English Language and Study Skills for Engineering
| Module title | English Language and Study Skills for Engineering |
|---|---|
| Module code | INT0202 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Rachel Elisabeth Brenner (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 | 12 | 3 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
This module will help you to master the academic language and study skills needed to study engineering at a UK university. You will study a range of spoken and written subject-related materials, which will enable you to both understand and use English appropriately within an academic context. You will also take part in collaborative tasks, such as presentations, seminars and group projects. This will give you the opportunity to apply your language skills to practical situations, and also to develop key personal skills that you will require as students and future engineers.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to enable students who already have a degree of proficiency in spoken and written language skills to develop the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in an academic context. For spoken academic skills, classes aim to develop confidence, fluency and accuracy when participating in seminar discussions, presenting a research topic to a group, and listening and responding to other speakers. For written academic skills, classes aim to develop awareness and proficiency in key processes when undertaking written assignments. These include finding, understanding and extracting information from texts, and planning, drafting and editing written work. Through these tasks you will also learn to manage your time so that you can work to deadlines.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Recognise and use appropriate academic style in spoken and/or written texts
- 2. Express yourself clearly in English, to a degree of fluency and accuracy that enable others to understand and respond to you
- 3. Exchange and discuss ideas effectively with others, showing awareness of their communicative needs
- 4. Record and classify key information effectively from sources
- 5. Select, summarise and evaluate relevant information from source texts
- 6. Organise and present your own ideas logically, following academic conventions
- 7. Demonstrate your understanding of academic honesty
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Carry out independent research, using technology and resources that are relevant to your academic studies
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Critically review your academic skills and performance by engaging with tutor and peer feedback
Syllabus plan
The four main skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are integrated and will be developed and reviewed throughout the course. In addition, collaborative and study skills will be embedded into the module.
Spoken Language Skills
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General Skills: Understanding and applying features of spoken academic language including register, structure, coherence, pronunciation and fluency.
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Seminar discussion skills: effective management of group discussion including turn-taking, responding to other students’ ideas, reaching a consensus or compromise; using sources to support points;
-
Presentation skills: showing awareness of an audience’s needs by producing engaging, well-paced and coherently structured spoken language; using visual aids appropriately; responding to audience questions.
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Listening skills: developing effective comprehension and note-taking skills by studying structural and linguistic features of lectures, interviews, discussions and other spoken media.
Written Language Skills
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Understanding and applying features of written academic language including vocabulary, register, grammatical structures, cohesion and coherence.
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Reading Skills: understanding genre, structure, ideas and purpose of written texts on topics and issues related to your academic subject.
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Writing skills: analysing task requirements, establishing a focus, planning, drafting and responding to feedback.
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Research Skills: finding and evaluating suitable sources; note-taking, paraphrasing and summarising effectively; generating, recording and analysing data.
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Following academic writing conventions, particularly for your subject, and adhering to academic honesty principles, including referencing, citing sources and avoiding plagiarism.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 165 | 135 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Live Learning and Teaching Activities | 120 | Whole-group teaching including teacher-led activities, seminars, and tasks done individually, in pairs or in groups, and individual tutorials |
| E-Learning Tasks | 48 | Individual learning of provided materials with short specific tasks to complete |
| Guided Independent Study | 132 | Individual learning of provided materials with longer tasks e.g. coursework and exam preparation to complete |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation (3-4 students) | 5 minutes per student/15-20 minutes total | 1-3, 5-7, 9 | Written and spoken tutor feedback; written peer feedback |
| Seminar Discussion (3-4 students) | 5 minutes per student/15-20 minutes total | 1-7 | Written and spoken tutor feedback; written peer feedback |
| Integrated Skills: Written Examination | 600 word essay, 2 hours | 1, 2, 5-7 | Written and spoken tutor feedback |
| Written Assignment | 1200 words, excluding list of references | 1, 2, 5-9 | Written and spoken tutor feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 30 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation (3-4 students) | 20 | 5 minutes per student/15-20 minutes | 1-3, 5-8 | Written tutor feedback |
| Seminar Discussion (3-4 students) | 25 | 5 minutes per student | 1-7 | Written tutor feedback |
| Integrated Skills: Written Examination | 30 | 600 word essay, 2 hours | 1, 2, 5-7 | Written tutor feedback |
| Written Assignment | 25 | 1500 words, excluding list of references | 1, 2, 5-9 | Written tutor feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation | Individual Presentation (5 minutes) | 1-3, 5-8 | Before APAC |
| Seminar Discussion | Seminar or Individual Interview (5 minutes) | 1-7 | Before APAC |
| Integrated Skills: Written Examination | Integrated Skills: Written Examination | 1, 2, 5-7 | Before APAC |
| Written Assignment | Written Assignment | 1, 2, 5-9 | Before APAC |
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 re-assessment’ 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 mark of less than 40% achieved) you will be required to re-do 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.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
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Bottomley, J. (2015). Academic Writing for International Students of Science. Oxon: Routledge
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De Chazal, E. & S. McCarter, 2020. Oxford EAP Upper-Intermediate/B2, Oxford University Press, Oxfordâ?¯
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Davies, J. W. (2001) Communication Skills: A Guide for Engineering and Applied Science Students. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.Dunn, M., Howey, D. & Ilic, A. (2010). English for Mechanical Engineering in Higher Education Studies. Reading; Garnet Education.Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English For Advanced learners. (2014). (6th edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.z
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Maier, P., Barney, A. & Price, G. (2009). Study Skills for Science, Engineering and Technology Students. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Web-based and electronic resources:
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 3 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 11/08/2021 |
| Last revision date | 09/06/2023 |
