English Language & Writing Skills (ENGL) 155

Overview

ENGL 155 is designed for students who require a preparatory course in writing skills. The major objective of the course is to improve students’ reading and writing abilities so they can succeed at the post-secondary level. Students will expand their vocabulary, increase their ability to analyze complex text, and improve their writing skills. The course includes paragraph and essay structure and a systematic grammar review.

Outline

The course consists of the following eight units, each of which includes three lessons (grammar and mechanics; word study; and writing):

• Unit 1 - (introduction)
• Unit 2 - (paragraph writing)
• Unit 3 - (summary writing)
• Unit 4 - (process essay)
• Unit 5 - (comparison/contrast essay)
• Unit 6 - (cause-effect essay)
• Unit 7 - (argumentative/persuasive essay)
• Unit 8 - (personal essay and review)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to do the following:

• Shape their writing in accordance with audience and purpose
• Use effective theses and topic sentences to focus on main ideas
• Use effective organization and linking devices to develop ideas coherently
• Use acceptable grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure
• Use appropriate and effective vocabulary

Evaluation

To receive credit for ENGL 155, you must complete all the assignments, achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and achieve a composite course grade of at least C– (60 percent). The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

Lipschutz, Gary, Sandra Scarry, and John Scarry. The Canadian Writer’s Workplace. 8th ed. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2017.

Physical course materials

The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:

Brians, Paul. Common Errors in English Usage. 3rd ed., William, James & Co., 2013.

Other Materials

All other materials are available online through the course home page. English Language Support materials are available online.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services