Courses featured in this programme:

• Preparing for study: Academic culture, language and assessment

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  Preparing for study: Academic culture, language and assessment introduces the key concepts of the course including academic conventions and expectations, academic communities and self-evaluation.

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  Syllabus

  • Welcome to the English for Academic Studies programme
  • Academic acculturation for students studying in an English medium environment
  • Academic communities of practice – what they are, how they develop, and becoming a member of the academic community
  • Academic values – disinterestedness, freedom, academic integrity, ethical research practices, social responsibility
  • The currency of academia – knowledge, its conceptualisation, construction and transformation (across the disciplines) – contributions to knowledge
  • The autonomous self – self-evaluation and self assessment managing one’s own learning and setting one’s own goals for language learning and development
  • The work of academics in the different disciplines – how concepts of knowledge translate into different research methods
  • Academic assignments, academic assessments, assessment criteria – understanding the demands of postgraduate study and academics’ expectations of student work
  • Link to university’s own assessment tools, tests and exam practice resources

  Author: Dr Arthur McNeill 
  Director of the Center for Language Education and Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

  Reviewer: Jamie Rinder 
  Lecturer in Language and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

• Types of academic English: Differences and key features

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  Types of academic English: Differences and key features will help students understand how to learn to use the language of their academic community.

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  Syllabus

  Course comprised of four units: ‘Listening’, ‘Speaking’, ‘Reading’, ‘Writing’.

  Student learning outcomes
  Completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

  • Appreciate the challenges involved in adjusting to a new academic and social culture
  • Articulate the purposes, practices and values of the international academic community
  • Recognise the broad linguistic features of disciplinary differences
  • Recognise types of text
  • Understand the ways that they will be assessed

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Fiona Aish
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Jo Tomlinson
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Speaking unit: Sebastian Watkins 
  Programme Director of International Professional Development, University of Reading

  Co- Author – Speaking unit: Jonathan Smith
  Lecturer, University of Reading

  Author – Reading unit: Edward de Chazal
  Teacher, trainer, and author specialising in English for Academic Purposes

  Reviewer – Listening unit: Jayne Parry  
  English for Academic Purposes lecturer and the Pre-sessional English Course Tutor, University of Hertfordshire

  Reviewer – Speaking unit: Susie Cowley-Haselden
  Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Anneli Williams
  EFL Tutor, EAP Manager, University of Glasgow

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Dr Melinda Whong
  Executive Director of the Language Centre, University of Leeds

• Core academic language: Functions, meaning and grammar

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  Completing the Core academic language: Functions, meaning and grammar course will ensure students are getting the most out of their academic research and study. It will help them develop the skills and strategies necessary to develop and present knowledge in their academic studies.

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  Syllabus

  Course comprised of four units: ‘Listening’, ‘Speaking’, ‘Reading’, ‘Writing’.

  Student learning outcomes
  Completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

  • Establish what knowledge is in different disciplines
  • Establish what knowledge they have
  • Understand the language conventions used to transfer meaning/knowledge – how knowledge is communicated and contextualised
  • Select the appropriate language to effectively communicate my knowledge through different modes (graphs, pictures, prose, etc.)

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Fiona Aish
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Jo Tomlinson
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Speaking unit: Sebastian Watkins 
  Programme Director of International Professional Development, University of Reading

  Co- Author – Speaking unit: Jonathan Smith
  Lecturer, University of Reading

  Author – Reading unit: Edward de Chazal
  Teacher, trainer, and author specialising in English for Academic Purposes

  Reviewer – Listening unit: Jayne Parry  
  English for Academic Purposes lecturer and the Pre-sessional English Course Tutor, University of Hertfordshire

  Reviewer – Speaking unit: Susie Cowley-Haselden
  Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Anneli Williams
  EFL Tutor, EAP Manager, University of Glasgow

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Dr Melinda Whong
  Executive Director of the Language Centre, University of Leeds

• Academic identity: Position and voice

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  The Academic identity: Position and voice course will help students to get to grips with identity and voice in academic English – their own, those of the people around them, and within the texts that they encounter.

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  Syllabus

  Course comprised of four units: ‘Listening’, ‘Speaking’, ‘Reading’, ‘Writing’.

  Student learning outcomes
  Completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

  • Identify author voice in text
  • Begin to develop their academic identity and how to present it in language
  • Understand how language shapes identity
  • Understand how role affects language/comprehension
  • Respect and demonstrate academic integrity, identity and diversity
  • Interact and engage effectively with those around them

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Fiona Aish
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Jo Tomlinson
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Speaking unit: Sebastian Watkins 
  Programme Director of International Professional Development, University of Reading

  Co- Author – Speaking unit: Jonathan Smith
  Lecturer, University of Reading

  Author – Reading unit: Edward de Chazal
  Teacher, trainer, and author specialising in English for Academic Purposes

  Reviewer – Listening unit: Jayne Parry  
  English for Academic Purposes lecturer and the Pre-sessional English Course Tutor, University of Hertfordshire

  Reviewer – Speaking unit: Susie Cowley-Haselden
  Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Anneli Williams
  EFL Tutor, EAP Manager, University of Glasgow

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Dr Melinda Whong
  Executive Director of the Language Centre, University of Leeds

• Criticality: Evaluating and questioning

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  Criticality: Evaluating and questioning course will help students to understand the messages being communicated through academic English. Students will be guided through how to respond to opinion appropriately and critically in both speaking and writing.

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  Syllabus

  Course comprised of four units: ‘Listening’, ‘Speaking’, ‘Reading’, ‘Writing’.

  Student learning outcomes
  Completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

  • Evaluate and synthesise knowledge, message and sources of knowledge
  • Select appropriate/relevant material to use
  • Identify what is included and excluded in an argument
  • Incorporate ideas in forming an argument or response
  • Develop a disposition to academic enquiry

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Fiona Aish
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Jo Tomlinson
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Speaking unit: Sebastian Watkins 
  Programme Director of International Professional Development, University of Reading

  Co- Author – Speaking unit: Jonathan Smith
  Lecturer, University of Reading

  Author – Reading unit: Edward de Chazal
  Teacher, trainer, and author specialising in English for Academic Purposes

  Reviewer – Listening unit: Jayne Parry  
  English for Academic Purposes lecturer and the Pre-sessional English Course Tutor, University of Hertfordshire

  Reviewer – Speaking unit: Susie Cowley-Haselden
  Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Anneli Williams
  EFL Tutor, EAP Manager, University of Glasgow

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Dr Melinda Whong
  Executive Director of the Language Centre, University of Leeds

• Optimising your learning: Strategies and self-evaluation

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 3 hours 

  Completing the Optimising your learning: Strategies and self-evaluation course will help students to become confident and feel in control of their academic studies.

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  Syllabus

  Course comprised of four units: ‘Listening’, ‘Speaking’, ‘Reading’, ‘Writing’.

  Student learning outcomes
  Completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

  • Apply a range of strategies to deal with the challenges they may face
  • Navigate around the university with greater confidence
  • Plan, prioritise and organise their academic and social needs
  • Work with feedback and commit to action
  • Make effective use of language
  • Self-evaluate

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Fiona Aish
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Listening and Writing units : Jo Tomlinson
  Director, Target English

  Co-Author – Speaking unit: Sebastian Watkins 
  Programme Director of International Professional Development, University of Reading

  Co- Author – Speaking unit: Jonathan Smith
  Lecturer, University of Reading

  Author – Reading unit: Edward de Chazal
  Teacher, trainer, and author specialising in English for Academic Purposes

  Reviewer – Listening unit: Jayne Parry  
  English for Academic Purposes lecturer and the Pre-sessional English Course Tutor, University of Hertfordshire

  Reviewer – Speaking unit: Susie Cowley-Haselden
  Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Anneli Williams
  EFL Tutor, EAP Manager, University of Glasgow

  Reviewer – Reading unit: Dr Melinda Whong
  Executive Director of the Language Centre, University of Leeds

• Teaching English for Academic Studies

  Overview

  In Development- Publication July 2015
  Core activities: 5 hours 

  The Teaching English for Academic Studies course is a training course for teachers, which can be used as a stand-alone package, or alongside the delivery of 100 hours of student-facing courses.

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  Syllabus

  This course is aimed at those teaching the EAS programme, and will help teachers make the transition to blended or online learning. The course will introduce the materials then focus on how to teach online.

  • Introduction to the EAS programme
  • Understanding the role and purpose of being an EAP teacher; EAP competencies
  • Self-evaluation and self-assessment
  • Drawing on the BALEAP framework to develop competencies – plan for action (autonomy and critical thinking for EAP teachers)
  • Making the transition to online and blended learning in EAP
  • Teaching online – introduction and practical skills

  Author: Steve Kirk 
  Pre-Sessional course Director, English Language Centre, Durham University

  Reviewer: Magdalen Ward Goodbody 
  Director, Academic Skills Centre, University of Bath