ILMALDB: Effective Communication: Language Skills for Digital Business

Module code: ILMALDB

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Dr Anna Ziomek , email: a.k.ziomek@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module is primarily designed for students whose first language is not English and who are studying on Masters programmes in Digital Business with the Henley Business School. It focuses on developing key language and communication skills necessary for digital business by exploring both verbal and written forms of communication. It supports students’ disciplinary studies and employability skills by exploring written and spoken genres such as case studies, reports, reflective accounts and oral presentations. 

The module is non-credit-bearing and designed to support students studying their academic discipline, the expectation being that students will apply the skills they have learnt on ILMALDB in their credit-bearing work. Therefore, for the module itself there is no assessment. 

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Effectively communicate in a multicultural academic and professional environment, overcoming language barriers and adapting communication approaches when necessary. 
2. Apply communication strategies to formal and informal written and spoken communication forms such as emails, reports, meetings and seminar discussions. 
3. Apply knowledge of written and spoken genres in Digital Business (e.g. case studies, financial report, presentations).  

Module content

Classes will focus on: 

• Developing self-confidence in academic communication through guided tasks, team work, presentations and discussions  
• Developing skills such as expressing opinions, persuading, clarifying and contributing effectively to discussions 
• Exploring the core types of business writing: emails, reports etc. 
• Building discipline-specific vocabulary knowledge for Digital Business. 
• Developing grammar for academic and professional communication, including verb tense and form, nominalisation, clause and sentence structure  
• Recognising the key written and spoken genre(s) in Digital Business such as the reflective account, the case studies, the presentation or sections of these (i.e. the executive summary) 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module takes an interactive, discipline-specific, genre-based approach to communication, language and literacy development using example verbal and written forms of communication and published Digital Business specific sources in classroom tasks. Teaching and learning is facilitated in a generally task-based approach, through a combination of reflective and productive activities, guided analysis of texts and peer and tutor feedback.  

Interactive tasks are regularly included and are appropriately scaffolded to build students’ confidence in participating in discussion. The in-person delivery of the module will be supported by digital tools in the classroom where appropriate (e.g. short interactive learning tasks and/or quizzes).  

Study hours

At least 32 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

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

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.

Reassessment

Additional costs