Writing Program Policies

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What is the Writing Program?

Five English courses (ENG 101, 102, 103, 104, and 114) make up the first-year writing sequence at Ball State. The Writing Program team provides supervision and leadership for these five courses. Each Writing Program course must follow university and Writing Program policies.

Here are some of the key policies, you need to be aware of:

Attendance

This program-wide attendance policy is active as of Fall 2020.

The writing process is social, and it is therefore key that students actively participate in first-year writing classes. The writing program no longer dictates that students fail after a certain number of absences; however, we require that each instructor clearly articulate an attendance policy that fits with the interactive nature of the classroom. Teachers should require both attendance and participation.

Approximately 20% of the grade in first-year writing courses should be focused on in-class labor, which is defined as attendance and active class participation in discussion, activities, in-class writing, peer review, and/or equivalent active online participation for online courses. Teachers may decide whether this portion of the grade is assessed through informal writing, in-class activities, attendance, or any combination therein. Note: These may be completion grades.

Instructors must follow university policy when excusing absences and allow make-up work for the following:

      • disability accommodations
      • pregnancy, hospitalization, or medical leave
      • bereavement leave
      • religious observance
      • jury duty or court witness leave
      • military leave
      • Ball State approved events.

Such absences should not count against students provided they complete any assigned make-up tasks as designated by the instructor. Other make-up work may be allowed by the discretion of the instructor.

Absence policies should not call for the removal of a student from class (i.e. you will be asked to leave if you are not paying attention). Please see Student Conduct Procedures.

Academic Ethics

To pass the course, you must abide by the university’s Student Academic Ethics policy. All students at Ball State are required to adhere to standards of academic integrity set forth by the University in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Section VII, “Student Academic Ethics Policy.” This policy addresses the issue of plagiarism. A writer plagiarizes when they use someone else’s writing or ideas but does not give that person credit. However, the policy also includes a discussion of the importance of distinguishing between plagiarism and misuse of sources. All cases of academic dishonesty in Writing Program classes will be reported to the appropriate university office in compliance with the Academic Ethics Policy.

Disability Accommodations

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of disability or mental illness, please contact your instructor as soon as possible. Ball State’s Disability Services office coordinates services for students with disabilities; documentation needs to be on file in that office before any accommodations can be provided. Disability Services can be contacted at 765-285-5293 or dsd@bsu.edu.

Classroom Conduct

You must abide by the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and not obstruct or disrupt the teaching or learning within your writing classroom. According to the student code, students who continually disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave the class.(See the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Appendix Q for more details.) In addition, all students should follow the Ball State Beneficence Pledge .

Core Curriculum Credit

You must earn a C or better or you will need to repeat the course. In order to fulfill the University’s Core Curriculum requirement in a Writing Program course, you must earn a minimum grade of C; a grade of C- is not considered acceptable. Writing Program courses may be repeated as many times as necessary to meet the requirement but:

*  The first and all other grades will show up on the transcript.
*  Only the most recent grade earned in the course will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.
*  A grade of W will not replace a previous grade.
*  Course credit hours apply only once to graduation requirements.

Additional Policies

You must read and follow additional guidelines provided by your instructor to be successful in this course and follow university policies to successfully earn your degree. It is your responsibility to ask questions if you are unclear about a policy or procedure.

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