ENGL 1422 Accelerated Writing Instruction Syllabus CR1 Fall 2026

Academic Honesty: Students are expected to do their own original work in this class. From brainstorming ideas and reading assigned texts to communicating their ideas in their own words – all the work students do in the process of completing assignments should be their own. If students are struggling with any part of an assignment, I would encourage them to request support from a KCC writing tutor and/or me (the instructor). Tutors and the instructor will help guide students through the process without doing the work for them. While AI-assisted tools might be tempting to use (and even appropriate for these tasks in other circumstances), using them for assignments in this class is prohibited and will be considered a form of cheating or plagiarism. Cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, etc. are all forms of academic dishonesty and they will not be tolerated in this class.

Cheating can take many forms in this class: copying or using another student’s work, adjusting format to make papers appear longer (a form of misrepresentation), working in groups on individual assignments (whether openly or in secret), sharing or stealing answers for tests or assignments, using AI to develop part (or all) of an assignment, making up “research” (a form of fabrication), etc. Section 17.6B of the Student Code of Conduct explains that cheating also includes, “Submitting the same paper, report, or other assignment for more than one course without the expressed permission of the faculty member. If a student believes that he/she can complete an assignment that meets the requirements of two or more faculty members, he/she should obtain prior approval from all faculty involved.”

Plagiarism is also defined in section 17.6B of the Student Code of Conduct: “Taking, reproducing, and/or using as one’s own, without proper attribution, the ideas, writings, paraphrases, data, reports, graphic designs, or computer codes of published or unpublished work of another person in completing an academic assignment. Prohibited conduct may also include the unauthorized submission for credit of academic work that has been submitted for credit in another course.”

Plagiarism in this class includes but is not limited to:

• submitting someone else’s work and/or AI-generated or AI-assisted writing (this prohibits tools like Grammarly!)
• using published material (including materials published online) without proper attribution
• paraphrasing or quoting someone without attributing the quote in your paper with a correct in-text citation, even if the source is included on the works cited page; improper paraphrase (sometimes referred to as “synonym swapping”) may also be plagiarism if the attempted paraphrase too closely imitates the writing style (including syntax) of the original source
• failing to clearly indicate when you are using quoted materials by not including (or properly formatting) quotation marks
• working with someone (without my permission) to write your paper and presenting it as your own

If you are in doubt, ask me or visit the KCC Writing Studio before you submit your assignment.

No form of academic dishonesty is acceptable. Cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresentation, and/or fabrication on any assignment in this class will have consequences and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The severity of consequence (from automatic failure on the assignment to possible immediate failure of the course with no opportunity for the student to withdraw) depends on the instructor's judgment of intentionality. The violation of this course policy will be reported to the Director of Student Success. If the student has a repeated instance of academic misconduct reported to the Director of Student Success, the student may be suspended from the institution.

Attendance: In this course, “attendance” is measured both by attendance of our in-person class meetings and meaningful participation both in class and online (course-related communication with the professor & submission of assignments in Canvas). Students who don’t submit work or communicate meaningfully with me throughout the course may be marked as “absent” or “inactive” on the Census Day and Midterm reports I am required to submit to the college, which may impact these students’ financial aid.

Each student is granted one excused absence. Beyond that, all additional absences will directly impact students' grades. 

Late Work: I accept late work within 24 hours of the due date, however this comes with a 10% penalty.

Any extensions to due dates must be agreed upon with the instructor before the assignment is due (email me to make the request); extensions are never guaranteed, but you may request one so long as you don’t abuse this privilege. Note: in-class workshops and replies to discussion boards are never acceptable late.

Technology: Technology is never an excuse for missing assignments. Keep multiple copies of assignments. A due date is the LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT you can submit an assignment, not the exact time an assignment must be submitted. Submit in advance to minimize last minute problems. Facing technical problems? Contact KCC’s IT Helpdesk at 815.802.8900 or helpdesk@kcc.edu.

Communication: The best way to know what to do for class is to consult the syllabus, course calendar, and our Canvas course. If you have a question about what's due, consult these resources first. If neither the instruction materials nor your classmates can answer your questions, then you may email me. There are two ways to email me: through Canvas (preferred) or through KCC’s email. If you email me through Canvas, no worries. If, however, you email me through KCC’s email, be sure to include the following: your full name and what course you are taking with me (also, if you email me, then you should use your KCC student email address; other email addresses may be filtered & I won’t even see them). I will communicate important course-related info via Canvas email or Canvas announcements. Check your email often—at least every 2 days. I will typically respond to emails within 24 hours, though sometimes it may be longer.

Title IX: Students sometimes choose to share private information with their professors. We appreciate your trust! Nonetheless, students need to be aware that KCC faculty and certain staff are required to report any incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence that we may hear about. Specifically, we will contact KCC’s Title IX Coordinator, the Dean of Student Development and Services. Please don’t feel like you can’t reach out but be aware of our requirement to report. If you want to speak with someone who is not required to report, please know that you are very welcome to call the county’s confidential sexual assault hotline (no referral is necessary, and your anonymity is guaranteed unless you choose to share your name): 815-932-3322 (Kankakee) or 815-432-0420 (Iroquois).