LV EN RU DE FR

Professional English

Course developers

Course abstract

The course is aimed at the acquisition of knowledge and skills in professional foreign language studies with the purpose of extending the students professional qualifications and improving the student’s communication skills with foreign students and specialists. The programme envisages the mastering of language skills in various forms and levels of
communication.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge: have acquired computer science terminology, use of abbreviations. Students have acquired terms in the following fields:
- university studies, social networking and information exchange, computer hardware, internet security, cyber-attacks (Test);
- web design, data storage, artificial intelligence, video games, programming (Final test).
Skills: 1) is able to use the foreign language to search for information and present results of independent work; 2) is able to translate and analyse technical and professional text; practical work, oral presentations, independent work.
Competence – informative, communicative, professional.
Students are able to use professional terminology and communicative skills: in writing (essay, translation, academic writing) and orally (participating in discussions, creating dialogues, giving a presentation) - practical work, independent work, oral presentations, team work.
Assessment takes place in each lesson, regularly checking the completed tasks.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. University studies, motivation, study levels and programs. Text analysis, discussion. Effective communication. 4h
2. Social networking and information exchange. Text analysis, discussion. Effective communication. Business Organization Forms. Design of a Linkedin profile. 4h
3. Computer hardware: terminology. Text translation. Business organization forms, reading tasks. Personality formation. 4h
4. Internet security. Descriptive game, developing grammar skills: forming questions. Elements of business communication. Business organization, division of responsibilities. Facts and stereotypes. 4h
5. Cyber-attacks. Cyber security. Academic Essay writing: analytical type. Employment, applying for a job, job interview. Internet resources, checking the reliability of news. 4h
6. Test (speaking, reading, terminology, listening). 4h
7. Web Design: glossary. Web Page evaluation: analysis, discussion in pairs, stating opinions. Corporate culture. Types and trends of trade. Creation and presentation of news material. 4 h
8. Data storage. Word building: grammar, forming collocations. Reading aloud: pronunciation, intonation. Corporate responsibility. Customer service. Effective communication in an international environment. 4h
9. Artificial Intelligence. Group discussion. Interviews. Academic language, writing, scientific journals, copyrights. The first meeting, the role of "Small talk". 4h
10. Humanoid Robots. Academic Essay writing: analytical type. Academic language, writing, scientific journals, copyrights. Active Listening. 4h
11. Video games. Presentations in pairs. Marketing. Presentation making principles, art of presentation. Theory and practice of intercultural communication (E.T. Hall). 4h
12. Programming: text analysis, terminology. Text translation. Latest business trends. Theory and practice of intercultural communication (R. Lewis; R.Breiger). 4h
13. Academic writing skills: describing a situation, a problem, a change academically. Bioeconomy. Theory and practice of intercultural communication (G.Hofstede). 4h
14. Individual work results' presentation and discussion. Onboarding to an international company. 4h
15. Individual work results' presentation and discussion. Cross-cultural misunderstandings. 4h
16. International business: politeness, intercultural communication skills. Assessment of cross-cultural competence. 4 h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Evaluation type: examination. It is made up of cumulative assessment.
The Final Test (examination) consists of:
• a terminology test,
• reading tasks,
• listening tasks,
• question for discussion.
A student is admitted to the examination if there are: successfully written tests, semester group work and individual tasks (home reading 10 A4 pages). The number of the missed classes shall not exceed 20% of the total number of auditorium classes.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Independent work and tasks:
• Individual independent tasks are an essay, translation and analysis of professional texts. The aim of the individual independent assignments is to develop students' skills in using a foreign language to search for information and to analyse professional texts, as well as to evaluate knowledge of terminology and abbreviations used in computer science, translation of technical and professional texts and academic plagiarism.
• Group work presentations are the result of team work. Depending on the task, presentations can be prepared in an auditorium or at home. The aim of group work presentations is to develop skills in using a foreign language for searching information, oral presentations, teamwork; to develop informative, communicative and professional competences, as well as to evaluate the knowledge of terminology used in computer science and of presentations making.
Home reading (10 A4 pages) is an independently selected professional text on a topic related to the field of study. Home reading analysis includes a brief presentation of the content, text analysis and answers to questions. The aim of home reading is to develop skills in using a foreign language for information search, professional text analysis and oral presentations as well as informational, communicative and professional competence; to evaluate knowledge of terminology used in computer science, presentation making, academic plagiarism.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Cumulative evaluation: tests (15%) + group work presentations (20%) + individual assignments (40%) + home reading analysis (5%) + exam (20%)
The assessment according to the 10-point scale.

Compulsory reading

1.Olejniczak M. English for Information Technology. Pearson Longman, 2011. 79 p. ISBN: 9781408269961
2.Hill D. English for Information Technology: Level 2. Pearson Education ESL, 2013. 80 p. ISBN: 9781408269909
3.Ricca-McCarthy T., Duckworth, M. English for Telecoms and Information Technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 95 p. ISBN: 9780194569590
4.Davies P.A. Oxford Bookworms Library Factfiles Stage 3: Information Technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. 72 p. ISBN: 9780194233927

Further reading

1.Dignen B. Communicating Across Cultures. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge Business Skills, 2011. 96 p. ISBN 978-0521-18198-3
2.Esteras S.R. Infotech: English for computer users. 4th Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 168 p. ISBN: 9780521702997
3.Esteras S.R., Fabre E.M. Professional English in Use: intermediate to advanced: ICT. For Computers and the Internet. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 118 p. ISBN: 9780521685436
4.Morrison T.& Conaway W.A. Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands. 2nd Edition. Adams Media USA 2002. 593 p. ISBN 978-1-59337-368-9
5.McNair A., Smallwood F.G.I. Language for Study: Level 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 186 p. ISBN 9781107681101

Periodicals and other sources

1.Downing D. et al. Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 2012. 592 p. ISBN: 9780764147555
2.How Stuff Works [Tiešsaiste] [Skatīts 26.01.2022.] Pieejams: http://www.howstuffworks.com/
3.English for Information Technology [Tiešsaiste] [Skatīts 26.01.2022.] Pieejams: http://www.english4it.com/

Notes

The course is included in the compulsory part of the study program "Information Technologies for Sustainable Development".