Interactive economic Dutch - Higher intermediate level

Teacher(s)

Barroo Sarah; Bosmans Hilde; De Rycke Katrien (coordinator); Sterkendries Nele; Verhaert Marianne (coordinator);

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

The previous intermediate teaching unit of LNEER1332 of Bac 2 or equivalent level.

Main themes

This teaching unit treats subjects about themes that are related to the study programme and the future professional needs of the student.
e.g. Business communication techniques : meeting, negotiation, debate, telephone conversation, memorandum, the professional presentation, job appplication.
Subjects about economics, marketing and PR, general management, personnel management, training, logistics, finances, trade.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Reading Comprehension read and understand in a detailed way rather lengthy and complicated business texts and  articles  that are related to the study area. understand all types of business correspondence (if needed with the help of a dictionary)   Level C1- of  « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages »
2	Individual listening comprehension : follow and understand in a detailed way most of the news broadcasts and business related radio and television broadcasts. understand discussions, debates, negotiations and business meetings concerning business topics. follow and understand in a detailed way a presentation or conference related to the study area. Interactive  listening comprehension: understand in a detailed way what is said and meant in a normal conversation in the Standard Language. Level B2 of « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages »
3	Individual speaking skills: hold a clearly structured professional presentation or description including the important details concerning topics related to the area of study. Interactive speaking skills: spontaneously communicate orally with a decent degree of grammatical correctness express detailed ideas and points of view and reacting to the interventions of the other speakers. Level B2 of « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages »
4	Writing skills: write a memorandum (summary of information gathered from an audio or videofragment) give factual information and express his personal point of view. Level B2- of « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages »
5	Code : At the end of this teaching unit the student should be able to master the specific vocabulary used in the business world as well as the grammatical correctness in communicating. The use of the language code is treated in respect to the communicative ability of an upper intermediate level without ignoring the need for a certain degree of correctness. Level B2 of « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages »
6	Culture: At the end of this teaching unit the student is , in the development of all the above mentioned skills, acquainted with the knowledge and appreciation of the Flemish and Dutch culture, and he is able to appreciate the values transmitted by this culture.through various areas (social, political, economical, commercial) Level B2 of « The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ».

Content

This teaching unit  focuses mainly on oral production.
It deals with themes related to the area of study. Video and audio fragments and texts are used to illustrated the themes. Each theme will be followed by discussions or role plays giving the student the possibility to use the newly acquired vocabulary and structures.
Business communication techniques (meetings, negotiations, debates, business communication on the phone and presentations) will be part of the exercises. Students will give presentations about economical subjects (text)  and an enterprise in Flandres.
They will also write memorandums on economical subjects with personal comments which will be corrected by the teacher.

Teaching methods

• Lessons in groups of max. 20 students.
• Note attesting to the "hours of presence
  If circumstances (in terms of health or the possibilities offered to us by the university authorities) permit, "face-to-face hours" consist of live teaching in a room allocated by the ILV. If "live teaching" is not possible, we will switch to digital lessons through Teams where the presence of students is required.
• Workload 
  Classroom hours : 60 h
  Self-study (including e-learning): 90 h    
• Extension of business and economical vocabulary.  In all cases the vocabulary is presented in contex by means of topical listening documents.
  Additional exercises will have to be done at home (e-learning on the Moodle platform)
• Training and development of listening skills through authentique documents focussing mainly on economical and commercial themes, by means of classroom teaching. Additional exercises will have to be done at home (e-learning on the Moodle platform)
• Training and development of speaking skills in professional contexts e.g. the debate, the negotiation, the business meeting, the presentation, the job interview etc.) by means of classroom teaching . 
  Additional exercises will have to be done at home (e-learning on the Moodle platform).

Evaluation methods

If conditions (sanitary or other) permit...
Permanent evaluation:    

1. Business vocabulary (texts and videos treated in class),the thematic vocabulary of the syllabus) 25 %
2. Writing business memorandums (15 %)
3. Presentation Q1: texts of the syllabus (10 %)
   Presentation Q2: Flemish company (20 %) - interview with a Flemish manager
4. In the week before the Easter holidays, test of the business communication techniques: business meeting, debate, negotiation, etc. (15 %)
5. Oral test at the end of Q2 (15%)

If students don't take one or more parts of the evaluation (without a justified reason such as a medical attest), they will be given an "unjustified absence", even if they have taken all the other parts of the evaluation.
If the student has not attended the course and therefore not passed the different parts of the continuous assessment, he/she will have to retake all parts in August. Both presentations (text and company) will be done individually.
The teaching unit of LNEER 1532 is divided in three parts.

1. Part 1 consists of the vocabulary of the first and second semester as well as the memorandum based on a video fragment.
2. Part 2 consists of business communication techniques, the presentation of a text and the presentation of a company.
3. Part 3 consists of the oral test in which the student shows he has thoroughly integrated the business vocabulary as well as the content treated in the course.

In case this grading mark for Q 1 is insufficient (below 10/20) the student has to resit this part in June (he has to resit the entire vocabulary of Q 1 + in case of a note below 10 for the memo, he writes a new memo).
If the student does not resit this part in June, he will lose its benefits and will receive a grading mark for this part of 0/20.
All subdivisions of Part 1 and 2 (= permanent evaluation) for which the students have succeeded, will not be represented during the exam session of september.
Attendance at the course is compulsory. If the teacher deems it useful, he/she may ask the jury to prohibit a student who has not followed the learning activities regularly to register for the course examination (RGEE - art. 72).
If due to sanitary measures, the permanent evaluations cannot take place and if we have the possibility to organise a face-to-face written exam, we will opt for this possibility and will organise a face-to-face written exam on vocabulary and memo.
The oral examination would be maintained as a supplement to assess the students' oral communicative skills, on TEAMS if it cannot be organised on campus.

Other information

Hilde Bosmans: hilde.bosmans@uclouvain.be
Sarah Barroo: sarah.barroo@uclouvain.be
Katrien De Rycke (co-coordinator): katrien.derycke@uclouvain.be
Marianne Verhaert (co-coordinator): marianne.verhaert@uclouvain.be

Online resources

http://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/login/index.php

Bibliography

• Syllabus LNEER1532  + Plate-forme Moodle
• Les documents audio et vidéo authentiques ayant trait à l'actualité.

Teaching materials

• Syllabus LNEER1532

Faculty or entity

ILV