English for Business Communication (5 op)

Arviointiasteikko

0-5

Tavoitteet

By the end of the course, the students will be able to
• succeed in routine business communication situations face to face, over the phone and in writing,
• independently produce various kinds of business messages and documentation,
• use different/new media to augment the effectiveness of new or existing business communications,
• analyze the effectiveness of printed and online marketing materials, and also produce original marketing materials of professional quality,
• plan, organize and prepare appropriate materials for international conferences, conventions or similar events, and
• demonstrate competence in producing workplace-specific guidelines and support materials to facilitate better customer service in English.

Sisältö

The contents of the course include
• using the power of well-written, short messages or captions to raise the level of impact and audience interest in business videos,
• crafting business-related promotional messages and materials according to in-house standards and using only authorized media,
• preparing for an international business event as a client, visitor, or organizer and producing relevant documentation and materials for the event, and
• benchmarking the current state of international customer service in English, and designing and developing specific plans in order to improve it at the local level.

Oppimateriaalit

All course-related study materials are provided by the course lecturer through the course website.

Toteutuksen valinnaiset suoritustavat

The items of assessment include • Project 1: Planning and writing high-impact slide presentation (à la Microsoft Office PowerPoint™) contents based on an existing video-based presentation (25%), • Project 2: Business presentation and application to some conference, convention or similar event, using JAMK's official marketing materials and templates (25%), • Project 3: Creating a simple framework or set of standards for a Finnish company's English-language customer service department (25%), and • active participation (25%).Successful completion of the course requires a passing grade for each of the projects listed above.

Opiskelijan ajankäyttö ja kuormitus

The student workload is comprised of • lectures (online and offline [15 hours]), • virtual study (40 hours), • assignments (40 hours), • independent study (10 hours), • online text-based discussions (10 hours), and • face-to-face pair and group meetings (20 hours).Total = 135 hours (One credit equals 27 hours of student work.)

Arviointikriteerit, tyydyttävä (1)

5 (Excellent), 4 (Very Good), 3 (Good), 2 (Satisfactory), 1 (Sufficient).

5. The student consistently demonstrates the ability to present engaging, well-prepared project materials and ideas in clear and business-like English through a diverse range of communication channels. He/she is reported to be a top performer by other students in the class (both at JUA and at one of JUA’s partner universities, if applicable) through peer evaluations, and meets or exceeds his/her own expected learning goals for the course (as reported in the student’s self-evaluation).

4. The student’s project work is generally of high quality in terms of both written and spoken English, but doesn't necessarily reflect an academically appropriate level of content investigation and/or research. Other students’ evaluations of the student are favorable, and he/she meets his/her own learning goals for the course.

3. The student completes all assigned work and receives mixed, although mostly favorable, evaluations from other students. His/her written and spoken English is understandable, but doesn’t clearly show signs of having studied, practiced, and rehearsed the key business English terminology appropriate to the subjects in question. The student meets his/her own learning goals for all or most of the course.

2. The student completes all of the assigned coursework, but has considerable difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions (as demonstrated in the form of incorrectly completed work, late assignment submissions, and the like). He/she often demonstrates a lack of preparedness for project presentations, and receives marginal evaluations from other students. The student does not meet his/her own learning goals for most of the course.

1. The student submits assigned coursework late on more than one occasion and clearly and consistently demonstrates significant difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions. His/her participation in the scheduled course activities is sporadic and/or minimal, and results in the student contacting the lecturer on more than one occasion for information already provided or readily accessible through the course website. The student’s involvement in pair and group work is such that he/she is seen as a liability (as reported in peer evaluations), and he/she does not meet his/her own learning goals for most of the course.

If the student does not meet the minimum criteria set for the course, the grade is 0 (fail).

Esitietovaatimukset

This course is suitable for both degree and exchange students. In either case, a proven ability to study and work with others in English is required.