Academic Listening and Speaking

Module title	Academic Listening and Speaking
Module code	ELC2727
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	15
Module staff

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	16

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

You will find this module very useful in learning how to use your English in specific academic contexts. This includes developing strategies for academic listening and note-taking, and actively helping you extend your presentation and seminar skills. You will have ample opportunities to complete practice in academic listening and speaking, and you will receive regular tutor and peer feedback on class tasks and homework. As a result, the module also offers opportunities to develop language skills that are transferable to other modules and future employability. There are no prerequisites for this module, and it is suitable for students from all subject areas with an English level from B2 to C2 on the CEFR framework (IELTS 6.5 to 8). Students wishing to take this module will need to complete a short task to ensure appropriate language level and should email insessional@exeter.ac.ukbefore registering.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to provide opportunities for students to improve and develop the way they use their English language in specific academic contexts. The focus will be on practice in academic listening and speaking through comparative cultural studies around the topic of society with class focus on areas such as education, justice, connections [people/the wider world] and future societies.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

1. Give clear, systematically developed presentations in English, with appropriate highlighting of significant points, relevant supporting detail and ending with an appropriate conclusion.
2. Actively participate in academic seminar discussion in English.
3. Respond to spoken English in a range of topic areas encountered in academic life.
4. Take accurate and effective notes.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

5. Communicate effectively in spoken English in a manner appropriate to their disciplines.
6. Report practical procedures in a clear and concise manner.

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

7. Apply given methods accurately to a well-defined problem.
8. Collect appropriate data from a range of sources.
9. Undertake a simple research task with external guidance.
10. Work effectively with others as a member of a group.
11. Take responsibility for their own learning through reflective practice.

Syllabus plan

Listening and note-taking: identifying key points; organising ideas; listening for detail; extrapolating from notes; inferring speaker attitude.
Presentation skills: planning a presentation; signposting; audio visual aids; dealing with questions.
Seminar skills: transactional skills such as giving opinions, presenting an argument, holding the floor, and eliciting ideas from other speakers.
Phonology & intonation: sentence and word stress, liaison, phonemic control.
Independent Research and referencing skills.

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
44	106	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning & teaching	44	Seminars consisting of guided group discussion, listening and note-taking practice, presentations skills (group and individual), phonology, and peer and tutor feedback.
Guided independent study	33	Independent topic-based research and preparation for formative and summative presentations.
Guided independent study	22	Independent research of academic and media articles for formative and summative assessed seminars.
Guided independent study	25	Guided listening and note-taking tasks on appropriate and complex topics (listening journal)
Guided independent study	22	Reflecting on the application of appropriate linguistic strategies to different classroom activities and how this can be extended and applied to areas of study beyond this module.
Guided independent study	4	Reading and discussion preparation for listening test.

Assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Individual practice presentation	10-12 mins	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11	Peer (written) Tutor (verbal/written)
Seminar Practice	20 mins	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10,11	Tutor (verbal/written)
Listening and note-taking tasks	15 mins weeks 2-8	3, 4, 6, 7, 11	Tutor (verbal/written)

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
75	25

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Presentation	30	15 Minutes	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,11	Tutor (written) Transcript
Assessed seminar	30	20-25 mins (depending on number of students in seminar group)	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10,11	Tutor (written) Transcript
Listening and note-taking exam	25	1 hour	3, 4, 6, 7, 11	Transcript
Listening journal	15	Listening journal kept over 7 weeks (note-taking task plus 4 short summaries each week)	3, 4, 6, 7, 11	Tutor (written) Transcript

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
Presentation	Presentation	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11	August/September assessment period
Assessed seminar	Assessed discussion	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10,11	August/September assessment period
Listening and note-taking exam	Listening and note-taking exam	3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11	August/September assessment period
Listening journal	Re-submission	3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11	August/September assessment period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for reasons judged legitimate by the Mitigation Committee, the applicable assessment will normally be deferred. See ‘Details of reassessment’ for the form that assessment usually takes. When deferral occurs there is ordinarily no change to the overall weighting of that assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to take a re-sit exam. Only your performance in this exam will count towards your final module grade. A grade of 40% will be awarded if the examination is passed.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Ivory, S. B. (2021). Becoming a Critical Thinker: For Your University Studies and Beyond. Oxford University Press.
Powell, M. (2010). Dynamic Presentations. Heinle
Transferable Academic Skills Kit (2015). Garnet.
Wallwork, A. (2016). English for Presentations at International Conferences (English for Academic Research). Springer

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Web-based and electronic resources:

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
TED talks http://www.ted.com/
Hong Kong Polytechnic seminar and presentations skills http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/EAP/Audio-visual/
BBC I-player http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Guided Independent Learning site: https://universityofexeteruk.sharepoint.com/sites/GuidedIndependentLearningTheInsessionalteam
RSA:https://www.thersa.org/events (RSA) https://www.thersa.org/video/animates

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

English for Academic Purposes, Seminar skills, Presentation skills, Listening and note-taking, Critical thinking, Harvard referencing

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
Available as distance learning?	No