ESL Composition III is an advanced level ESL course. Emphasis is placed on essay development and research. Students may re-register for this course in subsequent semesters as necessary until they complete the course objectives. If a student must repeat this course for a third time, he/she will have to obtain the signature of the Dean on his/her campus before registering.

ESL 51 is designed to help students refine their writing skills and review certain points in grammar. It improves students' writing proficiency to a level which would allow the students to function adequately in ENG 111/009 and other college classes.

You will learn through online text activities, process writing, and through email and telephone conversations with your instructor.

What you learn in this course will benefit you by giving you the skills needed to succeed in your other course studies. You will be more confident in your knowledge of how to properly structure an essay, how to develop and expand your ideas, how to organize your thoughts and ideas logically, and how to express yourself in writing clearly.

To get started, read through each section of this syllabus carefully. Then click the ASSIGNMENTS button and begin completing the assignments. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or problems. Good luck. I hope you enjoy the course.

Prerequisite: This course requires competency in writing as indicated by the placement test or by teacher recommendation from a previous level.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Formulate a thesis and develop it.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of English grammar.
• Produce clear, logically developed essays.
• Use a variety of strategies for approaching different writing tasks.

These are the textbooks you will need for this course.

• A Writer's Reference (with help for ESL students)
  Bedford/St. Martin's ISBN: 978-0-312-47166-8
  
• Visions Across the Americas,7th Edition(Harcourt Publishers) ISBN 1-4282-6379-9

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Call before going to a campus bookstore to make sure the materials are in stock. If you don't see what you need, ask for assistance. Each bookstore has a separate section for ELI courses. Print this page and take it with you to avoid confusion.

To pass ESL 51, you must complete ALL assignments and achieve a minimum of 1864 of the 2390 points (78%). Simply receiving 1864 points will not be adequate if you do not complete all the assignments. Because course feedback is of utmost importance, you are also asked to complete the evaluation at the end of the course.

Because many of the assignments in this course involve discussion or collaboration with your classmates, it's important that everyone follow the same schedule. Assignments are due by the end of the week unless otherwise noted. I consider 11:59 pm on Sunday to be the end of a week for this course. Some assignments require completion on a specific day of the week. If your work is late (and you have not made prior arrangements with me), a grade penalty of 10% each day will be enforced.

Your final grade will either be "S" for "Satisfactory" or "R" for "Retake."

There are two (2) computer-based proctored essay exams and a proctored final exam in this course. They must be completed at one of the five NOVA campus Testing Centers. You do not need an appointment to take an essay exam, but you SHOULD call the Testing Center before you go to make sure it will be open and will stay open long enough for you to complete the essay exam.

Before you go, print the ESL 51 Exam Passes Form 5-07-A and cut off the appropriate pass for the essay exam you want to take. When you go to the Testing Center, take along a photo ID and the appropriate exam pass. The Testing Centers have been asked not to give exams unless you have a photo ID and the appropriate exam pass.

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : mjusino@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 450-2505
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office in Woodbridge. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.