Instructors’ meeting for
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Include Course Outcomes on Syllabus (SACS)
English 1100
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Discover significant questions to explore and address via writing
Explore the many different purposes of writing, including writing to reflect,
analyze, explain, and persuade
Practice drafting and revising
Increase awareness of organizational strategies and the ability to apply them
Become attentive to how audience and purpose affect content, tone, and style
Incorporate sufficient and appropriate details and examples from experiences
and from secondary research
Express ideas with clarity and with effective syntax and punctuation
Gain competence in using computer technology in the writing process
Schedule and meet deadlines
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Include Course Outcomes on Syllabus (SACS)
English 1200
 Formulate significant research questions
 Craft a strong research proposal
 Establish work plans and timelines
 Locate and evaluate a variety of sources, including field-based, print, and
electronic sources
 Apply research and use writing to achieve a variety of purposes
 Convey the results of research to a variety of audiences
 Organize source materials
 Integrate outside source materials—field-based, print, and electronic—into
writing
 Cite sources accurately and responsibly in order to avoid plagiarism
 Identify and explain writing strategies used in the writer’s own work as well as in
the work of experienced writers
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Necessary Information for Syllabus,
Overview from Faculty Manual (Part V, section M)
“The syllabus should make clear the goals and
content of the course and what will be expected
of students in the course. A course syllabus should
specify the instructor’s policies for class
attendance, grading, civility in the classroom, and
academic integrity. The syllabus should also
include a schedule for tests, and assignments.”
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Attendance
You set the attendance policy, as long as
1) You accept university-excused absences (students are required to make up
work).
2) You count absences from the day that a student registers for the class.
3) You normally accept written medical excuses from licensed medical
professionals.
W. Class Attendance and Participation Regulations
A student’s participation in the work of a course is a precondition for receiving
credit for the course. Students are expected to attend punctually all lecture
and laboratory sessions and field experiences and to participate in course
assignments and activities as described in the course syllabus. Absences are
counted from the first class meeting after the student registers. Students
registering late are expected to make up all missed assignments in a manner
determined by the instructor.
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Attendance
W. Class Attendance and Participation Regulations
Student Health Services does not issue official written excuses for
illness or injury, but will, upon request at the time of the visit,
provide a note confirming that the student has received medical
care. In the event that the student is seriously ill or injured at the
time of final examinations the Student Health Service or the
Center for Counseling and Student Development, on request of
the student, may recommend a medical incomplete. Instructors
should normally honor a written medical excuse from a licensed
medical or psychological practitioner that states the student
was too ill or injured to attend class and provides the specific
date(s) for which the student was unable to attend class due to
the medical or psychological problem.
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Attendance (cont.)
 If you plan to have a system in which students’ grades will
suffer after a certain number of absences, put this policy in
writing in the syllabus.
 It is recommended that you avoid a “3-strikes and you fail
the class” kind of policy.
 Require presence rather than punishing absence.
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Office Hours
 5 hours, regardless of how many sections you
teach.
 Should be spread out over different days/times
of day.
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Academic Integrity/Plagiarism Statement
 Be clear about your penalties. See the sample
statement on GTA/Recommended syllabus.
 In addition, explain the importance of citation and the
consequences of plagiarism to your students. Feel
free to use the slideshow in the “class downloads”
area: http://core.ecu.edu/engl/fyw/writing/index.htm
 Make sure you follow the process:
http://www.ecu.edu/studentlife/osrr/conductprocess2.cfm **
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Disruptive Students/Class Conduct
 Include details in a written document (as part of an
online/electronic version of the syllabus) about what
appropriate classroom behavior entails and what it
excludes.
 Call campus security if students become threatening or
abusive in class or in your office.
 For less aggressive, but still disruptive, behavior (such as
texting repeatedly in class, reading the newspaper,
holding repeated side conversations, etc.) follow the
procedure outlined in the Faculty Manual, Part V, Sect. Y
(http://www.ecu.edu/csacad/fsonline/customcf/facultymanual/manual.htm).**
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“Students who repeatedly violate reasonable
standards of behavior in the classroom or other
academic setting may be removed from the course
by the instructor following appropriate notice.
Students removed from a course under this policy
will receive a ‘drop’ according to university policy
and are eligible for tuition refund as specified in the
current tuition refund policy. ”
-ECU Faculty Manual, Part V, Section I-Y.
The Steps
1. Private verbal warning describing the behavior of concern to the
student, explaining that it is inappropriate, and asking the student to
stop
2. Written warning indicating that the student will be removed from the
course if the behavior does not cease
3. Discussion of the situation with the Department Chair or designee.
4. Meeting with student, Chair/designee, and instructor, if it is decided
to remove the student from the course.
5. Written notification of the decision to remove the student from the
class, with a copy forwarded to the Office of Student Rights and
Responsibilities.
***Please see Part V, Section I-Y of the faculty manual for more details.
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Grade Appeals (Faculty Manual, Part V, Section I-J)
Appeals will not be considered unless based upon one or more of the
following factors:
 An error was made in grade computation.
 Standards different from those established in written department,
school or college policies, if specific policies exist, were used in
assigning the grade.
 The instructor departed substantially from his or her previously
articulated, written standards, without notifying students, in
determining the grade.
Only the final course grade may be appealed. The grade assigned by the
instructor is assumed to be correct and the student appealing the grade
must justify the need for a change of the grade assigned.
The Steps
1. Student meets with instructor to discuss grade
within 21 calendar days of the semester (not incl.
summer) after final grade is assigned
2. Student submits the following in writing to the
Department Chair or designee:
▪ A statement addressing how the appeal meets one or more of the
three criteria necessary for a formal appeal
▪ A description of the outcome of the informal discussion process
▪ Any relevant documents the student would like to be reviewed as
part of the appeal process
▪ A copy of the course syllabus and assignment descriptions
The Steps (cont.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
The instructor has 14 calendar days to respond in writing to the materials
provided by the Chair or designee. The Chair or designee will also meet
with the instructor to discuss the response.
The Chair will report, in writing, the outcome of this step within 7 calendar
days after receiving the instructor’s response.
The student may then submit the complaint material to the College Dean or
designee within 7 calendar days. This appeal step follows the same course
as the step involving the Department Chair or designee.
The student may request that a Grade Appeal Committee be formed by the
College Dean. This committee shall include three faculty members from the
college: one selected by the student, one selected by the instructor of
record, and one appointed by the Dean. A majority shall prevail in the
committee. The Grade Appeal Committee can either uphold the grade
assigned or require that it be changed. (See FM, Sect. I-J for full details)
English 1100, Fall 2008
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A sample of 250 student papers was collected
from across 35 sections of English 1100.
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These were papers composed as the final
assignment in English 1100 sections.
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Papers were assessed by three trained
scorers using a shared rubric.
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Each paper was rated on a scale of 1(low) -4
(high) in the following 4 categories:
 Correct word choice (accuracy)
 Appropriate word choice (level of formality, tone
with respect to audience and purpose)
 Sentence completeness—fragments (1=more
than four fragments; 4=no fragments)
 Sentence completeness—run-ons (1=more than
four run-on sentences; 4=no run-on sentences)
Criterion
Average Score
Correct Word Choice
2.64
Appropriate Word Choice
3.65
Sentence Completeness-Fragments
3.45
Sentence Completeness-Run-ons
3.22
• The standard deviations for the two lowest-averaging criteria-- “Correct
Word Choice” and the “Run-ons” -- were at .9 or above.
•The standard deviation for “Fragments” was .75.
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Upon completion of English 1100, students seem fairly
adept at determining appropriate tone and style for an
audience.
Even after one semester of college composition,
students struggle to find the most accurate words to say
what they mean.
The standard deviations in the “Correct Word Choice,”
“Run-ons,” and “Fragments” categories suggests that
our students complete 1100 with significantly varied
levels of ability in these areas
Students might benefit if instructors of English 1100 spent more
time discussing common academic vocabulary (Academic Word
List resource: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm) and
providing students with practice in identifying and learning this
vocabulary, particularly as it relates to their intended future
majors.
 The variety of skill levels--as demonstrated by the standard
deviations--in the areas of fragments and run-ons suggests that,
rather than spending class sessions focusing on these two issues, a
more effective use of instructional effort might involve
individualized instruction for the particular students who struggle
with these aspects of sentence completeness. Good online
resources for these issues can be found here:
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 http://www.ecu.edu/first_year_studio/workshops/Workshop%20List.h
tm#grammatical_sentences
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/02/
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/620/1/
English 1200, Spring 2010
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Five-question, use-of-source quiz,
administered to 24 sections of English 1200
at the start of the semester and again at the
end of the semester
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Two-part questions
 Identify if there is a problem (acceptable vs.
unacceptable use of source)
 If there is a problem, rewrite to fix it
Original Source:
These two minds, the emotional and the rational, operate in tight
harmony for the most part, intertwining their very different ways
of knowing to guide us through the world.
—From page 3 of the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel
Goleman
Use of Source:
According to Daniel Goleman, two different minds, one
emotional and one rational, function in close harmony and mix
their different ways of knowing to help us through the world (3).
__Acceptable
_X_Unacceptable [Paraphrase is too close to the original]
Rewrite (if applicable):
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Pre-test
 58.19% correct identification
 2.12 rewrite errors per quiz
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Post-test
 60.43% correct identification
 1.88 rewrite errors per quiz
Percentage change (pre to post test) of correct
identifications per quiz item
#1 (improper paraphrase)
#2 (missing source information--author and page)
#3 (improper paraphrase)
#4 (improper direct quotation)
#5 (correct-no error)
-3.96%
+6.06%
+5.24%
+2.78%
+1.04%
Notable attempted rewrite success, pre-topost test:
 Entirely correct rewrites increased by 22.39%
 Entirely incorrect rewrites decreased by 6.12%
Notable rewrite error-rate decrease, pre-topost test:
 Insufficient information for in-text citation errors
decreased by 10.84%
Rewrite error increases, pre-to-post test
(continued):
 Errors in punctuation involving parenthetical
citations and direct quotations increased by 4-5%
 Errors in paraphrasing in which the wording or
structure was too close to the original increased
slightly more than 3%
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Fewer post tests (attrition)—507 pre-tests
and 427 post-tests
Decrease in student investment at the end of
the semester
Decrease in student investment due to lack of
grade and decontextualized work.
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Students seem to know something about
integrating sources at the end of 1100
Students in 1200 are getting the message about
what needs to be included in in-text citation
Room for improvement in 1200
 Paraphrasing—looking at examples and practicing
repeatedly, especially with changing the structure of a
source writer’s ideas as well as his or her individual
words.
 Editing/Proofreading skills, especially around source
use areas.
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Thursday AM GTA meetings (9:30) in the
Studio (Bate 2005)—All are welcome!
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Composition Committee Professional
Development Workshops—possible topics
for fall (dates & details forthcoming)
 Integrating/Using Sources
 Using Ethnic Studies in English 1200