Academic English for Business

Module title	Academic English for Business
Module code	INT0033
Academic year	2018/9
Credits	20
Module staff	James Michael Merrett (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	15	0	0

Number students taking module (anticipated)	15

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

This module is compulsory if you are a student on the International Foundation Programme in Accounting and Finance, and Management (fast track). Its purpose is to enable you to use English to engage more fully with your academic studies; and enhance your chances of getting the most out of your studies on the Foundation Certificate and your subsequent degree programme. The course takes an integrated skills approach to improving your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English, and a variety of assessment methods are used to ensure that your level of English is up to the task of performing effectively in a university business school in the UK.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims:

1. To provide students with English language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) for undertaking academic study in the field of Business.

2. To enable students to develop academically and personally in an English medium learning environment.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Control a core of general academic vocabulary
2. Respond to texts of different types (spoken and written)
3. Express yourself with a degree of fluency and accuracy that enables effective spoken communication in an academic setting
4. Produce clear, well-structured written text
5. Analyse the content of questions and establish the focus required to answer them

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. Use both spoken and written English language flexibly for general academic purposes and within your subject area to the level necessary to follow a programme of academic study at undergraduate level
7. Present and respond to spoken or written language effectively in key elements of your taught programme

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

8. Communicate effectively in the written or spoken form
9. Evaluate your performance in the light of feedback and tutorials on formative and summative assessment tasks

Syllabus plan

Integrated skills:

Developing reading and listening comprehension skills and using linguistic knowledge to understand spoken and written text structure and purpose.

Responding to spoken and written text by taking notes, writing a summary, paraphrasing and/or participating in a seminar or presentation.

Understanding writing in an academic context: generating ideas; planning and organisation; revision skills; the language of academic texts (sentence structure, academic style and vocabulary); different genres of writing and their organisational patterns of (comparison, problem-solution, argument).

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
60	140	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Classes	60	A variety of learning and teaching methods, including teacher-led and student-led activities, with a variety of interaction patterns including tasks done individually, in pairs and in groups
Guided Independent Learning	140	Homework tasks; coursework assessment; learner diaries; materials on ELE

Assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written tasks	Varying lengths throughout semester	1,2,4-9	Written teacher feedback
Group seminar (4 to 6 participants)	25-35 minutes, early in semester	1-3,6-9	Reflective individual and group feedback
Listening and notetaking exam	60 minutes, mid-semester	1,2,5,7,9	In-class feedback
Reading exam	90 minutes, mid-semester	1-9	In-class feedback
Writing exam	60 minutes, minimum of 350 words, mid-semester	1,2,4-9	Written teacher feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
10	60	30

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Writing task	10	600 words, semester 1	1,2,4-9	Written teacher feedback
Group seminar (4 to 6 participants)	30	25-35 minutes, mid-semester	1-3,6-9	Written teacher feedback
Listening and note-taking exam	20	60 minutes, end of semester	1,2,5,7,9	Written teacher feedback
Reading exam	20	90 minutes, end of semester	1-9	Written teacher feedback
Writing exam	20	60 minutes, minimum of 300-400 words, end of semester	1,2,4-9	Written teacher feedback
	0
	0

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written task	Resubmission	1,2,4-9	As soon as possible and before APAC
Group seminar (1 to 6 participants)	Interview	1-3,6-9	As soon as possible and before APAC
Listening and note-taking exams	Listening exam	1,2,5,7,9	As soon as possible and before APAC
Reading exam	Reading exam	1-9	As soon as possible and before APAC
Writing exam	Writing exam	1,2,4-9	As soon as possible and before APAC

Re-assessment notes

In cases of referral, only the failed elements are retaken; in cases of deferral, only the affected elements are retaken.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Bailey, S. (2011). Academic Writing for International Students of Business. Abingdon: Routledge. de Chazal, E. & Moore, J. (2013). A course in English for Academic Purposes. Oxford: OUP.

Module has an active ELE page

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Bailey, S. (2011). Academic Writing for International Students of Business. Abingdon: Routledge.

de Chazal, E. & Moore, J. (2013). A course in English for Academic Purposes. Oxford: OUP.

Key words search

Foundation, English, Fast-track, Integrated Skills, Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing

Credit value	20
Module ECTS	10
NQF level (module)	2
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	16/01/2017
Last revision date	02/07/2018