ENGL 214: Academic & Professional Communication T202

Note: the course curriculum is currently based on an online semester. If the university reverts to in-person classes then some
of the rules and regulations will be modified accordingly.

ENGL 214 Rules & Regulations (T202 Theme: The European

Union)
A series of tasks made of some or all of the following (maximum
weighting for each element is 4%): finding, narrowing and focusing a
topic; report background/overview; purpose statement; preliminary 2-
PRE-REPORT TASKS 20% level outline; list of minimum 4 sources in APA format; 2 source
evaluations; schedule of tasks to be completed; interviews for reports;
minimum of 3 in-class drafts
Revision and final edited report: professional-looking report;
approximately 1750 words; minimum six sources; APA style guide.
FINAL REPORT 15% The report will be in the student’s major, linked to the common
theme, and be a problem-solution, comparison, or argument.
A complete source evaluation: APA reference; summary paraphrase;
MIDTERM EXAM 15% and evaluation of a source.
Business letter format; emails; finding a job; cover letter or email;
JOB SKILLS 20% résumé; interviewing techniques.
Skills for giving a formal PowerPoint or Prezi presentation; linked to
PRESENTATION SKILLS 15% the major report. Performed in person or online.
A test of the semester’s work (the materials on Blackboard and in the
FINAL EXAM 15% course textbook) and a grammar component multiple-choice test.

Grade Standards
A+: 93-100% B+: 85-89% C+: 75-79% D+: 65-69%
A: 90-92% B: 80-84% C: 70-74% D: 60-64% F: 0-59%
NOTE: Upgrades on the final course grade will be given to eligible students who are close to the next higher grade
boundary. A and B students are eligible for a 2% upgrade, C students are eligible for a 1% upgrade, while D and F students
are not eligible for any upgrade. Upgrades will be applied only if the student meets these requirements: they must have 4 or
fewer unexcused absences, they must have completed all major assignments and submitted work punctually, and they must
have passed both the midterm and final exams.

Unexcused Absence Policy

Students are responsible for keeping track of their absences during the semester. This is important as there are penalties for
excessive unexcused absences: 5 unexcused absences = 1% deducted from the final grade; 6 = -2%; 7 = -3%; 8 = -4%; 9
= -5%; 10 = DN.

Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating or falsification of any work) will not be tolerated and violations will be subject
to the penalties described in the KFUPM Undergraduate Bulletin, including failure of a given assignment, failure of the
course, or academic probation.

All written assignments in ENGL 214 will be run through a plagiarism checker. There is no set minimum of unacceptable
plagiarism because it can vary due to a variety of factors, such as the number of quotations and references. As a general rule of
thumb, students should start to be concerned when their work has scored over 15% on the plagiarism checker. After 20%, a
student will lose marks; after 30% the student will be given a zero for the assignment; 40% constitutes serious plagiarism, and
the case will be referred to the university with a recommendation that the student receives an overall grade of F for the entire
course. Serious plagiarism usually results in other penalties from the university as well. 

Note that the grade for the Final Report will not count unless the student completes their Oral Presentation. This is to meet
university requirements to ensure the work submitted is a student’s own. Students should be prepared to answer questions on
their report at the end of their presentations.

Missed Work
If a student has an official excuse from the Department of Student Affairs, he will either be allowed to make up any graded
class work that contributes to their final grade or be given an average for the missed work. The teacher will decide. The official
excuse must be the original (blue) document and it must be presented within one week of returning to class. According to ELD
policy, if the excuse for missing a class is personal, the teacher is not permitted to excuse the student.
It is a student’s responsibility to find out about any exam or assignment announcements that were made in the missed class and
any homework assignments that should carried out for the next class. Students should visit your teacher’s Blackboard page
every day and pay particular attention to the calendar, announcements, and email notifications.
Late Work
Any assignments submitted after the due date without an official excuse will incur a 5% penalty per day. Note that even one
hour late constitutes a full day late. For example, if the Progress Report is submitted an hour after the due date, a B grade will
become a C grade.

Materials
For the major report and presentations, Blackboard will be the main medium for the transmission of course documents. For job
skills, consult the course textbook. Students are expected to attend class on time and be properly prepared. Mobile phones
should be switched off for the duration of the class, unless otherwise instructed by the lecturer.
Note that students are expected to have access to a computer for T201, as long as it is an online course. This requirement will
be removed if the university moves back to a traditional semester. Because this is largely a writing course, a phone is likely to
be insufficient for the online tasks involved.

ENGL214 Course Documents T202 2

ENGL 214: COURSE OVERVIEW T202
Key:
BB-1b = Blackboard Unit 1b
K2: 36-37 = Kolin, Chapter 2, pages 36-37

1 2 3
MAJOR REPORT JOB SKILLS PRESENTATIONS
35% 20% 15%
1. Business letter format 1. ENGL 214 presentation
1. Research report process K4: 98-127 procedure
BB-1a BB4
2. Finding & focusing a topic 2. Job search preparation
K5: 159-173 2. Formal presentations
BB-1a
3. Audience analysis K10: 386-402
3. Résumés
BB-1a; K1: 6-13
K5: 174-183
4. Researching 3. Grammar
BB-1b; K2: 36-37 K: A1-A15
4. Letters of application
5. APA documentation & K5: 197-205
references
BB-1b; K9: 355-365 5. Interviews
6. APA quotation K5: 205-209
BB-1b; K9: 357-358
7. Abstracts & summaries 6. Emails
BB-1c; K9:351-352, 369 K3: 78-85
8. Evaluating sources
BB-1c 7. Grammar
9. Note taking & planning K: A1-A15
BB-1c; K2: 37-41
10. Progress report
BB-1c
11. The ENGL 214 report
BB-1d; K9: 346-355; 367-381
12. Document design
K6: 217-249
13. Drafting, revising,
editing
BB-1d; K2: 41-43, 46-49
14. Submissions & TurnItIn
BB-1d
15. Ethical writing
K: 27-29; 249-256
16. Grammar
K: A1-A15

ENGL214 Course Documents T202 3

ENGL 214: COURSE COMPONENTS T202

Title: (2%): finding, focusing, and polishing a

topic

Progress Report (8%): report background; thesis

PRE-REPORT 20% statement; working bibliography; preliminary two-
level outline; source evaluations (2); schedule of
tasks to be completed.

First draft (10%): written in class

Revision and final edited report: professional-

looking report; approximately 1750 words;
minimum six sources; APA style guide.
The report will be in the student’s major, linked to
FINAL REPORT 15%
the common theme, and be a problem-solution,
comparison, or argument. [NB: the grade for
their Final Report only counts towards the final
course grade if a student gives an oral
presentation.]

Writing of a source evaluation: APA reference;

MIDTERM EXAM 15%
summary paraphrase; and evaluation of a source.

Business letter format; ways to find a job; cover

JOB SKILLS 20%
letter, résumé; interviewing techniques; emails.

PRESENTATION Skills preparation for giving a formal multimedia

15%
SKILLS presentation; linked to the academic report.

Multiple-choice answer examination testing

student understanding of the semester’s work. The
FINAL EXAM 15%
questions are based on the Blackboard materials
and on selected chapters from the Kolin textbook.

ENGL214 Course Documents T202 4