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

Location and time

Sepänkatu campus, autumn 2018 from September to December

Materials

Online material provided in itslearning.
Field-specific material and sources chosen by the students.

Teaching methods

Self-study, learning by doing, completing tasks, teamwork and project work

Exam schedules

Task-based assessment. No exams or re-sits. No possibility to raise the grade or redo any course tasks (as stated in the degree regulation).

International connections

Pedagogical approaches encourage students to actively learn and apply knowledge through a variety of methods and field-specific assignments.

Completion alternatives

No optional ways to pass the course other than completing the given tasks on time and active participation in the required number of lessons.

Student workload

Contact teaching and students' teamwork. This course is a 5-credit course, which is equivalent to 133 hours of student work.

Weekly lessons (14 lessons)


4 evaluated tasks and pre-class work. Working in teams. Tasks that are completed during or outside of the lessons.

Content scheduling

The aim of the course is to activate and develop the student's field-relevant English language and communication skills. The student gains 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 deals with various communicative situations in English. The course includes the following topics:
- standard English, using correct register
- Making Contact through Email and Telephone
- Trade fairs & product presentations
- Reporting
- Professional Presentation Skills
- Project Meetings
- Discussion Skills
- The Pump Design Project (in co-operation with Pekka Jukantupa: Engineering Physics 2 and Antti Meriö)

Further information

The students need a laptop with a working microphone and camera for online lessons.

The teacher can be contacted at piia.pesso(a)turkuamk.fi

The course starts in January 2025 according to the timetable:

The lesson starting times are always correct and up-to-date in the timetables. If the starting time is marked at 12.30, then the lesson starts at that time.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

The evaluated tasks (0-5 points per assignment):

The scale of 0-5 point per task:
1 Professional Email
2 Online meeting
3 Presentation
4 Professional Report

5 Pre-class tasks (0-5 p) and 5 other tasks (0-5 p)
The student must complete at least 5 of the 10 pre-class and other tasks. The student can gain max. 5 points from this part.

Participation in lessons: the student must be present in 9 lessons out of 14 (64%). Mandatory lessons have been marked in the course schedule in itslearning. The requirement of attendance is based on the nature of the studied subject. Learning and practicing a language is often done with other people, not alone.

The final evaluation: tasks 1-4 (max. 20 points) and completion of pre-class work and other course tasks on time (0 ... +5 points) + participation in lessons (min. 9 lessons)

Active participation and positive demonstration of skills can give the student 0-6 additional points. NB! Being present does not give extra points because it is the basic requirement. Active participation and demonstration of skills may give extra points to the student.

NB:
Active attendance is required due to the nature of the studied subject. The student must be present in some specified lessons in order to be able to pass the course. The obligatory lessons will be informed by the teacher in more detail at the beginning of the course.
3 evaluated assignments must be done before any credits can be gained.

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 grade by redoing some of the assignments (as stated in the degree regulation).

Assessment criteria, fail (0)

Tasks not completed as required.
Too many absences from lessons (more than 5 absences).

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

Grade 1: 4-12.25 points
Grade 2: 12.5-20.25 points

Absences from lessons.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

Grade 3: 20.5-28.75 points
Grade 4: 29-36.75 points

Active participation in lessons (more than 9 times).

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

All assignments completed on time and points 37-40.
Active attendance and demonstration of skills in lessons (more than 9 times).