Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Communication Skills IV: English Language 2
Teaching staff
Student support will be provided by email and by prior appointment for face‑to‑face tutorials.
email: chowes@uic.es
Introduction
In recent decades, English has become the lingua franca of academic communication and scientific dissemination, as well as a key tool for intercultural dialogue between peoples and cultures. At the same time, new Teacher Education degrees promote a plurilingual teacher profile, capable of using different languages in professional practice.efset+1
This course aims to activate and further develop students’ linguistic competence in English, fostering the use of B1+/B2 level (standard track) and C1+ level (bilingual track) in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and in accordance with the language requirements set by the Ministry of Education for Early Childhood Education degrees.
Pre-course requirements
Students must have completed and passed the English 1 course and have attained at least an A2/B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Objectives
- Consolidate and strengthen students’ level of English, working towards the B1+/B2 (standard track) and C1 (bilingual track) targets in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and increasing their confidence in using English orally and in writing.
- Strengthen students’ ability to communicate confidently in English about educational, current and cultural topics, in formal and informal contexts, both orally and in writing, in line with the programme competences for communication and critical thinking (CG‑03, CEM‑43, CEM‑44, CG‑07).
- Foster autonomous learning through regular practice, reflection and the use of digital tools (blog, podcasts, videos, Moodle) to develop linguistic and digital competence (CG‑01, CG‑08, CG‑09).
- Improve students’ academic and professional writing and speaking skills in English, with particular attention to clarity, coherence, appropriate register and the use of oral and written expression techniques that will be relevant in their future teaching practice (CEM‑44, CEM‑48, CEM‑52).
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CEM-43 - To foment speaking and writing skills.
- CEM-44 - To learn and master techniques of oral and written expression.
- CEM-48 - To manage language-learning situations in multilingual contexts.
- CEM-52 - To be able to foment initial contact with a foreign language.
- CG-01 - To integrate information and communication technologies in teaching and learning activities, teaching management and professional development.
- CG-03 - To be able to communicate in English at level B1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
- CG-07 - To be familiar with the elements that make up critical thinking, the different levels of proficiency and how to develop this skill as much as possible.
- CG-09 - To be familiar with the elements that make up creativity, the different levels of proficiency and how to develop this skill as much as possible.
Learning outcomes of the subject
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
-
Participate in debates and discussions on educational, technological, homework-related and media topics using generally appropriate vocabulary, grammar and interaction strategies.
– Associated competences: CG-03, CEM-43, CEM-44, CG-07. -
Describe and compare different educational scenarios (e.g. traditional versus future schools, human teaching and AI-supported teaching) in spoken and written English, providing reasons and examples.
– Associated competences: CG-03, CEM-43, CEM-44, CG-07. -
Summarise and comment on written and audiovisual texts on course topics, identifying main ideas and some relevant details.
– Associated competences: CEM-42, CEM-44, CG-02, CG-07. -
Write coherent blog posts and opinion texts that present a clear position on an issue, organise ideas logically and use language appropriate to the intended audience.
– Associated competences: CEM-43, CEM-44, CG-02, CG-03, CG-07. -
Design and produce multimodal digital content (blog entries, podcasts or videos) in English in collaboration with peers, integrating text, audio or visual elements to communicate a message effectively.
– Associated competences: CG-01, CG-03, CG-09, CEM-48, CEM-52, CEM-57, CET-3. -
Deliver short oral presentations on course topics, structuring ideas clearly, using signposting language and maintaining generally intelligible pronunciation and rhythm.
– Associated competences: CG-03, CEM-43, CEM-44, CEM-49, CET-3. -
Use with sufficient control the main grammatical structures covered in the course (future forms, conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs, reported speech, comparatives, linkers and relative clauses) to avoid serious breakdowns in communication.
– Associated competences: CG-03, CEM-44, CEM-48, CET-3. -
Apply thematic vocabulary related to education, homework, technology and audiovisual storytelling in comprehension and production tasks.
– Associated competences: CEM-42, CEM-43, CEM-57, CG-03, CG-07. -
Identify and correct frequent language errors, including selected false friends typical of Catalan- and Spanish-speaking learners of English.
– Associated competences: CEM-42, CEM-43, CEM-44, CG-08. -
Collaborate effectively in group tasks by planning, sharing roles, meeting deadlines and giving and receiving constructive feedback in English.
– Associated competences: CG-01, CG-09, CEM-20, CET-1, CET-5. -
Express and justify personal opinions on educational and media topics, acknowledging different viewpoints and supporting their stance with arguments and examples.
– Associated competences: CG-03, CG-07, CG-08, CEM-57.
Syllabus
During the academic year, students will work on current and relevant topics that foster critical thinking related to education, technology, homework and audiovisual storytelling, with the aim of enhancing communicative competence in English. Students will develop a group digital blog as the main thread of the course. All materials and resources will be organised and made available on Moodle.
Strand 1. Education and the future
– Future schools and classrooms in 2050: transformation of education, technology, sustainability and global citizenship.
– Robots in the classroom and artificial intelligence in education: possibilities, benefits, challenges and impact on the teacher’s role.
– Grammar focus: used to, future forms (will, going to, might, may, could, future continuous/perfect), conditionals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, mixed), comparatives and superlatives, passive voice, modal verbs, relative clauses.
– Vocabulary: education, innovation, personalised learning, digital competence, AI, virtual reality, hybrid classroom.
Strand 2. Learning and educational debate
– Homework unpacked: history, purposes, impact on learners and families, debates on overload and alternative approaches.
– Grammar focus: modal verbs for advice and necessity, conditionals for hypothesis and consequence, present and past perfect, comparatives and superlatives, reported speech, passive voice, selected false friends.
– Vocabulary: homework, workload, assessment, wellbeing, home-learning methodologies.
Strand 3. Media, storytelling and communication
– Popular series and films: genres, plots, characters, themes, cultural representations.
– Storytelling techniques, critical analysis of messages and audiovisual language.
– Grammar focus: expressing opinions and reasons, making comparisons, descriptive language, discourse markers, question forms.
– Vocabulary: genre, plot, protagonist/antagonist, season, episode, cliffhanger, spoiler, streaming platform, review, binge-watching.
Each strand culminates in a blog entry or digital project (written, video or podcast) which is presented and assessed for both content and language.files.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The methodology combines principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task‑Based Language Teaching (TBLT) to promote effective language acquisition in a large, mixed‑level group.
– Focus on meaningful communication: Learning is centred on interaction and real communication in English, prioritising language use in authentic contexts over rote memorisation of grammar and vocabulary lists.
– Learner‑centred approach: Students take an active role in pair and group activities (debates, role‑plays, simulations, project work) that foster negotiation of meaning, collaboration and increasing confidence in oral and written use of English.
– Authentic materials and tasks: Sessions make regular use of real‑world materials (articles, videos, series, blogs) and meaningful tasks (planning activities, conducting interviews, writing blog posts, recording podcasts or videos) linked to the course contents (education, technology, homework, media).
– Task‑based lesson structure: Instruction is organised around tasks with clear outcomes. Lessons typically follow three phases: pre‑task (activating language and ideas), task (performing the communicative activity) and post‑task (reflection, feedback and focus on form).assets.cambridge+1
– Teacher as facilitator: The teacher guides and supports students, providing language models, formative feedback and strategies for autonomous learning, while learners take primary responsibility for communication and discovery.
– Integration of skills: Activities are designed to develop all language skills (speaking, writing, listening and reading) in an integrated way, together with digital competence and critical thinking, in line with programme competences CG‑01, CG‑03, CG‑07 and CG‑09.teachertaskforce+1
– Emphasis on critical and reflective thinking: Tasks encourage students to analyse, synthesise and evaluate information on educational and media topics, and to reflect on their own learning, contributing to the development of critical and reflective thinking.
Main learning activities (fully face‑to‑face mode):
– Weekly face‑to‑face sessions focusing on communicative tasks (debates, role‑plays, presentations, guided comprehension and production activities).
– Group work for the digital blog project (designing, writing, revising and publishing posts; producing podcasts or videos).
– Contextualised grammar and vocabulary practice integrated into the course topics.
– Reading and viewing of authentic materials (articles, videos, clips from series) followed by discussion, summary and critical response tasks.
– Autonomous learning tasks via Moodle (additional materials, interactive activities, self‑assessment, forums).
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Assessment in this course is based on:
– Blog entries and digital projects (30%): these mainly assess learning outcomes related to writing coherent texts and using thematic vocabulary (R4, R8), designing and producing multimodal digital content collaboratively (R5, R10), the ability to identify and correct frequent errors (R9), and expressing and justifying personal opinions on educational and media topics (R11).
– Assessment of oral activities (20%): these mainly assess participation in debates and discussions (R1), describing and comparing educational scenarios (R2), summarising and commenting on audiovisual texts in class (R3), delivering oral presentations with clear structure and intelligible pronunciation (R6), and justifying opinions (R11).
– Final written exam (50%): this mainly assesses reading and listening comprehension of texts related to the course topics (R3), use of the grammatical structures covered (R7), application of thematic vocabulary (R8), and the ability to detect and correct frequent errors (R9).
Each assessment component is aligned with the course learning outcomes and programme competences, and must be passed separately in order to pass the course.
Please note the following points:
– Assessment in this course is face‑to‑face. Students who do not attend at least 80% of sessions cannot follow the planned continuous assessment system.
– Holding an official B2 or C1 certificate does not imply automatic recognition or exemption from the course.
– English will be used as the medium of instruction from the beginning. To maximise learning opportunities, students are expected to use English during class sessions.
– To pass the course, students must pass all assessed components separately. This rule applies to both the first and the second sitting. If a student fails in the first sitting, they only need to retake the components not passed.
– In addition to face‑to‑face sessions, the course involves approximately 120 hours of individual work; autonomous study is therefore essential to pass the course.
– Oral expression will be assessed mainly through classroom observation. Oral assessment is continuous and face‑to‑face, with emphasis on final progress; there is no specific oral exam at the end of the semester.
Key assessment rules
– To pass the course through continuous assessment, having an overall mark of 5 or higher is not enough.
– It is compulsory to complete all main assessed tasks, including all four blog entries and the scheduled oral activities.
– If a student fails to submit one or more blog entries, the course is considered not passed through continuous assessment, even if the numerical average is 5 or higher.
– In that case, the student must take the resit, in which the blog component will be replaced by a supervised in‑person essay within the resit exam.
In short:
– Average ≥ 5 + all blog entries submitted = course passed.
– Average ≥ 5 but missing blog entries = course failed, resit required with in‑person essay.
Resit conditions
Right to resit:
All students have the right to a resit examination in accordance with faculty regulations.
General conditions:
– The minimum overall mark in the first sitting must be higher than 3.5.
– Students must have attended at least 80% of face‑to‑face classes (except in duly justified cases according to faculty regulations).
Relationship between continuous assessment and resit:
– To pass via continuous assessment, students must have passed all assessed components separately and submitted all four blog entries.
– If these conditions are not met (for example, one or more blog entries are missing), the course is considered not passed in the first sitting, even if the numerical average is 5 or higher.
– In all cases where the course is not passed, students retain their right to a resit.
Type of resit:
– For students who have completed all blog entries and most coursework, the resit will consist of a written exam focused on the contents and learning outcomes not yet achieved.
– For students who have not completed the four blog entries or whose written work shows signs of plagiarism or misuse of AI, the resit will include a supervised in‑person essay within the resit exam in English on a course topic, which will replace the blog component in the final grade.
– The maximum resit mark will be 5, in line with current regulations.
Academic integrity, plagiarism and AI use
– Generative AI tools may be used only as limited support to check vocabulary, review grammar or generate ideas; they may not be used to write, in whole or in part, blog entries, essays or any other assessed task.
– Copying, paraphrasing or presenting as one’s own any text generated by AI or written by another person constitutes plagiarism and a breach of academic integrity.
– To verify authorship, written assignments may be compared with short in‑class writing samples produced during the semester. Significant discrepancies between in‑class writing and submitted work may lead to the affected component being replaced by the in‑person essay in the resit exam.
Bibliography and resources
All course materials (readings, videos, supplementary resources and task guidelines) will be available and organised on Moodle and in the class Google Drive, which will be updated regularly.
Students are responsible for checking these materials and bringing them prepared to each session.