Course Topics
- Writing skills: improvement of academic and scientific written skills through the practice and production of subject-specific texts; - Spoken skills: improvement of spoken interaction and production through the practice and production of academically and professionally acceptable presentations and other domain-specific speaking activities; - Development of receptive skills through the exposure to and analysis of various types of written and spoken discourse typical of undergraduate studies in Computer ScienceI

Teaching format
Teaching format is based on the seminar format which envisages teacher and student co-operation and participation in the classroom through individual, pair and group work. Any student who has specific learning needs that they feel may have an impact on their ability to benefit fully from this course will be offered individual support on request.

Educational objectives
D1.20 - Understand the basic principles of communication with customers, software development communities, or within even complex business environments. D2.22 - Knowing how to conduct bibliographic research and use databases and other sources of information. D2.24 - Ability to communicate professionally in written and spoken English, Italian and German with customers. D3.2 - Be able to work autonomously according to the own level of knowledge and understanding. D4.1 - Be able to use one of the three languages English, Italian and German, and be able to use technical terms and communication appropriately. D4.4 - Be able to structure and write technical documentation.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of advanced grammatical structures and subject-specific academic and professional lexis at the C1 level, understanding of authentic (general and subject-specific) longer spoken and written texts including specialised texts and other texts produced for various purposes and representing different varieties of English, as well as different registers and styles. Applying knowledge and understanding: Producing specific academic texts related to the field of research providing opinions and accounting for the views presented. Presenting clear descriptions, analysis and evaluation of specific fields, developing points and formulating opinions in written and oral texts which can be understood by both specialised and non-specialised audiences. Making judgments: Integrating knowledge and understanding acquired in the course with knowledge and understanding from other courses to achieve academic and professional purposes within the fields of the master design course followed.

Assessment
This is a pass/fail exam. Portfolio: a 500-word report on the student’s research for their degree thesis Oral exam: poster or formal presentation of the same topic that was the focus of the Portfolio and related Q&A session demonstrating an advanced command of both spoken production and interaction. The assessment criteria are the same for non-attending students.

Evaluation criteria
Portfolio 50% A 500-word research report showing a clear structure and ability to use a suitable and consistent referencing style Oral exam 50% Speaking tasks based on discipline-specific input to demonstrate an advanced (C1) command of both spoken production and interaction. The Portfolio must have been submitted according to the submission criteria in order to be admitted to the oral exam. Further details concerning the exam procedure will be provided during the course and online in the OLE for this course.

Required readings

All material will be made available on the University’s online learning environment (OLE).

Supplementary readings

Graff, Gerald & Cathy Birkenstein. 2006. They say, I say: the moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

 

Bailey, Stephen. 2015. Academic Writing: A handbook for International Students. London: Routledge.

 

Vince, M. 2003. Advanced Language Practice Oxford: Macmillan. or any other student’s grammar at the B2 level or above.

Further information
Subject Librarian: David Gebhardi, David.Gebhardi@unibz.it