NMSU-A Mission Statement
The mission of New Mexico State University at Alamogordo is to provide quality learning opportunities for individuals in the diverse communities we serve.

WebCT Help

Phone:  646-1840
email: help@nmsu.edu

lagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
In an effort to fulfill our mission to “maintain active ties and continuity with the main campus at Las Cruces,” the following statement on plagiarism and academic dishonesty is taken from Paideia IV: A Course Guide for English 111 Composition and Rhetoric, edited by Rebecca Blackwell and Gina Hochhalter, published for the NMSU-Las Cruces Department of English by Outernet Publishing, 2002.

 It is academically dishonest, and often illegal, to present someone else’s ideas or writing as your own.  You cannot use even short phrases or parts of sentences obtained from other sources unless you properly document those sources.  Documentation includes marking quotations, as well as providing notes, citations, and a reference list.  If you receive assistance from a source other than your instructor, your colleagues in the class, or the Writing Center, then you must acknowledge that assistance.  Identify the source and the nature of the assistance in an acknowledgment note at the end of the assignment.  Failure to acknowledge constitutes academic misconduct.
 In addition, it is academically dishonest to submit your own previously written work for a current assignment or to submit an assignment in more than one class without the prior permission of the instructors.
 You will be held responsible for furnishing upon request all the sources and preliminary work (notes, rough drafts, etc.) that you use when preparing written assignments.  If you cannot produce that material upon request, the assignment will be considered unsatisfactory and given a failing grade.
 Plagiarism and academic misconduct of any kind may constitute grounds for failing the course and may result in further disciplinary action according to university policy.  Consult the . . . [NMSU-A] Student Handbook regarding your responsibilities and rights concerning plagiarism and academic dishonesty.  In addition, writing textbooks contain useful discussions of plagiarism.
 As a student, you are responsible for protecting your own work.  It is your responsibility to ensure that other students do not copy your work or submit your work as their own.  Allowing your work to be used inappropriately makes you guilty of academic misconduct and subject to sanctions. (xi)

Catalog Description for ENGL 111G, Rhetoric and Composition
Skills and methods used in writing university-level essays.

Prerequisites
To qualify for admission into this class, you must have

• earned the appropriate placement score on the ACT Compass test, administered in the NMSU-A Writing Center; or
• provided the counselors with proof of an adequate score on the ACT English test or the SAT verbal test; or
• completed the CCDE 110N non-transfer-level course at NMSU-A with a grade of C or better.

In order to promote students’ academic success and to enable them to pursue personal and professional goals involving writing and research skills, the objectives of this course are to prepare students to

• understand and practice writing as a multiple-stage process;
• develop reading, research, and critical thinking skills necessary for success in college courses;
• become competent in language usage, grammar, and mechanics;
• construct multiple-paragraph essays with clear thesis and adequate evidence in a variety of modes acceptable in college-level courses, such as argumentation, exposition, narration, and description;
• produce a formal research paper similar to those expected in other college courses;
• use logic and rhetoric to communicate clearly with an educated audience.

Outcomes Assessment: Objectives, Methods, and Standards

The NMSU-A writing program assesses students’ writing products and processes separately from grade evaluation.  We do this to measure how well our writing courses carry out our established objectives.  Results of assessment projects will be used to revise the curriculum, both at the instructor level and at the program level.  The ultimate goal of assessment is to satisfy the needs of the students and the university’s mission.

Typical assignments that may be collected for assessment projects include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Writing samples taken at the beginning of the year
• Early semester essays
• Late semester essays
• annotated bibliographies
• portfolios demonstrating achievement
• portfolios demonstrating proof of process
• dual copies of research papers, with one anonymous copy

Because of staff limitations, only a random sampling of student papers will be reviewed.  If students do not want their work considered for random selection, they must notify the Humanities Coordinator in writing before the fifth week of the semester.

The random samplings will be reviewed according to generally accepted assessment practices in the field of rhetoric.  Most commonly, this practice will involve primary trait analysis using a 4 or 6 point scale.  But it may also involve the identification of the presence or absence of an attribute essential to meeting a course objective.  Or, another method may be a holistic review of an essay assignment or portfolio.

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Changes in grading matters may be made with the approval of all students affected by the changes.
 

Grade Worth	Assignments:  All Assignments will have handouts and/or instructions posted in the Assignments drop box.
20 points	Essay #1 Recalling an Experience (Narrative, Expressive) 3-5 pages. BG Chapters 4, 5,  selected readings in 23
25 points	Essay #2  Issues of Work (Argumentative), 3-5 pages.  BG Chapters 6, 9, 10,  selected readings in BG, and on reserve, possibly in course materials.
40 points	Essay #3, 3-5 pages.  Literary Analysis of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  Or, Film analysis of Apocalypse Now.  Or, both.  See BG chapter on Literary Analysis.  Will require a minimum of one outside source.
40 points	Essay #4,  3-5 pages. Topic and readings to be determined.  Will require two outside sources.
25 points	Various quizzes & exercises as assigned weekly
25 points	First Journal Submission
25 points	Second Journal Submission:
25 points	Chapter Presentation
50 points	Final Exam: e-Write Test, an ACT product.  Taken on campus or at arranged, proctored location.  See BG chapter on assessment.  This test is graded by a computer.  (Yes, it is possible!)
25 points	Annotated Bibliography, 2 pages.  BG Chapters 11, 12, 21, 28, 29, 30
100 points	Research Paper, 6-8 pages.  BG, All of Writer's Research Manual section
100 points	Portfolio with  substantially revised essays and polished journal entries. BG, Chapter 20, plus your own texts.
500 Points Total

Semester Grades: 500-450= A; 449-400= B; 399-350= C; 349-300= D; Below 300 = F

Attendance Policy

This is NOT a self-paced course.  Although it isn't easy, it is possible to create a community of learners online.  One way to do this is to work together on  common tasks, and to read the same chapters at the same time.  So, we will work together, week by week, even if we don't always do it synchronously.
(Vocabulary note:  synchronous computer mediated communication means that participants in computer communications are all online at the same time, as in a Chat Room, or on the telephone.  Asynchronous computer mediated communication means that participants use computers to communicate, but may not all be online at the same time, as with Email or with Discussion Tools, or leaving a message on an answering machine.)

Attendance will be taken twice weekly in the Discussions Tool, or possibly in the Chat Tool, although I find Chat not very productive for course work.  (I also have sneaky ways to check on whether you logon or not, but I'd rather note your participation as a "talker").  Absences (that is, no evidence of a student logging in and participating twice in a calendar week--Sunday through Saturday) will be reported to the financial aid office, possibly resulting in loss of financial aid.  There are no make-ups for attendance.  However, the way to "make-up" for trouble with WebCT is to email me directly with your comments on the week's reading assignment: mcneel@nmsua.nmsu.edu.

If you miss any two weeks by not logging in and participating twice in a week, your semester grade will be lowered by one letter grade.  That is, an A grade becomes a B grade for the semester. If you miss any three weeks by not loggin in and participating, your semester grade will be lowered by two letter grades.  That is, a C grade would become an F grade.

How to attend: Students must log in and participate in the weekly discussions, most of which will be student-led.  Help your fellow students who are trying to stimulate learning through online discussions, questions, web links,  and presentations  by showing up online and commenting on their discussion questions or prompts.  Students must participate as peer reviewers for one another's essays.

ENGLISH 111G, RHETORIC & COMPOSITION
 

Instructor Contact Information Mr. Ron McNeel  Professor of English Faculty Mentor for Web Course Development Office #115, Faculty Office Building  Office Hours on campus, Fall 2005, 2nd 8 weeks: Monday:  2:00-6:00 p.m. Tuesday & Wednesday:  2:00-4:00 p.m. And online; and by appointment Phone and voice mail: 505.439.3742  Cell Phone (for when I'm using my home phone connection to dial-up): 491-3658 email: mcneel@nmsua.nmsu.edu website: http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~rmcneel

Required Texts, Software, Access The Bedford Guide for College Writers (BG), 7th edition A Pocket Style Manual, 4th ed.  (PSM) Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.  I recommend the Dover Thrift edition, available in the NMSU-Alamogordo Bookstore, or almost anywhere:  $1.50 Cheap!  However, if you want the eye-straining experience of actually reading an entire book online, try the link. A good dictionary Access to a reliable computer. An account, with ID and password, from http://my.nmsu.edu Reliable Internet access and an email address.  You need the email account outside of WebCT for emergencies. Reliable office suite software:  MS Office with Word, or WordPerfect Suite.  PowerPoint will be necessary, too.  Remember to save often, and save shared drafts as Rich Text Format (.rtf) files.  DO NOT USE THE MICROSOFT PROGRAM WORKS.

Reading assignments are to be completed before the week on which they are scheduled for discussion. If a lack of discussion and preparation indicate that the selections have not been read, then I may give unannounced quizzes over  readings.  All students are expected to read all listed chapters.  Chapter presentations by other students do not relieve you of the responsibility of reading the material and responding knowledgeably to the critical thinking questions posed by the chapter presenters.

Week # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
Week 3: Sept. 7-10	Student Presentation of Chapter 18: Developing Student Presentation of Chapter 19: Revising.   Peer Review Groups formed Modeling of Peer Review.
Week 4: Sept. 11-17	Peer Reviews of Essay 1, to be completed by Wed. Student Presentation of Chapter 6:  Interviewing. Student Presentation of Chapter 8:  Cause and Effect Assignment of Essay 2, Issues in the Workplace.   Review of Chapter 16. Discussion of Selected Readings in Chapter 25 of BG. Essay 1 is due.  See assignment requirements and due date in the Assignment Tool Drop Box.
Week 5: Sept. 18-24	Student Presentation of Chapter 9: Taking a Stand Student Presentation of Chapter 10:  Proposing a Solution Review of Chapters 16 & 17:  Exercises Discussion of Selected readings in Chapter 25. Peer Reviews of Essay 2, to be completed by Friday midnight. Research Paper Topic is due.

Week # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
Week 6: Sept. 25-Oct. 1	Student Presentation of Chapter 12: Responding to Literature.  Student Presentation of Chapter 7: Comparing and Contrasting Assignment of Essay 3, Writing about literature. Introductory Lecture on Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Beginning of Research with Chapter 27 in BG.   Assignment of Annotated Bibliography. Review of Chapters 18 & 19.  Essay #2 is due. See assignment requirements and due date in the Assignment Tool Drop Box.
Week 7: Oct. 2-8	Student Presentation of Chapter 11: Evaluating Begin Discussion of Heart of Darkness. Begin Discussion of Apocalypse Now.  Students need to view this on their own.  It is available from the NMSU-Alamogordo Library, and most movie rental stores. Discussions related to student approaches to Essay #3 Continuation of Research with BG Chapter 28. Sources provided for researching Essay #3

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Week 7

Week # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
Week #14: Nov. 28-Dec. 3	Return of Essay #4, journals.   Portfolio Preparation. Research Papers are due.  Be sure to check the due date and time in the Assignment Drop Box. Chapter 14 in BG, Writing for Assessment.  Workshop Session for Exit Essay.
Week #15: Dec. 4-9	Portfolios are Due: Dec.  5. Final Exam: Dec. 7-9 (or earlier if you can arrange it.)  ACT's e-Write, to be taken on the NMSU-Alamogordo campus, or at a proctored, secure location if we can work out access codes.

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1. The University administration and the U.S. Air Force insist that you do not smoke, eat, or drink in the classrooms--especially computer  laboratories.

2. I insist that you attend class: excessive absences will adversely affect your final semester grade, as explained in attendance and grading policies above.

 3. No matter the reason or excuse, all late papers will lose 10% of the possible points for the assignment. No assignments will be accepted after November 19. 

4. Work that is missed and not made up, or make-up work that I will not accept, will receive a grade of zero.

5. If you plagiarize a paper or cheat on a test, you will be urged to drop the course. Also, you will receive a zero grade on the falsified assignment.

6. A plagiarized research paper is sufficient cause for failure in the course. I reserve the right to ask for all your pre-final draft materials, such as your note cards or photocopied notes and your rough drafts--paper or electronic--before agreeing to grade your research paper, or any essay.

9. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FOUR TO SIX PAGE DRAFT OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER AT YOUR SCHEDULED INDIVIDUAL E- CONFERENCE, THE RESEARCH PAPER WILL BE DOCKED 25 POINTS.

NMSU-A's Holloman staff person Cindy Holder can also be of service:  479-4318
 

In Case of Emergency
If someone in your family needs to contact you on campus in an emergency, the person calling should know the class you are attending and use the following telephone numbers:
  Alamogordo Campus:
   Daytime:  439-3700 (Admissions Office)
   Evening:  439-3751 (Faculty Office Secretary)

  Holloman AFB:
   Daytime:  479-4318 (NMSU-A/HAFB Coordinator);  572-3971 (Base Education Office)
   Evening:  As of January 2004, no emergency contact is available in the evening.  Instructors may or may not allow students to have cell phones turned on during class.  Please discuss work situations, potential family emergencies, and cell phone status with your instructor.

In Case of Holloman Air Force Base Closure
National or international events may cause Holloman Air Force Base to close, keeping students from leaving the base to attend classes on campus, and keeping instructors from entering the base to teach classes there.  To alleviate the problems a closure would cause,
• the instructor may collect student phone numbers and email addresses;
• the instructor may use email addresses to create a distribution list to keep students up-to-date on assignments and activities;
• students should note the instructor’s email address and be adept at sending word-processed assignments as attachments via computer;
• instructors and students may need to mutually agree on a make-up class or classes, times, places, and modes of instruction (including email or chat room discussions), in order to abide by state requirements of 750 minutes of class time per credit hour.

Classroom Conduct
• You are not allowed to use tobacco products in classrooms at NMSU-A or HAFB.
• You are not allowed to eat or drink in computer classrooms at NMSU-A, or any classrooms at HAFB.
• Any student engaging in disruptive behavior will be required to leave the class.  I reserve the right to judge email remarks and exchanges as disruptive, and requiring a student to consult with counselors on the campus before resuming the course.

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