2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ELU3014 Language for Science and Engineering

Module manager: Natasha Rust
Email: n.rust@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 Jun to 31 Jul View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module is an English language content-based pre-sessional designed to support students who either do not meet the English language requirements for their chosen post-graduate programme or who wish to gain a better understanding of the academic language and literacy practices in their area of study.This programme will help students develop the language skills, knowledge and understanding required for postgraduate study in the field of Science and Engineering. Students will study subject specific content to help them develop their language competence and ability to communicate at an appropriate academic level within their chosen field of study.The first 4 week module focuses on more general Science and Engineering related language and skills, then in the following 6 week module there will be further opportunity to focus on academic content within your chosen discipline based around academic content.

Objectives

This introductory module provides students with the opportunity to:

1. Begin to develop their language skills in order to meet the language requirements of their future academic programme;
2. Begin to display linguistic and literacy skills to a level that will enable them to communicate competently within their discipline specific academic context at post-graduate level;
3. Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the culture, context and discourse of academic study in the field of science, technology, engineering and maths;
4. Develop as autonomous, reflective learners, with a cultural awareness and understanding of ethical academic practices.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this introductory module, students should:

1. Be improving their ability to use and manipulate written and spoken academic language to suit a clear communicative purpose, including having a wide lexical resource, a range of appropriate structures and the ability to use these coherently, accurately and fluently [MO1];
2. Have begun to develop an awareness of subject specific genre, discourse and rhetorical function; making appropriate choices in relation to audience and purpose at whole text, paragraph and sentence level [MO2];
3. Have begun to develop an ability to follow subject specific academic conventions in both spoken and written tasks, such as referencing, citations, synthesising sources and their own argument, meeting task requirements, turn taking and building collaborative understanding [MO3];
4. Be developing a critical approach to their own work and the work of others through use of a range of sources, counter-argument and/ or evaluation; development of an argument with a clear position [MO3];
5. Have begun to critically reflect on their own learning and demonstrate awareness of resources and techniques they could employ to continue their own development [MO4];
6. Have begun to develop an ability to communicate an awareness of the cultural and ethical issues of academic study within the fields of science, technology, mathematics and engineering [MO4].

Syllabus

The first 4 weeks focus on key language, skills and academic themes within the field of Science and Engineering. In the next 6 weeks students will explore their particular subject in more detail, focusing on the language and skills that they will need for their postgraduate programme. Each unit will be based around academic content. Students work on understanding this content and the language used, alongside that of core texts, through a series of language classes and seminars. They have the chance to work both individually and with others. The assessment will be based around an individual piece of work, involving some element of independent research.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	8	2.00	16.00
Seminars	15	2.00	30.00
Tutorials	4	0.20	1.00
Class tests, exams and assessment	1	2.00	2.00
Group learning	6	1.00	6.00
Independent online learning hours			9.00
Private study hours			76.00
Total Contact hours			55.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			140.00

Private study

This is a full-time course. On average students will have 16 hours of tuition per week, however, this may vary each week. You will also be expected to do up to an additional 19 hours or more of independent study each week.

Independent online learning:
Discipline-specific academic content & language research
Preparation for group work

Private study:
Vocabulary and language development
Study skills development
Preparation for assessments and/or participation in class/group activities

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Opportunities for feedback will be provided through:

- Checking, and formative feedback of, students weekly performance on tasks, presentations and seminar participation

- Checking, assessing and giving feedback on students’ progress with weekly written tasks.
- In class informal observation by teachers on students use of language and level of engagement.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 29/04/2024 16:13:38

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