UCL - Seminar of professional integration: Dutch

[NEER2501]

[30h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): An Neven

Language: NL

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

Reading comprehension: B2 level of the CEFR
- Students can read with great autonomy and adapt their reading mode and speed to different types of texts and aims, by using reference books in a proper and selective way
- Students have built up a wide range of (reading) vocabulary although some difficulties may occur with unusual expressions
- Students can read a meeting report, a memorandum, a job advertisement

Listening comprehension: B2- level of the CEFR
- Students can understand the main ideas of complex interventions on a concrete or abstract subject in standard dialect. They can also understand technical discussions related to their field of study.
- Students can understand most of the newspapers and television programmes.
- In a conversation, students can understand in detail what is said in standard dialect, even in a noisy environment.

Speaking skills : B2- level of the CEFR
- Students can develop a clear, prepared presentation and explicit arguments for or a against a particular point of view
- Students can answer a series of questions linked to their presentation with a certain ease and spontaneity so as not to cause any tension with the audience.
- Students can actively take part in a conversation in a professional situation. They can present and defend their opinions during a meeting, a debate or on the telephone.

Writing skills : B1 level of the CEFR
- Students can write a simple text on general topics.
- Students can write personal notes and letters to ask or transmit information of immediate interest and make the points which they consider important, understood.

Code :
Expansion of basic vocabulary (2000 basic words) and reinforcement of specific Dutch grammatical structures. As far as speaking skills are concerned, the course focuses more on communicative skills than on correction.

Culture
For all the skills aforementioned: introduction to Flemish and Dutch culture. The capacity to appreciate the values transmitted by this culture is developed through different fields (social, political, economical).

Main themes

The course is structured around different themes related primarily to the professional world in which the student is meant to function in the future. Current affairs will also be discussed through the reading of newspaper articles.

Content and teaching methods

This course aims at helping students to prepare their entry on the job market, by training skills such as participating in a meeting, telephone conversation, e-mail writing, debating, The aim is also to allow the student to know the professional world better, through the reading of newspaper articles, conferences, films, video sequences, company simulation exercises All skills will be trained (listening, reading, speaking and writing) although the focus will be on developing speaking skills in a professional environment. Students are required to deliver a talk on one of the communication techniques related to professional life. During this presentation, they are asked to create interaction with the public. The communication techniques themselves will be systematically trained in class. All these activities require some preparation work to be done by the students who are also themselves responsible for perfecting their linguistic knowledge (vocabulary study, revision of grammatical points,). This course can logically be followed by the NEER 2600 course of upper-intermediate level.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisites:
Students should have a good receptive knowledge of the basic grammar and vocabulary and have reached a LOWER B1 level (reading, listening and speaking) of the " Common European Framework of reference for Languages " (CEFR).

Assessment
- Continuous assessment (class participation, daily work, oral presentation in group, participation in outside activities, reports of these activities, reading file, )
- Written test: writing task and thematic vocabulary
- Oral test in pairs: simulation of a real professional communication situation
- Individual oral test: discussion of one of the presentations attended in class

Course material:
Moodle e-learning platform (thematic vocabulary, revision exercises, texts)
Documentation file on communication techniques to be used by students for their presentations

Training staff:
Classes in groups of maximum 20 students.
The teacher is available during his/her office hours and can be contacted by telephone or e-mail.
Guidance is also available at the self-tuition centre (CAA) and the multimedia room (SMM) of the ILV.

Work load:
30 teaching hours
+ 90 hours of autonomous work