This ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course is designed for adult learners at a tertiary level institution. The course has a threefold student-centered goal:

Goal 1.- to increase the knowledge of general English from an upper-intermediate level;

Goal 2.- to develop language skills -general and technical- in different formal communicative situations regarding professional meetings, research, written communication or any other professional and academic contexts;

Goal 3.- to become long life autonomous learners of English who can foresee and sort out linguistic difficulties successfully in a professional and an academic context.

The level of the course ranges between B2+ and C1 of general English. However, having a certificate is not a guarantee of success as the course is very specific in content and tasks. Students who feel that they have a weaker level can adapt if they work hard to catch up.

Competencies are based on the degree competence MEC5, which reads:

Students have developed those learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.

Upon completion of the course, students will have achieved or acquired:

1.- a better command of English (Goal 1)

2.- more fluent communication skills -oral and written (Goal 1);

3.- the ability to modulate language to different registers (Goal 2)

4.- confidence and skills to act as mediators in multilingual settings (Goal 2);

5.- a more pervading understanding of language which is useful to find adequate reference sources (Goal 3);

6.- the appropriate language awareness to excel their language skills beyond bare intelligibility as a professional engineer who needs to liaise with fellow workers both academically and personally. (Goal 3)

The course consists of three types of topics that take place in alternation.

PRONUNCIATION: FROM PHONEMES TO INTONATION

This block focuses on the sounds of the English language with a view to apply phonetic knowledge to both pronunciation and oral comprehension. The units consist of:

• the symbols of the English phonemes;

• vowels: long, short, diphthongs, the relevance of the schwa sound;

• consonants: voiced and unvoiced;

• speech and phonological processes:

o the pronunciation of -ed forms of regular verbs;

o elision of /d/ and /h/;

o the pronunciation of words ending with the s letter;

o connected speech processes: catenation and linking sounds;

o silent letters;

o merging sounds;

o other significant processes: strong and weak forms, stress in words, compound words and in sentences

ENGINEERING RELATED TOPIC UNITS

The backbone of the course is the set of topic units listed in our textbook (see the bibliography below). In each lesson we will focus on several engineering issues while nurturing our listening, reading, speaking or writing abilities.

We will also add extra reading activities and videos.

COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES

Complementary activities that arise from the class activities may include video watching, panel sessions, or students’ proposals.

Mater classes will focus on presenting material, completing the textbook, and proposing activities.

Seminars will be dedicated to planning for assignments, rehearsing presentations, drilling pronunciation activities, writing skills, and questions and answers. At times, we will use adaptive flipped classroom elements-some homework is required prior to the master or seminar classes.

Homework can be assigned as pre- or post master-class activities.

Active participation in the sessions is compulsory for continuous assessment.

Individual tasks alternate with team-work for both homework and evaluation activities.

Weaker students are welcome to ask for assistance and supporting material.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Multiple-Choice Test (%): 20
  • Individual works (%): 20
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 20
  • Exhibition of works, readings ... (%): 30
  • Active participation (%): 10

TThe evaluation system is based on continuous assessment by default.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT:

Students will have to hand in or do in class some assignments or tasks, a short test and deliver a presentation. They will be detailed information on eGela. The grade consists of:

Attendance and active participation: 10%

Test: 20%

Individual assignments: 20%

Team work assignments: 20%

Presentation: 30%



The assignments may be carried out as homework, in class, individually or in teams. With these, students do not sit the ordinary exam. However, passing all the assignments and requirements is compulsory in order for them to add up to the final grade.

Please bear in mind that active participation is compulsory and accounts for 10% of the global grade for students who attend all the classes.



Distinctions may be awarded to students who get a global mark ranging between 9.6 and 10 and have attended 100% of the class hours.



FINAL ASSESSMENT

Students who do not want to follow a continuous assessment have to opt out of it by forwarding their renounce in written form to their professor. If they do not do it, they may fail the ordinary call.

Please read the renounce regulations below.

Final assessment students have to study the contents and develop skills on their own and pass a one-off set of 5 exam papers. See the specifications in the following item.

RENOUNCEMENT

https://www.ehu.eus/eu/web/ekonomia-enpresa-fakultatea/azken-ebaluazioa-eta-deialdiari-uko-egitea

EXTRAORDINARY EXAM

The ordinary and extraordinary exams are a one-off comprehensive final exam, and are graded according to its own specifications.



The extraordinary exam is for students who:

• did not pass the continuous assessment; or

• did not pass/sit the ordinary final exam;



The exam is the same for all students and has the same pattern as the final exam, so it consists of 5 sections that must all be passed independently. Failing one section therefore means a FAILED mark in the subject.

The ordinary and the extraordinary exam focuses on the book in its entirety and the contents indicated in this guide.



Go to the bottom of the page to read the final/extraordinary exam details.

Students must use an ORIGINAL copy of the textbook -new or second hand:

Ibbotson, Mark. (2008). Cambridge English for Engineering. Cambridge.


Please note that photocopies or scanned versions of the textbook are not allowed in the class.
The professor may provide students with SUPPORTING MATERIAL, such as photocopies delivered in class, and files or links to resources shared on eGela. Please bear in mind that the material available from eGela is not a self-study course but supporting/complementary material for the classes.

Basic bibliography

Students must use an original copy of the textbook -new or second hand:



Ibbotson, Mark. (2008). Cambridge English for Engineering. Cambridge.

PAUL DUMMETT; Energy English for the Gas and Electricity Industries. Summertown Publishing, 2011 (recommended)



The professor may provide students with SUPPORTING MATERIAL, such as photocopies delivered in class and files or links to resources shared on eGela. Please bear in mind that the material available from eGela is not a course but complements to the topics discussed in class.

In-depth bibliography

PAUL DUMMETT. (2011). Energy English for the Gas and Electricity Industries. Summertown Publishing.
MARK POWELL. Presenting in English: how to give successful presentations. HEINLE CENGAGE learning, 2011
NICK BRIEGER. Technical English: vocabulary and grammar. Summertown publishing, 2002
GENEVIEVE WHITE. Writing. B2+ Upper intermediate. Collins, 2014
VIRGINIA EVANS. Successful writing. Upper-intermediate. Express Publishing
VIRGINIA EVANS. Successful writing. Proficiency. Express Publishing
JOHN MORLEY. University writing course. Express Publishing, 2007

Journals

Speak up magazine (for general English, written and aural)

Web addresses

youglish.com
wordreference.com