Contact details

LSP580 Course responsible:

Course Examiner and coordinator: Anthony Norman, normana@chalmers.se (currently on sick leave)

Primary TIELL teacher: Carina Sjöberg-Hawke carsjobe@chalmers.se

Primary TIDAL teacher: Kathy Strong Hansen strong@chalmers.se

Content and Organization

Content
This English course comprises a review of English grammar as well as oral and written proficiency practice. A process-oriented approach to writing, report-writing and oral presentation skills is an important aspect of the course. This course consists of a series of workshops with emphasis on the writing process, strategies for effective oral and written communication, text analysis and peer response, and preparation for the examination.

Organization
The course is organized into seminars, workshops, and lectures. Issues dealt with in the lecture series include the communication process, strategies for effective communication in speech and in writing, and a focus on report writing.

Aim and Learning Outcomes

Aim
The aim of the course is to enhance students' ability to communicate effectively in English, in speech as well as in writing, to enable students to use English for academic writing and oral presentations during their studies, and to prepare students for a professional career, which will most likely demand very good communication skills.

Learning Outcomes
After completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Write and structure a text in a logical and coherent manner.
• Plan and deliver an academic oral presentation.
• Critically read and assess technical content and use appropriate referencing in written work.
• Give and receive constructive feedback throughout the project.
• Use a process-oriented approach to writing as a strategy for improving communicative competency in English.
• Use strategies to improve language proficiency in English.

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

Course literature

Course literature includes EngOnline (Links to an external site.) (a web-based grammar tool), this course information document, and various material provided in class and/or via the course website. 

The Chalmers Writing Guide is an excellent resource.

The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) has one of the most comprehensive and long-running writing guides in existence.

Examination

This course consists of 4.5 credits consisting of 1.5 credits examination (tentamen) and 3 credits ‘exercise’ (övning). For a more detailed breakdown, see further down the page for specific TIDAL and TIELL information.

Changes from previous year

In reaction to Corona, last year there were many changes, especially pertaining to the practicalities of teaching. We learned plenty from our first run 'online' and have made the following changes, which pertain to both TIDAL and TIELL:

• More face-to-face time has been ensured to help students keep a more regular schedule.
• Some of the online material which replaced some face-to-face lectures in 2020 will still be available, typically as preparation for a session or as a resource.
• Changes to the Canvas page, including navigation aids and color-coding to delineate the 2 programs represented in this class, have been made to enhance students' experience with this platform. 
• Modifications to the oral presentation criteria reflect the recorded nature of the task.

The following changes relate specifically to TIDAL or TIELL (i.e. the following information is program-specific):

TIDAL

• Information about how LSP580 supports the work done in LET627 can be found here (only accessible to TIDAL students).

TIELL

• Sequencing of deadlines and feedback from both LET086 and LSP580 have been adjusted this year to better communicate the process and improve the feedback and revision process.
• The initial written assignment has been changed from a general topic introduction to a project planning report to help make the content more relevant and to aid the project and writing process.

TIDAL examination description

TIDAL assignments

TIELL examination description

TIELL assignments