document as a “cover page” that includes the following: Title of Essay: Type or Genre of Essay: Contact Information and Permission: Name: Date: Street Address: City, State, and Zip Code: Phone # (w/ Area Code): SVSU Student ID #: Email Address: Instructor Name: Instructor Email Address: 32
7.5 A Writing Process (Student Handout) Prewriting Use a variety of brainstorming and invention strategies to generate, develop, and focus topics Write informally in journals or notebooks as an ongoing writer’s activity Analyze audience as a method of planning and focusing Consider purpose, style, and form in relation to audience needs Draw from a variety of formal and stylistic options during the planning stages Generate and select students’ own methods of development Confer with others Read published material critically Write and speak about themselves as writers Use basic reference materials (dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia) Use introductory research as a form of generating ideas and planning writing Drafting Translate prewriting activities into early drafts Write for a variety of specific audiences Vary content, diction, and tone according to audience Identify and state each paper’s focus Maintain a consistent style throughout individual pieces Support ideas and observations with details Integrate ideas and information from outside sources Vary sentence syntax Revising Write multiple drafts Apply course rubric for self-­‐evaluation Confer with others—peers, teacher, writing center—for purposes of critique and revision Revise to adapt writing style to suit purpose and audience Revise for focus, development, structure, balance, and emphasis Add, delete, change, or recast material to suit purpose and audience Clarify purpose and focus and align writing with that purpose and focus Editing Read work aloud slowly, looking carefully at each word and phrase and listening to the paper’s flow and connectedness Proofread all writing intended for public audiences Use a dictionary, thesaurus, and handbook for editing 33
7.5 Avoiding Plagiarism (Student Handout) Guidelines for Students to Avoid Plagiarism: 1. Read assigned material that defines and illustrates both direct and inadvertent plagiarism and actively participate in class instruction about plagiarism. Ask for examples and illustrations. 2. Ask questions throughout your research and drafting processes; instructors are eager to help you responsibly use and cite research materials. 3. Be sure you clearly understand the consequences of plagiarism as stated above. 4. Take careful notes as you research, being sure to distinguish which materials you are paraphrasing or summarizing and which you are transcribing directly. 5. Keep copies of all materials used for your research and be prepared to submit them with the drafts of your papers. 6. Within the parameters of assignments, choose topics in which you are vitally interested and in which you have a personal stake. 7. Allow yourself adequate time to research topics in depth. 8. When in doubt about the correct use of resources, confer with your teacher. 9. Avoid plagiarism by following seven important rules. A.) Provide clear attribution of outside sources with parenthetical citations, lead-­‐in or signal phrases, or a combination of both. B.) Follow all quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of outside sources with appropriate and complete parenthetical citations. C.) Provide documentation for all visual images, charts, and graphs from printed or electronic sources. D.) Identify all words, phrases, and passages taken from sources by enclosing them within quotation marks or by using block quote format for long quotations. E.) Use your own words and sentence structure when you paraphrase or summarize. F.) Be sure that all summaries and paraphrases of your sources are accurate and objective. G.) Include all of the sources cited in your paper in the MLA Works Cited page or the APA Reference list that follows the body of your paper (Adapted from “Avoiding Plagiarism,” What Is Plagiarism? 2002). 34