ENGL 1010 Syllabus
Course Syllabus
ENGL 1010 - English Composition I
3 Credit Hours
Course Information
This course is in expository writing. It includes the development and revision of paragraphs and essays using various rhetorical strategies; reading and discussion of selected essays, short stories, and poems; introduction to writing about literature; and introduction to incorporation and documentation of material from primary sources
Upon satisfactory completion of this course students will have learned
- to generate ideas for writing activities and to explore and limit subjects for writing;
to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose in writing;
to formulate a clear thesis and support it fully and specifically in an essay;
to demonstrate skill in the use of the following strategies: narration, description, illustration, cause and effect, compare and contrast;
to recognize and analyze the major elements of fiction and poetry such as plot, character, setting, tone, structure, figurative language;
to understand and use a basic vocabulary of literary terms;
to use a set of critical conventions for writing about literature;
to use quoted and paraphrased evidence from primary sources in a formal essay about literature;
to edit their writing to ensure that they have used varied sentence types and specific, appropriate diction;
to edit and proofread their writing to eliminate major grammatical and mechanical errors.
Satisfactory ACT or placement test scores; or completion of all Learning Support reading and writing competencies.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."
Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.
Minimum software requirements can be found here.
Common applications you might need:
- To read a PDF file download the latest version of Adobe Reader here
- Don't have Microsoft Word? Explore an alternative OpenOffice here
- Accessing a PowerPoint file? Download the PowerPoint Viewer here
Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)
The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook
- Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
- Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
- Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.
Instructor Information
Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.
Participation, Assessments, & Grading
No special arrangements are necessary.
The course is designed so that students can earn up to 1000 points. Each student will receive a letter grade based on where his or her cumulative point total falls in the following grade scale:
900-1000 | A |
800-899 | B |
700-799 | C |
600-699 | D |
0-599 | F |
Some TBR schools do not award the grade of 'D' in ENGL 1010 or 1020; therefore, a grade of 'D' may be converted to an 'F' or another substitute grade. Please check the grading policy at your home institution and your school of enrollment.
Students will complete reading assignments, short writing activities and a short research activity, formal essays, quizzes, exercises, a short research project and a final exam. The maximum number of points a student can receive for completion of each assignment or group of assignments is listed below:
500 points | 5 Formal essays in final-draft form |
150 points | final exam (timed writing) |
180 points | 9 quizzes and exercises (20 points each) |
100 points | short writing activities (20 points each)* |
20 points | one short research activity |
50 points | participation in discussions, Working Groups |
You may notice gold-starred "Bonus" items in the online Gradelist. If you submit a writing assignment late (that is, to one of the "Late Submissions" drop boxes) your score will appear in the "Bonus" column for that assignment.
*There are seven short writing activities assigned during the spring and fall semesters. Your instructor will grade all seven but may average either all of the scores or just the best five when determining final grades.
Every student is expected to participate in discussions as described in the Assignment Guidelines and listed in weekly assignment schedules; every student is also expected to participate in Working Group presentations and draft reviews for every essay. Finally, students will be required to publish their work as drafts for Working Groups' discussions (as assigned). Minimum requirements for contributions to threaded discussions (for both class and Working Groups) are listed in each weekly schedule.
It is especially important for students in an on-line course to maintain contact with their instructor. The instructor must hear from every student at least once a week; if during a given week, a student fails to make contact in some way (by submitting an assignment or participating in a chat or discussion), he or she must email the instructor, even if the student is sick or out of town. A student who fails to contact the instructor on a regular basis may miss important updates or even fail the course.
An assignment is late as soon as the deadline passes, and work is one day late for exactly twenty- four hours after the deadline. For example, if an essay is due on Sunday at midnight, it is one day late on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and two days late on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. The following policies apply to assignments handed in after the deadline:
- Essays will be penalized five points for every day that has passed since the deadline.
- Short writing and research activities will be penalized 20% of the final grade for every day that has passed since the deadline.
- Quizzes and exercises will not be accepted late.
- Final exams will not be accepted late.
- Postings to discussions may be made after the deadline, but students will receive credit only for those postings made on time.
A student who expects to miss a deadline and believes that an exception should be made for him or her must contact the instructor before the deadline. Exceptions will be considered on an individual basis.
Course Ground Rules
The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:
RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS
Read the document in its entirety here.
1. Standards of Conduct:
- Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.
2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:
- In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.
Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:
- an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
- to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
- or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.
Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution. Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.
In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.
Other Course Rules:
Students are expected to:
- Participate in all aspects of the course
- Communicate with other students
- Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
- Keep abreast of course announcements
- Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
- Address technical problems immediately:
- Observe course netiquette at all times.
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
- Always include a subject line.
- Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
- Use standard fonts.
- Do not send large attachments without permission.
- Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
- Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussions:
- Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
- Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
- Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
- Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
- Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
- Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
- Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Library
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.
Students with Disabilities
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
Syllabus Changes
The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.