Academic Language, Culture and Communication

Module Identifier
IC03340
Module Title
Academic Language, Culture and Communication
Academic Year
2027/2028
Semester
Semester 2
Co-ordinator
Mr Peter Schofield
Reading List
View on Aspire
Pre-Requisite

IELTS 5.5 with no lower score than 5.0 in any one language skill area
Co-Requisite
IC00110 or IC00210
Other Staff
Ms Maggie Day

Assessment

Assessment Type

Assessment details

Proportion
Semester Assessment End of Module Exam: 2 Hours 40%
Semester Assessment Progress Tests: Grammar and Vocabulary 30%
Semester Assessment Portfolio: A self study portfolio that includes the academic research project. The portfolio is constructed over the semester and then presented in week 12 30%
Supplementary Assessment Portfolio: 30%
Supplementary Assessment End of Module Exam: 2 Hours 70%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

  1. Use more advanced structures and vocabulary to talk and write about familiar everyday topics and perform essential functions (such as making enquiries) with confidence
  2. Express and comprehend opinions about more abstract cultural topics such as films, books, music etc
  3. Develop confidence in understanding academic conventions in the UK through attending lectures & workshops
  4. Practice skills related to preparing for academic study (seminar discussions, prereading, etc)
  5. Discuss and compare UK study and work cultural norms
  6. Identify formal and informal register in a range of reading texts
  7. Understand everyday speech, monologues/dialogues giving descriptions and expressing opinions
  8. Understand formal and informal everyday English and their differences when listening to conversations

Brief description

Due to the nature of each IFC cohort of students, the IFC course will need to be flexible and responsive to students’ needs. It is a student-centred syllabus. The outline below is indicative of the skills that this module will cover

Aims

1. To develop and strengthen students’ language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking (skills development) and communicative competence in an academic context- i.e. preparing for and attending a lecture, meeting to discuss the contents of the lecture in a seminar group.
2. To develop and strengthen students’ grammar and vocabulary skills and knowledge (language input) at the b2 level
3. To develop and strengthen students’ awareness of UK work and study cultural norms
4. To give practice in the independent learner study skills required to function effectively in a higher education learning environment

Content

Due to the nature of each IFC cohort of students, the IFC course will need to be flexible and responsive to students’ needs. It is a student-centred syllabus. The outline below is indicative of the skills that this module will cover.

Week 1,2,3,4 Course Introduction

Integrated skills development at CEFR B1-2 level
Grammar focus at CEFR B2 level
Culture topics including: Welsh culture, literature, politics, art, sport and technology issues etc
Academic subjects: attending lectures/seminars. Recording seminar discussions

Week 5,6,7,8
Integrated skills development at CEFR B1-2 level
Grammar focus at CEFR B2 level
Culture topics including: Welsh culture, literature, politics, art, , sport and technology issues etc
Academic subjects: attending lectures/seminars. Recording seminar discussions.


Week 9, 10,11,12
Integrated skills development at CEFR B1-2 level
Grammar focus at CEFR B2 level
Culture topics including: Welsh culture, literature, politics, art, , sport and technology issues etc
Exam preparation/revision assessments (week 11-12)


Week 13,14,15 Module feedback & individual tutorial support
Review and recap on language culture and communication skills & strategies covered in this module
Individual student targets to identified & discussed for development in Block 2

Module skills

Skills type

Skills details
Communication This module develops communication and literacy skills through presentations and vocabulary extension activities
Improving own Learning and Performance This module incorporates targeted individual learning tutorials to encourage students to assess and analyze their own learning and performance.
Information Technology The multimedia language laboratory will develop students’ ability to use listening & pronunciation software to improve their language skills. It will provide an engaging and interactive learning environment. Students will also be encouraged to search the web for sources of information and use presentation software for the presentations.
Problem solving Developing language sub skills involves problem solving to find and record the key information required to comprehend texts
Research skills This module will involve students actively and independently researching topics for presentations
Subject Specific Skills Academic English study skills- both preparing for and attending lectures and seminars
Team work This module involves students working in pairs and teams to develop their listening and presentation skills

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 3