English Professional Skills (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

The aim of the course is to activate and develop the student's field-specific 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.

The course deals with various communicative situations in English. The course includes the following topics:
- Standard English, using correct register
- Writing professional email messages
- Project meetings
- Reporting
- Professional Presentation Skills
- Discussion Skills
- Field-specific vocabulary

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

Provided on course workspace for each study module

Teaching methods

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

Exam schedules

No exam as the course is task-based and assessed based on successful completion of required assignments and participation in weekly lessons.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

Flipped learning, Work life oriented learning assignments, Independent and small group study, Task-based assessments.

Sustainability is included in various materials for discussions and reading, as well as a suggested topic for report and oral presentation.

Completion alternatives

Similar Business English courses in other HEI's
Accreditation of prior learning is possible, please contact the teacher before the course starts for instructions. If the accreditation submission fulfils the assessment criteria, student can attain the credits. If the submission does not meet the criteria, student joins the course.

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 (onsite).

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

Evaluation methods and criteria

The evaluated tasks (on a scale of 0-5 per assignment):

The scale of 0-5 point per task:
1 Professional email (written at the campus)
2 Online meeting
3 Professional report
4 Presentation

Participation in lessons: the student must be present in 9 lessons out of 14 (64%) in order to pass the course. Mandatory lessons have been marked in the course schedule in itslearning.

The final evaluation: tasks 1-4 (the average of assignments 1-4) and completion of pre-class work and other course tasks on time (pass/fail) + participation in lessons (min. 9 lessons)

NB:
Active attendance is required due to the nature of the studied subject. The student must be present in the 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).

Failed (0)

More than one evaluated assignment not completed according to the instructions.

Too many absences from lessons (more than 5 absences).

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).