English for biomedical students

Teacher(s)

Gibbs Nicholas; Serbest Nevin (coordinator);

Language

English

Prerequisites

The students  should have followed the  LANGL1850  course or a course of a similar level.

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

The course is divided into units (one per week).  Each unit focuses on current topics.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of the course, students are expected to have reached a B2 upper level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) in the 3 following skills: reading, writing and speaking.

Content

The course is divided into 2 parts:

1. oral (2 credits) and
2. written (1 credit).

Students should have acquired the following skills :
FOR THE ORAL PART
Speaking skills :

• be able to give a detailed presentation on a scientific topic linked to their domain.
• be able to go through an interview for a job linked to their domain.
• be able to take part in/chair a meeting on a topic, either general or linked to their domain
• be able to hold a telephone conversation in everyday English.

Writing skills :

• be able to write a letter of application for a job linked to their domain.

FOR THE WRITTEN PART
Reading Comprehension:

• be able to understand complex scientific texts.

Writing skills :

• be able to write a scientific paper

The level to be reached is the B2 level of the Council of Europe.

Teaching methods

The course is based on an introduction designed to improve and stimulate oral skills as well as on exercises testing the reading comprehension of scientific texts.
As far as speaking skills are concerned, techniques are taught by means of audiovisual materials pinpointing the main mistakes to avoid. In addition, students are given detailed feedback on their presentations in class. A complete range of exercises and input on writing skills is provided. The various stages of a scientific text are examined and practiced, with the eventual aim of submitting a complete scientific paper.

Evaluation methods

For the oral part (2 credits):

• Interactif exam (in week 12 and 13) (25%)
• Individual exam (in week 12 and 13) (25%)
• Continuous assessment includind an oral presentation in class (50% of the global mark) 3 unjustified absences will automatically lead to the loss of the entire continuous assessment.

For the written part (1 credit):
2 scientific papers submitted:

1. Introduction, Research Materials & Methods (25%)
2. Abstract, Introduction, Research Materials & Methods, Results and Discussion (50%)

Continuous Assessment (25%)
The final mark will be calculated as follows: 2/3 the oral part and 1/3 le written part. An absence (justified or not) at the exam will automatically lead to a final mark of absence (justified or not).
Second session: the continuou assessment will not be taken into account (for the oral and written part)

Other information

Online resources

Elearning tools on UCLouvain website, on Moodle UCL : course LANGL2454 English for biomedical students

Bibliography

• Syllabus du cours : «LANGL2454 English for biomedical students» (disponible à l'ILV)

Teaching materials

• Syllabus du cours : «LANGL2454 English for biomedical students» (disponible à l'ILV)
• A partir du portail UCL, sur MoodleUCL, le cours LANGL2454

Faculty or entity

ILV