Scientific Communication Skills

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 2. Zero hunger
• 5. Gender equality
• 7. Affordable and clean energy
• 13. Climate action
• 14. Life below water

Objectives

This course introduces you to the scientific and academic language and skills that you need to study specific subjects in English in the area of biosciences during your degree.

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

• Improve reading, speaking, writing and listening in a scientific context.
• Build up knowledge of scientific language.
• Demonstrate learner autonomy by maximising use of resources and producing quality work.
• Enhance your awareness of other cultures and countries.
• Analyse and reflect on the relationship between science and technology, gender, culture and society.

Learning outcomes

This course has 8 learning outcomes (RAs):

• RA1. Shows understanding and analyses specialised academic texts looking for general and specific information.
• RA2. Shows understanding of everyday conversations and the general idea of scientific discourse.
• RA3. Gains competence in writing more effectively and precisely for science.
• RA4. Participates with a certain confidence and coherence in conversations in class or in small groups.
• RA5. Prepares and gives a scientific presentation.
• RA6. Identifies scientific vocabulary and grammatical rules, and applies them to some extent in context.
• RA7. Participates appropriately in a group with personal initiative and harmony within the team.
• RA8. Performs self-assessment and peer-assessment critically and responsibly.

Competencies

General skills

• Endeavour to combine independence and personal initiative with teamwork in multidisciplinary activities.

Specific skills

• Have oral and written skills in English for communicating results, conclusions and processes deriving from research in the field of biology.

Basic skills

• Students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists.
• Students have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of independent learning.
• Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) in order to make judgements that include reflection on relevant social, scientific and ethical issues.

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.
• Interact in international and worldwide contexts to identify needs and and new contexts for knowledge transfer to current and emerging fields of professional development, with the ability to adapt to and independently manage professional and research processes.
• 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:

• Speaking (presentations, discussions and debates)
• Listening (everyday and technical conversations, monologues set in a professional context)
• Writing (essays, technical reports and emails)
• Reading (short technical documents and articles)
• Language points (grammar and technical terminology)
• Project work (COIL - Collaborative Online International Learning)
• Reflect on social, cultural, economic and gender diversity in the field of science and technology

Evaluation

Course assessment is as follows:

Tests

• Test 1 (20%): Writing, grammar and vocabulary, listening; RA2, RA3, RA6
• Test 2 (20%): Writing, grammar and vocabulary, listening; RA2, RA3, RA6
• Test 3 (10%): Speaking; RA2, RA4, RA7
• Test 4 (15%): Reading comprehension; RA1

Continuous assessment

• Speaking (15%): Presentation, discussion, debate; RA2, RA4, RA5, RA7, RA8

Assignments

• COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) project (15%): RA1,RA2, RA4, RA7, RA8

Attendance

• Class participation (5%): RA7, RA8

General assessment criteria

• Possession of mobile phones or digital devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) during an examination will result in a zero for the exam.
• Absence or non submission within the established deadlines for assessed activities will result in a zero for that activity. This mark will be taken into account when calculating the final course grade.
• Final course grades will be obtained by summing the averages of the different assessed activities.
• If an assessed activity may be retaken, reassessment will be carried out in the final weeks of the semester.
• You cannot retake more than 50% of the course. If you do not retake an assessed activity, the initial grade will be kept. If an activity cannot be retaken, no minimum grade is required to calculate the final course grade.
• You will obtain a final assessment of "No presentat" if you have not participated in any assessed activities.
• Absence from assessed activities in class results in: 25% penalisation of individual/group mark for a justified absence; 50% penalisation of the individual/group mark for an unjustified absence.

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, 2 hours in a subgroup and 2 hours with the whole group. You also have 90 hours of autonomous self-study for reading class material, preparing for assessed activities and taking part in COIL project.

Bibliography

Key references

• Mann, Malcolm & Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination B2: Grammar and Vocabulary with Answer Key. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/40792840/Destination_B2_Grammar_and_Vocabulary_with_Answer_key
• Murphy, Raymond (2019). English Grammar in Use: A self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students with anwers. Retrieved from https://can-ada.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/english-grammar-in-use-intermediate.pdf

Further reading

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