Course Description

This course will test students’ ability to demonstrate in clear and academic terms different
aspects of their discipline’s subject matter. They will be able to write a compare/contrast
essay. There is peer assessment in the form of review and editing feedback. This final
exam is proctored.

Prerequisites

None

Required Textbook and Materials

UoPeople courses use open educational resources (OER) and other materials specifically
donated to the University with free permissions for educational use. Therefore, students are
not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost
associated with them. The required and recommended readings, supplemental materials, or
other resources and websites necessary for lessons will be provided for you in the weekly
course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

Software Requirements/Installation

 Kaltura with audio/visual recording and upload capabilities

 Chrome browser

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Language Objectives

 Students will be able to take a standardized test of English at an intermediate level.

 Students will be able to engage in an informal conversation in English on familiar and
unfamiliar topics.
 Students will be able to read and write on academic topics in English provided
support.

Academic Objectives

 Students will be able to edit their peers’ essays and give direct feedback.
 Students will learn the format of a compare/contrast essay.
 Students will be able to use various editing styles for academics.

Learning Outcomes

 Students will demonstrate English proficiency by passing a final exam at

intermediate level.
 Students will demonstrate their academic writing skills by producing a
compare/contrast essay exploring competing topics within their field.
Course Schedule and Topics

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per
week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time). The following is
an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Building Blocks for Academic Reading and Writing

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments

 Complete Speaking Practice and Complete the Sentence Unit 1 (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Written Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-quiz

Unit 2: Building Basic Skills for Reading and Writing English

 Peer Assess Unit 1 Written Assignment

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Written Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 3: Generating Ideas for Essays

 Peer Assess Unit 2 Written Assignment

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz
 Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 4: Organizing Your Essay

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments

 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
  Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Written Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 5: Writing an Essay

 Peer Assess Unit 4 Written Assignment

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Written Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 6: Editing Your Work; Refining Your Skills

 Peer Assess Unit 5 Written Assignment

 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz
 Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 7: Managing Your Time for Building Your Skills

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments

 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
 Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Complete Dictation
 Complete the Grammar Activity
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Complete and submit the Written Assignment
 Complete and submit the Learning Journal
 Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 8: Enjoying and Analyzing Fiction; Pushing Toward English Proficiency

 Peer Assess Unit 7 Written Assignment

 Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
 Complete Speaking Practice (optional)
  Complete the Vocabulary Word Search
 Participate in the Discussion Assignment
 Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 9: Course Review and Final Exam

 Read the Learning Guide and take the Review Quiz

 Prepare for, take, and submit the Final Exam
 The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9
(UoPeople time); exact dates, times, and other details will be provided accordingly
by your instructor

Course Requirements

Discussion Assignments & Response Posts/Ratings

Most units in this course require that you complete a Discussion Assignment. You are
required to develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the
Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has
been posted by the instructor. In addition, you must extend the discussion by responding to
at least three (3) of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum. Discussion Forums are
only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to
the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the
Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum and responding to peers as
required may result in failure of the course.

Written Assignments

Some units in this course require that you complete a Written Assignment. You are required
to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and, in addition, peer-assess three
(3) of your classmates’ assignments according to the instructions found in the Assessment
Form, which is provided to you during the following week. During this peer assessment
period, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the Assessment
Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer.

Learning Journals

Your instructor may choose to assign specific topics and/or relevant questions as a weekly
Learning Journal entry for you to complete. The Learning Journal must be updated on a
weekly basis, because its entries will be assessed by your instructor directly as a part of
your final grade. The Learning Journal will only be seen by your instructor.

Vocabulary Assignments

Some units have interactive vocabulary assignments. These assignments may take the
form of flash cards, word searches, definitions, dictation, and fill in the blanks. You will have
unlimited attempts during the learning week to finish these assignments and your highest
score will be the one recorded in the grade book.

Quizzes

This course will contain three types of quizzes –Self-Quizzes, Graded Quizzes, and the
Review Quiz.

Self-Quizzes
Self-quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false (yes/no), or short answer questions.
The results of the Self-Quiz count towards your final grade.

 There are eight self-quizzes

 Quizzes contain 5 multiple choice and true/false (yes/no) questions.
 You have unlimited attempt(s) at each quiz.
 You have 20 minutes to take the quiz.
 The score will be available after submission.

Graded Quizzes
Graded quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false (yes/no), or short answer questions.
The results of the Graded Quiz will count towards your final grade.

 There are two graded quizzes

 Quizzes contain 10 multiple choice and true/false (yes/no) questions worth 10 points
each.
 You have 1 attempt at each quiz.
 You have 30 minutes to take the quiz.
 The score will be available after submission.

Review Quiz
The review quiz may contain multiple choice, true/false (yes/no), or short answer questions.
The Review Quiz will assist you in a comprehensive review and full understanding of all
course material, in preparation for your Final Exam.

 There is 1 review quiz

 The quiz contains 45 multiple choice and true/false (yes/no) questions.
 You have unlimited attempt(s) at each quiz.
 You have 120 minutes to take the quiz.
 The score will be available after submission.

Final Exam

The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9, following
the completion of eight units of work. The format of the Final Exam may contain a
combination of different question types. You will have one attempt to take the exam, and it
 will be graded electronically. Specific instructions on how to prepare for and take the exam
will be provided during Week/Unit 8.

 The Final Exam contains a set of questions worth X points each.

 You have 1 attempt.
 You have 80 minutes to take the quiz.
 The score will be available after the final examination period.
 Feedback is available after the exam period has finished

Information about the final exam grading and the passing criteria for this course is available
in Unit 9 and the UoPeople catalog. To pass the course ENGL 0008, students need to earn
a passing score of 73 or higher as a course total, and a normalized score of 50 or higher on
the final examination. The final exam in this course is via the placement test portal. You can
access the placement test portal from the final exam area in Moodle. You will be required to
log in to your Moodle account to access the final exam.

For a technical test, please visit this link well before the exam
period: https://www.oxfordenglishtesting.com/showContent.aspx?id=120 This page has an
automatic system check.

See also, Learning Guide 9, Exam Technical Requirements and Support.

Course and Announcements Forums

The Course and Announcement Forums are the place to raise issues and questions relating
to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors, and is a good place to meet fellow
students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course and
Announcement Forums, it is highly recommended.

Course Policies

Grading Components and Weights

Each graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading
scale, as indicated below:

Grade Components
Course Requirements Number of Items Points for Each Percentage
Discussion Assignments 8 10 15%
Written Assignments 5 10 15%
Learning Journal 7 10 15%
Vocabulary Assignments 18 10 15%
Self Quizzes 7 10 5%
Graded Quiz 1 1 100 5%
Graded Quiz 2 1 100 5%
Final Exam 1 100 25%
Total 100%
Grading Scale

This course will follow the standard 100-point grading scale defined by the University of the
People, as indicated below:

Grading Scale
Letter Grade Grade Scale Grade Points
A+ 98 - 100 4.00
A 93 - 97 4.00
A- 90 - 92 3.67
B+ 88 - 89 3.33
B 83 - 87 3.00
B- 80 - 82 2.67
C+ 78 - 79 2.33
C 73 - 77 2.00
C- 70 - 72 1.67
D+ 68 - 69 1.33
D 63 - 67 1.00
D- 60 - 62 0.67
F Under 60 0.00
Grade Appeal

If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair,
please contact your course instructor after the grade is posted. For more information on this
topic, as well as the deadline for contacting the instructor and the grade appeal process
overall, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

Participation

Non-participation is characterized by lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate

contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written
Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

 Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course

timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines
for each assignment.
  Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-
consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
 Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late.
Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up
assignments.
 All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known
absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

When you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and
reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as
“plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own.
University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure
to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including
dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please
review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines
established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely
used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several style and citation
formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. Refer to
the UoPeople's APA Tutorials in the LRC for help with APA citations.

Code of Conduct

University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful,

collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or
deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted. Any conduct that interferes with
the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action,
such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this
topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.

Last modified: Tuesday, 14 February 2023, 9:16 AM