ENGL 0101: ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1

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ENGL 0101: English Composition 1

Syllabus

Prerequisites: None.

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to further develop students’ English language, reading, and writing skills as a foundation for their academic studies at UoPeople. The units focus on a range of texts and genres designed to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of academic discourse. Each unit also focuses on the progressive development of reading, grammar, writing and test taking skills. This course is required for all students that have not demonstrated English proficiency and have been considered for provisional admission as a non-degree student. Students must earn a 73% or higher in the course to meet the English language proficiency requirement at UoPeople.

*An important note on the importance of this course and the final exam: Because English language proficiency is such an essential skill for succeeding at University of the People, students must earn a score of at least 50 on the final examination. A normalized score of less than 50 on the final examination will be an automatic failure for the course. Therefore, if you achieve a normalized score less than a 50 on your final exam, your final grade reverts to a 0. Students who fail the exam and thus the course are also entitled to take the course a second time.

Students who earn a normalized score of 50 or higher on the final examination will have that score added to the rest of the grades they have earned in the course, and a final grade for the course will be computed. If your final grade for the course is less than a 73, your application to be a degree seeking student cannot be reactivated because you are not yet able to demonstrate English language proficiency.

In addition to the above, please note the Final Exam will be a general English exam and not necessarily the items covered in class.

Required Textbook and Materials: UoPeople courses use open educational resources (OER) and other materials specifically donated to the University with free permissions for educational use. Therefore, students are not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost associated with them. The main required textbooks for this course are listed below, and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course's General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

UoPeople Library and Information Research Network (LIRN): http://www.lirn.net/databases/17237/
Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Short_Stories_(Bookshelf)
Online Literature: http://www.online-literature.com
Owl Purdue: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/

Software Requirements/Installation: You must be able to play audio for the listening part of the final exam and headphones will not be allowed, only speakers. One of the following internet browsers must be used for the course and final exam:

Supported browsers	Running on
Internet Explorer 9,10 and 11 (Later versions and Microsoft Edge were not tested)	Windows
Firefox	Windows
Chrome	Windows
Safari 7,8,9 (Later versions were not tested)	Mac OS

Please consult the Student Handbook regarding University of the People for additional standards of computing and networking resources.

In addition to the above, you will need a pdf viewer; however, there are bonus materials that utilizes PowerPoint and YouTube style video.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Compose a 5 paragraph essay and analyze its structural components.
Assess source material and identify the key concepts with their given strengths.
Discuss given readings and procedures while applying techniques learned for synthesis.
Strengthen critical reading skills through the building and practice of assessment strategies.
Apply class techniques for improvement in their over-all academic and life enhancement.

Course Schedule and Topics: This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time).

Week 1: Unit 1 - Notes and Sentences

Week 2: Unit 2 - Pre-Writing and Paragraphs

Week 3: Unit 3 - The Thesis and APA Citations

Week 4: Unit 4 - The 5 Paragraph Essay and the Library

Week 5: Unit 5 - Reading Critically

Week 6: Unit 6 -Researching and the Sprinkles

Week 7: Unit 7 -Putting it All Together

Week 8: Unit 8 -Dubliners and Finishing Strong

Week 9: Unit 9 -Course Review and Final Exam

Learning Guide: The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Notes and Sentences

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 2: Pre-Writing and Paragraphs

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 3: The Thesis and APA Citations

Peer assess Unit 2 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 4: The 5 Paragraph Essay and the Library

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 5: Reading Critically

Peer assess Unit 4 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 6: Researching and the Sprinkles

Peer assess Unit 5 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 7: Putting it All Together

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 8: Dubliners and Finishing Strong

Peer assess Unit 7 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Read the Unit 9 Learning Guide carefully for instructions on the Final Exam
Complete and submit the anonymous Course Evaluation

Unit 9: Course Review and Final Exam

Read the Learning Guide
Prepare for, take, and submit the Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time); exact dates, times, and other details will be provided accordingly by your instructor

Course Requirements:

Written Assignments & Assessment FormsSome units in this course require that you complete a Written Assignment. You are required to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and, in addition, to give meaningful peer assessments of three (3) of your classmates’ assignments according to the instructions found in the Assessment Form, which is provided to you during the following week. During this peer assessment period, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the Assessment Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer. Please note that each assignment grade is comprised of a combination of your submission (90%) and your peer assessments (10%). Failure to submit Written Assignments and/or Assessment Forms may result in failure of the course.

Discussion Assignments & Response Posts/Ratings
Some units in this course require that you complete a Discussion Assignment. You are required to develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has been posed by the instructor. In addition, you must extend the discussion by giving meaningful responses to at least three (3) of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum and by rating their posts. Instructions for proper posting and rating are provided inside the Discussion Forum for each week. Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum and responding to peers as required may result in failure of the course.

Learning Journals
Your instructor may choose to assign specific topics and/or relevant questions as a weekly Learning Journal entry for you to complete, but you are still encouraged to also use it to document your activities, record questions/problems you may have encountered, reflect on the learning process, and draft answers for other course assignments. The Learning Journal must be updated on a weekly basis, because its entries will be assessed by your instructor directly as a part of your final grade. The Learning Journal will only be seen by your instructor.

Quizzes
This course will contain three types of quizzes – the Self-Quiz, the Graded Quiz, and the Review Quiz. These quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions. The results of the Self-Quiz will not count towards your final grade. However, it is highly recommended that you complete the Self-Quiz to ensure that you have adequately understood the course materials. Along with the Reading Assignments, the results of the Self-Quiz should be used as part of an iterative learning process, to thoroughly cover and test your understanding of course material. You should use the results of your Self-Quiz as a guide to go back and review relevant sections of the Reading Assignments. Likewise, the Review Quiz will not count towards your final grade, but should also be used to assist you in a comprehensive review and full understanding of all course material, in preparation for your Final Exam. Lastly, the results of the Graded Quiz will count towards your final grade. Specific instructions on the format and content of the Graded Quiz will be provided by your instructor.

All Self-Quizzes in this course will remain open until the end of the term and allow unlimited attempts.

Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9, following the completion of eight units of work. The format of the Final Exam is similar to that of the quizzes, and may contain a combination of different question types. You will have one attempt to take the exam, and it will be graded electronically. Specific instructions on how to prepare for and take the Final Exam will be provided during Week 8 (located inside the Unit 9 Learning Guide). Final Exams must be taken without the use of course learning materials (both those inside and outside the course). If particular materials are allowed for use during the exam, these will be noted in the exam’s instructions.

The Final Exam for this course must be done under the supervision of a proctor. Since you already secured your proctor before registering for this course, this is a reminder that you should coordinate with him/her before you take the exam. Please note, you will not be permitted to change proctors during the course. As a reminder, students are required to successfully complete proctored exams spaced throughout their program of study at UoPeople, in order to verify the student’s identity in confirming a degree and diploma upon graduation.

Course Forum
The Course Forum is the place to raise issues and questions relating to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors, and is a good place to meet fellow students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course Forum, it is highly recommended.

Course Policies:

Grading Components and WeightsEach graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading scale, as indicated here:

Discussion Assignments	10%
Written Assignments	15%
Learning Journals	20%
Two Graded Quizzes	30%
Final Exam	25%
TOTAL	100%

*Please note: Students are required to obtain an overall grade of at least 73% (C) or higher to pass this course.

Grading ScaleThis course will follow the standard 100-point grading scale defined by the University of the People, as indicated here:

Letter Grade	Grade Scale	Grade Points
A+	98-100	4.00
A	93-97	4.00
A-	90-92	3.67
B+	88-89	3.33
B	83-87	3.00
B-	80-82	2.67
C+	78-79	2.33
C	73-77	2.00
C-	70-72	1.67
D+	68-69	1.33
D	63-67	1.00
D-	60-62	0.67
F	Under 60	0.00

Grade Appeal
If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair, please contact your course instructor. This must be done within seven days of the posted final grade. For more information on this topic, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

ParticipationNon-participation is characterized by lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines for each assignment.
Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late. Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up assignments.
All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity
When you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as “plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Unless otherwise stated, any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several style and citation formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. Purdue University’s Online Writing LAB (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

Code of Conduct

University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful, collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted. Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.

6 September - 12 September

UNIT 1: Notes and Sentences

Learning Guide Unit 1Book
Discussion Forum Unit 1
Written Assignment Unit 1Workshop
Learning Journal Unit 1Assignment

Self-Quiz Unit 1

Learning Guide Unit 1

Overview

Unit 1: Notes and Sentences

Topics:

Note taking
Sentence structures

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

Choose the note taking style that is most appropriate to you
Write a polished sentence

Tasks:

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Introduction

This unit will focus on the basic structures of the sentence and how to effectively take notes for your college courses. We will start with a small introduction in the Discussion Forum and then you will have a short Written Assignment. Finally, your Learning Journal this week will be an open self-assessment or notes to your teacher about the course.

Although not required, it is strongly suggested to take the Self-Quiz as they will prove useful study guides for the Graded Quizzes later in the unit.

Reading Assignment

The following will be used for this week's Reading Assignment, Basic English Usage Unit 1:

Note Taking Strategies: PDF / PowerPoint (check google drive)
The Sentence: PDF / PowerPoint (check google drive)

Unit 1

The Sentence The basic sentence structure Joseph Szewczyk for University of the People

The Simple Sentence A simple sentence is the most basic kind of sentence you can write in English. It contains only one clause. A clause is a set of words that contains one subject and one verb This lecture is on a simple sentence structure only; for a more complex structure, please see the Bicycle Sentence lecture.

A simple sentence has two main components: • Subject • Verb Simple sentences often have a third component: an object.

The Subject The Subject of a sentence is its main actor. Imagine that each sentence is a movie scene and each scene requires a main actor. For example: The man walked. The main actor here is the man. He is the one doing something in the sentence. Another example: The bee stung the man. The main actor here is the bee. It is doing something (stinging) the man. The next few slides will give you a chance to work out who the main actor (the subject) In each sentence.

The kung-fu master saved the child. What is the subject? (The main actor.)

The kung-fu master saved the child. The kung-fu master is the subject. He is the one performing the act of saving on the child. Let's try another example. The apple fell from the tree. What is the subject of this sentence?

The apple fell from the tree. What is the subject of this sentence? The apple is the subject. It is the one doing something (falling). The tree is not the subject because it is merely the object upon which the apple acts. Fell (the action) is the verb. It is what the subject (the apple) is doing. Let's try one more.

The student studied for the test. What is the subject in the above sentence?

The student studied for the test. What is the subject in the above sentence? The student is the subject. The student is acting upon the test by studying for it. Can you pick out the object and verb? The object is the test and the verb is studied. We will learn more about the object in the next slide.

The Object If the Subject is the actor, then the Object is the scenery or prop. For example if Johnny Depp runs into a train, then the actor (Johnny Depp) is running into the prop (a train). Depp here is the subject and the train is the object. Let's try two more examples

The cat ate the mouse. We know the subject is the cat (actor) but what is the object? The object is the mouse (prop). It is what the cat is doing something (eating) to. The dog chased the cat. Here the dog is the actor. The dog (subject) is doing something (chasing) the cat (object). As you can see the cat may have been the subject in the first example, but in the second example it becomes the object because it is being acted upon by the dog. Let's see if you can pick out the object in the next three samples

A woman drove her car to the store. This one is a bit tricky, but can you guess the object? We know the woman is the subject as she is doing something, but is the car or the store the object? The answer is: her car. The reason why is because the woman (actor) is using (driving) her car (object). The store is just an added detail and not affected by the car nor the woman. She could drive to the zoo, and the car would still be the object.

Additional resources (PDFs):

Conquering the Comma (check google drive)
Sentence Clarity (check google drive)
A Concrete Image of How Sentences Work (check google drive)

Discussion Assignment

For your first Discussion Assignment, you will write an ice-breaker statement. An ice-breaker statement is one that introduces yourself to the class. This can be a few (two or three sentences) on your own background and why you've decided to enroll into the UoPeople.

You are also responsible for replying with two or three sentences to three different students and rating their main posts from 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent) in the Rate box provided.

Written Assignment

Why do you want to go to college? This is the main question for your Written Assignment. You will write one paragraph (three or four sentences) on this topic.

This Written Assignment will be peer assessed (next week), based upon the following criteria. Please note, in your other courses, you will likely not be provided with Assessment Form criteria before and during assignment submission periods.

Did the student answer the question? Please provide one or two sentences on why you think the student did or did not answer the question. Is it a full (three or four sentence) paragraph?
Is what the student submitted a full (three or four sentence) paragraph? Are there spelling or grammar issues?
Is this a mostly original work or did the student use cited source material? Note—if the student used un-cited source material (as per APA style rules) then this is plagiarism.
Are there spelling or grammar issues? If the student has more than two errors, please point out what a few of the more common errors are and how to fix them.
Is the paragraph a coherent structure that flows well? Please provide one or two sentences on why you think the student's paragraph is or is not a coherent structure.

Learning Journal

For this Unit's Learning Journal, you will write a small two or three sentence paragraph on your expectations for this course. If you are stuck on what to say, just ask yourself the question, ‘What would I teach in this course if I were instructor?’

The Learning Journal is seen only by the instructor and will never be peer reviewed by the other students. This is your space to write directly and fulfill the assignments given for the Learning Journal each week.

Self-Quiz

The Self-Quiz gives you an opportunity to self-assess your knowledge of what you have learned so far.

The results of the Self-Quiz do not count towards your final grade, but the quiz is an important part of the University’s learning process and it is expected that you will take it to ensure understanding of the materials presented. Reviewing and analyzing your results will help you perform better on future Graded Quizzes and the Final Exam.

The Self-Quiz will remain open until the end of the term and allow unlimited attempts.

Please access the Self-Quiz on the main course homepage; it will be listed inside the Unit.

Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments

Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)

Complete and submit the Written Assignment

Make entries to the Learning Journal

Take the Self-Quiz

Discussion Forum Unit 1

You are required to submit a substantial response to the Discussion Assignment, which will be posted by your instructor in the Discussion Forum below. A substantial response is one that stays on topic and fully addresses the assignment in a clear, concise, and meaningful manner. If your instructor requires a specific word count, it will be stated in the assignment.

After you respond to the assignment, you are then required to both give a rating and also leave a significant comment (3-4 complete sentences) to at least three (3) of your peers' responses, in order to receive full credit. Rate only the substantial responses that contribute to the promotion of the discussion, and not the comments of your peers.

Please review and follow the guidelines below for assessing your peer's responses to the Discussion Assignment.

Discussion Forum Rating Guidelines:
10 (A) - Excellent, substantial, relevant, insightful, enriching, and stimulating contribution to the discussion. Also, uses external resources to support position where required and/or applicable.
8 - 9 (B) - Good, quite substantial and insightful, but missing minor details which would have otherwise characterized it as an excellent response.
6 - 7 (C) - Satisfactory insight and relevance, but required some more information and effort to have warranted a better rating.
4 - 5 (D) - Limited insight and relevance of the material; more effort and reflection needed to have warranted a satisfactory grading.
0 - 3 (F) - Unsatisfactory insight/relevance or failure to answer the question, reflecting a poor or limited understanding of the subject matter and/or the guidelines of the question.

If at any time you suspect that a post in this Discussion Forum violates UoPeople's rules regarding plagiarism and/or any aspect of UoPeople’s Academic Code of Conduct, please notify your instructor immediately.

Remember that your instructor will be reviewing responses, ratings, and comments - and will adjust ratings if he/she believes that they do not seem warranted or supportable.

Written Assignment Unit 1

Submission phase

Workshop timeline with 5 phasesSkip to current tasks

Setup phase

Submission phaseCurrent phase

Task to doSubmit your work
Task infoOpen for submissions from Thursday, 6 September 2018, 9:05 AM (2 days ago)
Task infoSubmissions deadline: Thursday, 13 September 2018, 8:55 AM (5 days left)

Assessment phase

Task infoOpen for assessment from Thursday, 13 September 2018, 9:05 AM (5 days left)
Task infoAssessment deadline: Thursday, 20 September 2018, 8:55 AM (12 days left)

Grading evaluation phase

Closed

Instructions for submission

Why do you want to go to college? This is the main question for your Written Assignment. You will write one paragraph (three or four sentences) on this topic.

Did the student answer the question? Please provide one or two sentences on why you think the student did or did not answer the question. Is it a full (three or four sentence) paragraph?
Is what the student submitted a full (three or four sentence) paragraph? Are there spelling or grammar issues?
Is this a mostly original work or did the student use cited source material? Note—if the student used un-cited source material (as per APA style rules) then this is plagiarism.
Are there spelling or grammar issues? If the student has more than two errors, please point out what a few of the more common errors are and how to fix them.
Is the paragraph a coherent structure that flows well? Please provide one or two sentences on why you think the student's paragraph is or is not a coherent structure.

Your submission

You have not submitted your work yet

Learning Journal Unit 1

Submission status

Attempt number	This is attempt 1.
Submission status	No attempt
Grading status	Not graded
Due date	Friday, 14 September 2018, 8:55 AM
Time remaining	5 days 19 hours
Last modified	-
Submission comments	Comments (0)

Comments

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