Professional English, B2 (3 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

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. In addition, they learn to utilize tools and techniques to further develop their skills in authentic, field-specific contexts.
Upon completing the course, the students have acquired sufficient skills to communicate at level B2 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages which states that at level B2, students should be able to produce clear, coherent and well-structured texts, present detailed descriptions related to their field of interest, express and exchange opinions using fluent language, follow complex argumentation, and read longer articles and reports.

The course includes the following topics:
- Communication styles and register
- Professional emails
- Meetings
- Professional reporting
- Presentation Skills
- Companies and Innovations
- Field-specific terminology and vocabulary will be studied in context with the above-listed topics

Objective

The student manages professional situations requiring language skills both orally and in writing. The student masters the central vocabulary of his/her own specific field and is able to apply information from sources available in English. The student has the language skills required by the internationalising working environment.

Content

 
The contents of the study module are based on communication situations occurring in working life. Main topics:
- Education and applying for a job: students are able to tell others about themselves and about their education and work experience
- Working environment and business life: students can communicate in a customer-oriented way in the working environment of their own field and pass information on their job, tasks and the field-specific functions as part of the surrounding society.
 
 
 

Materials

Online material available in itslearning.
Field-related material chosen by the students.

Teaching methods

Self-study
Assignments and tasks
Learning by doing

Exam schedules

No exams, no re-sits.
Task-based assessment.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

Flipped classroom method
Learning by doing

Completion alternatives

No options for passing the course.

Student workload

Pre-class work and lesson activities
Evaluated assignments (graded on a scale 0-5)
Weekly contact teaching
Self-study

Evaluation methods and criteria

Task-based assessment, no exams. The course is assessed on a scale of 1-5 based on the following criteria:

The scale of 1-5 per assignment:
1 Professional Email (written on Jan 29 at the campus)
2 Meeting (held in week 7 or 9 at the campus)
3 Presentation (given in weeks 14-16)
4 Report (written on April 22 at the campus)

The final evaluation: the average of assignments 1-4 and completion of pre-class work (min. 50%) and other course tasks on time (+/-)

Attendance in 7 out of 11 lessons (4 absences allowed). Some lessons may be mandatory.

3 of 4 evaluated assignments must be completed before any credits can be gained. Attendance in lessons is required due to the nature of the studied subject. Absences cannot be compensated with extra work and there are no exceptions to deadlines.
If the student passes the course, it is not possible to raise the score (and the grade) by redoing some of the assignments (as stated in the degree regulation).

Failed (0)

Evaluated assignments not completed on time or at all (more than 1 evaluated assignment not completed).
Too many absences from lessons.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student:
- produces texts that may fail to follow the standard structuring.
- produces texts that may not be understandable and the style may not be appropriate to the situation.
- produces texts that include mistakes in vocabulary choice and clumsy expressions.
- relies on notes when speaking and pronunciation may not be natural.
- shows little activity in discussions and reacts prompted by another speaker.
- speaks in a way that is not natural and there are problems with correct pronunciation.
- the fluency of the language is often interrupted by regular basic mistakes.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student
- can produce texts that are complete, but may lack from the standard structure.
- can produce texts that are understandable, but may contain some clumsy expressions and the style may not be correct all the time.
- communicates in a way that is understandable, but may contain problems with word choices and style.
- speaks mainly in a structured way and may need notes.
- pronounces mainly naturally, but there may be occasional problems with more complex words or sounds.
- participates in the discussion mostly actively, sometimes prompted by another speaker.
- can often rephrase words they do not remember, but may sometimes have problems.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
- can write fluent, professional texts and use appropriate style and tone for the situation.
- can produce written texts that are well-written and include the use of professional vocabulary of the field.
- can speak fluently and naturally and rarely needs notes.
- participates in discussions and meetings actively and unprompted and is able to present arguments and opinions.
- speaks with largely correct grammar, vocabulary and uses functional language (e.g., signposting).

Further information

The students are expected to take part in the lessons by answering questions, asking and commenting. Active participation is required.

The study material is available in itslearning.

The course starts in January 2025 according to the timetable. Participation in the opening lesson is highly important.

The teacher can be contacted by email: piia.pesso(a)turkuamk.fi.