Tag: DeVry University

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–4 October 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion continued consideration of the overall group project and its remaining individual components. Assigned readings were also discussed.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Group Project Formal Proposal- Preliminary Version (collectively submitted to the dropbox before 0059, 10 October 2016)
  • Week 6 Discussions (to be completed before 0059, 10 October 2016)

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed six students enrolled, unchanged since the last class meeting. All attended, verified informally. Student participation was good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–27 September 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion continued consideration of the overall group project and its remaining individual components. Attention was also given to the upcoming negative message.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Negative or Bad News Message (individually submitted to the dropbox before 0059, 3 October 2016)
  • Week 5 Discussions (to be completed before 0059, 3 October 2016)

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed six students enrolled, unchanged since the last class meeting. All attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–20 September 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion treated assignments previously submitted and moved into continued consideration of the overall group project and its individual components, particularly the report due next.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Group Project Informal Analytical Report (submitted by one group member to the dropbox before 0059, 26 September 2016)
  • Week 4 Discussions (to be completed before 0059, 26 September 2016)

Students should note that the rubric applied to discussions in Week 4 and moving forward is contained herein: ENGL 227 Discussion Assignment Sheet.

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed six students enrolled, unchanged since the last class meeting. Of them, five attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–13 September 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion treated assignments previously submitted and moved into consideration of the overall group project and its individual components.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Routine Message, to the dropbox before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 3 Open Discussion, completed before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 3 Group Discussion, completed before 0059, 19 September 2016

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed six students enrolled, unchanged since the last class meeting. Of them, five attended, verified informally. Student participation was good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–6 September 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion treated concerns of assignments that had been submitted. It then turned to consideration of assigned readings and upcoming work, with some emphasis on questions of usage.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Week 2 Quiz (completed before 0059, 12 September 2016)
  • Week 2 Open Discussions (completed before 0059, 12 September 2016)
  • Week 2 Group Discussions (completed before 0059, 12 September 2016)

“Initial Remarks for the September 2016 Session at DeVry University in San Antonio,” here, may still be of use for students.

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed six students enrolled, a decline of one since the last class meeting. Of them, four attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Class Report: ENGL 227: Professional Writing, Section 11439–30 August 2016

geoffreybelliott2 Comments

After addressing offering introductions, discussion reviewed required policy statements before treating already-assigned readings and upcoming assignments. Business correspondence received particular attention.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Resume (materials to the dropbox before 0059, 5 September 2016)
  • Week 1 Discussions (completed before 0059, 5 September 2016)
  • Week 2 Quiz (completed before 0059, 12 September 2016)

“Initial Remarks for the September 2016 Session at DeVry University in San Antonio,” here, may be of use for students.

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed seven students enrolled as of approximately 1600. Of them, six attended (with some leaving early), verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Reflective Comments about the July 2016 Session at DeVry University in San Antonio

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Continuing a practice iterated at the end of the Spring 2016 instructional term in Stillwater, Oklahoma, comments below offer impressions of class performance among students enrolled in ENGL 135: Advanced Composition, Section 60174, at DeVry University in San Antonio, Texas, during the July 2016 instructional session there. Overall impressions and implications for instruction are also discussed.

Unlike previous terms, however, demographic data were not tracked and best versions of course documents are not compiled. The relatively small class, combined with newness at the institution and some policies, made inquiring thereabouts inadvisable, and institutional policies insist on particular treatment of enough course documentation to prevent a complete record from being compiled.

Class Performance

Assessment in the eight-week session moved at a rapid pace. It centered around the completion of a single research project, the traditional-to-second-semester-composition conference-length paper, having students through a series of unevenly-weighted assignments leading to the generation of such a paper:

  • Topic Selection, 50 points
  • Source Summary, 35 points
  • Research Proposal, 50 points
  • Annotated Bibliography, 100 points
  • First Draft of the conference paper, 75 points
  • Second Draft of the conference paper, 80 points
  • Final Draft of the conference paper, 125 points
  • Reflective Postscript, 50 points

Other assignments, including information literacy and APA assessment modules (35 points each), as well as weeks of online discussions (40 points for each of six weeks, 60 points for the seventh), supplemented work on the conference-length paper, offering student practice in finding and parsing information and in writing to a broad audience.

Most assignments were assessed by means of rubrics provided by the institution. Other assignments were assessed by rubrics of similar form, announced to students in advance of assignments being due and returned to students with comments once assessment was completed.

The section was scheduled to meet on Thursdays from 1800-2150 in Room 111 of the San Antonio campus of DeVry University. Its overall data includes

  • End-of-term enrollment: 9
  • Average class score: 471
    • Standard deviation: 298.789
  • Students earning a grade of A (900 points or more): 1
  • Students earning a grade of F (below 600 points): 6
  • Total student absences: 25
  • Average student absences: 2.778
    • Standard deviation: 2.299

End-of-term enrollment represents a substantial decline from a peak of 16 students enrolled at the first class meeting. Absence rates were substantial; all but one student incurred at least one absence from among the eight class meetings, and one failed to attend any of them. Most classes saw three or four absences. Additionally, a great many students failed to submit one or more assignments; only two students show up as having completed all expected work.

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Impressions and Implications

It had been some time since I had taught at a for-profit institution, and so I had forgotten some of the challenges that seem to associate themselves with such schools. In particular, I had grown unaccustomed to the high absence and low assignment submission rates that were on display during my class in the July 2016 session at DeVry, and while they did have the effect of making grading easier, the disjunction between expectation and realization was somewhat disconcerting. Moving forward, though, it should be less of a problem.

In teaching this time around, I did work to address some of the concerns voiced by students in an earlier survey, the report of which is here. Namely, I have tried to adjust my manner to be less condescending and derisive. I do not have data to attest to the effectiveness of my efforts, although I have made sure to offer valedictory messages in written commentaries returned to students and to be explicit about identifying areas of strength or potential strength. My tendency towards tangents also received some moderation, although I continue to be aware that I am prone to them.

I think I had some success in my classroom work, though. Teaching non-traditional students again illuminated for me some of the reasons I had had difficulties previously, and the simple fact of having the work to do served to remind me to be grateful–and to work in a way that indicates the gratitude. The latter is likely to be particularly helpful as I move into the September 2016 session at DeVry and more fully into the Fall 2016 instructional term at Schreiner University–as well as into possible future work.

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Class Report: ENGL 135.60174, Advanced Composition–25 August 2016

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The final meeting of the course addressed the Course Project Reflective Postscript, completing the remaining portion of the course grade The whole session was taken up thereby, treating it as equivalent to a final exam.

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed nine students enrolled, a decline of one since the previous class meeting. Of them, four attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.

Reflective comments will be offered when they become available.

Initial Remarks for the September 2016 Session at DeVry University in San Antonio

geoffreybelliott2 Comments

As the new session begins and I find myself teaching ENGL 227: Professional Writing, there are a few things that present themselves as needing attention. Chief among them are due dates and certain assignment materials, both of which are presented below.

Due Dates

The University generally holds that weeks begin and end at midnight Mountain Time on Sundays (so at 0100 Monday mornings in San Antonio). Each week’s assignments are due before the week ends, meaning that written assignments are due according to the following schedule:

  • Resume, to the dropbox before 0059, 5 September 2016
  • Quiz, completed online before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Routine Message, to the dropbox before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Group Project Informal Analytical Report, to the dropbox before 0059, 26 September 2016
  • Negative or Bad News Message, to the dropbox before 0059, 3 October 2016
  • Group Project Formal Proposal (Preliminary Version), to the dropbox before 0059, 10 October 2016
  • Group Project Formal Proposal (Final Version), to the dropbox before 1159, 23 October 2016 (although earlier would be appreciated)

That the final assignment is due at a different point in the week than other assignments is an artifact of anticipated grade submission deadlines. I cannot put in final grades until I have assessed all assignments–and it takes time to assess projects.

Additionally, discussions must be completed according to the following schedule:

  • Week 1, before 0059, 5 September 2016
  • Week 2 open, before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Week 2 group, before 0059, 12 September 2016
  • Week 3 open, before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 3 group, before 0059, 19 September 2016
  • Week 4, before 0059, 26 September 2016
  • Week 5, before 0059, 3 October 2016
  • Week 6, before 0059, 10 October 2016
  • Week 7, before 0059, 17 October 2016

Typically, in each class meeting’s report, I will indicate the next applicable set of due dates. Still, knowing them ahead of time makes drafting a personal schedule easier–which should, in turn, make getting done all of what needs to be done easier.

Assignment Materials

How to handle the discussions on which class relies needs some explanation. Some of it is taken care of by the course shell already, but most of it is not. As such, I present the following document, which lays out what I expect and how I will assess it in the September 2016 session: ENGL 227 Discussion Assignment Sheet. Hopefully, it will clarify matters in advance of them becoming confused.

I look forward to teaching more professional materials once again, and I look forward to working with the students enrolled in my section for the session. Both promise to be enriching experiences for all involved.

Updated 30 August 2016 to account for better information.

Class Report: ENGL 135.60174, Advanced Composition–18 August 2016

geoffreybelliott1 Comment

After addressing questions from and concerns about the previous class meeting, discussion turned to general concerns of the overall course project. Those students who had drafts to review were afforded workshopping time, and the workshops were discussed.

Students are reminded that end of course evaluations remain open. Completing them will help.

Students are reminded of the following assignments’ due dates:

  • Course Project Final Draft (to the appropriate dropbox before 0059 on Monday, 22 August 2016)
  • Week 7 Discussions (completed before 0059 on Monday, 22 August 2016)

The class met as scheduled, at 1800 in Rm. 111 of the DeVry San Antonio campus. The class roster listed ten students enrolled, a decline of one since the last class meeting. Of them, six attended, verified informally. Student participation was reasonably good. No students attended office hours.