Academic Honesty
For information on the university's academic honesty policy, as well as ideas for how to teach students about avoiding plagiarism, click here.
Attendance
Instructors should communicate the significance of attendance and participation to success in this discussion course. An FYC syllabus should refelct the following:
1) How the final grade will be lowered after missing one week of class.
2) That a "Notification of Repeated Absence or Insufficient Progress" must be signed by the student and instructor and sent to the First-Year Advisor after absences exceed one week.
3) That students fail the course after missing more than two weeks of class.
Arts and Letters Guide to Undergraduate Teaching
Guide to Undergraduate Teaching
Arts and Letters "Table Talk" Subsidy for Class Meals
The Table Talk program encourages faculty-student interaction by subsidizing class meals hosted by Arts and Letters faculty. Follow the link for more details and appropriate forms.
Getting Started: The First Day of Class
Opening Day: Illustrative Puzzles from Chris Manely
Sharing Work
An FYC syllabus should make it clear that students' writing will be shared somewhat publicly in ways that promote a culture of writing at Notre Dame:
1) through in-class peer workshops,
2) through one-on-one sessions at the Writing Center,
3) through FYC Faculty Mentor Groups that review writing in draft and final stages as part of FYC program development,
4) and, in some courses, through website postings.
We ask that students sign a permission form acknowledging that they understand how their work might be shared in FYC. Students should discuss concerns and alternatives with their instructor.
Peer Workshopping
Response rubrics help students provide feedback that's appropriate given the draft stage and genre. Here are some models:
WorkinginWritingGroups
WritingandFeedback
DebriefingPeerReview
Sample Peer Review Sheets--Bruneau
Technology and Computing Resources
Technology and Computing Classroom Policies
Because writing is intricately connected to technology today, FYC instructors should help students establish good computing habits. Consider addressing some of the following technology issues in your syllabus:
- File security and back-up-- NetFile, hard drive, discs, memory sticks, print, etc.
- File saving conventions-- So that you and your students can keep track of drafts in various stages, institute classroom file-saving conventions, such as: jdoeRAW7-11-07
- File type conventions-- Mac users use .doc extention
- Email Etiquette-- Take class time to discuss the rheotric of email. What is the purpose of a subject line? When should you use cc? When should you forward messages? How is email different from a listserv or discussion board?
Teaching Grammar and Mechanics
Midterm Grades
Instructors should let students know exactly what their mid-term grades represent. In a course that emphasizes revision, some of the writing grades earned by mid-term will be lower than the student's ultimate grade in this area. That's OK as long as students understand how the grading system works.
Students should, however, have a clear and final grade for their participation achievement to that point. The mid-term grades students receive through the University do not show up on their permanent transcript and are not officially calcuated in a student's GPA. They do, however, send a message to students and their First-Year Advisor. Advisors will contact students who receive grades below a C. Student-athletes will also hear from their advisors.
Midterm Evaluations
Instructors are encouraged to take the pulse of their students at mid-term to see how the class is going when there is still time to adjust.
Teacher and Course Evaluations (TCEs)
At the end of the semester, instructors give students the following TCE questions to assess their experience in FYC: https://www3.nd.edu/~instres/home3/tce/TCE_Questions.shtml.
Grading Scales
Letter System Grading Scale
For complete discussion of the University's grading system, visit http://registrar.nd.edu/gradefinal.shtml.
| A |
4.000 |
|
| A- |
3.667 |
|
| B+ |
3.333 |
|
| B |
3.000 |
|
| B- |
2.667 |
|
| C+ |
2.333 |
|
| C |
2.000 |
Lowest passing grade for graduate students |
| C- |
1.667 |
Lowest passing grade for graduate business students |
| D |
1.000 |
Lowest passing grade for undergraduate students |
| F |
0.000 |
Failure |
FYC Point System Grading Scale
A = 930-1000
A- = 900-929
B+ = 870-899
B = 830-869
B- = 800-829
C+ = 770-799
C = 730-769
C- = 700-729
D = 699-600
F = below 600
Characterisitics Document
The Characteristics document is a tool for instructors and students to respond to writing using common language that situates in reference to particular grades.
Response Rubrics
This rubric represents the A characteristics in a single sheet instructors and students can use to respond to drafts. This should not replace comments but should organize them and promote consistence within and across FYC classes. For examples of other rubrics, visit the Rubric Repository. You can also create your own with the digital rubric generator.
Diagnostic Essay
To get a clear idea of the range of writing abilities within an FYC class, instructors should administer a diagnostic essay within the first 1-2 weeks of class. The prompt should challenge students to demonstrate their analytical and argumentative skills in a short in-class essay. Students might be asked to analyze and construct an argument about a short reading, or they might be asked to construct an argument on a topic of general interest. The GRE pool of Perspective on an Issue topics offers several uses prompts of this type. Phil Albonetti uses the prompts listed here.
Conducting Original Research
Permission Forms for Interviews and Focus Groups
Support for Struggling Writers
Portfolios and Cover Letters
Conducting Conferences
Writing Center
Here is language you can drop into your syllabus to describe the role of the Writing Center in FYC:
The Writing Center at the University of Notre Dame is dedicated to helping students become better writers. When you visit the Writing Center, the tutors working there will help you by listening to your questions attentively, reading your papers carefully, and talking with you intelligently about your ideas. Writing Center tutors work with writers during all stages of the writing process—from understanding an assignment, to developing a thesis, to organizing the paper, to revising the first draft, to editing the final product. The tutors do not write or edit your papers for you. Rather, they help you develop effective rhetorical strategies for your written work.
You are required to make one visit to the Writing Center. You are not limited to one visit, however, and may choose to make multiple appointments. I recommend that you do. To learn more about the Writing Center, visit:
http://www.nd.edu/~writing/index.html
To make an online appointment, visit:
https://therichco.com/wconline/nd/schedule/
Fresh Writing
Fresh Writing is a journal of outstanding writing composed in First-Year Composition. Instructors should submit student essays with a letter of recommendation by the date posted on the website.
McPartlin Award
The McPartlin Award recognizes outstanding writing by first-year students in any classroom. Instructors should submit student essays with a letter of recommendation by the date posted on the website.
Snite Museum Essay Contest
All students at Notre Dame can submit essays that meet the criteria outlined for the Snite Museum Essay Contest. In fact, instructors might use this contest as the basis for the visual analysis assignment.
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Arts and Letters invites submissions by student-researchers on a variety of topics. Details for this publication are found at Journal of Undergraduate Research: University of Notre Dame.
Kellogg Undergraduate Essay Competition on Immigration
The Latin American Studies Program of the Kellogg Institute is sponsoring an undergraduate essay contest on the theme of immigration, with cash prizes for winners and honorable mentions. Deadline: Tuesday, April 1, 2008.
Early English Books Online National Competition
Use the EEBO database for research and you could win up to $1000. Details at http://www.library.nd.edu/research/essay_contest.shtml.