Study Guide

Objective

The aim of the course is to activate and develop the students’ field-relevant English language and communication skills. The students will gain professional skills in various spoken and written communicative situations encountered in working life and society. In addition, they will learn to utilize tools and techniques to further develop their skills in authentic, field-specific contexts. More specifically, students will focus on developing their language and communication skills in.
Upon completing the course, the students should have acquired skills to communicate at level B2 according to European Framework of Reference for Languages, which states that at B2-level students should be able to produce clear, coherent and well-structured texts, present detailed descriptions related to one’s field of interest, express and exchange opinions using fluent language, follow complex arguments, and read longer articles and reports.

Content

- writing professional, field-specific texts
- presenting and discussing field-specific topics in a professional manner
- reading field-specific texts and utilizing the information in professional contexts
- learning and using key terminology of the field
- becoming professional, autonomous language users in working life

Materials

The course material is available in Its. Laptops or tablets are necessary to access the material during the course.

Exam schedules

No exams will be organized.

International connections

The course is based on the flipped classroom method; the students study the theoretical part independently with help of the provided material and the contact/online meetings are used for guidance and testing.

Student workload

The students will be tested on their skills with spoken and written tasks on the course topics (professional email and reporting, professional meetings and presentations).

Content scheduling

The course will run from 3 May to 24 May. The course consists of contact and online meetings (17h) and individual/group work in Its.

The aim of the course is to activate and develop the students’ field-relevant English language and communication skills. The students gain professional skills in various spoken and written communicative situations encountered in working life and society.

Learning objectives:

1 The student considers the appropriate language and style for the situation.
2 The student follows the rules of professional language use.
3 The student makes use of field-related terminology.
4 The student communicates in a clear, structured and logical way.
5 The student communicates actively.
6 The student evaluates the learning process.

Further information

The channel of communication during the course is Its.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

- The evaluation is task-based and continuous.
- No exams will be organized.
- Speaking tasks are completed in meetings only so attendance in meetings is required.
- Note that tasks cannot be done again or replaced by other work, or an exam.
- With problems of completing the tasks, contact the teacher BEFORE the deadlines.
- The students will receive general feedback on completed tasks but individual tasks are not graded.
- Some tasks can be revised according to separate instructions.
- The final evaluation (1-5) is based on ALL tasks completed during the course.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

1 The student
- does not complete all course tasks
- may fail to follow the instructions and objectives
- planning and preparation for the tasks may be incomplete
- lacks in structured, logical, and connected tasks
- provides simple language and style is inappropriate for the given situation with mistakes in vocabulary choice (functional language, signposting)
- lacks in correct language interrupted by regular basic mistakes
- applies little or no field-related terminology
- interacts only prompted and helped by another person in group tasks

2 The student
- does not complete all course tasks
- may partly fail to follow the instructions and objectives
- planning and preparation for the tasks may be incomplete
- lacks in structured, logical, and connected tasks
- provides rather understandable and simple language but style is largely inappropriate for the given situation with mistakes in vocabulary choice (functional language, signposting)
- lacks in correct language interrupted by regular mistakes even in basic structures
- applies little field-related terminology
- shows little activity and interacts prompted and helped by another person in group tasks

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

3 The student
- completes all course tasks
- may partly fail to follow the instructions and objectives
- planning and preparation for the tasks may be incomplete
- provides mostly structured, logical, and connected tasks
- applies understandable, mostly appropriate language and style for the given situation with mistakes in vocabulary choice (functional language, signposting)
- uses mostly correct, basic language interrupted by (repetitive) mistakes in e.g. word order
- applies occasionally field-related terminology
- participates mostly actively both with some spontaneity and prompted by another person
in group tasks
- participates actively, interacts mostly unprompted, and occasionally involves others in
group tasks

4 The student
- completes all course tasks
- may fail to follow the instructions and objectives in individual details
- shows planning and preparation for the tasks
- provides mostly structured, logical, and connected tasks
- applies rather fluently appropriate language and style for the given situation with occasional mistakes in vocabulary choice (functional language, signposting)
- uses correct language in a rather diverse way with minor and individual mistakes in
spelling, pronunciation, and grammar (e.g. mistakes in prepositions and articles)
- applies rather fluently field-related terminology

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
- completes all course tasks
- follows fully the task instructions and objectives
- shows planning and preparation for the tasks
- provides structured, logical, and connected tasks
- applies fluently appropriate language and style for the given situation (functional language, signposting)
- uses correct language in a diverse way with minor and individual mistakes in spelling,
pronunciation, and grammar (e.g. mistakes in prepositions and articles)
- applies fluently field-related terminology
- participates actively, interacts unprompted, and involves others in group tasks