Study Guide

Objective

You are able to
- take part in English discussions and persuade other people professionally in work-related situations
- communicate in customer service and in the purchasing process in business
- describe and present technical processes in English
- describe trends and graphs
- represent the company and its services and products at a trade fair in English
- take part in projects in spoken and written situations in English
- participate in a design process in English, in speaking and writing
- participate and communicate effectively in meetings in English

Content

- Features of formal writing and texts in mechanical engineering
- Academic and technical English
- Trade fair communication
- Technical process descriptions
- Giving professional spoken presentations
- Describing statistics and trends in engineering
- Business communication in the technical field
- Communicating in meetings
- Reporting in spoken and written situations
- Persuading the audience in English
- Customer service communication
- Project communication

Location and time

Wärtsilä campus

Materials

Moodle

Teaching methods

The student will practice professional English communication in an engineer's job, in speaking and writing. The student will deepen their knowledge and skills in engineering English. They will take part in English discussions and teamwork and learn how to persuade other people professionally, in everyday situations at the workplace. The student is also able to participate in a project or a design process in English, in speaking and writing. They will describe and present processes in English, learn how to represent their company and its services/products at a trade fair in English, and understand how to communicate in and about projects in spoken and written situations in English. The basics of meetings and brainstorming. Some engineering texts and academic vocabulary. Possible spoken amnd written exam/demonstration.

Exam schedules

Possible terminology tests during the course, eg in Moodle. Spoken and written demonstration of learning and skills in the form of assignments, as well as active participation and interaction. Written exam at the end.

Completion alternatives

Accreditation of prior learning, demonstration of skills, and field-specific knowledge. Skills level at least B2 in speaking and writing. Contact the lecturer and propose the methods of demonstration. Prepare to present your certificates and other evidence of your skills in the field-specific language (professional engineering English)

Student workload

Altogether 80 hours of student's work. Contact teaching 28-30h + independent work, assignments and feedback

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

Possible written and spoken exams, assignments/demonstrations, and course activity/performance
0-5 Written and spoken skills and learning (B2)
Grading scale: 0-5
Assessment skills level: B2 (Common European Frame of Reference, CEFR), in professional English (media)
Prerequisite studies: English for Mechanical Engineering 3cr

The performance is assessed in English writing and speaking, and the requirements are adapted to the professional English courses of the university of applied sciences.
Course assessment is based on written and spoken performance in assignments, classroom activity, online activity, and possible exams or smaller tests. Course activity and exams are also a part of the assessment criteria.

Grades overview:
5: The student can use skillful, fluent, and precise expressions on variable subjects, and he/she can communicate effectively in different kinds of professional situations, even complex ones. The student has understood the task extremely well. The student also succeeds in persuading others in English. The text/speech is very clear, logical, and versatile. The message is very cohesive, and the ideas are linked together fluently. The student can deliver the message in a natural and idiomatic way and the message is stylistically appropriate. The use of English is fluent, and the structures are very versatile. In addition, the vocabulary is extensive. The use of non-verbal communication is natural and appropriate. Moreover, it supports verbal language very well. The spoken communication is very interactive and natural. The student's speech, intonation, and pronunciation are fluent, clear, and precise. The tempo is natural and appropriate.

3-4: Discussing the subject is for the most part versatile, and the text/speech meets the requirements of the task in versatile professional situations in speaking and writing. The text/speech is clear and logical or fairly logical. The message is coherent for the most part, but there can be some minor lapses in it. The student has understood the appropriate style and can use it for the most part. There may still be some stylistic errors, but they are minor or not consistent. The language is fluent, clear, and mostly correct. Most of the structures the student uses are accurate, and he/she can use professional terminology to deliver the message. The basic grammar is correct. The more demanding and advanced structures and idiomatic expressions still cause some problems. The student has understood the instructions for the task. Speaking is clear, fluent, and skillful for the most part, and the speaker succeeds well in the communication. The speech is also cohesive, logical, and easy to follow. The speaker engages the audience, in both verbal and non-verbal language. There may still be some hesitation, pauses, and errors in pronunciation, but they are not consistent and they do not obstruct the message.

1-2:
Discussing a subject in different professional situations is rather limited and simple. The text or speech meets only some of the requirements of the task, and there is a lot to improve in the logical structure and fluency of the text/speech. The student has partially understood the task, but there are some aspects still missing. The student uses satisfactory language: it includes simple or basic structures. There are still mistakes in the basic grammar structures too. Some or several parts of the message can be misunderstood. The text is not very coherent or logical. The language includes a lot of simple expressions, which may also contain some errors. Speaking about professional topics is satisfactory, simple, slow, insecure, and on some matters even poor. Interaction in speaking is minimal, or partly lacking. The main message is still delivered. There is a lot of hesitation, the pauses in speech may be long, and the pronunciation may interfere with the delivery. The student may still understand the importance of small talk, and how to be polite in English.

0: (Fail) The student fails to do the given task. / The student fails to understand the task instructions entirely or misunderstands a major part of the task. / The message does not get through to the audience, it is very difficult to follow, and/or there are severe problems in delivering the message. / There are severe problems in delivery and using the language to communicate in the situation or understanding the messages of others. / The student has not understood the situation and his role in it. In a speech, the student fails to speak or consistently uses written language by reading a text out loud. / The student has copied a large part of his message from someone else’s text or speech. The student has not done his part of a teamwork assignment.

Further information

Skills level B2 (CEFR)