Gateway 2

Course Syllabus Fall II, 2014

Virginia Tech Language & Culture Institute

Revised 10/21/2014 1


Professor: Kama (Weatherholt) Offenberger
kw9703@vt.edu

Course website: www.gateway2.weebly.com

Required Materials:
Computer with internet access
Selected short stories and essays (provided by instructor)

Course Goals:
This course is designed to prepare advanced English language students to enter a degree program at a
university. Students will be assessed in many areas, including listening, speaking, writing, reading,
critical thinking, argument, note taking, and research. There will be a heavy emphasis on academic
reading and writing, as well as informal and formal presentations. Students will also be encouraged and
expected to participate in community and campus activities that allow them to become more familiar with
a university setting.

Learning Objectives:
With 70% proficiency, students will be able to:
Analyze short stories and academic essays
Take and use notes from lectures and reading
Summarize content
Use a variety of technology related to writing, listening, and speaking
Speak with and understand native speakers in informal conversations
Comprehend extensive listening material
Make predictions about listening

Student Expectations:
Students are expected to abide by the rules of the Language and Culture Institute as outlined in
the Student Handbook (http://www.lci.vt.edu/elp/stu_handbook).
Students should also come to class on time. Students who arrive after the roll has been taken will
be marked absent for that hour and will lose participation points. If students have a reasonable
excuse, they may fill out a form explaining their tardiness and it will be taken into consideration.
Students should be prepared for class.
There will be no make-up tests or assessments for unexcused absences. The lowest test and
assessment will be dropped at the end of the term.
Students are expected to speak only English in the classroom and may lose participation points or
be asked to leave the class if they do not follow this rule.
Students are also expected to follow the Virginia Tech Honor Code. This pledge states:
:
I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this assignment.

This means you cannot cheat on tests or ask another person to do your work. You cannot copy
other peoples work.

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Student Assessment:
The final grade calculation for this course will be calculated as shown below:

Writing/Journals: 20%
Blogfolio Project: 20%
Speaking/Presentations: 20%
Assessments: 20%
Reading: 20%

To progress to the next level, students are expected to attend class regularly (85% attendance per program
rules), participate in class activities, and complete the learning outcomes with 70% proficiency. Thus,
only those scoring a C or better may progress to a higher level. In order to receive a certificate,
students must attend 85% of their classes. Every absence, including absences for illness and
approved religious observances, counts as an absence toward the 15% maximum. It is up to the
discretion of the instructor whether or not a student will be allowed to make up missed work in the event
of an absence.

Students are considered absent if they are not present when the instructor takes roll for that class.
Being late is the same as being absent. Students must be on time to receive credit for attending class.

Students are informed of progress with mid-term and final term reports and receive grades based on the
following performance scale:

A=Excellent 90 -100 I=Incomplete
B=Very good 80-89 W=Withdrawn
C=Acceptable 70-79
D=Unsatisfactory 60-69
F=Fail 59 and below

W Withdrawal

A grade of Withdrawal (W) is given only in instances whereby a registered student has departed the
school prior to the end of classes in a given term, and then only in serious and compelling cases where the
cause of withdrawal is clearly beyond the student's control and the assignment of an Incomplete grade
is not possible. Ordinarily, such cases would be limited to a death in the family, accident or serious
illness. A Withdrawal constitutes total withdrawal from the Institute, and therefore a student who has
withdrawn must re-apply for admission if he/she seeks to return. A grade of Withdrawal may only be
assigned by the ELP Director.

I - Incomplete

An Incomplete (I) is assigned when a student has been doing satisfactory work in a course, but for
unforeseen reasons is unable to complete course requirements within the required timeframe for end-of-
term grading. Such reasons must be judged appropriate by the instructor. With this understanding,
agreement must be reached between the instructor and the student as to when remaining course
requirements must be satisfied, not to exceed 30 days from the end of the term. The instructor is
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responsible for assigning a final grade upon completion and evaluation of the work agreed upon. An
Incomplete remaining on the student's record over 30 days will automatically become an F and will
be counted as such in determining grade point averages.

Assignments:
Over the term, you will complete many different kinds of assignments focusing on different types of skills
that are necessary in a university setting. Below you will find general descriptions of some of those
assignments, divided by grading category. More complete descriptions will be distributed later in the
term.

Writing/Journals:
News response papers: Every Friday, you will submit a news response paper. This is a very
brief assignment (one to two paragraphs). This assignment will reflect your thoughts on a news
story taken from a newspaper, magazine, blog, etc. We will have group and class discussions
every week based on these papers.
Journals (general and reading): General journals will be informal writing assignments that I will
ask you to complete either before or after a group/class discussion. Reading journals will be
completed outside of class and will be due every Monday. We will discuss the format of the
reading journals more specifically in class.
Forums: On our class website, you will find a section of forums. You will be expected to write
on these forums every week. Your responses will be short (about a paragraph), and will be
related to things we are doing, reading, watching, or discussing in class at the time.

Speaking/Presentations:
Discussion groups: Group and class discussions will be a vital component of this class and will
be evaluated daily. To get full credit for discussion groups, you must be focused, on-topic, and
fully involved in the conversation.
Daily speaking: One or two students will be asked to come to the front of the room to speak for
approximately 1-2 minutes on a topic given to them at that time. We will do this almost every
day in order to practice speaking skills and fluency.
Presentation 1: Your first presentation will be completed in groups. Your group will be
responsible for teaching the class for 1-2 hours one day during the term.
Presentation 2: Your final presentation will be completed individually. You will present your
Blogfolio project to the class.

Assessments:
Note taking quizzes: These weekly quizzes will be used to evaluate your skills in note taking for
both reading and listening. They will also be used to evaluate your listening, reading
comprehension, and critical thinking skills.
Midterm & Final Exams: You will be given two tests (one at mid-term and the other at the end of
the term) to evaluate any vocabulary, listening, and grammar points that we have discussed.



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Blogfolio Project:
Your blogfolio will be your major research project for the term. You will be required to use
many different types of technology and resources to complete it. The project will incorporate all
the necessary skills, including writing, listening, research, critical thinking, and speaking.

Reading:
Pre and Post Reading Discussion: For many of the readings we complete, you will be asked to
have a pre and post reading discussion. These may be completed in pairs, groups, or in the form
of a round table. You will be evaluated on your knowledge of the reading, your participation in
the discussion, and your ability to analyze the text.
Timed Readings: We will complete several timed readings over the term. These are intended to
help you increase your reading speed and comprehension.

Addendum:

Cheating

Students are expected to follow the Virginia Tech Honor Code. This pledge states: "I have neither given
nor received unauthorized assistance on this assignment."

Cheating is defined as the giving or receiving of any unauthorized aid, assistance, or unfair advantage in
any form of academic work. Cheating applies to the products of all forms of academic work. These
products include, but are not limited to, individual homework assignments, in-class tests, take-home tests,
essays, research papers, research projects, or any other work assigned by an instructor.

Any student giving or receiving unauthorized information concerning a test, quiz, or examination is guilty
of an Honor Code violation. A student who is found to have cheated in an assignment/test may be failed
for that assignment as a first offense. A repeated incident will result in more severe consequences ranging
from failing the course to expulsion from the program.

Electronic communication devices of any sort that are visible during a quiz or a test without the
instructor's permission will automatically be viewed as evidence of cheating, which will result in a grade
of zero for the assessment and possible dismissal from the LCI. Also, taking pictures of any tests or
assessments is prohibited at all times.


Plagiarism

Plagiarism, or the act of representing another's written work as one's own, is considered academic
misconduct in the United States. Plagiarism, which is a specific form of cheating, includes re-stating
(paraphrasing) or quoting published work in academic assignments without full and clear
acknowledgement of the author.

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A student who is found to have plagiarized another's work in an assignment may be failed for that
assignment as a first offense. A repeated incident will result in more severe consequences ranging from
failing the course to expulsion from the program.

Cell phones and other electronic devices

The use of cell phones, iPods, iPads, or other mobile communication devices is disruptive, and is
therefore prohibited during class. Instructors will collect all mobile devices at the beginning of class and
place them in a designated box. Students who are found using these devices in class during an exam or
graded assignment, or who have taken pictures of tests, will be subject to disciplinary action under the
terms of the Honor Code.

VT E-mail Account

Every new student to the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute will need to set up an e-mail
account. This e-mail account will be used to send important notices and bills. VTLCI students will use
this account as long as they are at Virginia Tech. The e-mail username chosen is also called a PID, or
"Personal IDentifier." With a PID and an associated password, students can access online Virginia Tech
services. Students can create a PID from the Generate PID page at
https://webapps.es.vt.edu/pidgen/start.html. The student identification number (printed on the student
identification card) will be needed to set up an account.

Campus Alerts

VT Alerts is Virginia Tech's Emergency Notification System. In a campus emergency, Virginia Tech will
use several information delivery methods to reach students because, at any given time, one form of
communication may be better to reach you than another. VT Alerts is one of the means of delivery,
sending messages to cell phones, telephone numbers and e-mail accounts. Students are strongly
encouraged to register for VT Alerts on the VT website at http://www.alerts.vt.edu/.

Important Notices

The VTLCI publishes important notices for all students on its website in several locations. Students are
strongly encouraged to subscribe to these services to make sure they receive important announcements
and news. Signing up is easy: simply enter an e-mail address on each site:

Notices: http://vtlci-notices.blogspot.com/
VTLCI News: http://vtlci-bb.blogspot.com/

Bad Weather Policy

Winters in Virginia are usually mild. Occasionally, heavy snow or freezing rain causes school delays or
closings. VTLCI classes will generally be held as scheduled unless Virginia Tech is closed for the day.
We recommend that you take the bus on snowy days as driving and walking may be hazardous.
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School delay and closing announcements will be posted to the following web sites:
Blacksburg: http://www.vt.edu
Falls Church http://www.nvc.vt.edu

Religious and Ethnic Holidays

Consistent with the universitys tradition of religious tolerance, faculty and staff are encouraged to be
sensitive to students who wish to observe religious and ethnic holidays. It is the students responsibility to
request and provide justification for a religious accommodation, preferably during the first two weeks of
classes or as soon as the student becomes aware of the need for an accommodation. Faculty should inform
students of their willingness to make accommodations for reasonable requests. Faculty members are not
required to compromise the academic integrity of the course to accommodate religious practices. Thus,
accommodations for religious practices will be determined by the faculty and will be consistent with their
attendance policy. (For a reference list of Religious and Ethnic Holidays, see
http://www.registrar.vt.edu/dates_deadlines/religious_ethnic/index.html)

Smoking

The minimum age for purchasing cigarettes in Virginia is 18 years old. In most parts of the United States,
public buildings are designated "smoke free," meaning that you cannot smoke in any part of the building.
Be prepared to see NO SMOKING signs in most offices, classrooms, restaurants, theaters, and stores. The
VTLCI does not allow smoking inside or in front of the building. Please smoke only in designated
smoking areas. Dispose of your cigarettes in approved a cigarette station. Do not throw cigarettes on the
ground or in the flower beds. The material in the flower beds will burn very easily.

Parking

Blacksburg
Parking at the VTLCI at the Virginia Tech main campus is free of charge and does not require permit.
However, students are asked to park only in public parking areas. Do not park on the side of the building
facing the day care center (children's school) or in the parking lot in front of the day care center. This
space is reserved for building visitors. Do not park in Firehouse/Verizon or Rite Aid lots, or in front of
other small shops or restaurants near the school. Do not park in parking spaces for disabled people
(marked with a painted wheelchair). You may park in any of the other large parking lots on the same side
of the street as the VTLCI, in the large parking lot in front of the mall across the street from the VTLCI,
or in the parking garage next to the mall. Parking in the wrong spaces or lots may lead to your car being
ticketed or towed.

National Capital Region
There are several parking options for students at the Northern Virginia Center. The parking lot adjacent to
the Center accepts cash and the lot in front of the West Falls Church Metro accepts the SmartTrip card.
Both parking lots cost $4.50 a day, and monthly parking passes can be purchased for $70.