Undergraduate Course: English for Business Masters (EBM) (LLLG07143)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 0 |
ECTS Credits | 0 |
| Summary | EBM aims to transition students from the Summer Pre-sessional EGAP programme into a wide range of programmes within the Business School. The focus is on developing your academic language and literacy to such a level that it allows you to participate successfully in your chosen programme of study. |
| Course description |
1)Academic Description
EBM aims to develop and improve your confidence and academic language & literacy skills to a sufficient level to bridge the gap between your entry language level and that required to participate successfully in a range of Business School Masters Programmes. It further aims to raise your awareness of what you should expect on their programme and of what is expected of you by the Business School.
2) Outline Content
Reading: Reading skills focusing on business genres e.g. Business journal articles; case studies; reports and other relevant genres
Listening: following & responding to spoken business-related arguments, note-taking skills, responding critically to a lecture
Writing: genre awareness (essay and case study report), presenting and responding to counter-arguments, synthesising sources, citing & referencing sources; information flow & constructing paragraphs; interpreting data and writing data commentaries; reflective writing vs. critical writing.
Speaking: presenting & discussing arguments, participating actively in seminars, individual and group presentations, negotiations, delivering a business "pitch".
Live lectures (Business School): Input from specialists across key fields within the Business School (Finance, Marketing, Management)
General Business related vocabulary, covering such areas as: Marketing, Stock Market Analysis, Company Structures, Describing Facts and Figures.
You will deliver individual and group presentations on a range of topics. You will also take part in a final case-study related seminar discussion (and other seminar style discussion throughout the course). Other types of spoken interaction will include negotiation tasks and the delivery of a product or service "pitch".
Much of the above will involve preparation & practice for the end-of-summer pre-sessional assessments in all four skills.
3) Student Learning Experience
The course is a mix of self-study and classroom-based learning with intensive small group and whole class activities. You will also work in 'peer' groups as part of your self-study/ex-class work, preparing for classroom sessions with a teacher and participation in seminars & lectures. The course involves working with student peers, ELE teachers and Business School academics.
The course is expanding from 4 to 6 weeks, in line with other summer pre-sessional specialist courses. It is being redesigned to allow for greater focus on key skills & knowledge required for successful participation on a Business Masters programme.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students need to have a laptop or tablet computer in order to access course materials and online elements in class. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Reading-into-Writing
1400-word piece of source-based academic writing; choice of questions appropriate to students¿ disciplines. Students demonstrate their ability to combine reading and critically evaluating academic texts in their disciplines (ILO 1), with writing clearly and appropriately in genres common in their discipline, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to create their argument (ILO 2). Reading and Writing aspects of this integrated task will be assessed through discrete and equally weighted elements of the criteria, and separate scores for each skill will be reported.
Formative feedback loops including both reading and writing tasks are built into the writing process. Formative stages include a draft plan and a sample paragraph, and a reading task in which students use a CRAAP analysis (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) of source texts to evaluate potential sources for the assignment. Individual and group tutorials are scheduled for discussion of formative feedback.
Listening
A time-limited online test based on a recorded lecture in which students demonstrate their ability to understand and respond critically to academic lectures (ILO 3). The lecture recording is released online for a limited time, together with an editable test paper which students submit by a given deadline.
Speaking
Through delivery of a short (7-8 minute) individual live oral presentation to their class group, and responding to audience questions / participating in a follow-up Question-and-Answer session, students demonstrate their ability to use clear and appropriate English to deliver an effective presentation in their disciplinary field and participate effectively in academic discussion (ILO 4).
Students need to meet their degree programme English Language requirements in all four components and overall in order to progress. |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback (tutor and peer) will be given regularly throughout the course, including on
diagnostic writing tasks
draft writing assignment
individual and group presentations
small group seminar discussion
Students also receive general feed-forward comments on their performance on summative assessments of Reading and Writing.
Teaching staff receive training in appropriate formative feedback during induction and are monitored throughout the programme.
Marking of the summative assessments is carried out following standardisation exercises led by Course Organisers, and is moderated by Course Organisers in accordance with University of Edinburgh guidelines. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Read academic texts in such Business fields as Management and Finance, making critical use of genre knowledge and strategies appropriate to their purpose
- Write clearly and appropriately in genres common in their discipline. If required by the genre, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to create their argument.
- Understand and respond critically to academic lectures in their discipline
- Use clear and appropriate English to respond critically and contribute meaningfully to group discussions and deliver academic presentations in their Business fields
- Reflect on and make autonomous decisions regarding their learning.
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Reading List
All the materials used for delivery of the course are provided electronically, and there is no need for students to buy any books. We will also give you advice on useful online resources. However, you may find the following publications helpful as additional resources for your studies:
Bailey, S., 2020. Academic Writing for International Students of Business and Economics. Routledge.
Ellman, P., 2014. English Grammar For Economics And Business: For students & professors with English as a Foreign Language-eBooks and textbooks from bookboon. com. bookboon. Com.
Swales, J.M. and Feak, C.B., 2004. Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (Vol. 1). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry and lifelong learning; aspiration and personal development; outlook and engagement; research and enquiry; personal and intellectual autonomy; personal effectiveness; communication skills |
| Keywords | business english,academic language,academic literacy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Kenneth Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9424
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: |
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