1. Home
2. School of Foreign Languages

ENG211 ACADEMIC ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS

Course Objectives

SPEAKING:

• Building speaking confidence
• Adjusting language to spoken discourse
• Using appropriate transitions and signposts Integrating literature research into a presentation
• Expressing and supporting opinions Preparing & using audio-visual aids
• Delivering a speech/presentation
• Presenting information in an organized way
• Asking and answering questions
• Giving an oral synthesis
• Reacting to an idea
• Taking part in discussions and debates
• Using correct pronunciation, stress and intonation

READING:

• Reading for the main idea
• Reading for specific information
• Making inferences & interpretations
• Reading between the lines
• Identifying different opinions
• Evaluating different viewpoints
• Making connections between ideas
• Reading extensively to gather data
• Expanding vocabulary & activating passive vocabulary

LISTENING:                                                              

• Listening between the lines
• Listening for specific information
• Listening for the main idea
• Note taking

WRITING:

• Synthesizing
• Paraphrasing
• Summarizing
• Reflective writing

Course Content

The course aims at developing oral presentation skills. To this end, students are engaged in classroom discussions following advanced reading texts on a variety of topics. In the course students study effective presentation techniques, do extensive reading and carry out research to give presentations of different functions with mature content and topical vocabulary.

Course Learning Outcomes

English 211 is designed to enhance students’ competence and willingness to express themselves orally in an organized manner in academic contexts. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Prepare and deliver a presentation effectively in formal academic situations individually or as a team

• organize a presentation into introduction, body and conclusion
• make use of effective supporting techniques to enhance the content in presentations and in class discussions/debates
• use appropriate transitions and signposts to connect the parts of a presentation
• sort through & prioritize information collected from outside sources during literature research
• use appropriate vocal and physical delivery to present the ideas in a presentation effectively
• prepare effective audio-visual aids for presentations
• make effective use of audio-visual aids during the presentation
• present as a team in a coherent and consistent manner
• use appropriate transitions and signposts to achieve coherence among team members during presentations
• make effective use of topical vocabulary  during presentations
• shows awareness of the differences between spoken and written discourse

Express themselves in spoken language with a reasonable degree of fluency and intelligibility appropriate to academic and professional contexts.

• use correct, appropriate language structures, vocabulary and discourse markers in presentations and class discussions/debates
• adjust language used in presentations and discussions/debates to spoken discourse
• use correct pronunciation , stress and intonation
• use appropriate functional genre and register
• ask and answer questions effectively
• support their opinions effectively through the use of their own opinions and outside sources
• react to an idea effectively
• make use of appropriate expressions for agreeing, disagreeing, interrupting, questioning during class discussions and debates.
• refer to the ideas in outside sources to support their ideas during class debates and discussions
• paraphrase, summarize and synthesize information both in written and oral contexts
• express the relationship between ideas presented in written and oral contexts

Build confidence in speaking in English

• set realistic goals in connection with ultimate speaking competence
• act on the feedback provided by instructors to improve their speaking
• demonstrates willingness to initiate and participate in discussions
• uses practice strategies to control speech anxiety and nervousness

Use critical thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information in English

• analyze, synthesize and evaluate information in English
• identify different viewpoints in written and oral contexts
• evaluate different viewpoints to identify the relationship between them
• evaluate a presentation in terms of effectiveness  based on content, organization, delivery, design and delivery of visual aids

Conduct research and make effective use of  sources to support their ideas in academic contexts

• practice identifying reliable sources relevant to their topics and ideas
• evaluate the reliability of sources during data gathering and organizing process
• make effective use of sources to support their ideas during class debates/ discussions and presentations
• acknowledge sources following the conventions of oral citation
• integrate literature research smoothly to support the content of the presentation