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Contract of Commitment to
the Class and to Yourself

Read the items listed below. They are not meant to intimidate anyone, but rather, to help everyone discover more about just how much s/he can do. Each level describes a match between commitment and course performance.

Decide which one best describes the level to which you can realistically commit at this point -- the Formal Compliance • Genuine Compliance • Fully Invested and Enrolled

• Apathetic/Non-Compliance, or Grudging Compliance levels described below. After you decide, record your answer where you can find it easily. You will also need it for a question in the Data Survey in WebCT.

Signature Sentence (Copy only the sentence in red below. It does not need to be red in your message.)

I, (type in your name here), plan to commit the time and effort to achieve at the (check one)

[ ] Formal Compliant
[ ] Grudging Compliant
[ ] Apathetic/Non-Compliant
[ ] Fully Invested and Enrolled
[ ] Genuine Compliant

level for this course.

The level you check above should describe accurately the level to which you can reasonably commit at this point. It can change at any point, but it often helps to see where one is at the beginning.

These are the levels.

Formal Compliance Level
I see enough of the benefits of the course to do only what is expected, but no more. As a pretty good soldier with limited time, I plan to do just the best I can in these areas:

Homework

• Reading, finding, and filling in most of the answers to the study questions and getting no more 70% of the total number of questions correct.
• Confirming the answers and reconciling any conflicting or otherwise troublesome answers at least 70% of the time.
• Delivering the correct answers to at least 70% of the questions on each pre-test and test

Writing essays by

• Finding and effectively employing language only as it is heard every day
• Stating the thesis
• Placing the thesis somewhere in the paper
• Supporting most paragraphs solidly with specific detail as defined here.
• Bringing in sources from the college subscription databases, on campus library, or Internet pages listed on the class web site only, not sites that sell term papers or write them for students
• Using reference information from academically respectable encyclopedias and dictionaries, not generic ones
• Organizing most information with transitions so that the reader can access it easily
• Controlling the grammar so that there is no more than an average of one major grammatical error per page, and
• Observing MLA guidelines so that it is clear which information comes from sources outside myself.

Discussions -- Asking and answering questions in class in ways that not only confirm the basic information and help others understand it, but that only occasionally take the level of discussion to the synthesis level and result in new insights.

If this description matches the level to which you can realistically commit today, go to the signature sentence, and check the Formal Compliance level after you type in your name.

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Genuine Compliance Level
I see the benefits of the course and will do everything that is expected and more. I will do whatever it takes to produce work that is consistently above average in the following areas:

Homework

• Reading, finding, and filling in most of the answers to the study questions and getting at least 80% of the total number of questions correct.
• Confirming the answers and reconciling any conflicting or otherwise troublesome answers at least 80% of the time
• Delivering the correct answers to at least 80% of the questions on each pre-test and test

Writing essays by

• Finding and effectively employing original language
• Stating the thesis effectively
• Placing and restating the thesis effectively in the paper
• Supporting each paragraph solidly with specific detail as defined here
• Bringing in sources from the college subscription databases, on campus library, or Internet pages listed on the class web site only, not sites that sell term papers or write them for students
• Using reference information from academically respectable encyclopedias and dictionaries, not generic ones
• Organizing the information with transitions so that the reader can access it easily
• Controlling the grammar so that there is no more than an average of one major grammatical error per page, and
• Observing MLA guidelines so that it is clear which information comes from sources outside myself.

Discussions -- Asking and answering questions in class in ways that not only confirm the basic information and help others understand it, but that also frequently take the level of discussion to the synthesis level and result in new insights.

If this description matches the level to which you can realistically commit today, go to the signature sentence, and check the Genuine Compliance level after you type in your name.

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Fully Invested and Enrolled Commitment Level
As a student fully committed to the practice and spirit of learning, I will do all of the above, plus go beyond the expected. I want it and will make it happen, creating whatever I need in order to produce work that is markedly superior in these areas:

Homework

• Reading, finding, and filling in most of the answers to the study questions and getting at least 90% of the total number of questions correct.
• Confirming the answers and reconciling any conflicting or otherwise troublesome answers at least 90% of the time.
• Delivering the correct answers to at least 90% of the questions on each pre-test and test

Writing essays by

• Simile,
• Metaphor,
• Allusion,
• originality of expression, and/or a
• quotable text from the assigned or a related reading that also enhances coherence

• is worth reading for its own sake,
• is a whole which adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and
• makes the reader forget s/he is reading a paper written for an English class.

Discussions and Teamwork

• Asking and answering questions in class in ways that
• Not only confirm the basic information and help others understand it
• Not only take the level of discussion to the synthesis level and deliver insight, but that also
• Inspire and/or deliver a vision that goes beyond what most people can see or have the courage to offer.

If this description matches the level to which you can realistically commit today, go to the signature sentence, and check the Fully Invested and Enrolled level after you type in your name.

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Apathetic and/or Non-compliant Level
As an apathetic student, I am neither for nor against the goals for the course. I am not much interested in it and plan to exert a minimum of energy, asking, "Is the semester over yet?"

As a non-compliant student, I do not see the benefit inherent in the course. Neither do I see any reason to cooperate willingly. I plan to do the following in these areas:

Homework

• Not reading, finding, nor filling in enough of the answers to the study questions to get more than 59% of them correct.
• Confirming the answers and reconciling any conflicting or otherwise troublesome answers in class no more than 59% of the time.
• Delivering the correct answers to no more 59% of the questions on each pre-test and test

Writing essays by

• Employing predictable language to make points
• Implying the thesis or stating it and placing it ineffectively
• Assuming that the reader has read the text and writing as if s/he has, thereby ducking my responsibility as a writer to support it with specific detail
• Not bringing in sources
• Bringing in sources from generic web sites and general encyclopedias and dictionaries, not academically respectable ones, and/or using information from sites that sell term papers or write them for students.
• Letting the material dictate the order and/or supplying inappropriate transitions, thus giving the reader minimum access
• Not controlling the grammar so that there is an average of more than one major grammatical error per page,
• Not looking up and observing MLA guidelines, writing as if all information originates with me, even that which is obviously from sources outside myself.
• Writing as though the responsibility for making meaning rests solely on the reader.

Discussions -- Remaining disengaged from the class, seldom asking and/or answering questions.

If this description matches the level to which you can realistically commit today, go to the signature sentence, and check the Apathetic/Non-Compliant level after you type in your name.

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Grudging Compliance Level

I do not see inherent benefit in the course, but it’s required and I don’t want to fail. I’m going to do what I have to, but I’m not really on board. I plan to do the following in these areas:

Homework

• Reading. finding, and filling in most of the answers to the study questions and getting no more than 69% of the total number of questions correct.
• Confirming the answers and reconciling any conflicting or otherwise troublesome answers in class no more than 69% of the time.
• Delivering the correct answers to no more than 69% of the questions on each pre-test and test

Writing essays by

• Employing predictable language
• stating the thesis
• placing the thesis ineffectively
• supporting only a few, not all, paragraphs with specific detail as defined here.
• bringing in sources from generic web sites and general encyclopedias and dictionaries, not academically respectable ones, but not using information from sites that sell term papers or write them for students.
• organizing some information with transitions so that the reader can have some access
• controlling the grammar so that there is no more than an average of one major grammatical error per page, and
• observing MLA guidelines so that it is clear which information comes from sources outside myself.
• Writing as though the responsibility for making meaning rests solely on the reader.

Discussions -- Asking and answering questions in class that do no more than confirm the basic information.

If this description matches the level to which you can realistically commit today, go to the signature sentence, and check the Grudging Compliant level after you type in your name.

Back to Grudging Compliance Discussion