IL1PCAIN: Communicating Academic Ideas

Module code: IL1PCAIN

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Miss Victoria Collins, email: v.collins@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE IL1PPATN (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module is a component of the Pre-sessional English programme (PSE) which is designed to support students who either do not meet the English language requirements for their chosen degree programme or who wish to gain a better understanding of the academic language and literacypractices for university study.  

The  module aims to help students develop their receptive and productive academic language skills (speaking and listening) for successful engagement with their university degree programme study.Alongside Processing Academic Texts (IL1PPATN), it prepares students for entry onto the next PSE module, Integrated Academic Language Skills 1. The final six weeks of the PSE consist of the exit modules, Integrated Academic Language Skills 4 (IL1PIALS4N) and Academic Practices and Genres (IL1PAPGPN/IL1PAPGUN ) which summatively assess students' readiness to start their degree programmes. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate critical awareness of development and progress, in skills and language by collecting, selecting and reflecting on an appropriate range of completed spoken work presented as a portfolio of learning. 
2. Draw on a range of grammatical structures and vocabulary to express simple and some complex ideas with reasonable fluency and accuracy in spoken language 
3. Present with some confidence information to an audience employing a variety of skills such as effective use of notes, organising and verbally signposting topics, using non-verbal communication to engage listeners, and appropriate pronunciation, stress and intonation. 
4. Demonstrate emerging confidence in developing discussions by conveying information clearly ( from spoken and written sources), expressing and seeking opinions, and responding appropriately to others. 

Module content

The module prepares students with the core language skills and softer skills required for academic success. Students study selected units of the key coursebook ‘Q Skills for Success: Listening & Speaking. Level 2’ and materials developed by ISLI.

Listening skills: predicting; listening for reasons and explanations; listening for specific information; recognising a speaker’s attitude

Note-taking skills: organising notes; using a simple outline; using symbols and abbreviations

Speaking skills: giving advice and making recommendations; expressing opinions; asking for and giving clarification; summarising; developing ideas in a group discussion.

Vocabulary skills: synonyms; word families (verbs, nouns and adjectives); using a dictionary; compound nouns (e.g. adjective + noun ‘software’ or noun + noun ‘driving licence’).

Grammar: modal verbs (e.g. can/could, may/might); auxiliary verbs in questions (e.g be, have and do), comparatives and superlatives, expressing the future, if clauses.

Students develop skills in selecting suitable information from written and spoken texts to incorporate into a spoken assignment at the end of each unit topic studied.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will take a task-based, contextualised approach to developing receptive and productive English language skills. Emphasis will be placed on speaking and listening, but these skills will be developed within a communicative approach integrating all four skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

The module consists of interactive classes, and guided independent study tasks. Guided Independent tasks are completed without a teacher. The tasks include preparation for the next class or a review of material taught.Formative learning through peer and self-assessment is an integral element of this module. 

The schedule of this module follows that of Pre-sessional English C  programme which does not follow the standard university semesters. Most of the teaching takes place in semester 2. 

Study hours

At least 51 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

There is no assessment on this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

There is no assessment on this module.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

There is no summative assessment in this module. A portfolio of speaking and writing work i.e. artefacts, will be used to develop students' productive academic language skills and to provide feedback on their progress. 

Reassessment

Additional costs