Foundation Academic English

Module title	Foundation Academic English
Module code	INT0052
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	30
Module staff	Ayca Durrant (Convenor) Duncan Minett-Westwood (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	10	10	10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	170

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

The purpose of this module is to develop your English language proficiency and study skills allowing you to engage more fully with your academic studies on current and subsequent study programmes. There are two components: Skills for Academic Writing and Skills for Academic Speaking. Theseintroduce, practice, and assessskills and language used to successfully produce academic essays and presentations, and participate in seminars. A variety of assessment methods are used.

This module is compulsory and non-condonable. It must be passed in order to receive your Foundation Certificate. Your module grade will determine whether you have met the English requirement of your university offer.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to develop students’ academic English language proficiency and study skills to enable them to function effectively in an academic context. It aims to:

Develop students’ confidence, fluency, and accuracy in academic English
Equip students with study skills and learning strategies
Develop students’ awareness of UK higher education academic culture and support transition to this study environment.
Develop students’ ability to work autonomously and monitor their own learning.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

1. Identify, select, and evaluate information, ideas, and arguments from a variety of academic sources
2. Produce clear, well-organised academic writing that uses and integrates information and arguments from multiple sources
3. Deliver a clear, well-organised academic presentation
4. Participate actively and appropriately in an academic seminar discussion
5. Understand and use appropriate grammar, vocabulary, and style in oral and written academic communication

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

6. Apply skills and strategies to avoid plagiarism, collusion and fabrication of data
7. Critically reflect on performance in academic tasks and learning processes and identify relevant learning goals
8. Demonstrate a level of criticality when communicating ideas and opinions in an appropriate format.

Syllabus plan

Skills for Academic Speaking

Skills and strategies to improve listening comprehension, using linguistic knowledge to understand text structure and purpose
Listening and note-taking in a variety of contexts
Giving presentations: producing effective slides, engaging the audience, delivering information effectively and persuasively and responding to feedback
Group discussion skills: turn-taking, using evidence to support contributions, building on the contributions of others, and responding to feedback
Communication skills: accuracy, register, fluency, and pronunciation

Skills for Academic Writing

Skills and strategies for reading: comprehension skills and using linguistic knowledge to understand text structure and purpose
Academic language: sentence structure, register and vocabulary
The writing process: analysing writing task titles, brainstorming ideas, using sources, planning, drafting, redrafting, and responding to feedback
Genres of writing and organisational patterns: e.g.,cause-effect, problem-solution, argument
Using sources: locating relevant information from a variety of text types, reading strategies, note-taking, summarising, paraphrasing, quotation
Research skills: finding and evaluating sources and using University of Exeter library resources
Referencing: in-text citations, writing a reference list, avoiding plagiarism, using Turnitin and adhering to academic conventions

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
160	140

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities	160	Formal whole-group teaching including teacher-led activities, seminars, and tasks done individually, in pairs or in groups, and individual tutorials
Guided independent study	140	Homework tasks; coursework assessments; materials on ELE

Assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Individual Presentation	5 minutes and Q&A session	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback
Group Seminar based on listening and reading input	5 minutes per participant; usually 3 to 5 participants	1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	Reflective individual and group feedback
Writing Task	500-word essay	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback
Writing Exam	120 min, 500-word essay	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback

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
Individual Presentation	25	5 minutes and Q&A session	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback
Group Seminar based on listening and reading input	25	5 minutes per participant; usually 3 to 5 participants	1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback
Writing Task	25	700 words	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback
Writing Exam	25	120 min, 500-word essay	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written feedback

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
Individual Presentation	Presentation	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8	As soon as possible and before APAC
Group Seminar based on listening and reading input	Interview with interlocutor	1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	As soon as possible and before APAC
Writing Exam	Writing Exam	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	As soon as possible and before APAC
Writing Task	Writing task	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8	As soon as possible and before APAC

Re-assessment notes

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 re-sit each assessment you have failed (i.e., the ones with a score of 0-39%). Marks awarded in these referred assessment(s) will not be capped at 40%. If the overall module grade including the referred assessments is 40% or more, a module mark of 40% will be awarded.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Bailey, S., (2018). Academic Writing A Handbook for International Students, Routledge, Abingdon

https://www.routledge.com/Academic-Writing-A-Handbook-for-International-Students/Bailey/p/book/9781138048744

De Chazal, E. & McCarter S., (2012). Oxford EAP: A course in English for Academic Purposes, Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/business_esp/oxford_eap/oxford_eap_b2/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

Paterson K. & Wedge R., (2018). Oxford Grammar for EAP, Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/oxford-grammar-for-eap

Using English for Academic Purposes Website http://www.uefap.net

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

English, Foundation, Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing, essay, communication, presentation, seminar

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	2
Available as distance learning?	Yes
Origin date	17/07/2020
Last revision date	30/08/22