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Your grade for the course is determined based on the
following criteria:
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The term "attendance" does not mean simply being physically present in the classroom. Attendancer means: being present, having your texts and notebook with you, have all assignements due with you at the start of session and being prepared to discuss the readings. Students can be absent three times for any reason and do not have to explain their reasons to the instructor. Any student who is absent four times, no matter what the reason, will be automatically withdrawn from the course. Furthermore, chronic lateness will lower the student's final grade. If you come to class late, please get seated quietly; do not disrupt a class in progress. |
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For many documents students
write, there will be a drafting process. Any student who does not bring their rough draft on the day it is
due will receive an
automatic deduction on the grade of their final draft. This is
particularly important to keep in mind when it comes to the research
paper, which has not one but two rough drafts. |
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The research paper is a
primary component of ENG 112. Students learn how to use the library and
the Internet to find information on their topic. Students are given a
list of topics to choose from, or may, with special permission, write
on a topic of their own devising. Completing the research paper takes
most of the second half of the semester. Students must submit a
proposal, an outline, a first rough draft, a second rough draft, give
a PowerPoint presentation on their topic, and then submit their final draft. |
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Instead of reading quizzes, there are a series of "reading checks."
A reading check is an unannounced check to see that each student has
made adequate notes in his or her text book and kept a notebook with
additional, legible and detailed reading notes. Students who prefer not
to make marks directly in the textbook can insert post-it notes which
can be removed later. Highlighting must be accompanied by hand written
notes. The goal is to see that you are reading and interacting with the
text. There is a mid-term exam that begins with 20 multiple choice, true/ false, matching, and filling in the blanks questions. There are also two written sections. In the first written section students analyze a single technical document and evaluate its success or failure as a technical document. In the second written section students analyze and compare the merits of two documents. The final exam follows the format of the mid-term but also covers material pertaining to the research paper, such as MLA citation, research skills, ethics, scholarly vs. popular resources and so on. |
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Plagiarism is simply not
tolerated. We will cover this topic in class. Familiarize yourself with
the school’s academic integrity
policy, at www.mccc.edu/admissions_policies_integrity.shtml.
We will
cover proper citation procedure, but it is each student’s
responsibility to abide by the rules described in the policy, in this
and every course he or she takes in college. Failure to do so will
result in swift and severe disciplinary action. Your instructor may use
the various Internet plagiarism tools, such as Turnitin.com to randomly
check your work or if she suspects a plagiarism violation. The
consequence of plagiarism is course failure
and all violations will be immediately reported to the academic integrity committee. |
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This is a fast moving class. From time to time a student may need an extra day or two to finish an assignment (this does NOT include quizzes or exams), and may request an extension. If the student is in good standing, the request will likely be granted, however, the request must be made before the day the assignment is originally due, and the student must remain caught up on all other work. If a student does not ask for and receive an extension, but turns work in after a due date, this will result in a reduction to the final grade on that assignment. Missing work is unacceptable. Any student who has not submitted all assignments will receive a failing grade in the class. No exceptions. |
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Any
student needing special
accommodation because of disabilities should contact the instructor
during the first week of
class. She will be happy to help. Students with documented learning
disabilities should see Arlene Stinson in the Learning Center so they
can provide their instructors with an accommodations letter. In English
classes students with documented LD's are often allowed to take tests
untimed. If you think you may have an LD but have not been tested, you
should go to the Learning Center and ask them to help you set up
testing. You may be entitled to accommodations. |
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Turn your phone off at the beginning of class. If your phone rings during class you may face any number of consequences. If you have an emergency that requires you to keep your phone on, discuss it with the instructor before class begins, sit near the exit and keep your phone on vibrate. Students caught text messaging in class will be marked absent. |
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Students must check their Mercer email account on a regular basis. In any emails to the instructor, please identify
yourself, use proper English, good grammar, and respectful language if you expect a reply. |
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Office hours are held on the West Windsor campus in LA 131 Mondays through Thursday from 3:15-4:30pm and by appointment. Students seeking academic advisement are also welcome. |
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| Politeness and self respect
are expected in the online classroom just as they would be in a regular classroom. No matter what one’s skill level
in the subject matter, every student can and will maintain a
fundamental level of human decency. Students who are
disrespectful will be penalized in their discussion grade for the class. Ongoing behavior
issues may lead to the student being withdrawn from the course. Click the link for more on the meaning of "respect": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect |
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