Class: Advanced Skills Instructor: Ellen Shenkarow

Time: 8:00 – 9:50 (M-TH) Office: 200 Office Hours: 12-1:00pm or by appointment

Room: 209 Phone: 621-6592

Fall II, 2008 Email:

Course Materials:

·  Ellis, D. (2007). Becoming a Master Student: 12th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Course Description:

This course will focus on skills needed for making a successful transition to the academic culture particular to the United States. We will learn what is necessary to succeed both inside and outside of the classroom by studying communication, interaction, and epistemological beliefs of Americans. Through readings and discussions, issues in American current events, cultural values, and beliefs will be introduced. Readings will be introduced by the instructor, but students are encouraged to suggest topics for reading and discussion. In order to develop the skills necessary for successful study in an American university, students will learn strategies for becoming a more effective, disciplined student. Students will also have the opportunity to learn how to access resources available to them both on and off campus.

Goals for the course:

1.  Learn the expectations of and strategies for becoming a responsible student

2.  Learn & practice note taking, studying, and reading strategies

3.  Learn best practices for communicating with professors and classmates in the university

4.  Learn how to independently locate and utilize resources available both on and off campus

Grades

Grades for the course will be based on a point system, with 100 points possible. The breakdown of points for the grade is such:

Course Observations - 30 points

Interview Project – 10 points

Group Presentations – 15 points

Final Exam - 15 points

Final Exam Study Group Reflection – 5 points

Homework - 15 points

Quizzes – 10 points

TOTAL: 100 points

90-100% = A (Excellent)

80-89% = B (Good

70-79% = C (Satisfactory)

60-69% = D (Poor)

0-59% = E (Failing)

Assignments: A detailed assignment sheet will be given for each of the following at a later date.

Assignment / Page Length Minimum / Points / Due Date
Course Observations – In week 2 or 3, you will find a UofA course (preferably in your field of study) to observe. You will attend the course at least once a week and write 3 weekly observations.
These will be posted to the class blog at: http://advancedskills.blogspot.com / 1 page typed/ each / 30
points
total / 1 observation write-up per week in weeks 4-6
Interview Project – This will be a report on an interview you will conduct with a current UofA student from your field of study. This may be a student enrolled in the course which you are observing. / 2 pages typed / 10
points / Week
6
Group Presentation - This will be a group presentation summarizing the main points of a chapter from our textbook, Becoming a Master Student. Chapters covered will be determined by the instructor at a later date. / N/A / 15
points / Week 5
Final Exam Study Group Reflection Paper- For this assignment, students will form study groups for a final comprehensive exam. The assignment will be assessed through a paper which reflects on the study group process. / 1 page typed / 5
points / Week 8
Homework – Homework will be assigned in class. The instructor will give the details and due date for the assignments; however, if a student misses a class, it is the student’s responsibility to ask a classmate about the homework. / 10
points
Final Exam / 15 points
Quizzes / 15 points / After each unit (weekly)

Late Assignments and Make-up work:

Missed assignments may NOT be made up. If circumstances arise causing you to miss an assignment deadline, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor before the due date. Points may be deducted for late assignments (1 letter grade for every day past the due date).

Absences/Tardiness:

Attendance is vital to your success in this class. If you miss a class discussion or other activity, you will not be able to make it up. It is your responsibility to attend class and to participate fully. You are required to attend classes at least 85% of the time in order to receive a passing grade. In other words, if you are absent more, you will fail this class. If you are late to class three times, this will count as one absence. When you are absent, please inform the teacher of the reason and arrange to do any missed work on your own time. Remember all absences are counted regardless of the reason. Contact your classmates for their notes from class.

American professors will expect you to arrive on time to lectures and meetings, and as such, I will too. Students who are more than 10 minutes late will be counted as absent. Students are allowed 2 tardies (up to ten minutes); afterwards, students will be counted as absent, regardless of time of arrival.

Please get the contact information from three classmates to use in case you miss class:

Name / E-mail Address / Phone Number

Class Rules:

1.  Come to class on time.

2.  If you are sick, please call me

3.  Turn off cell phones, pagers, and music players before class begins.

4.  The only reason to leave class before it is finished is if you have an emergency.

5.  English is the only language we have in common. Use it.

6.  Show respect for other classmates. Take turns.

7.  Be kind, patient and non-judgmental.

8.  Keep an open mind.

9.  Be prepared.

Academic Integrity:

Students are expected to hand in their own original work. This is the only way that a teacher can identify problems and help students improve. Use of outside sources must be quoted properly or paraphrased and be clearly documented. No form of cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated. Such behavior may lead to a failing grade on the assignment in question or for the course.

CESL Policies: See your Student Handbook or visit http://www.cesl.arizona.edu/Documents/Student%20Handbook.pdf

Americans with Disabilities Compliance: CESL strives to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Students with disabilities requiring special accommodations must notify the instructor or the Program Coordinator of this need.

Thank you for choosing to study English with us. We value you as a student!

WEEKLY COURSE SCHEDULE

Date / Topics / Due
Week 1
10/20 – 10/23 / M / Course Introduction
T / Learning Styles
W / Learning Styles
TH / Reading
Week 2
10/27 – 10/30 / M / Reading
T / Reading
W / Reading
TH / Reading
Week 3
11/3 – 11/6 / M / Reading Quiz / Choose a course to observe & contact the instructor
T / Note taking
W / Note taking
TH / Note taking
Week 4
11/10 – 11/13 / M / Note taking Quiz / Course Observation 1
T / Communication
W / Communication
TH / Communication
Week 5
11/17 – 11/20 / M / Communication Quiz + Presentation Skills / Course Observation 2
T / Presentations
W
TH
Week 6
11/24 – 11/26 / M / Time Management / Interview Project
T / Time Management
W / Goals
TH / Time & Goals Quiz
Week 7
12/1-12/4 / M / Thinking / Course Observation 3
T / Thinking
W / Thinking
TH / Thinking Quiz
Week 8
12/8 – 12/11 / M / Final topics & EXAM / Final Exam Study Group Reflection
T
W
TH


Integrating skill outcomes into your own courses

Teacher: Jenny Merritt

Session: Fall 2008

Course: IUAP Skills

Level: Advanced

Due by end of Week One: Complete this form for each CESL course you are teaching and submit it with your syllabus to and copy your program coordinator. Keep a copy of it for yourself.

Due Week Seven: Complete column 4 and submit this form to your program coordinator. Attach documentation to support how skills were addressed.

1. / 2. / 3. / 4. Complete week 7
Skill level outcomes (refer to Curriculum Guide) / Your plan for incorporating skill into current course / Your plan for assessing this skill throughout the course / List actual assessments, class activities that met skill
Able to communicate with no effort and give lengthy professional presentations. Able to express complex concepts using sophisticated vocabulary.
Native-like comprehension of academic lectures and full-length authentic media.
Near-native reading comprehension through analysis, inference, paraphrasing, and critical writing.
Able to produce short, well-developed papers using multiple sources and good control of grammatical structures. / Almost daily, students engage in academic conversations and debates. They will also perform individual presentations at the end of the course.
Students will practice note-taking and comprehension through lectures given by the instructor and by viewing films.
Students will be expected to perform analytical reading of authentic texts.
Students will produce 2 papers, one individually and one in collaboration with classmates. / Performance in daily classroom discussions and individual presentations.
Through comprehension checks after lectures and viewings.
Through reading responses and comprehension checks.
Through production of two academic papers.