Multimedia Communication Skills

Objectives

Multimedia Communication Skills is a course that introduces you to the technical and academic language and skills that you need to study specific subjects in English in the area of multimedia during your degree.

The main aim of the course is to familiarise you with dealing with basic technical communication at university level. To do this you will:

• improve your reading, speaking, writing and listening skills in English in a technical context
• build up your knowledge of technical language in English
• demonstrate learner autonomy by maximising use of learning resources and producing quality work
• enhance your awareness of other cultures and countries

Learning outcomes

This course has 6 learning outcomes (RAs):

• RA1. Understands and analyses specialised academic texts looking for general and specific information.
• RA2. Understands everyday English use at university as well as general idea of technical discourse.
• RA3. Gains competence in writing more effectively and precisely.
• RA4. Participates with a certain confidence and coherence in discussions and debates in class or in small groups.
• RA5. Prepares and gives technical presentations.
• RA6. Understands technical vocabulary and grammatical rules and applies them to some extent in context.

Competencies

General skills

• Desire to take part in lifelong learning, innovate, create value and acquire new knowledge.

Specific skills

• Work in a multilingual, multidisciplinary environment, making oral presentations and writing reports in English in the field of engineering in general and in the multimedia sector in particular.

Basic skills

• Students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists.

Core skills

• Become the protagonist of one's own learning process in order to achieve personal and professional growth and acquire all-round training for living and learning in a context of respect for linguistic, social, cultural, gender and economic diversity.
• Use oral, written and audiovisual forms of communication, in one's own language and in foreign languages, with a high standard of use, form and content.

Content

The course contents includes:

1. Reading: technical articles
2. Listening: everyday English and technical monologues
3. Writing: opinion essay, for and against essay, report, proposal, motivational letter
4. Oral communication: class discussions, debates and authentic communication in class
5. Oral production: technical presentations
6. Technical vocabulary and grammar

Evaluation

Course assessment is a mixture of formative and summative assessment. The final mark of the subject (NF) is the weighted average of the marks of the following items.

Component 1. Theory & Skills

Test 1 (Writing, Grammar and Vocabulary, Listening) (20% of NF). May be retaken.

Test 2 (Writing, Grammar and Vocabulary, Listening) (25% of NF). May be retaken.

Test 3 (Speaking) (10% of NF)

Component 2. Practicals

Speaking (Presentation, Discussion, Debate) (15% of NF).

International Project - Introduction video, meeting video and final presentation. (15% of NF).

Class Participation (5% of NF)

Component 3. Reports & Exercises

Reading Comprehension (10% of NF)

* Absence from classwork results in the following: 25% penalisation of group mark for justified absence and 50% for unjustified absence.

The final course mark will be obtained from summing the average scores of the different assessed activities.

Other criteria

Attendance to practicals is compulsory.
Unjustified absence from three or more practical activities will lead to a Fail grade.
Justified absence from more than 50% of practicals will result in a mark of zero for the Practicals component.
In general, assessment is in person.
Students may retake activities, if applicable, in the reassessment period. 

Methodology

The methodology used includes communicative activities, authentic materials in English, individual work, group work and whole class participation. Class sessions require attendance and active participation in English to maximise learning outcomes (RAs). You have between 50-60 contact hours during the semester. Classes are 4 hours a week with 90 hours of autonomous self-study, reading course material and preparing for assessed activities.

Absence from assessed activities in class results in:

• 25% penalisation of the group mark for a justified absence
• 50% penalisation of the group mark for an unjustified absence

Bibliography

Bibliography

• Mann, Malcolm & Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination B2: Grammar & Vocabulary with Answer Key. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/40792840/Destination_B2_Grammar_and_Vocabulary_with_Answer_key

Reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.