Course Assignments & Grading

How I will grade your work?

Since all of the assignments build upon one another, I know that it is important for you to have your assignments graded quickly; therefore, I'll grade your work in a timely manner and provide feedback to help you improve your writing and understanding of the assignments. Most assignments will be graded within a week to two weeks of their due dates.

I will leave feedback on assignments through the following methods:

• Assignment Comments Boxes, Rubrics, and Comments on Essays

Essays (153 Points / 51%) 

Essays and assignments directly connected to the essays make up the majority of your grade. You will write four essays this semester. Three essays are 4+ pages in length while your final essay, the research paper will be 5+ pages. All essays must be in MLA format (double spaced, in 12 pt. Times Roman with 1” margins).

We will spend four weeks on each essay. The first week, you will be introduced to the essay topic; the second week you will write a tentative thesis statement and share it with your peers; the third week, you will share your essay with your peers in peer review; the fourth week you will submit the essay for a grade.

You can have your essay reviewed by our class tutor, a writing tutor in the CHC Tutoring Center, or NetTutor any time during the four week writing process.

Peer Review Workshops (20 Points / 6%) 

You will participate in four peer review workshops. We will be using the discussion board to complete peer reviews. First, You will submit a completed draft of your essay to the designated assignment / discussion box on Canvas. Secondly, you will complete two peer reviews following the guidelines provided for each essay assignment. Drafts cannot be submitted late.

Essay Reflections (12 Points / 4%) 

You will complete a set of essay reflection and checklist questions throughout your writing process to help you meet your goals and stay on track.

Essay Revision 

You may revise one essay, essay 1, 2, or 3, throughout the semester. If you are going to resubmit your essay for a higher grade, your revision must include the changes I suggested on your previous draft. Your revision may be turned in any time during the semester, but no later than the date indicated on the course schedule.

Meet with our Class Tutor / a Writing Tutor in the Success Center / Use NetTutor (4 Extra Credit points) 

You can earn four extra credit points for each essay by meeting with our class tutor for one on one tutoring, a writing tutor in the CHC Tutoring Center for one on one tutoring, meeting with a tutor on NetTutor, or submitting your essay to NetTutor for review. You can find the links to these services in the course menu to the left on Canvas.

If possible, I strongly recommend that you meet with our class tutor; they are embedded in our class and have access to all of the course assignments and materials. They are here to help you meet your course goals and succeed in the course.

Be sure to submit proof  (screenshot / etc. ) of the meeting with our class tutor, a CHC Writing Tutor, or the NetTutor online submission when you submit the final draft of your essay in the essay assignment box. Then I will add the 4 points to your essay grade. You can also write me a note in the comments box to make sure I see the proof and add the extra credit. 

You can meet with our class tutor, a CHC Writing tutor, or submit your essay to NetTutor as many times as you’d like, but you can only earn 4 extra credit points per essay.

Discussion Board Posts (45 Points / 15%) 

There will be a variety of discussion board assignments throughout the semester. There will be a total of 15 entries. Posts are due on Wednesday and Friday.

Journals (9 Points / 3%) 

Journal entries will be informal responses to class material. There will be a total of 9 entries.  Each entry is worth a maximum of 1 point. Most journal entires will be private, but a few will be public. Whether the entry is private or public will be noted on the assigned assignment.

Writing Center or Library Workshops (6 Points / 2%) 

Workshops are a great way to improve writing, reading, and researching skills. You will need to attend three workshops throughout the semester. Each workshop is worth 2 points. 

You many attend a writing, library, or general workshop. When selecting a workshop, choose a workshop that addresses your needs.

Quizzes (45 Points / 15%) 

There will be 9 five-point quizzes that cover topics we review in class and Parable of the Sower.

Midterm (5 Points / 2%) 

The midterm will give you a change to reflect on your progress in the course.

Final Exam (5 Points / 2%) 

The final exam will give you a chance to reflect on your course goals and progress in the class.

Extra Credit (4 Points Each)

There are four ways to earn extra credit: meeting with our class tutor, another CHC writing tutor or a NetTutor tutor, turning all essays in on time,  turning in all other work on time, and participating in any extra credit assignments.