Scientific and professional communication in English

lboe2113  2023-2024  Louvain-la-Neuve

Scientific and professional communication in English
3.00 credits
15.0 h
Q2
Language
French
Main themes
Training in scientific presentation skills, focusing on biology issues (taught by an English language teacher of the Institut des Langues Vivantes, UCL) and a public presentation in English of the state of progress of the student's master thesis.
Learning outcomes

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

1 After this module students should feel fairly confident when giving a scientific presentation in English, focusing mainly on the academic field of biology.
 
Content
The course consists of three parts:
 
1. Group sessions on effective oral presentation techniques in science: facts and figures (graphs, comparisons, likelihood etc.), visual aids, systematic pronunciation of recurrent terms in science and biology.
 
2. Students can rehearse their presentation individually with the help of the language teacher.
 
3. Final presentation at the end of term: public talk about the state of progress of the student's master thesis in presence of the thesis supervisor, followed by questions and discussion (in English).
Teaching methods
Students attend group sessions with the language teacher to learn the overall basics of scientific presentations. The students also have the ability to rehearse presentation individually with the help of the language teacher.
Evaluation methods
The assessment takes place in June and focuses on the quality of the talk and the ability to answer specific questions (in English).
As to the English language command, assessment will focus on the student's progress throughout the language sessions, with specific attention to the pronunciation of recurrent terms, overall fluency and the way the student actually applies the presentation techniques developed in class.
Online resources
Bibliography
English for Presentations at International Conferences. Adrian Wallwork, Springer, Second Edition, 2016
English for Academic Research: Grammar, Usage and Style. Adrian Wallwork, Springer, 2016
English for Academic Research: Vocabulary Exercises. Adrian Wallwork, Springer, 2016
Alley M., The Craft of Scientific Presentations: critical steps to succeed and critical errors to avoid. Springer, 2003
Powell M., Dynamic Presentations, Cambridge University Press, 2011
Powell M., Presenting in English How to Give Successful Presentations, Heinle Cengage Learning, 2011
Wallwork A., English for Presentations at International Conferences. – Springer, 2010
Харитонова О. В., Тервинская Ю. В. English for Effective Scientific Presentations, 2013
Teaching materials
  • LBOE2113 Scientific and Professional Communication in English
Faculty or entity


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Master [120] in Biology of Organisms and Ecology