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GSW 1110
Fall 2016
Achievement Requirements
Instructor: April Conway
E-mail: aconway@bgsu.edu
Office: 441 East Hall
Office Phone: 419-372-8797
Skype Username: aprilrconway
Office Hours: Tuesday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (and by appointment)
*Note: I will also be available during this time via Skype/email/Canvas messaging.
Mailbox: 210 East Hall
Course Description
General Studies Writing 1110 has been designed to provide college students with an introduction
to academic writingthe kind of writing students are asked to do to explore ideas and venture into
scholarly conversation. GSW 1110 is a highly interactive workshop class in which you, your
classmates, and I will read, write, and discuss ideas about writing together. In this course, we will
engage with a variety of activities to compose and to question. We will generate and deepen ideas;
critically evaluate our writing in order to revise effectively; analyze texts and rhetorical situations
(especially audience and purpose); and conduct research to support our ideas with credible
sources. I will provide feedback that has you to consider, question, revise, and reflect on your
learning.
To achieve these various goals, you will write five well-developed essays, or compose five welldeveloped audio/visual projects, the majority of which will be documented with sources.
Throughout the course, you will assemble all of the drafts you write for each essay in an electronic
portfolio in order to demonstrate your progress as a writer over the semester.
Course Requirements
Required Texts
Texts provided by instructor
Other Requirements
Access to a computer with Word compatible software
Access to BGSU email and Canvas via MyBGSU
Memory Stick, Jump Drive, or some other method for backing up your work
Printer Access: Students who plan to use university printers should keep funds
available on their BG1 Cards (http://www.bgsu.edu/bg1card/index.html)

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Course Policies
Participate
Please attend class ready to fully participate as an active listener and as a knowledgeable
contributor to discussions and activities. Please bring assigned readings materials to class, and
leave cell phones, social media sites, headphones, and personal conversations for after class.
Develop a community of learners
We are a diverse group of individuals and can learn a great deal from each other. We will be
doing a great deal of learning and writing together. For this to work, each of us will need to be
respectful of others, open to approaches and perspectives different from our own, and able to
provide and accept appropriate and constructive criticism.
Late Work
All work must be turned in, completed as directed, on time. I will not accept late work unless
previous arrangements have been made with me.
Attendance
Class work, discussions, and activities cannot be made up from absences. Four absences,
excused and unexcused, may result in a withdrawal from the class. Making a habit of arriving
late and leaving early will result in accruing absences.
Writing Conferences
To ensure that you are getting the encouragement and feedback you need in your writing, it is
required that you attend a scheduled conference with me so that I can give you personalized
help and assistance. We will schedule these conferences in class.
Contacting Me by Email
Please email me if you have any questions. I will ordinarily respond within 24 hours. However,
please do not expect a response before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on weekdays and not at all over
the weekend. Additionally, if you dont receive my email reply, this means that I did not receive
your message and that you should discuss the content of your email with me in person.
ePortfolio
A requirement of this course is for you to organize your work in an electronic portfolio. These
portfolios will be hosted on Canvas and I will use the portfolios as a means in which to assess
your final grade for the course. You will need to keep your rough drafts with peer and instructor
feedback as well as your final drafts with instructor feedback for each project to include in your
portfolio. The portfolio must be complete with two passing projects to pass the course.
Revision
To encourage recursive composing practices, you have the opportunity to revise two of your
essays. You have one week to revise after your final draft with comments and a grade is
returned to you. Due to the semester schedule and the deadline for Project 5, you are unable to
revise Project 5 (which, of course, is a revision project itself).

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Additional Resources
GSW 1100/1110 LibGuide
To help familiarize you with academic library research skills, in this class you will work with an
online LibGuide site that has been assembled for GSW 1100 and 1110 by the staff of the Jerome
Library. Our LibGuide site can be accessed here: http://libguides.bgsu.edu/gsw1100-1110
Student Technology Assistance Center (STAC)
If you want to create a multimodal (video or audio) project, you can visit the STAC for
assistance. Located in 122 Jerome Library, you can access software, hardware, and assistance
from peers. You can visit https://www.bgsu.edu/library/stac.html for more information.
Writing Support at the Learning Commons
Located on the first floor of Jerome Library, the Learning Commons is a valuable resource which
provides students with individual tutoring assistance in a variety of subjects. Because the
Commons is often very busy, you should call ahead to make an appointment well in advance:
419-372-2823. You may also submit your writing to an online writing consultant by following
this link: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/writingctr/page76151.html. An email response may take
up to 72 hours, and writing consultants are not available on weekends or evenings to give
immediate feedback.
Essays, or Projects
To pass the course, you will need to pass two essays; this includes passing after revision.
Furthermore, to ensure that you are ready for the portfolio evaluation process at the end of the
semester, you will need to keep your rough and final drafts with my and your peers comments,
and accompanying rubrics, for every paper you write. This is so you can revise and reflect on
your writing based on the feedback you receive and, more importantly, on the knowledge you
have gained and the shape your writing has taken throughout the semester. You will also need
these materials to help you complete the final project for the course and for your portfolio.
All rough drafts must be complete when submitted. If they are not complete you will need to
make an appointment with a Learning Commons tutor to go over your essay. When submitting
your final draft, I must have written documentation that your rough draft was reviewed by a
Learning Commons tutor. If you do not have a complete rough draft with comments, a final
draft cannot be accepted and, as a result, your portfolio will not be submitted.
Formatting
Please follow these format requirements for submitting your work:
Papers should follow MLA format. Examples and information on MLA can be found
online at the OWL at Purdue. We will discuss MLA format in class.
Essays must be word processed, double-spaced, and have standard 1 margins on the
right and left sides, top, and bottom of the page.
The font used for your final drafts should be 12-point Times New Roman.
Pages must have your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner.
Your essays must have a title, but dont include a separate title page with your papers.

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GSWS GRADING SYSTEM AND THE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Essay Grades
Throughout the semester, I will collect and comment upon rough and final drafts of every
essay, and I will give them back to you in a timely manner so that you can use my comments as
guidelines for revision and reflection. Additionally, when you submit final drafts of your essays,
I will fill out an evaluation sheet (a rubric) to indicate the papers strengths, weaknesses, and
grade. The grade for each essay will be a Pass, Almost-Pass, or No-Pass.
A Passing (P) essay shows good control in all of the categories of the rubric. Although
there may be a few minor problems, the entire essay is generally well-written and
clearly and effectively communicates its ideas.
An Almost-Passing (AP) essay shows a combination of strengths and weaknesses on the
rubric. There is room for improvement in some rubric categories of the essay and the
essay does not consistently communicate its ideas clearly and effectively. An AlmostPass means the essay is not passing, but it is getting close to being a passing essay.
A No-Passing (NP) essay shows a serious weakness in at least one category of the
rubric, and other categories may need attention, too. The overall quality of the essay is
significantly hindered because of these weaknesses.
GSW 1110 Course Grades
If your work passes the portfolio assessment at the end of the term, you will receive an S
(Satisfactory) grade for the course. An S will appear on your transcript, but it will not be
calculated into your grade point average.
Because GSW 1120 is a course that focuses upon research-supported, argumentative academic
writing, it is necessary for students to enter into GSW 1120 with a solid grasp of the writing
skills taught in GSW 1110. However, the GSW Program acknowledges that writing is a skill that
takes some people longer than others to master. For both of these reasons, if your work is not
eligible for the Portfolio Assessment, or if you have met all of my requirements but your work
does not pass the Portfolio Assessment, you will receive an NC (No Credit) for GSW 1110. An NC
allows a student to repeat GSW 1110 without any negative effect upon his/her GPA.
It is possible to receive a WF (Withdraw Fail) in this course, however. If you should stop
attending this class for any reason without going through the University's official procedure for
dropping the class, you will receive a WF, the grade will appear on your grade report, and an F
will be calculated into your grade point average. For this reason, if you can no longer attend the
course, it is very important that you officially drop the course by the official deadline.
Portfolio Assessment Process
During the last week of class, I will let you know whether your projects are eligible for portfolio
assessment. If your writing demonstrates a need for continued growth and development before
continuing on to GSW 1120 or if you have not satisfied the achievement requirements for this
class, your work will not be eligible for portfolio assessment. This means that your portfolio will
not be graded and that you will be required to re-enroll in GSW 1110.

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General Studies Writing Program Grade Appeal Policy
A student who wishes to appeal a grade received in a General Studies Writing course must
follow the GSW Programs grade appeal procedures (detailed below). This policy mirrors the
procedures outlined in the College of Arts and Sciences grade dispute policy:
https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/faculty/cdh/section-nine/section-9-9.html#grade
As per the Arts and Sciences policy, Grade dispute proceedings should be initiated by the end
of the fifth (5th) week of the semester following the one in which the contested grade was
given. For grades assigned during spring semester, proceedings should be initiated by the
middle of the fall semester.
The General Studies Writing Program does not review appeals of individual essay assignment
grades. Appeals of individual essay assignment grades should be made within the context of a
formal appeal of a contested course grade.
GSW Grade Appeal Procedure
If you believe the final course grade you earned in your GSW course was unfairly or mistakenly
assigned, please review the procedures for contesting the grade. An undergraduate student
wishing to appeal a grade received in a GSW course must follow the grade dispute policy
established by the College of Arts and Sciences. This appeals procedure also may be used if a
student believes an opportunity should be provided to make up work missed during absence
from classes. Please review this policy carefully:
https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/faculty/cdh/section-nine/section-9-9.html#grade
However, the sole responsibility and authority for determining grades rests with the faculty
member who assigned the grade.
As the Arts and Sciences policy describes, students must complete the following steps
in the following order:
1. Contact the instructor of record to discuss the grade in dispute.
(See important dates/timelines in A&S policy.)
2. If the student and instructor are unable to resolve the grade dispute, the student should
contact the General Studies Writing Program Office (419-372-7885 or kjennin@bgsu.edu) to
be directed to one of the programs grade mediators. The mediator will meet with the student
and the instructor separately and compose a memo outlining the mediators findings. This
memo will be distributed to the student, instructor, and GSW Director.
3. If the program grade mediator is unable to resolve the dispute, the student may then appeal
to the GSW grade appeals committee. If the grade appeal involves a member of the grade
appeals committee, the GSW Director will appoint an ad hoc member to the committee to
bring the committee size to three members. The grade mediator who conducted the initial
review of the appeal will not serve on the grade appeals committee.
The following procedure will be used by the departments grade appeals committee:
i. The student must submit to the grade appeals committee a written statement documenting
that the College procedure has been followed and including an explanation of why the grade

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received is unsatisfactory. The student must also submit the complete GSW Portfolio originally
submitted to their instructor (via direct URL to Canvas ePortfolio, email attachment(s), or
printed collection of documents) or, if no portfolio was submitted, the collection of essays
used in determining the grade. The committee may request additional information that it
deems relevant to resolving the issue.
ii. The committee will evaluate the students appeal by reviewing the submitted material. If
deemed necessary, the committee may call a meeting with either the student or the
instructor.
iii. The committee will recommend to the involved faculty member that the grade be raised, be
lowered, or remain unchanged. This recommendation will also be communicated to the
student submitting the appeal and the GSW Director.
4. If the student wishes to appeal the recommendation of the grade appeals committee, the
student may elect to appeal to the College of Arts and Sciences by following step 3 of the
College of Arts and Sciences grade dispute policy.
Important: Those students earning a failing grade but planning to appeal should contact their
advisors as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements for their following semesters
class schedule in the event that the appeal is unsuccessful or not completed by the time
classes commence to ensure they maintain the necessary number of credit hours.
University Policies
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to make every reasonable effort to allow you to observe your
religious holidays without academic penalty. Should you need to miss a class due to a religious
holiday, consult with me before you leave for the holiday to find out what assignments will be
due while you are absent. Please have the assignments turned in to me prior to missing class.
Veteran-Friendly Campus
BGSU educators recognize you veterans rights when entering and exiting the university system.
If you are a veteran, please let me know if accommodations need to be made for absences due
to drilling or being called to active duty.
Academic Honesty
Please refer to BGSUs current Student Affairs Handbook and to your GSW portfolio materials
for information regarding BGSUs academic honesty policies. These policies and penalties apply
to our class, as to all other classes at BGSU.