Instructor: Nancy Swisher
Office: 422 Withers Hall Phone: 515-9278
Email: nmswishe@ncsu.edu - or - icnlang@mindspring.com
Web site: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nmswishe
Course description:
This course provides students with the opportunity to practice and improve their listening and communication skills in English. Although our primary focus will be academic English, we will also touch on everyday English. Listening practice will include academic lectures, interviews, video and audio files and student selected materials. Frequent dictations will provide opportunities for detailed listening and will lead to some discussions about fast speech phenomena. Vocabulary improvement will focus on idiomatic English as well as academic register. Students will have opportunities to improve their speaking skills with discussions and presentations. We will also have a chance to discuss cultural topics related to the United States and the other countries represented in our class.Text and materials:
You are not required to buy a text or coursepack for this course. Materials include instructor-created handouts and worksheets (either distributed in class or posted online) and instructor-provided videos. Other learning resources include relevant newspaper and magazine articles and the extensive use of web sites for instructional purposes, including listening comprehension practice and cultural awareness information and activities.Your online syllabus will prove to be the greatest help of all in keeping you organized and updated on assignment details and all that's happening in ESL class. It is a "living" document and will be amended when necessary to meet specific class needs. There you will find activities listed for each week, requirements for assignments, the format and review sheets for exams, helpful web sites, and audio files for all dictations after they have been completed in class. Plan to check the syllabus frequently.
Format for text documents submitted on line:
Please submit MSWord documents with a .doc file extension (not .docx).Grade Breakdown:
10% Participation: This includes attendance, participating in class discussions and activities, and bringing your materials to class each day.
25% Midterm Exam
25% Oral presentations Individual and pair presentations.
25% Final exam
English
Conversation Club:
This club meets every Friday from
3:30-4:30 in Daniels Hall. Students are grouped with native/fluent speakers
of English to practice conversation skills and idioms. Bring newspaper
or magazine articles or anything you want to ask questions about. Call
515-2961 if you have questions.
Attendance
Policy:
Attendance is required and will
be taken daily. Attendance is particularly important in an oral communication
class. Keep in mind that 10% of your final grade is based on your active
class participation. In situations where your grade is on the borderline,
the participation grade can either help or hurt you. In
a class taught MWF you are permitted three absences with no penalty.
Each absence above the limit will reduce your class participation grade
by one grade. Save your absences for emergencies. Beyond the limit you
will need a written excuse to be accepted at the discretion of the instructor.
In general, a written excuse will be accepted in cases of illness, injury,
death or illness in the family, university duties, court attendance, or
religious observance, in accordance with the University Attendance Policy.
No late work is accepted for credit unless arrangements have been made with the instructor prior to the date the work is due. There are no make-up quizzes; however, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Make-up exams will be arranged only if you 1) notify the instructor prior to the scheduled time of the exam and 2) present a written excuse documenting that your absence was valid according to university policy. If you simply do not show up for an exam or oral presentation and you have not notified the instructor in advance that you have a valid excuse for missing class, you thereby forfeit your right to any make up work. If you must be absent on days that written assignments are due, you may send the assignment by e-mail attachment no later than the beginning of the class period.
Upon your return to class after an absence, you are responsible for all work missed and for any assignments announced during your absence. Check your online syllabus or get the name and phone number of a classmate to call in the event that you are unsure of an assignment. For adverse weather and emergency situation policy, call: 513-8888. In case of snow or ice, check my web site to find out if I will hold class on a particular day. Successful students come to class. You cannot participate if you do not attend regularly and punctually.
Auditors
An AUDIT grade in this class means
that you are responsible for participating in class fully. An AU grade
is equivalent to A, B or C work. NR is the equivalent to D or F work. Auditors
are required to attend regularly, do all of the assigned oral work, including
idiom and other presentations, and submit listening logs. Auditors
are not required to take written tests, but are encouraged to do so.
Grading:
A Careful and meticulous work with very few errors. Good improvement demonstrated.
B Careful and thoughtful work with a few errors. Moderate improvement demonstrated.
C Average work. Homework completed as assigned. Some improvement evident.
D Lack of understanding. Little improvement. Incomplete.
F Lack of understanding. Very little improvement.
Academic
Integrity:
Each student must complete all work
for this class individually. Cheating will be dealt with according to University
policy.
Cheating is not practicing your spoken English together with other learners of English and receiving language correction or help from native English speakers as you practice for class. On the contrary, it is a useful strategy to improve your English.
Cheating is asking someone to write what you will say or give excessive assistance in preparing an assignment. All listening assignments must be done individually.
Class Evaluations:
Online class evaluations will be
available for students to complete during the last week of class
(8 a.m. November 21 through 8 a.m. December 8). Students will receive
an email message directing them to a website where they can login using
their Unity ID and complete evaluations. All evaluations are confidential;
nstructors will never know how any one student responded to any question,
and students will never know the ratings for any particular instructors.
Evaluation website: https://classeval.ncsu.edu
Student help desk: classeval@ncsu.edu
More information about ClassEval:
http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/classeval/index.htm
Disability
Services for Students: Academic Accommodation and Other Services
You may contact the DDS office at
(voice) 919.515.7653 / (TTY) 919.515.8830
during business hours of 8 am and
5 pm to discuss accommodations.