Academic English Modules for Graduates

Course Goals

• Produce academic essays using appropriate rhetorical patterns
• Apply a process approach, which includes pre-writing planning, multiple drafts and revisions

Course Objectives:

• Use pre-writing strategies to plan writing
• Give critical peer-feedback 
• Improve writing through the process of drafting, feedback and editing
• Use knowledge of overall and internal organizations of the four to five paragraph essay to write a variety of four to five paragraph essays to include a reaction essay and either a cause/effect or problem/solution essay
• Expand quantity and accuracy of academic vocabulary 
• Increase knowledge of English morphology: roots, suffixes and prefixes
• Improve accuracy and complexity of sentence structure and grammar in academic writing
• Increase proficiency in formatting and punctuating typewritten texts
• Develop research skills to identify and incorporate relevant resources for academic texts using APA style sheet
• Increase awareness of a variety of online writing resources related to writing style, academic vocabulary, collocations and grammar to assist in essay writing 

Student Learning Outcomes

• Write a well-focused thesis 
• Write effective, appropriate introduction and conclusion paragraphs
• Write well-developed body paragraphs with logical development, cohesion and unity around a central idea                                                
• Write a variety of effective sentences types that contain appropriate cohesive devices, connectors and transition words
• Demonstrate ability to write using correct grammar structure
• Use a wide range of academic words correctly and appropriately  
• Use proper punctuation and formatting of typewritten texts
• Identify relevant outside source material and integrate it appropriately in writing
• Create a reference page using the APA style guidelines
• Correct errors in language use and mechanics

Course Goals

• Improve ability to comprehend academic tests
• Expand academic vocabulary
• Increase reading speed and accuracy

Course Objectives

• Vary reading strategy depending on purpose
• Develop metacognitive awareness of reading skills and strategies
• Comprehend, analyze, and evaluate academic journal articles 
• Participate in discussions based on student-chosen academic articles
• Prepare and lead a discussion based on a self-chosen article related to field of study
• Use computer-assisted language learning software to improve reading speed and accuracy

Student Learning Outcomes

Given an academic article students will be able to:

• Identify organizational patterns of academic texts
• Identify the writer’s thesis, point of view, audience, purpose or tone
• Make and identify inferences
• Identify main ideas, major details, and minor details
• Interpret a variety of diagrammatic information                                                       
• Use contextual clues and/or knowledge of word forms, roots, and affixes to infer meanings of unfamiliar words
• Summarize, paraphrase, and outline academic articles effectively

Given an opportunity to lead a discussion, students will be able to:

• Choose an appropriate academic article for reading and discussion
• Create appropriate instructional materials/worksheet to be used for class discussion           
• Demonstrate ability to lead and moderate a class discussion based on a self-chosen academic article

Course Goals

• Comprehend academic lectures
• Participate in graduate-level class discussions
• Develop academic research skills
• Improve academic presentation skills 

Course Objectives

• Identify listening and speaking skills and strategies
• Develop metacognitive awareness of listening and speaking skills and strategies
• Comprehend, analyze, and evaluate academic videos and lectures
• Participate in discussions based on student-chosen academic videos and lectures
• Prepare and lead a discussion based on a self-chosen academic video or lecture
• Practice extensive listening for entertainment and academic purposes
• Listen to and take notes on a variety of academic videos and lectures
• Record summaries of videos and lectures, using an outline 
• Improve pronunciation, fluency, and grammatical accuracy of speech
• Give various class presentations
• Give an effective oral presentation on an academic/professional, field-related topic

Student Learning Outcomes   

Given an academic lecture, students will be able to:

• Take clear and adequate notes while listening to academic material
• Identify discourse markers and organizational signals in academic lectures
• Identify the writer’s thesis or purpose 
• Identify the writer’s tone
• Make and identify inferences about the video or lecture
• Identify main ideas, major details and minor details
• Record an appropriate summary of a video or lecture including reference to speaker, main ideas and major details 

Given an opportunity to participate in a discussion, students will be able to:

• Participate in class discussions by using appropriate discourse functions 

Given an opportunity to lead a discussion, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate ability to lead and moderate a class discussion
• Create appropriate instructional materials to be used for a class discussion
• Demonstrate appropriate pronunciation 
• Use correct grammar
• Speak with appropriate fluency

Given a topic to research and present in class, students will be able to:

• Give an effective academic oral presentation in class 
• Design an effective presentation using classroom technology 
• Use effective presentation skills
• Demonstrate appropriate pronunciation 
• Use correct grammar