Academic English for the Liberal Arts (ELA)

Our Mission

The Academic English for the Liberal Arts (ELA) program prepares undergraduate students at AUC for success in courses taken simultaneously, as well as subsequently in their freshman year and beyond. The courses provide opportunities for students to develop the academic and communication skills that are essential for success at AUC. Students in ELA gain knowledge of the liberal arts through interdisciplinary exploration, learn to work both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and appreciate individual and cultural differences in a student-centered learning community. 

Program Goals

ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 is designed to enable students to:

Comprehend, analyze, and evaluate authentic texts from a freshman-level course (reading).

Demonstrate understanding of information presented orally by faculty and peers in lectures and discussions (listening).

Communicate ideas in writing, following academic conventions (writing).

Demonstrate university-level speaking skills (speaking).

Use university resources effectively and ethically (academic literacy).

Demonstrate understanding of academic culture and requirements (acculturation).

Monitor and assess their own understanding of course material, use of strategies, and ability to transfer learning and strategies, from one setting to another (metacognition).

Placement Procedures

For new students (direct entrants), placement in ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 is determined by their scores on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL-iBT), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Duolingo English Test (DET). For students coming from the Intensive English Program (IEP), placement in English 0210/ENGL 0211 is determined by their scores on the IEP exams. Students exiting English 0210/ENGL 0211 are placed in RHET 1010.  

*Students taking ENGL 0210 may enroll in no more than two academic courses with a maximum of seven course credits.
*Students taking ENGL 0211 may enroll in no more than three academic courses with a maximum of ten course credits.

Methodology

Throughout the program, teaching strategies aim to nurture independence of thought, learning autonomy, creativity, critical thinking, and self-evaluation. Teaching is highly student-centered, encouraging class participation, as well as pair and group interaction.

Details of Hours

ENGL 0210

ENGL 0210 classes meet four days a week for three contact hours, along with additional set times for individual conferences with instructors. Students are required to attend these meetings.

ENGL 0210 classes are devoted to the comprehension and summary of university-level texts and TED talks, oral presentations, basics of research, and academic writing. 
 

ENGL 0211

ENGL 0211 classes meet two days a week for three contact hours, along with additional set times for individual conferences with instructors. Students are required to attend these meetings.

ENGL 0211 classes are devoted to the comprehension and summary of university-level texts, student-led lessons, and research-based writing. 

*Attendance in ELA is very important. A student who, for any reason, misses more than the allowed number of absences of class in any one semester risks failing the course.

*If a student exceeds the allowed number of absences from classes in ELA for legitimate, justifiable reasons and has still been able to keep up with class assignments and not fall behind the rest of the class, the student is eligible to appeal the F absence grade by following the appeal procedure.

*All students who are enrolled in ELA must satisfactorily complete the coursework within a time period that does not exceed two full semesters and a summer session.

*On the first day of ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 classes, students should check their names on Banner Self-Service.  If they do not find their names, they should go to room P067, located in the ELI department, plaza level.

*The Center for Student Well-Being has a staff of trained people available to help students with various types of problems. Students may go there and inquire about the different services that are available.    
    
*For more information about the program, click here.

Attendance Procedures

If a student exceeds the allowed number of absences from classes in ELA for legitimate, justifiable reasons and has still been able to keep up with class assignments and not fall behind the rest of the class, the student is eligible to appeal the F absence grade by following the appeal procedure.

All students who are enrolled in ELA must satisfactorily complete the coursework within a time period that does not exceed two full semesters and a summer session.

On the first day of ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 classes, students should check their names on Banner Self-Service. If they do not find their names, they should go to room P067, located in the ELI department, plaza level

Student Appeal Procedures

If a student exceeds the allowed number of absences from classes in the ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 for legitimate, justifiable reasons and has still been able to keep up with class assignments and not fall behind the rest of the class, the following procedure will be implemented for the student to appeal receiving an F for absence:

1. Within three working days, the student must submit a written petition to the ELA director explaining the reasons for excessive absences and enclosing any supporting documents
2. The student should ask his/her instructor(s) to submit a confidential written letter of assessment of the student's case to the ELA director
3. The student must continue attending class and set it a priority not to miss any more classes

If, in the judgment of the ELA director, the student's case has merit, it will be referred to the ELA Appeal Review Committee, which will meet as soon as possible to review the petition submitted by the student, along with the supporting documents and the instructor's written statements, and agree to accept the appeal or not. The Committee will consist of the ELA program director, three ELA instructors, and one student.

Note: The student's own instructor(s) shall not serve on this committee.

The ELA Appeal Review Committee may decide:

1. In unsubstantiated cases, to deny the appeal
2. In well-substantiated cases or in exceptional cases, to recommend that the student be allowed to continue in ELA

Student Conduct

ELA students are expected to read and abide by the AUC Code of Student Conduct.

Academic Integrity

ELA students are expected to adhere to the AUC Code of Academic Ethics. More information on the types of violations can be found here.

Academic integrity and Plagiarism

At AUC, we take plagiarism, cheating, and other violations of academic integrity very seriously. Students are expected to commit to the principles of academic integrity.

Academic integrity includes a commitment to not engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception. Such acts of dishonesty include cheating or copying, plagiarizing, submitting another person’s work as one's own, using the Internet or other sources without citation, fabricating field data or citations, stealing examinations, tampering with the academic work of another student, facilitating other students' acts of academic dishonesty, etc. 

Plagiarism for assignments and/or reports may result in a zero grade for the assignment and/or the report in question. Cheating during an examination may result in a zero grade for this examination. Further action, according to university regulations, would also be implemented.

The University's statement on academic integrity, from which the above statement is drawn, is available at https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/academic-integrity .

You should be aware that most written work will be submitted to “Turnitin.com”, the detection prevention software. By submitting your work to Turnitin, you are affirming that you have followed AUC’s Code of Academic Ethics and that the work submitted is your own, thereby acknowledging that you have understood that any plagiarism detected will have to be reported.

Academic English for the Liberal Arts in AUC Catalog :
https://catalog.aucegypt.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=39&ent_oid=1757

Academic English for the Liberal Arts Frequently Asked Questions are available at:
https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/english-language-instruction/academic-english-liberal-arts/frequently-asked-questions

Grievance and Appeal Process for Student Concerns

The ELA student grievance process is as follows:

1. If you have a classroom or course-related concern, you should first discuss it with the instructor of that course.
2. If you and the instructor cannot resolve the problem, you may bring the matter up with the ELA program director.
3. In case you think that neither the instructor nor the director has addressed your concern, then you may submit a formal, written complaint to the ELI department chair.
4. In case of a formal, written complaint, the instructor of the course in question has the opportunity to submit a written response within five working days to the ELI department chair.
5. The chair may, at his or her discretion, dismiss a complaint that, in his or her judgment, is lacking in merit.
6. The ELI department chair, together with the program director, will take appropriate steps to resolve the problem and will respond to you and the instructor in writing.
7. A record of your complaint, the instructor’s response, and the resolution will be kept in the department’s files.
8. For more information, see the AUC Grievance and Appeal Process for Student Concerns.

Appeal Process and Resolution of Student Challenge to Grade

If a student requests that his or her grade on an assessment task be re-checked, the policy is as follows:

1. The student asks his or her instructor to re-check his or her grade within two days after the results of the assessment task have been announced. 
2. If the instructor agrees that there is a basis for a different grade, then he or she requests that the assessment specialist check the accuracy of the grade. 
3. If the instructor does not agree that there is a basis for a change of grade, he or she is required to provide a rubric-based rationale of the grade to the student. 
4. If the student still cannot accept the grade, the instructor expresses this concern to the program director.

If the student still cannot accept the grade, the instructor expresses this concern to the program director.

Evaluation

ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 is a Pass/Fail course. Whether a student passes or not depends on their final score, which is based on several exams and assignments. The following tables provide the content and weighting of ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 assessments. 
 

Table 1: ENGL 0210 Assessment Overview

Table 2: ENGL 0211 Assessment Overview

Program Structure

ENGL 0210

The course is divided into six themes from different academic disciplines. Reading selections are culled from these six themes, and students’ language is reinforced by being engaged in various activities. Throughout the course, students are given more than one formal test to measure their success in achieving the learning outcomes.

ENGL 0211

The course is divided into three themes from different academic disciplines. Reading selections are culled from these three themes, and students’ language is reinforced by being engaged in various activities. Throughout the course, students are given more than one task to measure their success in achieving the learning outcomes.
 

Proficiency Scale

ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 Proficiency Scale

Grades on Banner Self-Service

On Banner Self-Service, you will receive one of the following grades: P (Pass), IP (In Progress), or F (Fail).

What does a P grade mean?

A P (Pass) grade is given when students have demonstrated achievement of the ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 learning outcomes through their scores on course assessments; these students progress to RHET 1010.

What does an IP grade mean?

An IP (In Progress) grade indicates an Incomplete and is given only under exceptional circumstances, such as when a student has a documented illness that prevents him or her from completing the course requirements. Students in such situations have a specific period of time in which to complete the course requirements. A form is submitted to the registrar indicating the timeline for completion of course requirements. Failure to complete course requirements within the specified time will result in an F grade in the course.

What does a F grade mean?

An F (Fail) grade means that a student has not met the requirements to proceed to the next level. Students are allowed a maximum of two semesters and a summer (or three semesters if no summer session is offered) to pass the course.

How am I placed in ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211?

If you are a new student, placement in ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 is determined by your score on the IELTS or TOEFL-iBT. If you are coming from the IEP, placement in ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 is determined by your score on the IEP exit exam.
 

Is ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 offered in the summer?

Both courses are offered in the summer only to the students who fail ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 in the spring semester.
 

What happens if I do poorly on an assessment task?

Remember that the final grade is cumulative, so you are accumulating grades throughout the course. Therefore, if you do not do well on one test, you still stand the chance of achieving on the other tests, provided that you exert more effort and improve your performance.
 

Which of the ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 skills is the most important?

All skills are integrated. Therefore, you have to maintain a profile that indicates that you are demonstrating adequate proficiency in all the skills.
 

Am I counted absent if I go to class late?

Yes, you are counted absent for a half-day if you come to class more than 5 minutes late, and absent for a full day if you come to class more than 30 minutes late. This policy also applies to class breaks and student/instructor conferences.
 

Are medical excuses and absences due to engagement in sports activities included in the 10-day absence policy?

If you are not present in class, you are counted absent, whether you have an excuse or not. This applies also to going to the clinic, or leaving for some other reason, after attendance has been taken. Therefore, it is wise to save your absences for real emergencies that might seriously prevent you from attending class.
 

Do my absences affect my Student Involvement grade? ​​​​​​​

Your student involvement grade is 10 percent of your total grade, and being absent limits your class participation, which affects your student involvement grade. 
 

What happens when I pass ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211?

Upon successfully completing the requirements of ENGL 0210/ENGL 0211 and passing the course, you will be placed in RHET 1010.