Most Professors use free OER option and design assignments using Allyn + Bacon.
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What are students required to learn?
Class design for ENC courses are based on the competencies (look left). You do not need to follow a particular syllabus or a day-by-day schedule. Most of our faculty use the free OER textbook listed in this guide and design 3 major assignments that they build with students, over time, section by section (e.g. intro, body, thesis, etc). Many use a theme to connect the readings and create opportunities for an extended exploration of a topic using reading and writing. This is, of course, what academics do, what academic writing is. If you use the OER, feel free to use additional readings. Remember that the textbook itself can be a reading.
Regardless of the assignments, it’s important to teach the following concepts in writing and reading:
Our intent in ENC composition courses is to prepare students for all kinds of academic writing and reading. For this reason, we teach them how to look at writing critically (as readers) and write effectively given the purpose. Generally, ENC1102 focuses on research, but this does not need to be literature based.
Do students have to complete tutoring?
All ENC1101 and ENC0027 courses require that students complete 6 tutoring sessions. Sessions lasting 15 to 30 minutes can be done in-person with our Learning Resources department or via Zoom. Brainfuse, available in Canvas, is also a great option. Schedule a LR representative (Zelda Rivas) to come to your class to teach students how to sign up for tutoring. Having tutors come to your class puts a welcoming, friendly face to the process. Tutoring is for all writers, not just those who are struggling. It underscores the process of writing and develops the student’s ability to make choices and work over time. Extensive research we have conducted over the past 3 years demonstrates that students who complete at least 6 sessions pass the class. Enough said.
How should I grade?
The easiest way to grade is to set up a system based on 100 points. Make sure to include the 6 sessions of tutoring if teaching ENC1101. The other thing to keep in mind about grading is that you should offer low stakes and high stakes assignments. Make sure to build longer pieces over time and value each piece of the process with points. Many people include a daily writing component, for example, that counts for 1 point if completed but may assign as much as 15 or 20 points for a final draft of a writing project.
What about AI?
You will need to have open discussions about the use of AI as an assistive technology with students, not a generative one. Give plenty of time to write in class (even in MDCLive courses). Otherwise, you will get AI. Show students how to use AI to assist the development of writing. Develop assignments with AI in mind and discuss the opportunity in a writing class to develop ideas not simply present “correct” grammatical pieces. AI can be a great assist, but it is certainly a discussion to be had and any dishonest or undisclosed use should be addressed like plagiarism.
See the rubric in the “Sample Assignments:” section for how you might ask students to self-disclose use.
Professor Greenberg focuses on building essays over time. She does three key assignments:
She requires students to use and understand the Gordon Rule rubric for writing assessment and she teaches extensively on how to use AI to assist writing development. Professor Greenberg focuses on reading annotation as well. Her classes are in-person but can be adapted to MDCLive.
Professor Guyton focuses on the "illusion of disconnection" as a theme. His assignments focused on this theme are:
Like Professor Greenberg, he focuses on AI use. The constant exploration is the audience and what is college-level writing. Readings are provided. The class is blended meaning in person one day and independently online the other.
Although his attached syllabus is slightly different, this fall he will be asking students to focus on what success and well-being mean to them. Students will use academic writing and personal journalling to explore the theme. Professor Gonzalez hopes that ENC1101 puts students in the position of having better direction in terms of college and life. They write a narrative, a synthesis essay, and a rhetorical analysis. They find research articles.