SAS 011 Writing Lab Syllabus

The University of New England | Spring 2024

Frequently assigned readings for ENG 110 formatted for use by people with dyslexia, low vision, or for anyone who prefers to listen to readings.

Welcome to SAS 011 Writing Lab – an Inclusive Space

All students should feel welcome in SAS 011 Writing Lab. UNE’s Core Values Statement acknowledges that “the benefits of a richly varied campus community arise not only from the diversity of its people but also from a sense of belonging and the context this creates to explore and celebrate differences in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, underpinned by a sense of cultural humility and a commitment to ethical ideals.”

If you have a chosen name or preferred pronoun, please let me know so that I can properly address you.

Eric was a first-generation college student and is willing to help all students better understand the unspoken assumptions that inform college life.

Everyone deserves to learn and work in an environment that is supportive and friendly. Eric’s office is a UNE Safe Space, where all students can be open about themselves without fear of criticism or hatred. Eric is committed to learning more about his students’ individual experiences through conversation and dialogue.

Please contact me with diversity-related feedback on your experiences in this classroom. Should you experience discrimination on campus, contact the Director of the Office of Title IX and Civil Rights Compliance, Angela Shambarger, Title IX Coordinator, ashambarger@une.edu , 207-221-4554, or online at https://www.une.edu/title-ix/reporting.

What is SAS 011 Writing Lab?

SAS 011: Writing Lab is a course that supports students with developmental writing placements as they complete ENG 110, UNE’s first-year academic writing course.

Students enrolled in Writing Lab meet weekly with a professional writing coach individually or in very small groups at a time arranged in consultation with students. The course earns 1 credit that counts toward full-time enrollment but does not satisfy core curriculum or graduation requirements. The course grade is computed into students’ cumulative grade point average.

In SAS 011, students work on goals and tasks that are closely aligned with the goals and work of ENG 110: English Composition. Working closely with writing support coaches, students learn to adopt a more persistent, mindful, and reflective approach to their learning. They develop more robust reading and writing processes. They also practice sophisticated language structures that enable them to express complex ideas and integrate their ideas with those of other writers.

Here are some of the activities you might do in Writing Lab class sessions:

Brainstorming and Idea Generation occurred in 40.5% of class sessions last fall
Interpreting an assignment prompt and planning work – 34% of class sessions
Synthesizing, analyzing, or evaluating content from assigned readings – 31.7%
Summarizing, paraphrasing, and integrating source materials effectively and ethically – 27%
Improving reading strategies and comprehension of specific texts – 25.4%

Writing Lab students typically find They Say/I Say by Graff & Birkenstein useful.

UNE Students Talk about Writing Lab

SAS 011 Expanded Learning Outcomes

ENG 110 Learning Outcomes (for reference)

Students will develop growth mindset beliefs about academic reading and writing tasks. A proficient first-year student with a growth mindset about academic reading and writing
- Is willing to change behaviors and habits to improve
- Embraces practice and work as keys to learning
- Persists in the face of struggle, challenge, and error
- Sees mistakes as opportunities for reflection, learning, and growth
- Comes to class and sessions consistently, is willing and prepared to learn
- Accepts and incorporates constructive feedback
- Practices metacognition to monitor and evaluate strategies and revise them as needed
Students will develop a reliable active reading process. A proficient first-year academic reader
- Understands their reading situation and varies reading strategies and intensity appropriately
- Locates author’s argument and conversation partners
- Segments complex texts into smaller chunks
- Marks up texts for comprehension and response
- Distinguishes between concepts and examples; focuses on concepts
- Formulates questions of a text
- “Talks back” to or challenges the text with chunky margin comments
- Chooses to work with passages that are complex, difficult, ambiguous, or in need of discussion or response as well as simpler passages
- Uses a variety of writing-to-learn strategies for comprehension and conversation
- Makes connections among multiple texts, makes text-to-self and text-to-world connections
Students will develop fluency in a range of practices supporting a multi-stage recursive writing process. A proficient first-year academic writer
- Prewrites
  - Experiments with a variety of task planning and outlining strategies and finds ones that work for them
  - Analyzes assignment and writing situation
  - Embraces freewriting and other writing-to-learn strategies
  - Sees reading and annotation as an essential part of their academic writing process
- Drafts and Revises
  - Writes idea-generating, exploratory drafts
  - Embraces global revision as a transformative process
  - Uses feedback effectively
- Participates in Peer Review
  - Uses a robust process to assess their own work and the work of peers and make suggestions for improvemen t: describe, diagnose, suggest, engage
- Edits and Polishes
  - Uses a variety of effective local editing and polishing strategies
  - Understands the concept of stigmatizing errors, recognizes their own patterns of stigmatizing errors and has effective strategies to control stigmatizing errors
Students will practice using language features capable of expressing and generating complex ideas. A proficient first-year academic writer
- Puts aside the 5-paragraph essay in favor of trying out essay structures that can handle more complex thinking
- Understands and uses the four fundamental sentence structures: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex
- Combines ideas or actions in two (or more) sentences using subordination and coordination
- Experiments with sentence templates to try out characteristic moves of academic writing
- Uses a variety of purposeful reporting/signal verbs (beyond states, writes, or says)
- Uses signpost language, pivot words, transitions, evaluative metawords, and voice/attitude markers
- Uses TRIAC paragraph structure
- Uses Barclay’s Formula to put two or more writers in conversation
Students will develop strategies for integrating their own ideas with those of other writers and thinkers. A proficient first-year integrator of ideas
- Uses ideas of others to advance a project of his or her own
- Chooses purposefully among summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation
- Introduces and explains borrowed passages, connects them to other passages, ideas, or claims
- Uses signal phrasing and parenthetical citations to indicate borrowed passages
- Uses passages as exhibits and evidence
- Enters into conversation with others by making claims about and in response to the ideas of others
Students will begin to develop the understanding that languages and discourses evolve, are imbued with social assumptions, have social implications, and make claims to power. A first-year student working towards this understanding
- Can recognize some different academic discourses and some of the values and ways of saying-being-doing-valuing-believing associated with them
- Understands that all people’s home languages are capable of expressing complex thoughts
- Is willing to work to understand discourses they’re not (yet) fluent in and home languages other than their own
- Is willing to acquire fluency in discourses other than their own primary (or home) discourse
- Makes connections between discourses in which they are fluent and those in which they are not
- Understand that people can be persuaded by a wide range of techniques
- Understand that what people find persuasive is context-sensitive
Students will begin the process of being enculturated to the values, practices, expectations, and habits of mind characteristics of the academic communities at UNE and beyond. A first-year student starting this process will
- Start to recognize the similarities and differences between their home culture(s) and the cultures of the university
- Start to recognize the similarities and differences between the cultures and habits of mind of secondary schools and the cultures and habits of mind of the university
- Develop some strategies for coping with the uncertainty, anxiety, or doubt that may accompany these recognitions
- Begin to feel comfortable in their ability to adapt to and belong to the University’s academic communities
- Become familiar with important concepts, tools, and resources to assist them in making the transition to college.

Course Outline

Engaging with Texts (reading strategies, annotation, “conversation” with the text)
Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation
Supporting a Claim with Evidence (incorporating source material)
Synthesizing Ideas (integration of multiple sources while drafting)
Understanding Drafting Expectations (prompts, pre-writing strategies, first drafts, final drafts)
Effective Peer Review (strategies to offer specific suggestions and feedback)
Revision Strategies
Sentence Structures, Grammar, and Punctuation
Curating Digital Identities (UNEportfolio)

Grading

SAS 011 Writing Lab is a credit-bearing course. You will earn a grade for Writing Lab that is separate from the grade you earn in ENG 110. While it is possible that your grades may align, it may be that your grade in Writing Lab will be higher or lower than your ENG 110 grade.

In Writing Lab, your grade is based on your presence, preparation, and engagement in Writing Lab class sessions and your evolving fluency in course learning objectives. Consistent attendance, preparation, and engagement with course learning activities are essential to your development and your course grade.

Students who earn an A in Writing Lab will tend to
- Attend at least 12 of 14 Writing Lab sessions with their Writing Lab instructor
- Consistently attempt ENG 110 homework before attending Lab
- Consistently have readings and other course materials in their possession during Lab.
- Consistently have read and annotated readings assigned in ENG 110 before attending Lab
- Consistently be an active participant in Lab activities
- Consistently experiment with and implement reading and writing strategies suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Develop a sense of agency and ownership about what aspects of their reading and writing to work on in Lab sessions and enthusiastically use the opportunity to develop the aspects of their reading and writing suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make significant progress developing fluency on almost all of the course learning goals
Students who earn a B in Writing Lab will tend to
- Attend at least 10 of 14 Writing Lab sessions with their Writing Lab instructor
- Often attempt ENG 110 homework before attending Lab, with the exception of just a few sessions
- Often have readings and other course materials in their possession during Lab, with the exception of just a few sessions
- Often have read and annotated readings assigned in ENG 110 before attending Lab, with the exception of just a few sessions
- Often be an active participant in Lab activities, with the exception of just a few sessions
- Often experiment with and implement reading and writing strategies suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make good use of the opportunity to develop the aspects of their reading and writing suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make significant progress developing fluency on many of the course learning goals
Students who earn a C in Writing Lab will tend to
- Attend at least 10 of 14 Writing Lab sessions with their Writing Lab instructor
- Sometimes attempt ENG 110 homework before attending Lab, more often than not
- Sometimes have readings and other course materials in their possession during Lab, more often than not
- Sometimes have read and annotated readings assigned in ENG 110 before attending Lab, more often than not
- Sometimes be an active participant in Lab activities, more often than not
- Sometimes experiment with and implement reading and writing strategies suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Sometimes make good use of the opportunity to develop the aspects of their reading and writing suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make some progress developing fluency on some of the course learning goals
Students who earn a D in Writing Lab will tend to
- Attend at least 10 of 14 Writing Lab sessions with their Writing Lab instructor
- Attempt ENG 110 homework before attending Lab in fewer than half of the Lab sessions
- Have readings and other course materials in their possession during Lab in fewer than half of the Lab sessions
- Have read and annotated readings assigned in ENG 110 before attending Lab in fewer than half of the Lab sessions
- Be an active participant in Lab activities in fewer than half of the Lab sessions
- Rarely experiment with and implement reading and writing strategies suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Rarely make good use of the opportunity to develop the aspects of their reading and writing suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make some or a little progress on a few of the course learning goals
Students who earn an F in Writing Lab will tend to
- Attend fewer than 10 of 14 Writing Lab sessions with their Writing Lab instructor
- Very rarely attempt ENG 110 homework before attending Lab
- Very rarely have readings and other course materials in their possession during Lab sessions
- Very rarely have read and annotated readings assigned in ENG 110 before attending Lab
- Very rarely be an active participant in Lab activities
- Very rarely experiment with and implement reading and writing strategies suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Very rarely make good use of the opportunity to develop the aspects of their reading and writing suggested by their Writing Lab instructor
- Make little progress on the course learning goals

Academic Integrity (including Plagiarism and unauthorized assistance from Artificial Intelligence)

ENG 110: English Composition and SAS 011: Engaging With Texts Writing Lab are important introductions to college-level reading and writing. As an emerging college-level writer, you will develop your ability to read responsibly and critically, to work with texts appropriately, and to write in ways that are valued and respected within the community. We will conduct ourselves with integrity by doing our own work, by acting as responsible peers in (and out of) class, and by working with sources in ways appropriate to the academic community of which we are a part. It is understood that we are learning to work within the norms of our community, and so we will work on these matters.

Writing is an activity and a process that requires both individual effort and participation in a relevant community. In English Composition, we form a community of learners and engage in a set of writing activities to develop our ability in each part of the process. While robust collaboration, including discussion for idea generation and peer review, are activities central to the writing process, unauthorized reliance on outside supports undermines key elements of the learning process in the course and impedes achievement of the course learning outcomes. It may also violate UNE’s policy on Academic Integrity, with penalties ranging from failure on an assignment to academic dismissal.

Students enrolled in English 110 are strongly encouraged to take a few minutes to complete the nationally recognized Academic Integrity 101 Self-Test (https://abacus.bates.edu/cbb/quiz/index.html) to familiarize themselves with the issue.

UNE has a clear policy on academic integrity and a multi-step procedure for addressing cases of suspected academic dishonesty (See BELOW). They are also available on the UNE website: Academic Integrity Policy (Student Handbook); Procedure for Reporting Alleged Academic Dishonesty.

In our class, the policy applies to all of our work, from homework to formal papers.

Academic Integrity Pledge

This assignment was completed in compliance with the requirements of the course and The University of New England’s Academic Dishonesty Policies and represents the product of my own effort. (For resources on UNE’s policy, please see https://www.une.edu/student-affairs/student-conduct/academic-integrity and Section H of the Student Handbook.)

I affirm that I have not engaged in unauthorized collaboration or used unauthorized text-generating tools or paper-writing services to complete the assignment.

I am familiar with UNE’s Academic Dishonesty Policies and understand that submission of text written by another writer, a paper-writing service, AI, or another source may be a violation of academic integrity.

Signature: Date:

Inclusivity Statement

UNE’s Core Values Statement acknowledges “the benefits of a richly varied campus community arise not only from the diversity of its people but also from a sense of belonging” (see Mission, Vision, and Values). The classroom should provide a space for learning, dialogue, and action that promotes the full engagement of students from all backgrounds. Instructors and students will strive to create a respectful and supportive environment for collaboration, empathy, and the building of meaningful relationships. 

To help achieve an inclusive learning environment:

If your name (or associated pronouns) differs from the roster, please let the instructor know.
If you anticipate needing to miss or shift class responsibilities due to a religious observance, please let the instructor know. 
If you experience an unwelcoming environment in the classroom or on campus (for example, in response to the representation of differences in the course or you believe biases may be affecting your academic experience), please reach out to the instructor, a trusted faculty mentor, or your academic advisor for guidance on next steps. 
If you experience any form of discrimination in the classroom or on campus, contact the Title IX and Office of Civil Rights Coordinator: Ms. Angela Shambarger (ashambarger@une.edu) or the Dean of Students: Ms. Jennifer DeBurro (jdeburro@une.edu). Please note: Faculty are mandatory reporters; should you disclose sexual assault or related forms of abuse, instructors are required to notify other campus entities.

To submit a Title IX, Bias, or Harassment Complaint: https://une-advocate.symplicity.com/titleix_report/index.php/pid059472?

To report incidents: https://www.une.edu/concern

Official Course Description

This developmental level course is designed to support students enrolled in English Composition. The course focus is on writing as a process, using engagement with and responses to text as its content while simultaneously achieving developmental objectives. Credit counts toward full-time enrollment, but does not satisfy core curriculum or graduation requirements. Course grade is computed into students’ cumulative grade point average. For matriculated students only. 1.000 Credit hours

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