English Professional Skills (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

September – December 2025
1. Before you start
2. Introducing yourself & studies
3. Emails
4. Presentations
5. Reporting
6. Meetings
7. End of course evaluation

The aim of the course is to develop the students’ English language and communication skills both in speaking and writing for various communicative situations encountered in the working life. The course topics are introducing yourself for job search, group discussions and meetings, presentations, emailing and reporting. The students will also study current IT-related topics and vocabulary and utilize these in the course work.

Learning objectives:

Spoken communication

The student
- discusses field-related topics in groups in a planned and structured way
- participates actively in group discussions by commenting, asking, and reacting
- plans and presents a field-related topic in a structured way
- uses functional language and signposting
- expresses themselves in a clear and spontaneous way as well as in their own words

Written communication

The student
- follows the structure and language of professional email and reporting
- recognizes and applies the appropriate style for the situation
- expresses themselves in a clear and logical way
- writes in their own words without tools such as translator and AI application
- uses and refers to sources correctly

Objective

Upon completing the course, the students should have acquired skills to

* communicate at level B2 (CEFRL) both in speaking and in writing
* use appropriate style and register for communication
* produce clear, coherent and well-structured texts, e.g., emails, reports
* present detailed descriptions related to their field of study
* express and exchange opinions using fluent language
* read longer articles and reports

Content

The aim of the course is to develop and deepen the students’ field-relevant English language and communication skills, as well as guide in the self-evaluation of skills.

Materials

teacher’s own and web-based material

Teaching methods

During the course, students work both independently and in groups, as well as with the teacher.

The course consists of contact meetings: 14x2h=28h. Presence of 75% is required in the contact meetings. The presence in the contact meetings supports the practice of communication and team work skills.

Additionally, students will work in online environment.

Exam schedules

No exam. There is continuous assessment. However, certain written tasks are required to be completed in class using pen and paper.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

The contents and the assessed outputs of the course are designed to provide the students with English language communication skills they need in working life especially when working in projects. Examples include producing instructions and reports, organizing physical and online meetings and producing the relevant documents and emails, collaborative writing and presentation of results. In addition, the students have to complete tasks individually, in pairs and as a group which enhances their communication and interpersonal skills. The assessment is continuous and teacher and peer assessment is provided after the completion of each task.
The course deals with the theme of sustainable development in discussing presenting, reading articles about general concepts ( e.g. green IT, energy efficiency), technologies & strategies (such as cloud computing, virtualization); social & ethical issues ( e.g. data privacy, digital divide, inclusive access).

Completion alternatives

A: The student can complete the English Professional Skills B2 (5ECTS) and complete Accreditation of Prior Learning based on Competence (not transfer of credits):
Within two weeks since the course start, the student submits a video and a written report showcasing expertise in oral and written workplace communication and professional communication. The report must include concrete examples of workplace communication (e.g. meetings, negotiations, written reports, instructions, emails, and so on). If the submission fulfills the assessment criteria, the student can attain the credits. If the submission does not meet the criteria, the student joins the course.
B: The student can complete the English Professional Skills B2 (5ECTS) and complete Transfer of Credits within the first two weeks of the course if the student has completed a course with the same credits and similar content at a same level (higher education)) educational institution within the last 5 years. The student will also need to provide an official transcript and course content description. Please note that this method of attainment does not apply to Open Path students

Student workload

The scope of the course is 5 credits which is 135 h of work for students. This includes:

- preparation for the contact meetings e.g. making notes, reading an article, information search, reading study material
- work in contact meetings
- planning and realizing course work for evaluation
- self-evaluation.

The students will be tested on their skills on the course topics with the following assignments:
- pitching video for job search
- group discussions with written follow-up tasks
- face-to-face meeting
- email message
- presentation
- reports
- self-evaluations at the start and end of the course

The assignments cannot be replaced by any other assignment, extra work or exam. With problems completing an assignment the student should contact the teacher BEFORE the given deadline. Students should note that a number of assignments e.g. speaking assignments can be completed in contact meetings only.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The students need to physically attend and complete all the tasks/assignments within the deadlines in order to pass the course because this improves the student's ability to track their own learning, receive continuous feedback, and provide ongoing evidence of their skill development throughout the course.

The maximum points to be achieved in this course is 30p consisting of
6 major assignments worth 0 - 3 p = 18p max ( pass 9p)
physical attendance: 0 - 3 p max (pass 2p)
active participation in class 0 - 5 p (pass 3p)
other tasks 0 - 4 points (pass 2p)

The gathered points will be converted into grades in the scale of 0-5 in the final evaluation
Grade 1: 16 - 18 p
Grade 2: 19 -21 p
Grade 3: 22- 24 p
Grade 4: 25 - 27 p
Grade 5: 28 -30 p

Assignment-specific evaluation criteria can be found in itslearning. Late assignments will not be evaluated.


The role of AI is noted in the course work instructions and evaluation. Assignment-specific instructions are given on the use of AI. As a rule, AI can be used for learning, brainstorming and information search but not for producing course work or demonstrating learning and skills.

Presence in the contact meetings is considered in the final evaluation as follows:
lower than 70% awards a minus point by every 10% of absence
70% presence 0p
75% presence +1p
76% -85% presence +2p
86% -100% presence + 3p

Failed (0)

The student has insufficient attendance (less than 75%). The student has not completed all the tasks /assignments. The student has completed tasks but they are not of an acceptable standard. The student has a high percentage (over 15%) of similarity in written assignments and over 30% of AI-generated text.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student has completed the tasks with the minimum of set requirements which are outlined by the teacher and are listed in the task instructions. The student has completed tasks later than the given deadlines. The student has not addressed feedback provided by the teacher. The student has been superficially reflecting on his/her own performance and has been late or reluctant to give peer feedback.
Grade 1: Minimal participation; rarely contributes or engages. Significant imbalance between oral and written skills. Unable to complete simple written tasks in class even with ample time.
Grade 2 :Occasional participation; contributes sporadically. Some imbalance in oral and written skills. Inconsistent quality; some tasks completed in class but with difficulty.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student has completed the tasks well fulfilling most of the set requirements which are outlined by the teachers and are listed in the task instructions. The student has completed tasks within the given deadlines. The student has partly addressed feedback provided by the teacher. The student has been reflecting on his/her own performance and has been giving peer feedback.
Grade 3: Moderate participation; contributes when prompted. Fairly balanced oral and written skills with some fluctuations. Acceptable quality; work produced in class resembles prepared work.
Grade 4: Active participation; frequently contributes voluntarily. Good balance between oral and written skills. Generally consistent quality between in-class and prepared work.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student has completed the tasks very well fulfilling or surpassing the set requirements which are outlined by the teachers and are listed in the task instructions. The student has completed tasks within the given deadlines or earlier and has addressed well feedback provided by the teacher. The student has been critically reflecting on his/her own performance and has been giving quality peer feedback.
Highly active; leads or significantly enhances classroom activities. Strong and equal oral and written communication skills. High consistency in quality; work in class matches prepared work in clarity and accuracy.