|
Bangladesh Agricultural University | |
| Department of Languages |
Certificate in Communicative English
AN ADVANCED COURSE ON COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH
SYLLABUS
Course
Overview
Description
This face-to-face,
classroom-based course spans 12 weeks with two sessions per week and is designed
for participants at the Intermediate to Advanced level (CEFR B1–C1). It aims to
develop professional fluency and communicative competence in English for
university-level educators, officers, and students. Through interactive
instruction and practice, participants will engage in advanced academic
speaking, writing, listening, and reading tasks situated within higher
education contexts. The course emphasizes effective classroom communication,
research dissemination, interpersonal interaction, and linguistic
clarity—aligning instruction with global academic and professional
communication practices.
Learning
Objectives and Learner Outcomes
The main objective of
this course is to acquaint and develop professional and communicative
competence in the English Language for educators, officers and students at the
University level. At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
· Communicate
effectively in academic lectures, meetings, and research forums;
· Write
professional documents with clarity, coherence, and appropriate tone;
· Apply
communicative strategies for cross-cultural and interdisciplinary contexts;
· Enhance
pronunciation and discourse features relevant for classroom delivery;
· Conduct
Critical readings and responses to academic texts within their disciplines.
Course
Module & Content
|
No. |
Module |
Content
Overview |
|
1 |
Course Orientation & Needs
Survey |
Introduction to course goals;
orientation to communicative competence; initial diagnostic (speaking and
writing); participant expectations and goal-mapping journal |
|
2 |
Communicative English in Academia |
Academic register and tone;
audience sensitivity; formal vs informal classroom language;
cross-disciplinary communication norms; interactive scenarios and
self-checklists |
|
3 |
Academic Speaking I: Lecturing
Skills |
Discourse markers, transitions,
and signposting; effective speech structure (opening–body–conclusion);
clarity vs detail balance in lectures; mini-presentation tasks |
|
4 |
Academic Speaking II: Handling
Questions |
Active listening cues; hedging and
softening techniques; turn-taking and managing interruptions; role-playing
real-time Q&A in class or seminar settings |
|
5 |
Professional Writing I: Email
& Memo |
Components of professional emails;
tone and politeness strategies; structure of academic memos; editing for
clarity and conciseness; peer critique |
|
6 |
Professional Writing II: Abstract
& Proposal |
Features of abstracts vs
proposals; discipline-specific genres; clarity in research goals and
outcomes; workshop on revising real abstracts (possibly participant-generated) |
|
7 |
Listening & Responding |
Academic listening strategies
(signpost detection, gist vs detail); responding with paraphrasing and
clarification; listening to faculty speeches, panels, or webinars |
|
8 |
Pronunciation & Oral Fluency |
Stress, intonation, and pausing
for intelligibility; rhythm patterns in extended speech; fluency drills using
voice recordings and playback reflection |
|
9 |
Interpersonal Academic
Communication |
Managing feedback conversations;
disagreeing politely; meeting language (agenda-setting, chairing,
summarizing); case-based dialogue analysis |
|
10 |
Critical Reading Skills |
Skimming, scanning, and inference;
identifying thesis, evidence, assumptions; reading across
cultures/disciplines; constructing response essays and article reviews |
|
11 |
Capstone Preparation |
Integrating course skills into an
academic simulation; planning group tasks (e.g., departmental briefing or
mock seminar); draft review and rehearsal checklist |
|
12 |
Capstone Simulation & Feedback |
Live delivery of simulated communication
event; peer and instructor evaluation; final reflective journaling on
personal growth and future communicative goals |
Course Structure (Weekly)
|
Week |
Module |
Key
Focus |
Core
Activities |
|
1 |
Course Orientation & Needs
Survey |
Baseline diagnostic; goal-setting |
Placement speaking task, survey,
discussion |
|
2 |
Communicative English in Academia |
Register, tone, audience awareness |
Mini-seminar, scenario discussions |
|
3 |
Academic Speaking I: Lecturing
Skills |
Structuring input, using
transitions |
Lecture delivery simulation, peer
feedback |
|
4 |
Academic Speaking II: Handling
Questions |
Interactive strategies, hedging,
turn-taking |
Q&A rounds, classroom
discourse games |
|
5 |
Professional Writing I: Email
& Memo |
Clarity, tone, structure |
Formal writing lab, critique workshop |
|
6 |
Professional Writing II: Abstract
& Proposal |
Genre-specific writing |
Real-world abstract revision task |
|
7 |
Listening & Responding |
Seminar discussion, synthesis
listening |
Audio-based notetaking drills,
talkbacks |
|
8 |
Pronunciation & Oral Fluency |
Intonation, pausing, emphasis |
Voice practice, mirroring,
articulation |
|
9 |
Interpersonal Academic
Communication |
Feedback, disagreement, chairing
meetings |
Role-plays, disagreement softening
drills |
|
10 |
Critical Reading Skills |
Argument structure, evidence tracking |
Article annotation, paired
discussions |
|
11 |
Capstone Preparation |
Group simulation task design |
Team project planning,
presentation rehearsal |
|
12 |
Capstone Simulation & Feedback |
Communicative showcase |
Mock seminar, individual
reflection |
Assessment and Certification
|
Task |
Weight |
|
Class Activities &
Participation |
20% |
|
Writing Portfolio (2–3 documents) |
20% |
|
Speaking Assignments (e.g.,
lecture, voice task) |
20% |
|
Capstone Communication Simulation |
30% |
|
Final Reflection & Progress
Journal |
10% |
Certificate of Completion awarded for ≥60% achievement.
Classroom Conduct & Language Etiquette
· 1. Engage actively and support peers through
constructive feedback;
2. Respect diverse linguistic and cultural
backgrounds;
3. Maintain professionalism in both speech
and written communication;
4. Acknowledge sources and avoid plagiarism;
5. Attend all sessions and complete in-class
tasks diligently.