Course detail

Professional English for Electr. Engineering and Comp. Science.

FEKT-LJA9Acad. year: 2010/2011

The course is oriented towards professional language competence of students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication and the Faculty of Information Technology. This competence supports students’ mobilities, their ability to study in English language at a technical university and is an inseparable part of successful incorporation into the European working process as well. An integrated approach covering five basic language skills according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe 2001) is used in the process of English language teaching and learning. Spoken production includes abilities like giving presentations on a range of subjects related to students’ field of study, oral presentations on own qualifications and experience, verbalizing numerical expressions, describing graphs, tables and trends, explaining a viewpoint on topical issues of students’ field of study. Spoken interaction contains reactions relating to professional topics, telephoning, being interviewed, information exchange on topics based on reality, practical goal-oriented co-operation. Reading comprehension covers work with scientific and technical texts oriented to electrical engineering and information technology. Students are encouraged to develop skills like using monolingual dictionaries efficiently or deducing the meaning of unknown words from the context. Writing includes structuring an academic article, writing an abstract, writing business letters, e-mail messages and chat language, making notes for future reference, taking down messages, completing forms and questionnaire, writing a letter of job application, writing curriculum vitae. When listening, students are encouraged to listen as a member of live audience, to take notes on the basis of a heard text, to listen to public announcements, to listen to conversations between native speakers. The course also includes the basic information on translation activities and on recurrent errors of language.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

PhDr. Ludmila Neuwirthová, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Foreign Languages (UJAZ)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Speaking: giving a presentation, giving descriptions and explanations, seminar skills-indicating non-comprehension, asking for clarification, questioning, disagreeing.
Interacting: participating in discussions and meetings, interviewing, telephoning, socializing, expression of request, agreement, and disagreement, surprise, doubt, opinion.
Listening: taking notes; following presentations, lectures or talks; following instructions.
Writing: formal letters, faxes, memos, C.V., letters of job application, abstract, improving basic translation skills.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of the intermediate level of English is required

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Teaching methods depend on the type of course unit as specified in the article 7 of BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Credit and examination

Course curriculum

1. Needs Analysis Questionnaire
2. Presentations: Making A Start
3. Presentations: Linking The Parts
4. Presentations: Visual Aids
5. Presentations: Finishing Off
6. Presentations: Question Time
7. Verbalising Numerical Expressions (fractions, decimals, percentages, formulae and equations)
8. Describing Trends, Graphs and Charts.
9. Giving oral presentations on a range of subjects related to students’ field of study.
10. Seminar skills: indicating non-comprehension, asking for clarification, interpretation check, agreeing and disagreeing.
11. Taking part in a meeting: solving a problem, recommending an action, justifying decision, making suggestions. Goal-oriented cooperation.
12. Telephoning. Translation activities.
13. Winter semester test
14. Making notes for future reference, taking down messages.
15. Structuring an Academic Article
16. Writing an Abstract
17. Writing a Formal Letter. Completing forms and questionnaires.
18. Writing A Letter of Job Application
19. Writing Curriculum Vitae
20. Being interviewed
21. E-mail messages and chat language
22. Writing reports (e.g. laboratory protocols)
23. Information exchange on topics based on reality (popular scientific texts, technical texts, topical issues from students’ field of study)
24. Explanations and instructions on the most common faults in technical equipment and tools.
25. Skills related to work with texts: using monolingual dictionaries, deducing the meaning of unknown words from the context.
26. Semester test. Course Evaluation Questionnaire.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

Development of professional speaking and listening skills.
Development of specific writing skills (characteristic features of written communications, curriculum vitae, job application, abstract etc.).
Czech-English translations: recurrent errors of language.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Not applicable.

Type of course unit

Language exercise

26 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

PhDr. Ludmila Neuwirthová, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1.Needs Analysis Questionnaire. Writing a formal letter.
2.Speaking about family background, qualifications, other special skills and hobbies.
3.Writing C.V. Agreement and disagreement in practice.
4.Presenting C.V. Translation activities. Listening: locating objects.
5.To make contact and exchange information over the phone. Numbers-practice.
6.Practice of single parts, phrases and expressions used in a letter of application.
7.Distribution of newspaper job advertisements and writing a letter of job application. Translation activities. Expressing a request.
8.Holding social conversations with business contacts; interests and routines. Translation activities.
9.Arranging and re-arranging a schedule.
10.Following instructions. At the Airport. Translation activities.
11.Seminar skills:indicating non-comprehension, asking for clarification, questioning, disagreeing.
12.Taking part in a meeting: solving a problem, recommending an action, justifying decisions, making suggestions.
13.Semester test
14.Making notes; using notes to write a report. Punctuation marks.
15.Getting to know the workplace; different kinds of companies; company organization. Contrasting ideas-practice.
16.Participating in interviews. Areas interviewers focus on: past, future, worth, personality. Useful phrases and expressions.
17.Participating in interviews. Advice before attending an interview; difficult questions at an interview; extracts from two interviews-assessment. Words that join ideas-practice.
18.Effective presentations: presenting background information. Review of time expressions and tenses.
19.Effective presentations: preparing and giving an introduction; introducing yourself and your talk.
20.Effective presentations: key words and phrases for linking ideas; giving a presentation on a subject of student's choice.
21.Showing how to design and use visual aids. Describing graphs, charts and trends.
22.Effective presentations: the language of ending it. Preparing and giving the ending of a presentation on a subject of student's choice.
23.Activating and sharing students' knowledge on an abstract. Exploiting various semi-technical abstracts.
24.Reading a journal article; writing an abstract for it.
25.Planning and editing a report.
26.Semester test. Course evaluation student questionnaire.

VUT

Faculties

University Institutes

Parts

Professional English for Electr. Engineering and Comp. Science.

Type of course unit