Student FAQs

If you believe your final grade is unfair, first contact your instructor, who may be able to clarify the grade or, in the case of an error, correct it. If, after talking to your instructor, you still believe the grade is unfair, you may file a grade appeal any time before midterm of the following semester. To file an appeal, submit original papers of all your major graded work and a letter stating your grounds for appeal to ISUComm Foundation Courses Office (403 Ross Hall). The Director will contact the instructor to see if additional material should accompany the appeal.

As ISUComm continues to grow, our goal is an ambitious one. You should encounter more communication in many of your courses, not just your ISUComm Foundation Course. Not only will you be practicing communication more, but you’ll be hearing more about the hows and whys of effective communication. You should encounter much of the same terminology as well. As you take courses in your major, expect to run into some of the communication terms presented in this guide.

The ISUComm Foundation Courses are designed to provide all Iowa State students with a common communication learning experience. Below are some of the general requirements for both courses in the program:

• You will write 4,000 to 6,500 words each semester.
• Every section will have a final exam at a time set by the ISU Registrar.

The 250 Test-Out exam has two parts. In the first part you'll do a rhetorical analysis of an essay (we'll give you the essay at the test-out); in the second part, you'll write an argumentative essay of your own. Below are some suggestions for preparing for these two parts of the exam. As a general preparation for the exam, you might also consult the Student Guide: English 150 and 250, which you can purchase at the University Book Store.

• Students who are seeking a second undergraduate degree do not have to fulfill the ISUComm Foundation Courses (First-Year Composition) requirement unless their undergraduate degree was earned from an institution outside the United States or from a non-English institution in the United States. A waiver must be processed for these students.

• Students who are in graduate school do not have to fulfill the ISUComm Foundation Courses (First-Year Composition) requirement.

Students transferring to Iowa State University with credit deficiencies in ISUComm Foundation Courses (First-Year Composition) should be advised to complete the requirements for their ISUComm Foundation Courses as soon as possible. Eleventh-hour requests for credit waivers may delay a student's graduation.

NOTE: Transfer credit must be earned from an accredited English speaking college or university in the United States.

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