Course Description
This course aims to further students’ oral communication skills in English that they have acquired in the previous course.
Course Aims
- To make students aware of the importance of employing effective communication strategies
- To improve pronunciation skills with special emphasis on practice in the phonetic alphabet of English and the phonological principles of articulation.
- To make students analyse input in view of phonetic properties and raise their consciousness for the use of correct pronunciation of words.
- To improve listening skills and strategies of students in academic and colloquial English.
- To improve speaking skills and revise language needed to participate in discussions, to deliver presentations, and participate in role-plays.
Course Materials
A selection of listening materials in audio and video format on tapes and CD-Roms as well as on the Internet will be used as course materials. These will include movies, daily conversations, songs, and academic lectures. Accompanying task sheets and materials will provide students with opportunities to improve their oral communication skills they will need in different settings and contexts with different audiences. In addition, students will have the opportunity to have real time oral communication with other English speaking students in different countries through computer mediated communication (CMC). This telecollaboration component will help students learn how to negotiate meaning using various communication strategies in real exchanges in English.
Methodology
Each student is required to deliver presentations: individual and group presentations. Students will be asked to take an active part in class discussions and role play activities. Selected texts and audio and/or video materials, including movies, will serve as lead-ins to discussions. Fluency as well as accuracy will be emphasized. Throughout the course students will also have listening and phonetics quizzes.
Attendance is obligatory, and participation in class activities will be encouraged and emphasized throughout the semester. Participation will be graded on the basis of students’ involvement in class activities and discussions, under two components: process and product. Process refers to interest, active participation, effort, and preparation in class activities. Product refers to language use (accuracy of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency of your speech, and organization of thoughts and content).
Students will be required to 1) have high-speed internet connectivity and a high-speed computer, 2) download software (free) for the course (Technical Set-up). Optionally students may want to have a microphone for their computer with which to record their voices for weekly pronunciation assessment.
Within the FIRST WEEK OF THIS COURSE, students must follow very specific Technical Set-up instructions (provided in MOODLE) to load their computer with free software and programs required for doing online homework.
Students must access Moodle and send both a Group Discussion message and a Private Mail message to the instructor, by the 2nd week of the semester. Students will be shown how to use the Moodle program in a computer lab environment in the first week.
Oral readings (students recording their voice for pronunciation assessment) will be assigned every three weeks during the term and recorded as wav digital file, and uploaded into Moodle.
Student homework assignments, online exercises, group Discussion mail messages, private mail and grades will be posted on Moodle. The Gradebook is private for each individual student; students are responsible for completing ALL assignments due in the Gradebook. You will need your Moodle account and password; only students enrolled in the course will have access.
Vocabulary activities will be posted for each lesson along with different activities like crossword puzzles to help you master new words and phrases.
Your progress will be monitored throughout the course with lesson quizzes. The Quiz module will provide instructions for completing these activities.
Links will be provided for Online follow-up and enrichment activities on the Internet.
What should students do for online activities?- Read the syllabus and detailed weekly schedule
- Check the calendar for important dates
- Take quizzes and chapter tests
- Check what they have learned by taking non-graded self-tests
- Check their grades
- Post questions and comments that they share with their classmates
- Participate in chat room
- Listen to audio and video files for listening practice
- Record their voice and upload it
Grading
| Component | Percentage |
| |
100% |
| Individual Presentation & group presentation | 20% |
| Midterm exam | 20% |
| Response journals and voc CD | 15% |
| Participation (both for face-to-face and online activities) | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25% |