Teaching English 1101/1102

ENGL instructors teach written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal (WOVEN) communication so that students will be more capable communicators and more successful in their academic work. The specific course theme or topic (whether Victorian novels, food sustainability, creation of strategic plans, Renaissance drama, horror films, music, veterans’ stories, digital gaming, and so on) does not drive the outcomes of the course; the theme is simply the vehicle for teaching students to be more capable readers and writers, listeners and speakers, collaborators, viewers and designers.

• English 1101 introduces rhetorical principles and multimodal composition using the required WOVENText. Supplementary texts can include all varieties of print and digital nonfiction—creative nonfiction (e.g., essays, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies), journalism (e.g., op-ed pieces, interviews, travelogues, features, news articles), documentary films, websites, blogs, nonfiction video games (i.e., serious games), and other types of nonfiction artifacts.
• English 1102 continues to address rhetorical principles and multimodal composition while it introduces research as well as cultural studies and humanistic analysis. Supplementary texts often include fiction, poetry, drama, film, television, video games, and other forms of literature/entertainment. Students complete a sustained research project, which can be individual or collaborative (many WCP faculty design collaborative projects).

The following are aspects of ENGL 1101/2 to keep in mind: the general education learning goal, the course outcomes, the Common First Week, and the Reflective Portfolio.

General Education Learning Goal Fulfilled by ENGL 1101/1102

Learning Goal A1: Communication
Student will demonstrate proficiency in the process of articulating and organizing rhetorical arguments in written, oral, visual, and nonverbal modes, using concrete support and conventional language.

Learning Outcomes for ENGL 1101/1102

Category	Outcomes by the USG Board of Regents	Outcomes by the Council of Writing Program Administrators	Additional Expectations of the WCP
Critical Thinking Critical thinking involves understanding social and cultural texts and contexts in ways that support productive communication and interaction.	·  Analyze arguments. ·  Accommodate opposing points of view. ·  Interpret inferences and develop subtleties of symbolic and indirect discourse.	·  Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating. ·  Integrate ideas with those of others. ·  Understand relationships among language, knowledge, and power.	·  Recognize the constructedness of language and social forms. ·  Analyze and critique constructs such as race, gender, and sexuality as they appear in cultural texts.
Rhetoric Rhetoric focuses on available means of persuasion, considering the synergy of factors such as context, audience, purpose, role, argument, organization, design, visuals, and conventions of language.	·  Adapt communication to circumstances and audience. ·  Produce communication that is stylistically appropriate and mature. ·  Communicate in standard English for academic and professional contexts. ·  Sustain a consistent purpose and point of view.	·  Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences. ·  Learn common formats for different kinds of texts. ·  Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics. ·  Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.	·  Create artifacts that demonstrate the synergy of rhetorical elements. ·  Demonstrate adaptation of register, language, and conventions for specific contexts and audiences. ·  Apply strategies for communication in and across both academic disciplines and cultural contexts in the community and the workplace.
Process Processes for communication—for example, creating, planning, drafting, designing, rehearsing, revising, presenting, publishing—are recursive, not linear. Learning productive processes is as important as creating products.	[No USG BOR outcomes are specifically related to process.]	·  Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources. ·  Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading. ·  Understand collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. ·  Critique their own and others’ works. ·  Balance the advantages of relying on others with [personal] responsibility.	·  Construct and select information based on interpretation and critique of the accuracy, bias, credibility, authority, and appropriateness of sources. ·  Compose reflections that demonstrate understanding of the elements of iterative processes, both specific to and transferable across rhetorical situations.
Modes and Media Activities and assignments should use a variety of modes and media—written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal (WOVEN)—singly and in combination. The context and culture of multimodality and multimedia are critical.	·  Interpret content of written materials on related topics from various disciplines. ·  Compose effective written materials for various academic and professional contexts. ·  Assimilate, analyze, and present a body of information in oral and written forms. ·  Communicate in various modes and media, using appropriate technology.	·  Use digital environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts. ·  Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official (e.g., federal) databases; and informal electronic networks and internet sources. ·  Exploit differences in rhetorical strategies and affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.	·  Create WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) artifacts that demonstrate interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and judgment. ·  Demonstrate strategies for effective translation, transformation, and transference of communication across modes and media.

Common First Week (CFW)

The Common First Week (CFW) is designed to provide ENGL students with a consistent, programmatic introduction to multimodal composition and to make the first week of classes easier for instructors to plan. It also reduces the difficulties caused by “course shopping” when students change from one section to another; with the CFW, they have completed the same assignment regardless of section. The CFW also plays an important role for programmatic assessment through its use of a brief diagnostic video assignment. This video provides an opportunity for students to record a “before” picture about their multimodal literacy, which they can refer to in their summative portfolio reflection at the end of the course.

Reflective Portfolio

The reflective portfolio is due at the end of the semester, designed as a culminating, representative sample of students’ work that acts in lieu of a final exam. The portfolio is cumulative and should be discussed and worked on throughout the semester. Each student portfolio includes the following:

Reflective Introduction to the Portfolio: A page for a 1200-1800 word essay that introduces the portfolio and strategically employs multimodal elements such as images, videos, audio files, and/or links in addition to the text.

Artifact 0: A page for the multimodal diagnostic video, which is produced during the first week of class, along with a short reflection answering directed questions about the artifact.

Artifacts 1-3: A page for each of three additional artifacts that together best reflect the student’s work and development in the course, along with short reflections  answering directed questions for each artifact:

• • • At least one artifact must emphasize standard written English. Example artifacts include essays, reports, proposals, or blog posts.
    • At least one artifact must emphasize oral and non-verbal communication. Example artifacts include speeches, presentations, podcasts, and performances.
    • At least one artifact must reflect intentional visual design. Example artifacts include pamphlets, posters, presentation aids, videos, visual art, websites, or reports/essays with intentional design.
    • At least one artifact must reflect electronic communication. Example artifacts include websites, wiki pages, blogs, Twitter feeds, video, or audio.
    • At least one artifact must reflect a substantial revision process. The revision process must be exemplified through process documents, the most common of which are multiple drafts. Other options include brainstorming notes, outlines, proposals, drafts with peer review letters, draft cover letters, video reflections, etc.

Both the quality of the selected artifacts and the quality of the reflections will be considered in the programmatic assessment of the portfolio.

Over the course of the semester, students should reflect on their work and assemble their portfolios from the artifacts they produce in response to the course assignments. During the final week of classes, all class time should be devoted to drafting, reviewing, and finalizing the elements of the portfolio, reflections, and self-review essay.

Optional: Read “What is the Common First Week?” and “Building Your Communication Portfolio” in WOVENText to learn more the CFW and portfolio for ENGL courses.