English Professional Skills (3 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

January through April, weekly contact sessions

Objective

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 – C1 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages, i.e., 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.

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 their field
- becoming professional, autonomous language users in working life

Materials

Links to materials can be found on the itslearning platform. Some material is provided by the students themselves.

Teaching methods

The topics dealt with both in speaking and in writing are related to the content matter within the student's degree programme.

Exam schedules

The course is assessed continuously based on tasks and active attendance. There is no final exam and thus also no retake exam. Some small tests on limited subject area content (homework material, terminology) along the way.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

This is a skills subject and skills need to be practised. The group meets weekly, and there are weekly writing or reading tasks on the itslearning platform (webcam + microphone needed for eventual online sessions but the aim is to have an on-campus course). Pair work, group discussions, small presentations, information retrieval, writing.

Completion alternatives

None

Student workload

Contact sessions on campus or online, 12 x 2 h
Independent information retrieval
Reporting in speaking and in writing

Evaluation methods and criteria

Task-based assessment
The study unit is assessed on a scale from 1 to 5 based on course assignments and active attendance and participation. All tasks need to be completed. Terminology test acceptance limit 40%. Tasks either teacher-, self- or peer-assessed. No exam.

Failed (0)

Tasks not completed or of substandard quality and/or attendance below 80%

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

- deficient mastery of language mechanics, e.g. problems with tenses or sentence formation
- pronunciation issues which hamper understanding
- message often unclear
- limited use of vocabulary
- deficient mastery of register (politeness, appropriate style, choice of words)
- tasks late or only partly completed
- little or no contribution to discussion and/or pair work in class
- for more than grade 1, the student must be capable of responding to questions and expressing their opinion in speaking
- references not provided or deficient

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student has a communicative approach to language and is willing to develop as a language user but lacks proficiency in language mechanics. However, the message is always clear and the student is an active contributor in pair/group discussions. All tasks are completed.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

- tasks completed in accordance with instructions and by due date
- close to error-free mastery of language mechanics (CEFR C)
- clear pronunciation
- message coherent and clear
- good grasp of text structure
- versatile use of vocabulary
- good grasp of register (politeness, appropriate style)
- active contribution to class discussions and pair work
- correct use of references

Further information

Note that as regards written work, the use of e-dictionaries and spell checkers is recommended. Machine translation, Chat-GPT and similar tools are allowed but are not to do your work for you. Any sign of mechanically generated text will result in a request for the student to explain their work in speaking.