To complete an assignment or exam satisfactorily, you must:

• demonstrate a solid grasp of analytical and writing concepts;
  
• follow instructions;
  
• present your ideas effectively, using standard English grammar;
  
• show care in the preparation of your work, including any required revisions;
  
• provide substantial analysis and limited grammatical errors;
  
• eliminate problems noted in your earlier work.

No letter or number grades are given for individual papers that you write in this course. Instead, I use one of three notations on a graded assignment:

• OK means the assignment is accepted. Proceed to the next assignment. In the Blackboard gradebook, an accepted submission is indicated with a grade of 1.

• Revise means certain criteria, mostly related to grammar or content, have not been met. Revise the work by correcting all noted problems, promptly return it to me, have it accepted, and then proceed to the next assignment. In the Blackboard gradebook, a submission needing revision is indicated with a grade of 0.

• Rewrite means the assignment is totally unacceptable, usually because it does not meet the requirements of the assignment. The paper must be completely rewritten and accepted before you proceed to the next assignment. In the Blackboard gradebook, a submission needing rewriting is indicated with a grade of 0.

Note: If a blue clock disc shows in the Blackboard grade list, you have not properly submitted the assignment file. You need to return to Blackboard Submissions and submit the file properly.

• All work is due on the dates specified in the Schedule and Assignments document. The time the work is submitted in Blackboard will serve as the time of submission.

• If you send a file attachment saved in a format other than rtf or doc or docx, I will return it ungraded for correction. If you send a file attachment that is improperly named, I will return it ungraded for correction. If you send an attachment that I cannot open or read, I will return the submission and notify you of the problem.

• All correctly submitted assignments should be returned to you with a grade in 3-5 days (weekends and holidays not included). Leave a Message in Blackboard or Email me if you have not received your graded paper after 4 days. However, be aware that if you have not completed a preceding assignment, a following assignment will not be graded until that preceding assignment is accepted.

• If the assignment is marked REVISE or REWRITE, it has not been accepted. You must correct the problems and resubmit it as soon as possible. A poorly-done revision will not be accepted and must be done again.

• I will not grade the next assignment until the previous one has been accepted. For example, if Assignment 3 is not accepted, I will not grade Assignment 4 until Assignment 3 is accepted.
  
  
• Take the time to proofread carefully. Remember, I am not an editor for you. If I notice excessive errors or that you have failed to follow directions in the first two paragraphs, I will return your submission to you ungraded and tell you to correct the errors or follow the directions.

• If you fall behind in your class work, do not expect me to grade numerous assignments at one time.

• VERY IMPORTANT: No new assignment submissions or revisions will be accepted or graded during the last four days of the course, December 10-13. Only exams will be graded during the last four days of the course. Also, during the last four days of the course, you may submit only one item, an exam. This policy overrides any other late submission guidelines.

• The essays you write are to be original (except Assignment 5, 6, and 7, and the A exam, which will use borrowed information). If you use borrowed information, cite it properly according to MLA guidelines. If you are caught plagiarizing, and such plagiarism is deemed intentional, you may receive a grade of F in this course.

You may be required to revise an assignment if certain content or grammatical standards are not met. The revision must be completed promptly, because I will not grade the next assignment until a preceding revision is accepted.

• Any required assignment revision should be submitted as soon as possible. A revision not submitted within 7 days of my return of the graded assignment will be considered as a late assignment submission. Any student with three or more late assignment submissions will not be eligible for a grade higher than C or an Incomplete. A revision submitted more than 14 days after my return of the graded assignment may not be graded, and the student may be dropped from the course for lack of progress.

• Assignments 1-8 may be revised to make them acceptable. Exams cannot be revised for credit.

• A revision is not a supplement, addendum, or afterthought to the original assignment. A successful revision is a complete reworking that eliminates all noted problems, both in grammar and content, in the original. Shoddy or careless revisions will not be accepted. If you do not make the corrections that I have noted, you will find yourself revising the same assignment again.

• All requirements for the original apply to the revision.

• DO NOT highlight any corrections that you have made. DO remove any grading marks or comments I might have made on the original. Resubmit the revised draft as though it were the original draft, but do rename your file according to the naming policies for revisions noted in the "How to Save and Name a File" section below.

• When resubmitting essays, use the revision link for that assignment in Blackboard. Type your last name, the assignment number, and the word "revised" in the Comment box for your submission. For example, if you have just revised Assignment 4, type "Jones, Assignment 4 revised" in the Comment box.

• If you have already used the revision link, send the revision as a file attachment to a Blackboard Message.

• Be sure to add the rev abbreviation to any revision file name.

• If an assignment must be revised, succeeding assignments will not be graded until the preceding revision is completed successfully. Again, you have 7 days to submit a revision or else it will be considered a late assignment submission.

• Exams may not be revised to make them acceptable. They will either be accepted or not accepted. If an exam is not accepted, it must be rewritten using a different reading selection, time permitting.

If you discontinue turning in coursework, please withdraw yourself from the course or request that I withdraw you. Otherwise, keep pace with the coursework.

To succeed in this course, students must start the coursework when the semester begins and continue working at a steady pace. To keep you motivated, these late penalties will apply to all assignment submissions.

• Any student who has three or more late assignment submissions (after the due date) will not be eligible for a grade higher than C or an Incomplete.

• Any assignment submission that is more than 7 days late may not be graded. The end of the seven-day period is called the late submission deadline.

• Any required assignment revision should be submitted as soon as possible. A revision not submitted within 7 days of my return of the graded assignment will be considered as a late assignment submission. A revision submitted more than 14 days after my return of the graded assignment may not be graded, and the student may be dropped from the course for lack of progress. In addition, I will not grade following assignments until preceding assignments are accepted.

You should not consider an Incomplete as a viable option in this course. Most students don't finish them, anyway. If this restriction will pose a problem with your plans for success in this course, I highly recommend you sign up for English 1302 with another instructor.

• That said, any student who wishes to qualify for an Incomplete must have had at least five assignments and the Orientation Quiz accepted before the end of the semester and must have scored a cumulative 40 points on the six reading quizzes.
• The student must not have exceeded the late submission penalty limits.
• Any student who receives an Incomplete cannot attain a final grade higher than C.

• Any student who has three or more late assignment submissions will not be eligible for an Incomplete.

I withdraw students from the course only for lack of progress or if specifically requested to do so by the student. Any such request must be made by Blackboard message or Email no later than 5 pm November 17. If you lack the proper prerequisite, you are responsible for withdrawing yourself from the course roll. In any case, students are responsible for being aware of their status in this course.

You can contact me using the Messages function under the Communication button in Blackboard or by Email. My ACC Email address is dws@austincc.edu

When sending any kind of Email:

• Always include your name and section-synonym number (11935) in the Email message box.
• Include the purpose of your Email in the Subject line. Your subject headings need to be clear so that I will respond more quickly. If I cannot determine the sender and purpose of your Email, I may inadvertently delete it.
• If you do not use your real name in the From line of your Email message, also include your name and section-synonym number in the Subject line of your Email message.

Please follow these paper format guidelines. Your doing so will simplify my work in dealing with your submissions and will also improve your chances of moving through the semester more efficiently.

• All assignments and exams must be double-spaced. Only the C exam does not need to be double-spaced.

• On each assignment or exam, in the upper left corner of the document (not as a header), include these four items. (NOTE: This part of your submission does not need to be double-spaced.)
  • your name
  • section-synonym number (16590)
  • assignment or exam number
  • date submitted
    
  
  For example:
  Bob Jones
  16590
  Assignment 3
  9-23-14
  
  
• Typed papers are preferred. When typing papers for Blackboard submission, your document should use Times Roman or Arial or Courier New font, and it should be 12 point type. DO NOT use Calibri and Cambria fonts.

• Double space all submissions. (Unless otherwise instructed, all typed submissions of college writing should be double-spaced.) Maintain 1" margins on all sides. Avoid using the Enter or Return key to create double spacing.

• Indent the first line of all paragraphs five spaces. Meet stated word length requirements. Use left justification. Do not use right justification.

• Legible handwritten papers are acceptable. Use blue or black ink, white or yellow paper. You do not need to double space handwritten work. Leave 1" margin on right side. Write on one side of the paper only. Be neat. Be aware that submitting handwritten assignments will increase grading time significantly.

You will be submitting all of your assignments (except the C exam) using the Submissions button in Blackboard. There are many word-processing programs on the market, and many save files in their native format, meaning there are many different file formats that students may use to save their files. Unfortunately, I cannot open or read many of those file formats, such as .wps or .odt files.

Therefore, I require that you save and send all files to me in the Rich Text Format (rtf) or Microsoft Word doc format or docx format. Most word processors support rtf and doc formats. If you do not use rtf or doc or docx format, I may not be able to read your files, and it will be your responsibility to provide them in a format I can read. So, please use Rich Text Format (rtf) or Microsoft Word doc or docx format.

Important Note: If you are using Open Office, be aware that this word processor does not deal with rtf format very well. Use doc or docx format instead.

• If you send an file that I cannot open or that affects my machine, I cannot grade your assignment.
  
• Do not send me any ZIP files or other kinds of compressed files.

• For an assignment, Assignment 4 for example, your file would be named jones4.rtf or jones4.doc or jones4.docx

• If you have to revise Assignment 4, your file would be named jones4rev.rtf or jones4rev.doc or jones4rev.docx

• For an exam, the B exam for example, your file would be named jonesBexam.rtf or jonesBexam.doc or jonesBexam.docx

• Again, file names for an assignment and a revision of that assignment should be different, as noted above. You should keep copies of your original submission, the returned graded submission, your revision of the assignment (if necessary), and the returned graded revision.

Please note: I am not responsible for your work until I receive it.

DO NOT send incomplete assignments. If you know that a submission is not acceptable, correct the problems before you submit the work. If I receive a submission that is obviously incomplete, I will return it ungraded. An assignment that fails to follow assignment requirements, for example, is an incomplete assignment.

• You will use the Submissions button in Blackboard to submit your coursework. When you click on the Submissions button, a long list of coursework links appears. You will use these links to submit your coursework. Choose the submission link that corresponds to the assignment you are submitting. All of the assignment links also have a revision link in case a second submision of an assignment is necessary. Exams do not have a revision link because exams cannot be revised to make them acceptable.

• Find the assignment, revision, or exam you need to submit. Click on the link to take you to the submission page. Clicking on the name of the assignment takes you to the same submission page.

• On the submission page, you will find three sections. The first section, Assignment Information, repeats the earlier page. The Assignment Materials section contains a big comment box and a window to attach your properly named coursework file. In the Comments box, include:
  • your last name
  • the work being submitted: Assignment 1; Assignment 2 revised; B exam, etc.
  
  
• Under the Comments box, click the Browse button to locate your coursework file.
  In section 3, Submit, choose the appropriate button. Use the Submit button to send your coursework to me.

• Once you use a link to submit an assignment, you cannot use that link again unless I clear it.

• If the gradebook shows a gold disc, the submission has not yet been graded.
• If the score is 1, the submission has been graded and accepted.
• If the score is 0, some correction needs to be made before the submission will be graded or accepted. The problem may be an incorrect file name or file format. It may be a more serious problem, such as your need to revise or rewrite the submission.
• If a blue clock disc shows, the submission is "in progress" and has not been properly completed. You must return to the submission page and be sure you submit the file properly.
• Note: Right after you submit your file, you should go to your grade list under the Student Tools button. If your file has been properly submitted, a gold disc will show as your grade for that assignment.

• To download your graded file to your computer, right-click on the name of the attached file and save it to your chosen location. You might want to rename the graded file to keep it separate from your original submission file.
• Retrieve your file, read my notes, and take the appropriate action. If the submission is accepted, move on to the next coursework. If the submission is not accepted, make any necessary corrections and resubmit the work.

Make sure that your computer system is free of viruses. If you send me an infected file, you will lose your privilege of submitting assignments online.

• You may also submit your assignments or exams by delivering them to me personally during my office hours or to my campus mailbox in Rio Grande Room 204, or by sending them via intercampus mail or U.S. mail to my home campus (Rio Grande). (Check for addresses and hours under the Faculty Information button in Blackboard or at the top of this document.)
  
• To send an assignment via campus mail, go to the nearest ACC campus. The personnel in the administrative (campus manager or duplication) office will be happy to provide the envelope and send your document directly to my home campus (RGC).

This course is a composition course. The assumption is that by this point in your educational career, you have a working command of the rules of grammar. Your essays will be evaluated according to the quality of both the content and the grammar. If you have problems with grammar, you can get help at the Online Grammar Handbook at the following link:

Online Grammar Handbook

You can also get help at a Learning Labs tutoring center at one of the ACC campuses. Or you can purchase a grammar handbook, such as the Little, Brown Handbook or the Allyn and Bacon Handbook; these handbooks are not required, only recommended.

Links to grammar web sites are available on the Handy Links page.