Study Guide

Objective

You adopt communication and social interaction skills to cope with various situations and formalities. You are able to work with people with different cultural backgrounds. You are able to use learning strategies efficiently. You learn to use language aids, dictionaries, and other sources in English studies. You are able to work in verbal communication situations at work and tell about your background, skills, strengths, education, and profession. You learn to communicate appropriately using the right style, to write emails and other working-life messages. You can create a formal text, a CV, and an application letter, and familiarise yourself with the communication in job interviews. You are able to read and summarise texts in your own field using dictionaries and other reference aids. You can give a formal presentation on a media topic.

Content

Communication in social contacts related to media studies and work. Learning strategies, language aids, reading techniques, written communication (email, CV, application) and oral communication (talking about yourself, your education, and profession, interviews, small talk, phone situations, expressing opinions, socialising), formality levels, basics of media English and academic English, and the basics in professional terminology.
Applying for work in English: job interview demonstration (simulation), CV, Job Application, and the basics of pitching). A prepared presentation on a media topic (Ethics in media), and a short essay.

Location and time

Tikkarinne campus

Materials

Moodle

Teaching methods

Contact lessons: active participation and interaction are required. Languages: Finnish and English.
Required skills level minimum B1. Assessment on level B2 (CEFR).

The objectives:
You adopt communication and social interaction skills to cope with various situations in English in your working life and your media studies.
You are able to work in verbal communication situations in media studies and your media profession and tell about your education and profession in a job interview. You learn to communicate appropriately using the right style, present your work, write emails, and persuade others. You will familiarise yourself with writing work-related messages and narrative essays or academic essays. You create a CV and an application letter, and familiarise yourself with recruiting and interviewing. You are able to follow and discuss English-speaking media. You can summarise texts and understand the basics of briefing and reporting. You can use dictionaries and other reference aids. You are aware of the basics of how cultural differences affect communication and are able to work in intercultural settings. You are able to use learning and communication strategies efficiently. You learn to use language aids, dictionaries, and other language tools in your studies.

The methods:
Spoken and written assignments as well as active participation and interactive
communication in English during the lessons.
Contact teaching, independent study, and teamwork.
Participation in the contact lessons and on the Moodle course platform. A job interview demonstration and a
prepared spoken presentation /briefing integrated with a photography or digital environments course. Possible vocabulary tests.

Media texts, language learning strategies, reading techniques and discussion strategies, information retrieval, dictionaries, the basics of written business communication (email, CV, Application), styles and formality, spoken verbal communication (talking about yourself, education, and your profession at a job interview, conducting small talk, telephoning, expressing opinions, networking), pitching, marketing, and slogans on English, writing narrative essays, basics of academic language, analysing the features of newspaper and magazine writing, and storytelling. A prepared spoken presentation integrated with a photography course or digital working environments course.

Peer assessment and self-assessment in spoken and written assignments.
Grading: skills level B2 (CEFR)

Exam schedules

The time of the possible exams will be announced during the course.

Completion alternatives

Accreditation of prior learning should be agreed with the teacher and demonstrated by speaking and writing. See the course description first. Provide the evidence of prior learning. The required level of skill is C1.

Student workload

54 hours of student work altogether.
20-22 contact lessons (including interview demos and spoken presentations)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

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)

The access level to the course is B1 (CEFR). The student's skill level is tested before the start of first-year studies. If the skills are insufficient, the student is recommended to take the revision course English Refresher (3cr), too. In Karelia UAS, you can also take a lower-level review course Boost Your English Skills.

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.

Assessment criteria, fail (0)

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 assignmen

Qualifications

Required skills level in English: B1 (according to CEFR)
The skills level is tested at the beginning of studies during the first study year. If the skills are not sufficient, the student can take a review course to support studies in English.
Course assessment: 0-5 in writing and speaking at skills level B2

Further information

Competences: Internationality and Multiculturalism, Professional Media Competence, Learning to Learn, Operating in a Workplace, Ethics, Business Competence