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Instructor: Laura Burns
Telephone: (425) 564-2373
E-mail: laura.burns@bellevuecollege.edu
Office: R230-M
Office Hours: Mondays 9:30-11:30, Tuesdays 10:30-11:20, Thursdays 8:30-9:20, 10:30-11:20. I'm typically on campus other hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so contact me for an appointment apart from these hours. Fridays and some Wednesdays I work from home, and am available on Canvas frequently throughout the day, checking in early morning, mid-day and late afternoon (around 4-5 pm). I usually check in at least once on the weekends unless I otherwise state I am unavailable.
The overall goal of English 091 and English 105 is to help you improve your editing skills. The course is self-paced, meaning that the topics you study can be adjusted. We can plan together whether you should skip ahead, review a certain skill, or work faster or slower through a certain topic. English 091 is not a substitute for the English 070 series or for English 092. Passing English 091 will not give you placement in English 092, 093, or 101. However, if you complete a new chapter every week, and if you read well, you'll be prepared to place at the 092 or 093 level on the English Department’s Challenge Test, which you'll be allowed to take at the end of the quarter. If you complete the later chapters in our textbook, you'll be editing at the English 101 level. It's possible to test into English 101 if you read well enough and write a strong, well-supported, well-edited essay. English 105 is not a substitute for English 101, nor does it give you automatic placement in English 101. However, it can be excellent preparation for the COMPASS test for 101 placement, or the English Department’s Challenge Test to gain placement in English 101. If you have questions about your placement or about the testing options, please ask me.
Required Textbooks
1. A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage, by Larry Beason and Mark Lester, 7th edition, ISBN 9781457695940. You'll need this book for the grammatical explanations, as well as initial self-checking exercises.
2. Learning Curve for Readers and Writers, this is an online program you'll purchase on your own at https://www.macmillanhighered.com/learningcurve/readwrite/11594556 (Links to an external site.). This (Links to an external site.)ebook is required to complete the exercise drills you'll receive points for. The explanations are very limited for this ebook, hence the need for A Commonsense Guide is necessary as well.
Late Work
While this class is self-paced, you still need to make continual, consistent progress. Since learning new writing skills and concepts require consistent practice over a period of time, you won't learn by, for instance, cramming a large number of Learning Exercises into a few weeks. Instead, you're expected to consistently complete all the assignments in the week they are assigned. However, I do realize sometimes that life can interfere. Thus FIVE times during the quarter you may turn in any of the assignments below up to a week late (but no later). This must be arranged with me by the due date; otherwise late work will not be accepted.
Struggling with a grammar concept is different from late work. If you're struggling, let me know that week and we can arrange for some extended time on that concept. In that case, you would still be doing the journal writes, weekly write and whichever Learning Curve exercises you were able to do.
What You Will Learn: English 091
About English 091
You'll learn to correct basic mistakes in grammar and punctuation. After completing the first five chapters of A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage, you'll know enough basic grammar to gain maximum benefit from a more advanced grammar course, a college-level composition course, or a business writing workshop. You'll know you've mastered the basics when you can:
- Write a full page in your journal in 15-20 minutes
- Identify and use five basic sentence elements: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs
- Recognize and use independent and dependent clauses
- Use commas to separate clauses and other sentence elements
- Identify and use correctly the five basic verb tenses, including irregular verb forms
- Use your own personal editing and proofreading process to find and correct basic mistakes in grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation
- You'll also learn to revise your prose to improve clarity, flow, and style
- Make pronouns relate clearly to the nouns they stand for
- Reduce clutter in your writing
- Make choppy sentences flow more smoothly
- Make longer sentences more readable
- Decide when to use passive sentence patterns and when to avoid them
- Use parallel and balanced structure to achieve special effects
- Punctuate your sentences to convey the tone and rhythm of your own natural voice
- Use difficult verb tenses to express time sequences and nuances of meaning
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What you need to succeed in English 091:
Because this course is entirely online, you need to complete several orientation steps to ensure your success:
- In order to use our class website effectively, you MUST complete the Canvas Student Orientation and be aware of the ideal web browsers to use and the basic tools. Follow the link in this module to view the videos.
- Watch (perhaps more than once) the “Weekly Schedule” video that shows you the process we’ll use each week to utilize our textbooks.
- Also click on the “How to Start Classes in Canvas” link in this module to explore browser requirements and other general questions you might have.
- Always keep me informed if you have problems with the technology, and I will find help for you. You may also contact the Distance Education office directly by email or phone: landerso@belleveucollege.edu or 425-564-2438. They can be extremely helpful with technology! However, I expect that you bring some expertise with you to help in solving problems that arise. Ultimately, your computer and internet services are your responsibility. If you are signed up for the online section and you have computer problems, you may use the computer labs on the BCC campus if you have an emergency.
Assignments and Grading
(English 091)
I expect you to do at five to ten hours of work at home each week. Homework will include journal writings, exercises you’ll complete and check on your own in A Commonplace Guide to grammar and usage, and exercises you’ll do online in Learning Curve that I will be checking.
Your grade will not depend on how many chapters you complete. As long as you show evidence of steady progress and turn in the weekly self-evaluation reports, you'll pass.
If you are in English 091, the course is graded Pass/Fail. Your grade will be based on journal writing, Friday "writes," self evaluations and weekly exercises completed in Learning Curve.
- Journal Writings 90 Points (10 points each week for 4 entries per week)
- Friday Writes: 180 points (20 points each write)
- Weekly exercises in Learning Curve: 180 points (20 points per chapter set)
- Three Self Evaluations 60 (20 points each evaluation)
- In addition to these assignments, your initial diagnostic write is worth 20 points.
To pass the course, you must earn at least 410 out of 530 possible points.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:
Journal Writings
You must do four journal writings each week at home in a Word document or scanned pages that you turn in each Monday. Write about the things that interest you—your family, your friends, movies you see, books you read, places you go, your opinions and ideas about education, morality, politics, etc. Write as though you're talking to a friend.
Each time you write in your journal, begin by writing the date and the journal number—for example, "4/8/2015 Journal 4/3" or "4/8/2015 My Thoughts on...." Then write FAST for 15 minutes or more. Each day, try to write more in the same amount of time. Don't worry about grammar, sentence structure, or spelling. Just put your thoughts down on paper as quickly as you can. If English is not your native language, don’t stop writing to look words up. Leave a blank, or write the word in your own language. After you finish, you can look up the words you left out.
Your journals are due each Monday by midnight, beginning in the 2nd week.
Learning Curve Exercises
The online exercises in Learning Curve will provide you extensive practice with the grammar concept for the week, and they will also allow me to check your progress. Everyone will be on an individual program, and the number of exercises will be assigned to you before a student plan that you will receive every three or so weeks. You'll need to achieve the "target score" set by Learning Curve to earn the 20 points. Exercises assigned to each week must be completed by the following Saturday evening.
Self Evaluation
Three times in the quarter you'll turn in a brief self-evaluation report along with your journal writings, due that Monday. This self-evaluation should be approximately ½ of a page, typed. In this self-evaluation, discuss what chapters and practices you’ve been covering in the preceding weeks, what you learned and what your goals are for the next weeks. Talk about any concepts that were difficult for you, and ones that were easy to master. I'll use your self-evaluation and your Friday write to judge your progress. In particular, I’ll be using your self-evaluation to check how well you’re mastering the particular concept you studied and practiced that week, so make sure you clearly state what you’ve learned. Since you're all working at different speeds, “satisfactory progress” will mean something different for each person.
Weekly Write
At the end of each week, you’ll write and edit a short essay in a Canvas assignment box, based on a prompt that I give you. It is worth 20 points, and will illustrate your ability to edit for the concept(s) you’ve learned so far. You must achieve minimum competency (70% of the points) on each essay before you may go on to the next set. If you don't achieve minimum level or above on your first try, you'll continue to work on the skills of that set until you succeed.
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What You Will Learn: English 105
About English 105
English 105 covers much of the same material as English 091, but also covers editing issues of style and tone.
The initial chapters cover parts of speech, basic sentence patterns, and editing. Later chapters will focus on more complex editing and style. You may work more or less at your own pace, but your grade will depend on how many of the assignment chapters you complete satisfactorily by the end of the quarter. If you don't already have some knowledge of the basics, you may have trouble completing the course. The grading scheme is described in more detail below.
If you prefer a more relaxed, flexible, self-paced format and do not need transfer-level credit, consider switching to 091 now, even if you're at the English 101 level or above. Many professionals prefer 091 because it adapts more easily to individual needs and unpredictable work schedules.
The overall goal of English 105 is to help you improve your editing skills. If you complete all 10 of the 105 sets satisfactorily, you will be able to
(1) Correct Basic Mistakes in Grammar and Punctuation
- Avoid unclear pronoun references without avoiding pronouns
- Use verb tenses consistently
- Decide when to use a comma, a semicolon, or a period
- Follow your own editing and proofing process
(2) Revise Your Prose to Improve Clarity, Flow, and Style
- Make choppy sentences flow more smoothly
- Make longer sentences more readable
- Decide when to use passive patterns and when to avoid them
- Reduce clutter in your writing
- Use parallel and balanced structure to achieve special effects
- Punctuate your sentences to convey the tone and rhythm of your own natural voice
- Use "difficult" verb tenses with confidence
What you need to succeed in English 105:
Because this course is entirely online, you need to complete several orientation steps to ensure your success:
- In order to use our class website effectively, you MUST complete the Canvas Student Orientation and be aware of the ideal web browsers to use and the basic tools. Follow the link in this module to view the videos.
- Watch (perhaps more than once) the “Weekly Schedule” video that shows you the process we’ll use each week to utilize our textbooks.
- Also click on the “How to Start Classes in Canvas” link in this module to explore browser requirements and other general questions you might have.
- Always keep me informed if you have problems with the technology, and I will find help for you. You may also contact the Distance Education office directly by email or phone: landerso@belleveucollege.edu or 425-564-2438. They can be extremely helpful with technology! However, I expect that you bring some expertise with you to help in solving problems that arise. Ultimately, your computer and internet services are your responsibility. If you are signed up for the online section and you have computer problems, you may use the computer labs on the BCC campus if you have an emergency.
Assignments and Grading
(English 105)
I expect you to spend about 15 hours a week on this course. You’ll spend 5 hours a week working on the exercises, but you’ll often need another 10 hours a week studying concepts, completing other practices and writing in your journal.
This course consists of 10 “sets” of assignments, mostly single chapters in A Commonsense Guide to grammar and usage and accompanying exercises in Learning Curve, but sometimes 2 chapters for review. The Learning Curve exercises are the ones you will receive points for. At the end of each week, you’ll write and edit a short essay in Canvas. Every third Monday you’ll turn in a self-evaluation, and your journal writings will be turned in every Monday. Your grade will be based on completing these assignments:
- Journal Writings (90 points, 10 points per weekly set of 5 entries).
- Weekly Writes (180 points, 20 points per write)
- Weekly exercises in Learning Curve: 180 points (20 points per chapter set)
- Three Self Evaluations (60 points/3 evals x 20 points each).
- In addition to these assignments, your initial diagnostic write is worth 20 points.
GRADES
Your grade in English 105 is based on a grading scale of 530 points total. I use common grade percentages to determine your ending grade. Here is the breakdown below:
A = 95%-100% = 503-530 points
A- = 90%-94% = 477-502 points
B+ = 87%-89% = 461-476 points
B = 84%-86% = 445-460 points
B- = 80-83% = 424-444 points
C+ = 77%-79% = 408-423 points
C = 74%-76% = 392-407 points
C- = 70%-73% = 371-391 points
D+ = 67%-69% = 355-370 points
D = 64%-66% = 339-354 points
D- = 60%-63% = 318-338 points
F = below 60% = below 318 points
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Journal Writings
You must do five journal writings each week at home in a Word document or scanned pages that you turn in each Monday. Write about the things that interest you—your family, your friends, movies you see, books you read, places you go, your opinions and ideas about education, morality, politics, etc. Write as though you're talking to a friend.
Each time you write in your journal, begin by writing the date and the journal number—for example, "4/8/2015 Journal 4/3" or "4/8/2015 My Thoughts on...." Then write FAST for 15 minutes or more. Each day, try to write more in the same amount of time. Don't worry about grammar, sentence structure, or spelling. Just put your thoughts down on paper as quickly as you can. If English is not your native language, don’t stop writing to look words up. Leave a blank, or write the word in your own language. After you finish, you can look up the words you left out.
Your journals are due each Monday by midnight, beginning in the 2nd week.
Learning Curve Exercises
The online exercises in Learning Curve will provide you extensive practice with the grammar concept for the week, and they will also allow me to check your progress. Everyone will be on an individual program, and the number of exercises will be assigned to you before a student plan that you will receive every three or so weeks. English 105 consists of ten sets of exercises completed in Learning Curve, usually on one grammar topic per week. You’ll first read the examples and explanations in A Commonsense Guide to grammar and usage, and complete on your own those book exercises. You’ll then go on to complete the exercises in Learning Curve, which I will check and grade. You'll need to achieve the "target score" set by Learning Curve to earn the 20 points. Exercises assigned to each week must be completed by the following Saturday evening.
Self Evaluation
Three times in the quarter you'll turn in a brief self-evaluation report along with your journal writings, due that Monday. This self-evaluation should be approximately ½ of a page, typed. In this self-evaluation, discuss what chapters and practices you’ve been covering in the preceding weeks, what you learned and what your goals are for the next weeks. Talk about any concepts that were difficult for you, and ones that were easy to master. I'll use your self-evaluation and your Friday write to judge your progress. In particular, I’ll be using your self-evaluation to check how well you’re mastering the particular concept you studied and practiced that week, so make sure you clearly state what you’ve learned. Since you're all working at different speeds, “satisfactory progress” will mean something different for each person. A self-eval that is a full week or more late is not eligible to receive any points, as it is too far out of date to be useful.
Weekly Write
At the end of each week, you’ll write and edit a short essay in a Canvas assignment box, based on a prompt that I give you. It is worth 20 points, and will illustrate your ability to edit for the concept(s) you’ve learned so far. You must achieve minimum competency (70% of the points) on each essay before you may go on to the next set. If you don't achieve minimum level or above on your first try, you'll continue to work on the skills of that set until you succeed.
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STATEMENTS/RESOURCES
Student Resources/Policies
As a BC student, you have resources and people here to help you. Two important ones to know are:
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The Disability Resource Center serves students with disabilities. Common disabilities include physical, neurological (e.g. Autism, ADD/ADHD), and mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety). If you are a student who has a disability or if you think you may need accommodations in order to have equal access in your classes, programs, activities, and any other services, please contact the DRC.
If you require assistance in an emergency, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan for while in class and contact the DRC to develop a safety plan for while you are elsewhere on campus.
The DRC office is located in building B Room 132. You can contact the DRC by stopping by the office at B132, calling our front desk phone number (425) 564-2498, emailing drc@bellevuecollege.edu. Deaf students can reach us by calling TTY: (425) 564-6189, or by Skype (account name DRCatBC). For more information about the services we offer, including our Initial Access Application, visit our website at Disability Resource Center (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc).
Service Animals are allowed in this classroom. Emotional Support Animals need to be approved through the DRC. All other animals will be asked to leave. If you believe you need your animal with you, please connect with the DRC and refrain from bringing your animal until a decision has been made.
BC Writing Lab
Our writing lab offers free tutoring, grammar workshops, and other helpful services for any writer. You may visit our Writing Lab in D204, call for a tutoring appointment at 425-564-2200, and check out their services at http://bellevuecollege.edu/asc/writing (Links to an external site.).
Reasonable Accommodations for Reasons of Faith and Conscience
Students who will be absent from course activities due to reasons of faith or conscience may seek reasonable accommodations so that grades are not impacted. Such requests must be made within the first two weeks of the course to the office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs (see Bellevue College Policy 2950 (Links to an external site.)). In the event you feel you are being discriminated against based on faith or conscious, you may refer to the procedures outlined in the college’s Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Policy (1440P (Links to an external site.)).
- Students will apply for accommodations through Office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs during the first two weeks of the quarter. (If a student asks you in the first week of class about missing days for faith and conscious, please refer them to this Request Form (Links to an external site.) to document their request.)
- In a manner similar to the DRC, the Student Affairs AVP will approve the accommodation and inform, support and work with the faculty member to accommodate the requested days. That may include an alternate test day, or extended deadlines/alternate assignments for work completed during class time. (Test make-ups can be scheduled in the testing center at no charge to the student.)
Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.
We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.
Annual Notice Non-Discrimination
Bellevue College does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity; creed; color; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; genetic information; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or veteran status in educational programs and activities which it operates. Bellevue College is prohibited from discriminating in such a manner by college policy and by state and federal law. All college personnel and persons, vendors, and organizations with whom the college does business are required to comply with applicable federal and state statutes and regulations designed to promote affirmative action and equal opportunity.
Reports of gender and sex-based based discrimination, sexual misconduct, or retaliation by a student should be raised with the Title IX office (see 1440P2 for contact information). In cases
where the impacted party is a student and the responding party is a college employee, the Title IX coordinator will direct the matter to the Office of Human Resources (HR). All other reports, including all reports where the impacted party is an employee, should be raised with the HR. If a report is against personnel in the Title IX office or HR, it should be submitted to the president’s office for referral to an alternate designee. Equal Opportunity (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/equal/)
Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share with the Title IX Coordinator any and all information regarding sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g. relationship violence, stalking) that may have occurred on campus or that impacts someone on campus. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the BC Counseling Center at (425) 564-2212. The Title IX Office can be contacted at 425-564-2641 and more information can be found at Title IX (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/titleix/).
College and Division Statements
Please read the Arts and Humanities Student Procedures and Expectations (Links to an external site.) on divisionpolicies for attendance and plagiarism.
Information about Bellevue College's copyright guidelines can be found at: College Copyright Policy (Links to an external site.)
This link provides a good, short summary of how to avoid plagiarism: Avoiding Plagiarism (Links to an external site.). This 22-minute video also provides a good overview of how to avoid trouble when using sources: From the college home page select SERVICES, then LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER, then DATABASES, then FILMS ON DEMAND. At their site, search by title for PLAGIARISM 2.0: ETHICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity
Any act of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source), and fabrication and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to, talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Dean of Student Success for investigation. Specific student rights, responsibilities, and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct at: Student Code (Links to an external site.).
Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC
All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: Create Email (Links to an external site.)
BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Technology Help Desk (Links to an external site.)
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The Disability Resource Center serves students with disabilities. A disability includes any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Common disabilities include physical, neurological (e.g. Autism, ADD), and mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety). If you are a student who has a disability or if you think you may need accommodations in order to have equal access to programs, activities, and services, please contact the DRC.
If you require assistance in an emergency, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan for while in class and contact the DRC to develop a safety plan for while you are elsewhere on campus.
If you are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is an additional access program available to you. Contact Autism Spectrum Navigators (Links to an external site.) (ASN). Email and phone number is on the web page. ASN is located in the Library Media Center in D125.
The DRC office is located in building B Room 132. You can contact the DRC by stopping by B132, calling our desk at 425-564-2498, emailing drc@bellevuecollege.edu, and Deaf students can reach us by Skype (account name DRCatBC). For more information about the services we offer, including our Initial Access Application, visit our website at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc (Links to an external site.).
Accessibility
The online elements of this course are designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to online learning. Be sure to let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes I can make to the course so that it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future.
Public Safety and Emergencies
Public Safety is located in the D building (D171) and can be reached at 425-564-2400 (easy to remember because it’s the only office on campus open 24 hours a day—2400). Among other things, Public Safety serves as our Parking Permits, Lost and Found, and Emergency Notification center. Please ensure you are signed up to receive alerts through our campus alerting system by registering at RAVE Alert Registration (Links to an external site.)
If you work late and are uneasy about going to your car, Public Safety will escort you to your vehicle. To coordinate this, please phone ahead and let Public Safety know when and where you will need an escort
Please familiarize yourself with the emergency postings by the door of every classroom and know where to go in the event of an evacuation. Your instructor will be asked if anyone might still be in the building, so check in before you do anything else. Emergency responders will search for anyone unaccounted for.
If a major emergency occurs, please follow these three rules:
1) Take directions from those in charge of the response -We all need to be working together.
2) Do not get in your car and leave campus (unless directed to) - Doing so will clog streets and prevent emergency vehicles from entering the scene. Instead, follow directions from those in charge.
3) In an emergency, call 911 first, then Public Safety.
Please do not hesitate to call Public Safety if you have safety questions or concerns at any time. You may also visit the Public Safety (Links to an external site.) web page for answers to your questions.
Bellevue College
URL: http:bc.instructure.com
Site Updated: 9/2019
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