Curricula

Objectives

The objectives of the course are as below:
• In the course English at Work, you will learn to operate in English in situations related to international working life.
• You will develop proficiency in English communication within various contexts related to the global working environment. You will enhance your self-confidence in both spoken and written communication, ensuring your ability to successfully navigate through various professional scenarios. Additionally, you will learn how to stay updated with local and global developments in your field.
• You will learn to apply the standards and conventions specified in Jamk's Project Reporting Instructions to create written reports on assigned topics. Furthermore, you will acquire the skills to deliver coherent presentations on various subjects relevant to the workplace.

Course competences
• Internationalization

The learning objectives of the course
• By the end of the course, you will have the competence to write and speak effectively in various professional settings using vocabulary relevant to your field.

Content

Workplace communication and interpersonal relations: e.g., job seeking, workplace dynamics, meetings, small talk, customer service, telephoning, emailing, and expressing opinions.

Formal text production: e.g., creating essays, reports and summaries, conforming to the standards and conventions of Jamk’s Project Reporting Instructions.

Developing and delivering coherent presentations.

Learning materials and recommended literature

All material provided by teacher on Moodle.
In addition, the students need to search information and material relevant to their field of study.

Teaching methods

Online implementation 2nd September - 15th December 2024.

Kick-off webinar on Zoom at 9.15-10 am on 2nd September . Attending the webinar is highly recommended; alternatively you must watch its recording by the end of that week. The address to the Zoom meeting is sent to the enrolled students before the webinar day.

During the course you study mainly independently on Moodle. The course is divided into four parts and is timetabled, which means that you need to finish each part in the order given and by the deadline for the part. Therefore, good time-management skills are important. You also need basic computing skills, web camera and microphone, a headset recommended.

You will have both written and oral learning assignments. The oral assignments are video recordings. There are also pair/group assignments. At the end of the course, there is final exam which is to be done in an Exam Studio.

The topics of the course are as follows:
-Communication at work
-Academic writing
-Professional presentations

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Assignments on Moodle as scheduled and exam.

A failed assignment can be taken again twice in December 2024 / January 2025. Lecturer's feedback on a failed assignment or in the exam may lower the mark and thus the course grade.

Re-sit exams: in December 2024 / January 2025

Student workload

Student workload for this course is 135 hours (5 ECTS). This includes

-Familiarizing yourself with the Moodle workspace, self-study and learning assignments: 128 hours
-group assignments: 5 hours
-Final exam: 2 hours

One credit equals 27 hours of student work.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

1 - You can communicate understandably in both speech and writing for simple and routine work tasks and other situations. You understand central content in speech and writing on familiar topics, with a sufficient command of basic language structures. Your pronunciation is adequate, and you act responsibly, completing all assignments. However, your performance demonstrates only basic understanding and learning.

2 - You can communicate understandably in speech and writing in routine work duties and familiar situations, although your language use may be slow and incoherent at times. You understand clear speech and writing with familiar content, possess an adequate command of language structures, and have a sufficient vocabulary for daily and basic field-specific situations. Your pronunciation is sufficient, and you consistently perform above the minimum expectations on assignments.

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

3 - You can manage well in both oral and written situations in working and everyday life. You can write coherent texts, understand speech at a normal tempo, and use grammatical structures flexibly. Although you may have difficulty with unusual topics and non-standard language, you can understand demanding written content related to your field. Your vocabulary is sufficient even for demanding tasks, your pronunciation is clear, and you consistently perform above the minimum expectations on assignments.

4 - You can communicate fluently in various situations and produce clear, fluent language with adequate style. You have no difficulty under-standing and producing the speech and writing needed in working life, although deviations from standard language may pose some challenges. You have a good command of the language and consistently meet or exceed stated expectations on assignments.

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

5 - You can communicate fluently in a wide variety of working life situations, demonstrating versatility and an appropriate sense of style in all course tasks. You have no difficulties in understanding different language users, although fine nuances and significant deviations from standard language can be challenging. You have an excellent command of the language and consistently meet or exceed stated expectations on assignments.

Prerequisites

The course is on level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. If the course Improve your English was recommended to you at the beginning of your studies, please take it before enrolling for English at Work.

In this course you will need basic ICT skills, such as word processing and creating video files.