ENG 281: Pre-Tutorial Exercises

This is one of the newest additions to ENG 281 (it replaces what used to be our midterm test).

During each of the full-class sessions in the first four weeks of class, Prof. Sergi will assign you a pre-tutorial exercise in addition to the required readings and lectures for that week. Each of the four pre-tutorial exercises will require you to produce a relatively short amount of text — between one and two double-spaced pages — which you must submit to your TA by email before your next tutorial meeting.

These exercises will, for the most part, be very straightforward and pretty easy (as long as you have paid attention to, and understood, that week’s course material).

Adequate work on a Pre-Tutorial Exercise will earn you 5.25 points toward your final grade (5.25 on all four assignments = 21/24, or 87.5%) for those exercises — stellar work on any exercise will add a one-point bonus to your overall Pre-Tutorial Exercises grade (but it maxes out at 24 points). Your TA won’t give you feedback on the exercise other than that.

If the work on the exercise isn’t adequate, your TA will withhold your points entirely — until you set up a twenty-minute one-on-one Office Hours meeting (on Zoom) to go over the work, after which the TA will offer you the opportunity to do a make-up assignment (of the TA’s choice). If you do adequate work on the make-up, you’ll earn 5.25 points as above (but won’t get further feedback).

If the work on the make-up isn’t adequate, your TA will withhold your points — until you set up a twenty-minute one-on-one Office Hours meeting (on Zoom) with Prof. Sergi, during which he’ll figure out another make-up. As long as you complete that second make-up, even if you are still struggling with the concept, you’ll be given the baseline of 5.25 points. Do not wait too long to set up make-up appointments; toward the end of term, if time runs out, or if Office Hours are already booked, then there will be no opportunity to regain the withheld points.

In short, everyone can quite easily earn at least 21/24 for their Pre-Tutorial Exercises grade — but some students may have to come back to Office Hours, again and again, in order to get there. The only way to get lower than a 21/24 is if you don’t do an assignment, or don’t attend a make-up session that your TA requires you to attend, or wait too long to schedule a session.