Curricula

Objectives

By the end of the course, you should be able to

- function comfortably and effectively as a member of a virtual team,
- present business-related speeches and multimedia presentations in a variety of settings using appropriate methods and tool, and
- support your partners and group members by offering them candid feedback on their presentations.

Content

The principal contents of the course relate directly to the three required presentation assignments, which consist of:

- an individual presentation (leading an online, text-based group discussion related to a topic of interest from sources acquired through the EBSCO Business Source Elite database),
- a group presentation (hosting an online virtual meeting using modern productivity and communication/collaboration tools such as Zoom), and
- a pair presentation (recording a slide-based, narrated presentation using Screencast-O-Matic and sharing it with the rest of the class for analysis and review).

Other contents include supporting activities and smaller preparatory assignments designed to help you perform your best on the assignments listed above.

Learning materials and recommended literature

Gilhooly, V. (2008). Charts, graphs and diagrams. The Independent Learning Center, CUHK. https://www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/files/ChartsGraphs_Gilhooly.pdf

Teaching methods

Project-based learning, online pedagogy

Lectures, webinars (as necessary/appropriate), exercises/learning assignments

Exam dates and retake possibilities

This is not an exam-based course.

International connections

Whenever possible, there will be interaction and cooperation with students from one of JAMK's partner universities. These arrangements are dependent on a number of factors, such as course scheduling, availability and willingness of partner lecturers, etc., and therefore cannot be guaranteed for every implementation of the course.

Alternative completion methods

This course can not be completed via skills demonstration.

Student workload

The course schedule is maintained in Peppi and can be accessed in various ways according to the instructions found on the Peppi — Calendar page (https://oppimateriaalit.jamk.fi/peppi/en/calendar/).

The estimated/approximate student workload in this course is as follows:

- Lectures: 30 hrs
- Familiarization with online course environment: 10 hrs
- Group project meetings: 25 hrs
- Self-study, homework assignments: 60 hrs
- Peer review activities: 10 hrs

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

1 You submit assigned coursework late on more than one occasion and clearly and consistently demonstrate significant difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions. Your participation in the scheduled course activities is sporadic and/or minimal, and results in you contacting the lecturer on more than one occasion for information already provided or readily accessible through the course Web site. 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.

2 You complete all of the assigned coursework, but have considerable difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions (as demonstrated in the form of incorrectly completed work, late assignment submissions and the like). You often demonstrate a lack of preparedness for presentations, and receive marginal evaluations from other students. You do not meet your own learning goals for most of the course.

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

3 You complete all assigned work and receives mixed, although mostly favorable, evaluations from other students. Your 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. You meet your own learning goals for all or most of the course.

4 Your presentations are generally of high quality in terms of both written and spoken English, but don’t necessarily reflect an academically appropriate level of content investigation and/or research. Other students’ evaluations of your work are favorable, and you meet your own learning goals for the course.

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

5 You consistently demonstrate the ability to present engaging, well-prepared presentation contents in clear and business-like English through a diverse range of communication channels. You are reported to be a top performer by other students in the class (both at JAMK and at one of JAMK’s partner universities, if applicable) through peer evaluations, and meet or exceed your own expected learning goals for the course (as reported in your self-evaluation).

Prerequisites

B2-level English skills in both writing and speaking, as well as sufficient ICT skills for working with basic video recording and editing tools and participating in online meetings.