Los Medanos College



Semester/Year: Fall/2014 Date: 8-18-14

REQUEST

COURSE INFORMATION New Experimental Course (Attach Course Summary for new 900 requests)

Complete both “Course” and “Section” Information below. Submit course summary with course request.

Subject Area: ENGLISH

Course Name/Title: ACCELERATED READING, WRITING, AND CRITICAL THINKING

Credit Credit Degree Applicable (DA) Grading Pass/No-Pass (P/NP) Repeatability 0

Credit Non-Degree (NDA) Letter (LR) 1

(If Non-Credit desired, contact Dean.) Student Choice (SC) 2

3

Hours/Mode of Instruction – Total # of hours for all instructional modes:

Total # of Hours: Units:

Lecture: 1 Laboratory: 1 Composition: 4 Activity:

Discipline/s: ENGLISH

Pre-Requisite(s):

Co-Requisite(s):

(Complete and attach Pre/co-requisite validation form)

Advisories: Recommended for students highly motivated to advance to English 100 in one intensive semester.

Schedule Description

ENGL 926 is an accelerated reading, writing, and critical thinking course designed to prepare students for college-level work. ENGL 926 is a fast-paced course recommended for students highly motivated to advance to English 100 in one intensive semester. Students will read college-level material on contemporary topics and issues from a range of college disciplines, engage in discussion and essay-writing that demonstrates their understanding and analysis of these readings, and develop academic language skills. An accelerated course means that you will be read, write, and discuss college-level material, but with extra support from the instructor and engaging, collaborative activities designed to enhance your skills and confidence. Successful completion of the course prepares the student for ENGL 100 and other college-level courses.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

SECTION INFORMATION (Only one section per 900 form)

Day/s: MW Times: 12:30- 3:20 pm Dates: 1-13- 14 – 5-21-14 Room/s: CC1 -121 Waitlist Max: 5

Instructor: Staff Contract Type:  A  AC  C  Other Multiple:  No  Yes: ____________________

NEW HIRE (Check one) (If yes, note other course and section info.)

SIGNATURES:

Author: _________________________________________________________

Date: ________________

Dept. Chair: _____________________________________________________ Date: ________________

Dean/Sr. Dean: __________________________________________________

Date: ________________

Curriculum Committee Chair: ______________________________________

Date: ________________

President/Designee: ______________________________________________ Date: ________________

|Office of Instruction Use Only: |

|T.O.P.s Code: _____________ Class Max: ________________ Coop Work Exp: Yes No |

|Class Code A Liberal Arts & Sciences (transferable) SAM Code A Apprenticeship Remediation Level ES Elementary and Secondary Basic Skills |

|B Developmental Preparatory B Advanced Occupational P Pre-collegiate Basic Skills |

|C Adult/Secondary Basic Education C Clearly Occupational B Basic Skills |

|D Personal Development/Survival D Possibly Occupational NBS Not Basic Skills |

|E For Substantially Handicapped E* Non-Occupational |

|F Parenting/Family Support F Transfer, Non-Occupational |

|G Community/Civic Development *Additional criteria needed |

|H General and Cultural 1 One level below transfer |

|I Occupational Educational (non-transferable) 2 Two levels below transfer |

|3 Three levels below transfer |

|3+ Four levels below transfer |

| |

|Course/Section Details: Subject Area: ________________ Course #: ________________ Section: ________________ |

|Original: Office of Instruction |

|Copies of top sheet to: Admissions Office, Department Chairperson, Counseling, Scheduling Specialist |

SUMMARY

Department:___ENGLISH__ Course Title: ACCELERATED READING, WRITING, AND CRITICAL THINKING____

Departmental rationale for offering this experimental course:

(Rationale should include why department wants to offer this course and why it is being proposed as an experimental, rather than permanent, course. Note: experimental courses are not transferable.)

The English Department is proposing an experimental Accelerated Reading Writing and Critical Thinking course for several reasons.

In brief, this course is designed to:

1. Offer alternative pathways through the traditional developmental sequence to meet a variety of student needs and learning capacities.

2. Respond to the growing body of research on the success of accelerated learning pedagogical principles to reform developmental education such that students are doing higher level, more complex and sophisticated learning from the beginning of their college career.

3. Address the inequitable outcomes and racial achievement gap data for students who begin in developmental sequences.

4. Maximize student potential—Assume that students can do more rather than less.

We are proposing this course as an experiment to test these accelerated pedagogies and assess their effectiveness in an LMC context. The department will then decide on how/when to implement an Accelerated Pathway permanently.

This course is designed to give students who have placed into English 70 (two levels below transfer composition) the chance to do the coursework necessary for them to enter English 100 in one semester (versus the two semesters currently required).

The impetus for this course is the now well-established data on attrition rates for developmental education students—the data now widely show that those students who enter two or more levels below college-level coursework rarely achieve degrees. These numbers are worse for racial/ethnic/and language minority students, essentially creating a system of inequity widely cited in the achievement gap literature. These low achievement rates are also present at LMC. Of those students who enter at an English 70 level (two levels below transfer-level), only 26% will complete a degree within 6 years (at best) (data collected by Myra Snell for the LMC English Department and presented to the department on

Such low achievement numbers are unacceptable.

In responding to this data, those involved in the Accelerated Learning initiatives statewide have been piloting and then instituting accelerated courses designed to revolutionize current developmental sequences.

In partnership with the California Community Colleges Success Network (3CSN) and the Acceleration Community of Practice, a team at LMC have designed a course that we think might assist English 70 students in accelerating their pathway to English 100.

This course was designed based on Accelerated Learning Principles now widely tested by many colleges. These principles include:

• Teaching to higher student learning outcomes and scaffolding difficult work rather than assigning more simple, “remedial” tasks. Students need opportunities do college-level tasks, but with more support, encouragement, and room to take risks and reach beyond their comfort zone and abilities.

• Use an ‘inquiry-based curriculum”—students engage with substantive content-- issues that matter—they wrestle with open-ended questions that are meaningful and real, and they use resources to analyze and reach their own conclusions on issues. (See sample assignments and proposed course content for more on this).

• Attending to the affective domain: Understand the emotional dynamics behind student learning (i.e., the college fear factor) and create support for students as part of the course content and how we teach, rather than relying only on outside sources (counseling). Interactions with students, in-class activities, conferencing, grading, and other policies reflect attention to the affective domain. Building student confidence and agency. (From, “Toward a Vision of Accelerated Curriculum and Pedagogy: High Challenge, High Support Classrooms for Underprepared Students” by Katie Hern in conversation with Myra Snell, 2013).

Each college community and learning sequence is unique, and we at LMC feel that we need to pilot this course in order to assess its outcomes. This will allow us to respond to the implementation with revisions and changes necessary for our community, and to improve on the course before it becomes institutionalized. We plan to carefully implement and evaluate this course, gathering data on the students as they move forward in order to assess its effectiveness.

Is the experimental course proposed to count as a requirement or option to meet a degree or certificate requirement? If yes, please provide a rationale.

No.

Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs):

At the end of the LMC Developmental Education Program students will be able to:

1) Demonstrate the skills necessary for the first transfer level courses in English and Math or for the English and Math competencies for the Certificate of Achievement

2) Think critically to construct meaning and solve problems

3) Read with comprehension

4) Communicate effectively both in writing and orally

5) Demonstrate the characteristics, habits, and attitudes of an effective learner

Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs):

1. Read actively and demonstrate critical thinking skills through the ability to comprehend, summarize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of primarily non-fiction texts, which would include diverse perspectives and worldviews. (PSLOs 1,2,3,4)

2. Write, edit, and revise expository essays, which integrate and synthesize course readings and are clearly focused, fully developed, logically organized, and show developing syntactic maturity. (PSLOs 1,2,3,4)

3. Demonstrate awareness and use of strategies for academic success (PSLO 5). 

Assessment:

| |Major essay |Reading Quizzes |Various small assignments such as in-class |

| |assignments | |reading and writing tasks, summaries, |

| | | |journals, |

| | | |and/or |

| | | |self-reflective writing. |

|CSLO 1 |X |X |X |

|CSLO 2 |X | | |

|CSLO 3 | | |X |

CSLO 1: Read actively and demonstrate critical thinking skills through the ability to comprehend, summarize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of primarily non-fiction texts, which would include diverse perspectives and worldviews.

CSLO 1 Can be assessed with such instruments as:

Major essay assignments: Each major essay will require students to synthesize ideas from various non-fiction texts along with their own ideas. This will require students to make inferences and analyze how the readings support their own ideas as well as show a clear understanding of the purpose and main point of the texts.

Reading Quizzes: Quizzes can be open booked or closed book, but should require accuracy and completeness of answers about ideas/information from each unit’s texts in order to demonstrate students’ ability to comprehend and analyze non-fiction texts.

Various Small Assignments: In-class reading and writing assignments, summaries, and/or journals can be used to assess students’ ability to comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the readings.

Sample Assignment:

Reading Quiz #1 90 minutes – please take your time!

Readings Covered: 4 chapters of Drive by Daniel Pink, Chapter 3 of Opening Skinner’s Box by Lauren Slater

Open Book and Open Notes – but no help allowed from your classmates

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Answer any 4 of the following questions (you choose which 4 you want to answer)

1. In your own words, explain what “intrinsic motivation” is and tell the story of how researcher Harry Harlow came up with this idea (Drive 1-4).

2. In your own words, summarize three pieces of evidence supporting the benefits of autonomy (chapter 4).

3. In the chapter on mastery, Pink discusses the work of psychologist Carol Dweck. In your own words, explain how Dweck’s research relates to the idea that mastery is a “mindset.” Be sure to explain your response fully enough that someone not in our class could follow you.

4. In your own words, explain what researchers found about the difference between college graduates who had “profit goals” and graduates who had “purpose goals.” (142-144).

5. On page 72, Slater gives a quote from a psychiatrist who was upset about Rosenhan’s experiment (the quote begins, “Most physicians do not assume that patients who seek help are liars . . . “). Explain this quote in your own words.

6. Using Lauren Slater’s experience as an example, do you think that psychiatrists have become more accurate at diagnosing mental illness?

CSLO 2: Write, edit, and revise expository essays, which integrate and synthesize course readings and are clearly focused, fully developed, logically organized, and show developing syntactic maturity. 

CSLO 2 Can be assessed with such instruments as:

Major Essay Assignments: Students will write four typed, academic, thesis-driven essays using information and ideas from primarily non-fiction texts, which will include diverse perspectives and worldviews. Essays should be 4-6 pages in length. Each essay will require students to integrate primarily non-fiction sources to support a thesis. Students will also write at least one rough draft for each essay in order to demonstrate the ability to revise. An in-class essay may be used as a “major essay assignment” or as a “smaller assignment.”

Sample Assignment:

Essay #3: Synthesis Assignment

Consider Different Evidence and Viewpoints and Reach Your Own Conclusion

Question: What causes addiction?

In Chapter 7 of Opening Skinner’s Box, Alexander argues that drug addiction is not caused by physical dependence. He claims that it is “a way of adapting to difficult circumstances” (Slater 161). Other addiction researchers claim that drug addiction is a physical response to the chemicals in the drugs themselves.

Task: Write an essay in which you state and discuss your position on the causes of addiction

Sources: Slater, chapters 6 and 7, as well as other sources (your chosen memoir, short articles from class).

Format: At least 4 full typed pages, double-spaced, 1-inch margins all around

Requirements:

1. Your discussion must demonstrate that you have carefully read chapters 6 and 7, as well as the additional sources you use. You must demonstrate that you have fully considered the different viewpoints and evidence on all sides of the debate.

2. Make sure your reader has a clear sense of your overall big-picture response to the question in the beginning of your response section.

3. Be sure to make absolutely clear which are other authors’ original ideas and which are your own.

4. Write for an audience who is not in our class. That means you’ll need to spend some time summarizing key concepts/ideas, defining any terms that might be unfamiliar, choosing short quotes from the text to give your reader a sense of the author’s ideas, or to clarify or illustrate your own ideas.

5. Make sure you use examples from the texts to support any claim YOU make.

6. Make sure you take the time to proofread after you’ve written your essay. Watch out for spelling errors, incomplete sentences, or run-on sentences, and correct what you see.

CSLO 3: Demonstrate awareness and use of strategies for academic success. 

Instructors will design a variety of assignments that ask students to effectively reflect on their learning, monitor their progress, and utilize campus resources, such as counseling, tutoring, advising, and so on.

Sample Assignment:

Assignment: Make and keep an appointment with a counselor to develop an educational plan. (This assignment allows students to demonstrate the ability to follow through on an essential aspect of planning and organization.)

Short Paper (Example): After listening to a counseling presentation to the whole class, students write a short paper that explains which college resources they plan to access and why. (This assignment allows students to demonstrate how and why they will engage essential resources in college.)

Instructor observation and student self- assessment of classroom participation; quizzes based on class notes (This assignment allows students to demonstrate metacognitive abilities- awareness of their own behaviors in the classroom, and how effective and productive those behaviors are.)

Method of Evaluation/Grading: Explain how “the course provides for measurement of student performance in terms of stated course objectives”, Title V. (LMC calls “objectives”, CSLOs.) Grading should be based on demonstrated proficiency in achieving the learning outcomes. Indicate the percentages or points (or a range of percentages or points) for each type of assignment.

|Major Essays (CSLO 2) |65-75% |

|Reading Quizzes (CSLO 1) |15-20% |

|Smaller Assignments: in-class reading and writing, summaries, |5-10% |

|journals, etc. | |

|(CSLOs 1, 3) | |

|Completion assignments: low-stakes writing, rough drafts, |5-10% |

|class participation, etc. | |

|(CSLO 3) | |

Sample Essay Grading Rubric:

In Accelerated English these rubrics are designed to also be formative assessments: The purpose of assessment is to give feedback and to enhance performance on future assignments. Students should have a clear sense of their strengths and areas of improvement. The instructor tracks student progress and sees that they are improving in all areas.

We encourage and recognize growing mastery of academic language and syntax—we don’t expect perfection.

Also, asking students to write intellectually challenging essays on difficult readings means there will be mistakes. The course will attend to these as they pop up in small lessons, but the emphasis is on intellectual development and argument using challenging readings as support.

Students are encouraged to attend to the presentation of their work, understanding that details affect the reception of their work by those in authority.

|` |A-Outstanding |B-Very Good |C-Competent |D-Weak |F or NP-Unacceptable |

|Focus |Essay has a clearly |The thesis though |Essay adequately |The paper is seriously |The essay has no |

| |stated thesis, usually |defined and appropriate,|fulfills its purpose, |weak in at least one of |recognizable central |

| |placed near the end of |lacks the insight of the|and has some commendable|the following criteria: |idea, and/or no clearly |

| |the introduction. Thesis|‘A’ paper. Essay may |features. Essay has an |the thesis may be |defined or apparent plan|

| |is appropriate for |have very minor staying |identifiable thesis, |unclear or may not |of development. Essay |

| |audience and purpose. |from thesis or |although it may be |address the assignment |isn’t focused on a |

| |Points/topic sentences |relatively insignificant|faulty (too broad / too |task, or many points |thesis. |

| |and supporting examples |lapses in clarity. |narrow). One point |and/or supporting | |

| |all stay focused on the | |and/or a few supporting |examples don’t clearly | |

| |thesis. | |examples may somewhat |support the thesis. | |

| | | |stray from the thesis. | | |

|Organization |Each paragraph has a |Paragraph unity and/or |Essay has a recognizable|Organization was |Lacks an organizational |

| |clear topic sentence or |coherence may have |organizational |attempted but is weak in|structure. Essay may |

| |point that is relevant |insignificant lapses in |structure, although |that paragraphs may lack|have disunified or |

| |to the thesis. Essay |clarity. May need more |there may be some weak |clear topic sentences or|incoherent paragraphs. |

| |displays coherence |(or better) transitions |transitions, an |points. Many paragraphs| |

| |within each paragraph. |in select areas. |occasional unclear topic|may lack coherence. | |

| |Essay transitions | |sentence (or point), |Points and/or examples | |

| |appropriately, and | |and/or some lack of |are extremely choppy | |

| |organization is smooth | |coherence within |with very little use (if| |

| |with clear connections | |paragraphs that |any) of transitions. | |

| |between points. | |nevertheless does not | | |

| | | |significantly interfere | | |

| | | |with understanding. | | |

| | | |Points may be somewhat | | |

| | | |choppy. | | |

|Development |Each paragraph contains |Though relatively |The essay provides |The ideas in the essay |Consistently vague or |

| |abundant specific |substantial and |development of its |may be seriously |non-specific support. |

| |examples, details and |specific, the |thesis/ points through |underdeveloped and/or |No evidence of reading |

| |illustrations drawn from|development in a “B” |specific examples and |evidence is used that |completion or |

| |the sources to fully |essay is not as |some elaboration |doesn’t clearly support |comprehension. |

| |develop the main point |extensive, in-depth, or |although support may be |the thesis. Writing may| |

| |as expressed in the |varied as in the “A” |minimal, predictable, |reflect a significant | |

| |topic sentence. |paper (may lack a |redundant, and/or may |misreading of the text. | |

| |Paragraphs show |complete development of |reflect a slight lack of| | |

| |thoughtfulness (e.g. |analysis or context in |reading comprehension. | | |

| |analysis, reflection, |certain areas, have | | | |

| |explanation, commentary,|minor redundancies, or | | | |

| |synthesis). Conclusion |have limited | | | |

| |ties together ideas and |text-to-text or | | | |

| |provides closure. |text-to-world thinking),| | | |

| | |but it still reflects a | | | |

| | |full response to the | | | |

| | |assignment and a solid | | | |

| | |comprehension of the | | | |

| | |readings. | | | |

|Syntax |Essay has few sentence |Essay may contain some |Proofreading, |Essay displays many |Frequent errors, both |

| |level errors. Essay |errors in grammar, |punctuation, or grammar |proofreading and/or |major and minor, in |

| |displays sentence |punctuation, or |errors may persist; |grammar usage errors. |grammar, punctuation, |

| |structure variety and |proofreading. The essay |however, they do not |Student is clearly |and spelling. No |

| |maturity. Sentences are |reflects focused, |impede understanding. |struggling with sentence|evidence of focused, |

| |focused and concise. |complex sentences for |Student attempts to |focus and/or variety |concise sentences or |

| | |the most part though |write mature, focused |(too many choppy |variety in structure. |

| | |sentence structure may |sentences while using |sentences). |Essay may contain too |

| | |be occasionally awkward,|sentence structure |Sentences are flawed in |many flaws in sentence |

| | |incorrect, or choppy. |variety though many |structure. |structure impeding |

| | | |times sentences may be | |understanding |

| | | |awkward, unsuccessful, | |throughout. |

| | | |or choppy. | | |

|Presentation and |Student correctly uses |Presentation may be |May have one or two more|Student may have |Paper may be too brief, |

|Documentation |MLA format for |missing a component or |serious errors in MLA |significant problems |off topic, plagiarized, |

| |formatting and citation |two and a few minor |format or citation but |with task comprehension |or otherwise |

| |purposes. Essay is |formatting errors. |they are not consistent.|or may not have |non-adherent to the |

| |submitted with all | | |understood the reading |requirements of the |

| |accompanying materials | | |assignment. Major |assignment. |

| |if in a portfolio. | | |errors in MLA format or | |

| | | | |citation. | |

This rubric is designed from the English Department’s approved, standardized writing rubric with a few revisions to reflect the developing nature of student writing in English 900. However, the understanding is that we want them approximating what they will be doing in English 100.

Course Content:

It is critical to keep in mind that this is an integrated reading and writing course. Reading should be taught and regularly assessed through students’ writing in response to readings, (e.g: reading quizzes that require written answers showing understanding of main ideas and evidence in a text—not multiple choice or easy-answer quizzes), and through students’ use of effective strategies such as annotating, questioning, reflecting, analyzing, etc.

ENGL 900 should be an activity-based, problem-solving course. Instructors might use Reading Apprenticeship and other activity-based approaches to reading and writing and will constantly monitor student learning in class using formative assessments, check-ins, and other strategies to provide lessons when necessary to enhance progress and understanding.

In order to be well prepared for English 100, students must demonstrate the critical thinking skill of synthesis and source-based development of ideas in their writing.

Organization of the course should be theme-based (not based on rhetorical modes). One overarching theme unites all the book-length texts so that students can build content knowledge and thus deepen their literacy by skills. Generally, 2-4 book-length texts will be supplemented by shorter articles and other primarily non-fiction texts (could also be multimedia)

 The LMC English/ESL department believes that we are not only preparing students for future academic endeavors; we are preparing them to be citizens and to be members of diverse and complex human communities. We therefore ask all English faculty to include diverse perspectives and important issues in society in the assigned readings, themes, and writing topics of the course.

English 900 will apprentice students into the skills below, understanding that students will be developing these skills as the semester progresses and at the end of the semester should show competence in these skills.

 A.) Active and critical reading Skills (CSLO 1):

•    Students will explain how contexts of both the reader and the text influence their interpretations of texts.       

•    Use a variety of strategies to enhance reading comprehension and to connect their reading to personal experience and prior knowledge: previewing, questioning, skimming, annotating, and metacognitive strategies such as comprehension monitoring. These strategies will be done actively in class, building on Reading Apprenticeship and other active reading pedagogies.

•    Identify the shape of text (e.g. introduction, body, conclusion) by reading non-fiction

•    Students will demonstrate their comprehension of assigned readings by writing that identifies authors’ main point (thesis) and supporting ideas, paraphrasing and quoting key words and phrases when necessary to avoid plagiarism

•    Using an inquiry-based approach, students will craft thoughtful responses and create thoughtful questions based on their engagement with the readings, their own and their classmates’ experiences, as well as the authors’ experiences and ideas.

•    Make connections and distinctions between their own ideas, their classmates’ ideas and the ideas found in the text, in order to construct a more complex perspective (synthesis).

•    Draw inferences that they can support and defend with the text.

 B.) Writing, with a focus on essays (CSLO 2):

Students are apprenticed into these skills by embarking on essay-length, synthesis writing throughout the course. 

• Formulate a working thesis (controlling idea/purpose) for their essays and refining/clarifying it as they move through the writing process.

• Support their general ideas (as expressed in the thesis and topic sentences) with adequate specific ideas: examples, illustrations, statistics, reasons, anecdotes, quotes from sources.

• Analyze, interpret, and synthesize the information they present in their papers. Explaining HOW & WHY the specific ideas they provide support their position as expressed in the general ideas    

• Avoid plagiarism and correctly incorporating quotes from in-class readings and outside sources into their essays, by using MLA documentation

• Use an appropriate tone for audience and purpose

• Avoid basic logical errors and pitfalls of argumentation such as oversimplification, hasty generalizations, either/or thinking, name-calling.

• Writing an opening paragraph that introduces the subject and contains a clear thesis

• Writing coherent body paragraphs headed by clear, appropriate topic sentences that address an aspect of the thesis.

• Using transitions which link ideas within and between paragraph

• Writing a conclusion that ties together the ideas discussed in the essay and leaves the reader with a satisfying sense of closure

 4. The writing process: Prewriting, writing, revising, and proofreading.

•    Prewriting: reading, note-taking, thinking, brainstorming, freewriting, mapping, outlining

•    Writing

•    Revising: content changes, including major ones, such as making a new outline and/or thesis, the total rewrite, adding and taking out sections, etc.

•    Proofreading: spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Also includes citations & formatting

 5. The writing assignments:  

•    The major focus will be thesis-driven, academic essays.

• Instructors may assign a narrative essay, such as an “educational autobiography” especially in the first weeks of class as an opportunity for students to reflect on how their educational experiences have shaped their ideas about their own capacity.

•     The majority of the essays will require some sort of synthesis: the drawing upon of more than one source of information to support the thesis and present an argument.

•    At least one of the major essays will be a persuasive/argumentative essay -- a carefully reasoned, well-supported argument on a debatable subject which summarizes and responds to alternative views, and persuades the reader to move toward or adopt the writer’s claim.

•    Students are expected to complete at least four typewritten essays which draw upon and synthesize the readings should be 4-6 pages

• At least one of the major essays will be a persuasive/argumentative essay, a thesis-driven essay on a contemporary issue that synthesizes at least three but no more than five sources, all provided by the teacher or found within the course texts. In this paper, the student should synthesize several points of view and show a clear awareness of the points of view with which she or he disagrees.

•    All essays will be based on, and integrate readings assigned by the instructor

• Written instructions and assessment criteria will be provided for all major essays.

•    The instructor will provide written feedback on all major essays.

•    Students may also write at least one 3 to 4 page (double-spaced) in-class essay.

All writing assignments should be evaluated based on the generalized writing rubric approved by the department; however that rubric will be altered as appropriate to the developing nature of the course and student skills and tailored to the specific goals of each major essay assignment.

In-class reading and writing assignments, summaries and/or journals can be used to assess students’ ability to comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the readings (CSLO 1). They can also be used as self-reflective pieces for students to reflect on their learning and progress and their use of institutional resources (CSLO 3)

 C) Grammar, proofreading, and syntactical maturity (CSLO 2):

•    Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in effective sentence combining practices and using these strategies in their written work

  • Developing the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in effective proofreading practices

• Using proofreading strategies effectively in their written work

D)   Awareness and use of strategies for academic success (CSLO 3):

Accelerated English 900 is a course that engages students and speaks to their issues and concerns, while helping them join the academic community. The classroom environment needs to be both supportive and challenging. From the beginning, students need to receive encouragement and information to persist to their educational/occupational goal.

 

Instructors will closely monitor student success and keep lines of communication open with students, regularly giving oral and written feedback to each student.  This regular feedback should include brief instructor-initiated conferences with each student frequently during class meetings, (brief “check-ins”). During more formal conferences instructors should provide grade information to the student along with feedback as to how each student can make adjustments in order to succeed in the course. Instructors should ask about the student’s progress overall in their courses, listen to their concerns, and help the student find resources to face other challenges they may be having outside of the course. The instructor with participate in regular engagement and monitoring of the students’ affective domain and institutional awareness. Student check-ins are constant.

In addition to monitoring student success, instructors will assign homework and/or in-class assignments that ask students to self-assess their own learning, reading and thinking processes.

Such skills include:

•    Developing the knowledge and skills necessary to monitor student’s own strengths and areas needing improvement:

• Monitoring one’s own reading and writing process, and creating plans for improvement of focus, work habits, and skill development

• Identifying thought patterns while reading, developing ability to self-monitor while reading, strengths and weaknesses as a reader

• Learning to schedule adequate time for the entire writing process

• Learning to manage the process of prewriting (reading, taking notes, free-writing, mapping, outlining, etc.)

• Learning to manage the process of revising and editing drafts

•    Identifying college resources to assist with individual needs, and accessing those resources (counselors, library, Reading and Writing Center, in-class tutoring, EOPS, etc.).

•    Seeing a counselor to develop or update an Educational Plan.

Instructional Methods: Check all the instructional methods that will be used in teaching this course. Keep in mind that the method of instruction and activities should relate to the CSLOs.

Lecture

Lab

Activity

Problem-based Learning/Case Studies

Collaborative Learning/Peer Review

Demonstration/Modeling

Role-Playing

Discussion

Computer Assisted Instruction

Other (explain) ________________________________________

Textbooks: Indicate name of text (or list of text choices), author, publisher and date of publication. Date of publication has to be within 5 years of authoring course outline. For degree applicable courses, text should be College Level. Include sample pages and the contents page of the instructor designed module if it is the only text.

Instructors will select at least 3 full-length, non-fiction, college-level texts around a theme. These texts will be supplemented with primarily by scholarly and/or or journalistic articles and other contextual material (films, websites, creative texts, etc.). Theme and text selection should allow for the expression of diverse worldviews.

Currently, a proposed course theme of Human Psychology includes whole texts and excerpts of the following:

Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (Riverhead Books, 2011)

Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments by Lauren Slater (W.W. Norton & Co., 2005)

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff (Atheneum Books, 2009)

Madness: A Bipolar Life, by Marya Hombacher (Mariner Books, 2009)

Parched: A Memoir, by Heather King (2006)

Danger to Self: On the Frontline with an ER Psychiatrist by Paul Linde (Univ.of Cal. Press, 2011)

If approved, the Curriculum Committee authorizes this experimental course to be offered for up to three times in the subsequent 24 months. If the department wants to make the course permanent, a complete course outline must be submitted for approval to the committee by the catalog deadline during the fall semester for the course to be offered the following catalog year. Please consult with your Dean/Senior Dean to work through the process and deadlines to create a permanent course.

Original Document Stored in the Office of Instruction

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