updated 8/01/10

Course Description and Instructional Methodology
A review of grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, and words often confused. Introduction to writing paragraphs and essays. Emphasis on planning, writing, and revising of assignments. Individualized and group instruction in a classroom or workshop setting. Course Goals: To prepare students to write confidently and effectively in college-level credit courses and to pass the writing portion of the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in DEVW 0403 OR placement by a Written Essay Score of 4 and any writing objective score on COMPASS, CPT, or ASSET.

Course Rationale
Students who have not passed the writing portion of the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) must enroll and participate in a developmental writing course until they satisfy the TSI writing requirement. Students who do not comply with the Texas developmental education requirements may be withdrawn by the College from all college-level courses with a grade of "W."

Common Course Objectives
After completing this course, the student should be able to:

engage in writing as a process;

identify audience and purpose as needed to determine tone, vocabulary, and content;

focus essays with a clear lead-in, and develop a thesis statement, using an essay map when appropriate;

develop unified body paragraphs using sensory detail and specific examples, and use different strategies for organizing body paragraphs;

develop coherent essays, and use transitional devices to guide the reader;

analyze and evaluate the writing of others for effectiveness in presenting ideas and grammar;

write simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences, and

proofread writing for missing or incorrectly placed apostrophes in contractions and possessives; commas with subordinating and coordinating conjunctions; errors in spelling, quotation marks and capital letters. Proofread for comma splice, run-on, and fragment errors; consistent tense; pronoun reference; parallel structure; manuscript form; and commonly confused words.

become familiar with the library's resources and use an online database for research.

Departmental Web Page
Go to www.austincc.edu/writing for additional information on the developmental writing program and for online writing resources.

Attendance/Withdrawal Policy
Students are permitted to miss 4.5 hours of class/lab time. Students who exceed this time limit will be withdrawn by the instructor, unless there are extenuating circumstances. If the time limit violation occurs after the withdrawal date, the student may not pass the course. This policy applies to all sessions. Students who are withdrawn for violating the attendance policy should visit with an ACC counselor or advisor to discuss their options.

Students who are TSI mandated are required by the state to participate in developmental education. However, students shall not be removed from college credit courses as long as they are still willing to participate in a developmental program at the level required by THECB regulations.

Minimum Essay Standards
Students must write at least five academic essays that will count at least 50% of the course grade.

Exit Essay Requirement
WSI students are required to pass a departmental Exit Essay. Students will be given two opportunities to write a multi-paragraph persuasive essay in a one, three-hour block of time: Midterm and Final Exit Essay. One of the two timed essays must earn 15 out of 25 points on the Pass/Fail Score Sheet, which instructors will give to students at the beginning of the semester. Students who are passing the course but do not pass the Exit Essay will receive an In-Progress (IP) grade. Students who receive an IP grade are required to enroll in WSI during their next enrolled semester unless they take and pass the writing portion of the TSI.

Instructors will provide students with a handout during the first week of class with the final Exit Essay testing date, time, and locations.

Lab Requirement
There is a mandatory lab requirement for this course, which will count at least 10% of the course grade. Students are required to complete a weekly one hour lab assignment for fourteen of the sixteen weeks. The lab is currently scheduled in two ways. The lab either meets immediately before or after class OR the lab will be To Be Announced (TBA). A TBA lab will allow students to meet the lab requirement as they find time in their schedules. Each instructor is responsible for providing students with a lab handout that outlines activities on a weekly basis, provides a rationale explaining the purpose of the activities, and explains how the activities will be graded.

Grade of Incomplete (I)
To qualify for an incomplete, a student must have three-quarters of the course work completed and permission from the instructor. To receive an incomplete, a student must make a written request to the instructor and fill out and sign the appropriate school document by the deadline noted in the current course schedule.

Scholastic Dishonesty Policy
Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, essays; tests and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework. See the section titled "Student Rights and Responsibilities" in the current ACC Student Handbook for additional information on academic integrity.

All work submitted in this course should be the student's own work. When a student borrows ideas, wording, or organization from another source, that information must be referenced using the methods prescribed by the instructor. Plagiarism or collusion could cause a student to receive a failing grade for the course or to be withdrawn from the course. Each instructor will provide students with a penalty policy for scholastic dishonesty.

Plagiarism is appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another's work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one's own work. Collusion is unauthorized collaboration with another person or persons in preparing written work for fulfillment of course work.

Services for Students with Disabilities
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester. See the section titled "Services for Students with Disabilities" in the ACC Student Handbook for additional information.

Student Freedom of Expression
Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect all views expressed in classroom discussions.

Instructor Syllabus
In addition to the information in this Course Master Syllabus, each instructor will provide students with written statements on the following:

1. Instructor name, course name and number, and section number and synonym.
2. Contact information: posted office hours, office location and number, phone number and e-mail address, and a statement about appointments being available upon request.
3. Required texts and materials.
4. Any additional course objectives.
5. Grading system.
6. Student discipline/scholastic dishonesty policy.
7. Class outline/calendar with test and due dates as well as other class activities.
8. Lab handout that outlines activities on a weekly basis, provides a rationale explaining the purpose of the activities, and explains how the activities will be graded.
9. Testing center policy if the instructor requires students to use the testing center.