Click here for Utah Valley State College's Academic Policies and Standards
ESL Grading
You will get grade reports from your teachers on a regular basis. Check your grades and if there's a problem, talk to your teacher. If you need to talk to a teacher for any reason, it is best to make an appointment so your teacher can be available to listen to you. You can check your teacher's office hours and find out how to contact them on your course syllabus.
The ESL Program policy on late work and missed tests is the following: With instructor approval, a student who has been absent may complete missing work or take a quiz or test missed due to an absence. However, it is the responsibility of the student to make such a request. Even with such a request, your instructor is not required to let you complete work, take tests you have missed due to absences or accept late work. Late work does not receive full credit.
Classroom Behavior
The environment of ESL classes is respectful and encouraging. There is a free exchange of ideas and opinions but they must be stated with respect for other cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
Click this link for some great advice on getting along with instructors from Utah State University's Academic Resource Center
Communications and Announcements:
All UVSC students have a personal email account on their UVLink. ESL students must check their UVLink email account frequently. All announcements and communication from the ESL program administrators and academic advisor will be sent to students through their UVLink email. UVLink can be accessed from the UVSC homepage. Students are able to log in to their UVLink account and check their UVLink email from any open computer lab on campus. It is the student’s responsibility to check their UVLink email for important announcements and updates. It is not acceptable for a student to claim they were not aware of a required activity or of a change or update to a policy by citing that they were not informed in a class. This information will always be sent to their UV Link email account.
ESL Attendance Policy:
Students are allowed no more than seven (7) unexcused absences. If a student has eight (8) or more unexcused absences they will automatically fail the course. For an absence to be excused the student must present their instructor with a signed doctor’s note, a jury duty or court summons, or other valid documentation. Students who are more than 15 minutes late to class may be marked as absent for that day.
Advancement to the next level of ESL study or graduation from the ESL program is dependent on the following factors:
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Successful completion of all four (4) classes that were taken- Listening & Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Grammar. C- is not a passing grade in ESL. A grade of C or higher is considered a passing grade. Students who earn a grade of C- or lower in two or more classes, or do not complete the semester with a GPA of at least 2.0, will not be allowed to advance to the next level or to graduate from the ESL program.
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Teacher Recommendations: All ESL teachers will submit advancement recommendations to the department chair and academic advisor. Student advancement decisions are based partly upon the teacher’s analysis of the student’s ability to succeed in the next level.
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Test Scores: While we have each ESL student re-take the Compass ESL test at the end of each semester, we do not use those scores alone for placement once a student has entered the ESL program. Compass ESL test scores are only a small part of the decision to advance a student and cannot be cited as proof of skill acquisition or language proficiency.
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Level 4 ESL students who would like to graduate from ESL must also take the CWS and DRP assessment tests at the testing center. To be eligible to graduate a student must score a minimum of 20 on the CWS and a minimum of 58 on the DRP.
The ESL program administrators schedule assessment testing dates and times with the Testing Center towards the end of each semester. The ESL program covers the fees for these scheduled tests. Students will be notified through their UVLink email account of the testing schedule. It is the student’s responsibility to sign up for testing during the allotted period of time. It is the student’s responsibility to remember what day and time their test is. It is the student’s responsibility to take the test at the time they signed up for.
If a student does not sign up for testing during the allotted time period or misses their test date they are responsible for rescheduling the test(s) they missed and they are responsible for the testing fees associated with taking the test(s). The ESL program will not reschedule testing for students who miss the sign-ups or miss the test(s). It will be the student’s responsibility to pay for the testing fees in if they miss sign-ups or the test(s).
Course Fee:
The course fee associated with any class that you have charged with your tuition will cover the costs of any handouts given throughout the semester and the costs associated with using the computer classroom.
Attention Students with Disabilities:
If you have any disability which may impair your ability to successfully complete this course, please contact the Accessibility Services Department (room WB-146; 863-8747). Academic Accommodations are granted for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the Accessibility Services Department.
Learning Assistance:
The School of General Academics assists students who are having problems with test taking, concentration, attendance, and all types of study skills. If you have any diagnosed learning or physical disability which may impair your ability to successfully complete your course(s), please let your instructor know the first day of class. In addition you may contact Giovana Alisa, the department advisor, in LA 234a or call her at 863-8729 to ask about campus resources.
Open Computer Labs: (863-8390)
"Computer Loft" SC 215 Monday- Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“Fishbowl” SC 116 Monday- Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
“Greenhouse” SB 101 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Writing Center:
The Writing Center (863-8310), located in LA 201, is a free service to you. Tutors are available to give you one-on-one help with writing assignments from any of your classes. Just sign up for an appointment at the desk in LA 201 or call 863-8310. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent resource. Find it online at www.uvsc.edu/owl. You may also participate in online tutoring sessions at www.uvsc.edu/owl/online. The Writing Center hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 A. M. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Withdrawal Procedures:
Should it be necessary to stop attending this or any other class, you must officially withdraw in the Registration Office by the dates published—usually the 4th week of the semester—in the class schedule or risk a failing grade. A UW (Unofficial Withdrawal) is equivalent to an E (failing grade) on your transcript.
Academic Honesty:
No academic dishonesty will be tolerated in this course. The penalty for a first offense is an “F” for the assignment; the assignment cannot be redone. A second offense means that you fail the course and will be reported to the Department Chair and to Student Advising. Below are some definitions of what constitutes academic misconduct taken from the current Utah Valley State College Catalog. Please read the complete "Student Rights and Responsibilities" section in the current UVSC catalog so that you are aware of your academic responsibilities.
Cheating
Cheating is the act of using, attempting to use, or providing others with unauthorized information, materials, or study aids in academic work. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, passing examination answers to or taking examinations for someone else or preparing or copying others' academic work.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is theft. The Latin root of the word is plagiarius, which means a manstealer or kidnapper. Anytime you present another person’s work as your own–even if that other person is a friend and/or spouse–you have plagiarized. "Plagiarism is the act of appropriating any other person's or group's ideas or work (written, computerized, artistic, etc.) or portions thereof and passing them off as the product of one's own work in any academic exercise or activity.”
Fabrication
Fabrication is the use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings. Examples include but are not limited to the following:
• Citation of information not taken from the source indicated. They may include the incorrect documentation of secondary source materials.
• Listing sources in a bibliography not used in the academic exercise.
• Submission in a paper, thesis, lab report or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or evidence, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence.
• Submitting as your own any academic exercises, (e.g., written work, printing, sculpture, etc.) prepared totally or in part by another.
