Study Guide

Learning outcomes

Students are able to communicate fluently in meetings, negotiations and discussions and they are familiar with meeting documents and proceedings.

Implementation and methods of teaching

This course will be taught online, through a combination of online Zoom lessons and independent work. There will be a total of 8 lessons delivered that students will be required to attend. Participation in the lessons forms part of the grade and two major assessments will be graded in online lessons, therefore student attendance is a must.

Timing and attendance

Students will need to attend lessons as part of active participation requirement. L

Learning material and recommended literature

All materials are provided by the teacher through Moodle.

Alternative completion methods

For the Zoom lessons, alternative tasks will not be provided as all lessons will involve practical tasks with other students. However, the materials that are used for lessons will be provided on Moodle and lessons will be recorded where appropriate.

Learning environment

All materials delivered through Moodle. Lessons online through Zoom, vk 36-48.

Student time use and work load

Equivalent to 3ECTS.

Contents

Practice and refine your English speaking and writing skills through the topics of meetings, negotiations and discussions.
Students will:
- Learn relevant vocabulary and phrases for participating in meetings and negotiations
- Engage in different types of meetings (in varying roles) and produce associated documents
- Negotiate using cooperative strategies (focus on win-win situation)
- Complete written discussion texts on current world issues and respond to the texts of other students

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

This course is designed for students who want to learn the basics of the related topics. No prior knowledge is therefore required. This course is taught at B2 level.

Assessment criteria

Students are evaluated on a continuous basis for both participation and completion of activities.

Main assignments for the course will include participation in simulated meetings and negotiations, as well as completion of written discussion texts.

Assessment scale

1-5

Failed (0)

The student cannot convey messages at the required level to meet task requirements.

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student’s speaking skills are adequate to deliver the message in an understandable manner. Interaction is occasional. Speech is difficult to follow. Speech lacks structuring, logic and cohesion almost totally.

Language (speech, pronunciation and intonation) is quite hesitant, pauses are rather long and pronunciation mistakes sometimes disturb the message. Delivery is too quiet/monotonous. The student uses only a few basic sentence structures and makes plentiful mistakes.

Written communication consists mostly of simple expressions and there are plentiful mistakes. The language is clumsy, but the message is delivered. Much of the text lacks logic and cohesive elements. The text is not in keeping with the genre- and/or style-specific conventions. The topic is handled briefly and one-sidedly. There are considerable flaws in meeting the task requirements.

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student can speak well and interacts with the speaking partner/audience. The student knows how to use ways of nonverbal communication. Speech is easy to follow but lacks cohesion in places.

Language (speech, pronunciation and intonation) is fluent and clear but short pauses, hesitations and pronunciation mistakes may occur.

Written communication is quite fluent, clear and mostly correct. The structures and professional vocabulary are adequate to deliver the message. The text has a reasonably logical structure. The text is cohesive but minor flaws occur. Minor mistakes occur concerning the genre and/or style. The topic is handled in the usual way, meeting the task requirements.

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student can speak extremely well and appropriately for the situation. Interaction is very skillful, nonverbal communication supports the speech effectively. Speech is target-oriented, very consistent, to the point and logical. Transitions are very smooth.

Language (speech, pronunciation and intonation) is fluent, clear and accurate, and speech tempo is normal.

Written communication is very fluent and versatile. The student uses varied structures and extensive professional vocabulary, but makes occasional mistakes in the most advanced structures. The text has a very clear and logical structure. The text is cohesive and transitions are smooth. The student can deliver the message effortlessly in the appropriate, genre-specific style. The handling of the topic is diverse and skillful, meeting all the task requirements.