ESL 030

Integrated Language Skills

Course Syllabus
Spring 2018
Meeting Times Monday- Thursday 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Location Monday and Wednesday, Sycamore 01
Tuesday and Thursday, Grimes 7
Instructor Bre Stephens
Office Location Losch 1

Office hours By Appointment

Contact Information Bre.stephens@urbana.edu

Course Description
The integrated skills course for non-native speakers of English is designed to improve reading,
writing, speaking, listening, and grammar skills for success in future academic and career pursuits.
Furthermore, it is intended help students who have a functional command of the English language
continue to build vocabulary and develop the lexical structures needed for the classroom interactions,
projects, and short research assignments.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:
1 Build knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary in relevant, high-interest, and
meaningful contexts

2 Apply and demonstrate grammar knowledge through task-based exercises and projects

3 Develop key academic speaking skills such as managing a conversation, participating in a

discussion, pronunciation fluency and an emerging awareness of tone, register, intonation,
and stress.

4 Develop key academic listening skills such as note taking, recognizing main idea, predicting
and inferring ideas, building schema, and active listening
5 Develop skills for autonomous learning including effective internet research skills and self-
assessment.
6 Grow critical thinking skills through discussion of current and global issues.

Required Books and Resource Materials

Textbook: Next Generation Grammar, Level 2 with My English Lab (provided)
Required Supplemental Materials and Technologies: Laptops or Tablets for In-Class Assignments
Recommended Supplemental Text(s): American English Dictionary & Thesaurus
Recommended Supplemental Materials and Technologies: N/A

Current as of 7/6/17 1
Communication Policy
It is expected that students should plan to communicate with the professor and with other classmates regularly
throughout the course. Students are responsible for reading their Urbana email account at least twice a day. The only
way faculty can communicate with you is via this e-mail account. Please use this account to email all faculty.

Academic Assessment
To assure Urbana’s commitment to providing students with a quality education, the University assesses student learning
on an ongoing basis. Academic programs and general education assess student learning and use the results to make
changes, as part of the University’s goal of continuous quality improvement.

The University measures outcomes specified within each program, as well as University-wide general education
outcomes. As part of this commitment, assignments will be collected and analyzed. Student names are removed from all
work that is analyzed. Program analysis will consist of aggregate results and no reference will be made to individual
students.

Attendance Policy
Regular class attendance and punctuality are expected. In the event that you must be absent from class, please contact the
instructor prior to the class that you will miss. Attendance is required; points are deducted from the final grade for each unexcused
absence (excused absences require written evidence) and/or tardy. More than one unexcused absence will result in a drop of one
letter grade. Excessive absences will result in course failure! The professor reserves the right to lower your grade after two absences.

Grading scale
A = 1000 – 900 points (100%-90%)
B = 899 - 800 points (89%-80%)
C = 799 - 700 points (79%-70%)
D = 699 – 600 points (69%-60%)
F = 599 or below (59% or below)

Grades will be determined according to the following points:

Grading Breakdown:
Homework – 20%
15 assignments X 20 points each = 300 points
Projects – 40%
10 projects X 50 points each = 500 points
Final Presentation – 40%
Planning Proposal = 50 points
Draft of Construction = 50 points
Final Submission = 100 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS = 1,000 Points

Participation
Participation is an important component of this class. If you chose not to be an active participant in this class, your grade will be
lowered.

Late Assignment Policy

Class assignments are due on the date assigned unless other arrangements are made in advance; no exceptions. Five points per day
after the due date will be deducted from the total points earned for the assignment. Assignments are considered late if not turned in
during the class period on due date. Assignments turned in more than 7 days later will receive a zero. A grade or points are earned,
not given, by submitting quality work that shows effort and creativity as determined by the professional judgment of the instructor.
All work must be the original work of each student in the class for this semester. Credit must be given to sources cited when
appropriate – failure to adhere to this policy can result in failure of the class (cheating of any kind will result in failure of that
assignment or class).
Current as of 7/6/17 2
Testing Policy and Procedures (Per Instructor)
The projects will be used as your tests. Therefore, it is crucial that each student do their best work on each project assignment. When
in doubt, talk with your professor and ask questions for understanding. With this in mind, each student should remain vigilant in doing
their own work. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. In most cases, students will be working on parts of their projects in class.
Any student not using class time to work on their projects will receive a 5-point deduction in their homework scores, per incident, as
class time is viewed as a time to show the professor individual student ability and skill in the subject matter.

Use of College Level Writing Skills

All assignments must be typed. Points will be deducted for errors in spelling, grammar, sentence structure, lack of coherence, etc. A
student must be able to communicate appropriately in speech and in writing. Papers/projects submitted to the instructor are
considered to be in the final form. Make sure that you understand all assignments before you hand them in to be evaluated. If you
have questions, see the instructor or get assistance through the Student Success Center. Assignments must include your name,
course, section & date and APA or MLA citation style must be used to reference all quoted and paraphrased material. The following
web link has citation formatting guidelines. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Academic Misconduct
It is contrary to the purpose of every course at Urbana University for any student to represent another’s work as his or her own.
This is known as plagiarism. Academic misconduct includes using disallowed materials in quizzes, tests, or exams; letting someone
else write his or her papers, homework exercises, or other work; copying another’s test during a testing period; or failing to
acknowledge the source of one’s ideas or wording in papers. This also includes the use of the “copy + paste” feature for document
writing or Weebly page creation. A student cannot submit a duplicate paper for two or more different classes unless a professor has
given permission. Students who engage in any form of academic misconduct may not withdraw from the course. All cases of
misconduct are to be reported in writing to the College Dean.

Educational Support Services

Students are responsible for informing the University at the beginning of the term of any instructional accommodations or special
learning needs they may have. Free tutoring services are available for all Urbana University students by contacting the Student
Success Center, 937-772-9368.

Library services
Swedenborg Memorial Library provides many services besides lending books and journals for your research/paper writing
assignments. Please check the library website for information on help sessions.

Academic Grievance Policy

Concerns of an academic nature should be discussed with the particular instructor. If the difficulty has not been resolved, the
matter may be brought to the attention of the College Dean. If the College Dean does not resolve the difficulty, the student may
appeal to the Provost for review. Please refer to the Academic Catalog for additional information.

Disabilities Statement
If you have a documented disability, certain accommodations are available through a process outlined under Disability Services on
the Urbana University website, http://www.urbana.edu/student-life/student-services/disability-services. For assistance, paperwork
and accommodation please contact the Office of Disability Services via email disabilityservices@urbana.edu.

Title IX Policy
Urbana University is an intentional learning community emphasizing mutual respect for all members and guests while valuing the
dignity and worth that, each brings to the community. Each community participant has a right to be free from discrimination,
harassment, and sexual misconduct in the learning environment and work setting. Therefore, these and other conduct that
diminishes dignity and worth of members of and guests to the University community, regardless of age, religion, race, ethnicity,
color, national origin, ancestry, immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or familial status,
disability, or veteran or military status, is prohibited. Such conduct by students, staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, volunteers,
visitors, contractors, and vendors is disruptive to the educational environment and work setting. Any complaint by a member or
guest of the University community will be investigated and addressed under the Community of Respect policy.

Urbana University prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, religion, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, immigration
Current as of 7/6/17 3
status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or familial status, disability, or veteran or military status in
student admission, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or employment as required by federal, state, and local laws. The
following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Community of Respect policies and procedures at:

Nick Christian
Blackmer Hall, Suite 5
937-772-9284
Nick.christian@urbana.edu
www.urbana.edu/title-ix

Course Schedule
Course assignments, due dates and other requirements may be subject to change.

WEEK TOPIC/ASSSIGNMENTS
1 Unit 1: Ch 1-2: Simple Present, Present Progressive

Introduction to course, Weebly, MyEnglishLab, and project overview

CREATE WEEBLY PAGE for use in class and for homework assignment posts. Your first post is to introduce yourself.
CREATE MyEnglishLab account and complete Unit 2 assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

2 Unit 2: Ch 3-4: Regular & Irregular Verbs, WH-questions, Simple Past, Past Progressive

Project:
Interview a classmate and create an introduction for them using grammar from Week 1 and 2. Post introduction on
Weebly. DUE THURSDAY, March 1st.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 3 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

3 Unit 3: Ch 5-6: Imperatives, Suggestions, Adverbs of Manner, Modals of Ability, Adverbs of Frequency

Project:
Write a 1-2 paragraph how-to article on a topic of choice using grammar from Weeks 1-3 and especially from Unit 3.
Topics can include a prompt from Units 1-3, a business tool or technological gadget, or something from social media.
Finished article will be posted on Weebly. DUE THURSDAY, March 8th.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 4 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

4 Unit 4: Ch 7-8: Future, Modals of Possibility, Future Real Conditionals

Project:
This week you will be using the brochure assignment for your Business English course. Bring your work to class so that
you can work on the brochure, paying special attention to grammar usage from Weeks 1-4. Final brochure (for
grammar evaluation) must be PRINTED and is DUE THURSDAY, March 15th.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 7 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

5 Unit 7: Ch 13-14: Permission & Requests Modals, Reflexive & Reciprocal Pronouns, Unreal Conditionals

Project:
Create a Weebly page using grammar from Week 5 that is dedicated to the 4 people who have influenced you the
most in business. People for consideration are Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and so on. This is a personal
assignment, so choose 4 people who have meaning to you. Weebly page is DUE THURSDAY, March 22 nd.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 9 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

Current as of 7/6/17 4
 6 Unit 9: Ch 17-18: Passive, Time Signals, Modals of Advice, Necessity Expressions

Project:
Create an advertising campaign using grammar from Weeks 1-6 for a product of your own creation. You should
consider the language your campaign needs to use in order to be effective to your audience. Final project will be
presented in class and is DUE THURSDAY, March 29th.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 6 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

7 Unit 6: Ch 11-12: Count & Non-Count Nouns, Quantifiers, Desire Expressions, Pronouns

Project:
Create a survey using grammar from Weeks 1-7 to give to your designated group. Analyze your results and report your
findings. The survey can be taken from your Business English course. Results and discussion of survey will be presented
in class and is DUE THURSDAY, April 5th.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Unit 5 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

8 Unit 5: Ch 9-10: Present Perfect & Present Perfect vs Simple Past

Project:
Research or create a charity of your choice; it may be one from Unit 5. This project will have multiple submission
options to choose from: paper, poster board presentation, Weebly dedicated page, or video. Whatever the output,
use grammar from Weeks 1-8 with special attention from Unit 5. Project will be present in class (using output format)
and is DUE THURSDAY, April 12th.

NEXT WEEK PREPARATION: Complete Units 8 and 10 MyEnglishLab assignments by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

9 Unit 8: Ch 15-16: Adjective & Verb + Prepositions, Phrasal Verbs

Unit 10 Topics: Comparative & Superlative Adjectives, Comparative & Superlative Adverbs

10 Unit 8 and 10 (Cont.)

Project:
Select two companies and compare them with a partner (assigned in class) using grammar specifically from Unit 8 and
10. Comparison analyses will be presented in class and is DUE THURSDAY, April 19th.

11 Unit 1-5 Review

Project:
Analyze news reports, highlighting the language used. DUE THURSDAY, April 26th.

12 Unit 6-10 Review

Project:
Analyze commercials and print ads, highlighting language used. DUE THURSDAY, May 3 rd.

13 Final Project Planning:

Per instructions, start planning your final project. Students will have the choice to write a paper, give a poster
presentation, design a webpage, or create a video for their final project. The topic is open to student choice and
should use a varied range of grammatical structure that was learned in the course. The Planning Proposal is DUE
WEDNESDAY, May 9th.

Current as of 7/6/17 5
 14 Final Project Construction:

This week, students will diligently work on their final projects. A Draft of Construction (a rough preview of the final
project) will be presented in class and is DUE WEDNESDAY, May 16th.

15 Final Project Presentations:

Final projects are DUE! This week students will be submitting their final projects, viewing fellow students’ work, and
presenting their projects in class. Each student will have a unique due date based on project outcome:

Weebly pages are DUE MONDAY, May 28th.

Papers are DUE TUESDAY, May 29th.
Videos are DUE WEDNESDAY, May 30th.
Poster Presentations are DUE THURSDAY, May 31st.

16 TBA

Current as of 7/6/17 6