Technical English for Professionals (3 cr)

Objectives (course unit)

Students
- know how to act in working life communication situations (e.g. presentations and meetings)
- know the most important vocabulary of their field of study
- can write job application documents and take part in a job interview

Content (course unit)

• Job applications
• Terminology of the students’ own field of study
• Meetings and negotiations
• Grammar as required

Prerequisites (course unit)

Working English for Engineers or equivalent skills.

Location and time

TAMK main campus

Exam schedules

There is no exam but all the required tasks (see Methods and Grounds for Evaluation) must be completed to obtain a grade for the course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The assessment is based on successful completion of the following tasks and activities:
• Written tasks throughout the course (CV, job application, reflection, work documents)
• Mandatory oral activities (job interview, negotiation, short presentation)
• Active participation (participation in class activities, contribution to face-to-face and online discussions, home assignments).

Self-assessment and peer assessment will be taken into consideration when determining the final grade (scale 0 – 5).

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

Contact teaching, presentations, classroom activities, pair and group work, individual and collaborative online activities, self-study.

Learning materials

• Materials in Tabula
• Printed materials given during the lessons
• Selected exercises from K. Tillander, J. Sallila, Protocall Toolkit, Tammerteknikka, 2008. http://www.promentor.net/pmweb/login.html Choose: Promentor Web - kirjautuminen korkeakouluille

Student workload

Contact lessons – 7 x 2 h = 14 h
Independent study – 67 h

Content scheduling

• Oral skills (discussion, negotiation, social interaction)
• Writing skills (CV, reports, discussion forum posts)
• Grammar as needed

Completion alternatives

If the student has completed corresponding studies at another university of applied sciences, the student may apply for credit transfer through Hyvähot system.

Such cases have to be discussed with the course teacher, and the student may be required to complete additional assignments to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Further information

Corresponding course at another university of applied sciences or international exchange at a foreign university.
Sufficient skills in Finnish.
Mandatory participation on 80% of the classes.

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student failed to complete the required tasks and activities.

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student:
• speaks understandably but somewhat inaccurately
• expresses himself/herself using satisfactory vocabulary and basic grammatical structures
• can communicate essential messages using basic professional terminology appropriate to the situation
• understands main points of professional materials in his/her technical field and is able to obtain basic information from these materials
• all the aspects of the course have been completed

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student:
• speaks clearly and understandably, with occasional mistakes
• expresses himself/herself clearly, using sufficient vocabulary and a range of grammatical structures
• can communicate messages coherently, using a variety of professional terms appropriate to the situation; can distinguish between different speaking and writing styles
• understands most points of professional materials in his/her technical field, is able to obtain the required information and convey it in an understandable manner
• all the aspects of the course have been completed

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student:
• speaks fluently, with only minor mistakes
• expresses himself/herself articulately, using extensive vocabulary and complex grammatical structures
• can communicate messages professionally and effectively; demonstrates good understanding of different speaking and writing styles and is able to tailor messages accordingly, depending on the situation
• understands most points of demanding professional materials in his/her technical field, is able to convey the obtained information professionally, and apply the acquired knowledge
• all the aspects of the course have been completed