What are you looking for?
This subject is entirely delivered in English
T1_That students know a third language, which will preferably be English, with an appropriate level orally and in writing and in accordance with the needs of graduates in each degree
Since most of the specialized technical literature students will come across is in English, this course aims to familiarize them with the typical structures, lexicon, and style of Technical English. Students will learn to interpret and translate technical texts related to their subject matters and to produce basic technical writings. They will also acquire basic writing skills in order to produce formal and informal letters, application letters, electronic mail, and specialized reports.
A strong focus will also be given to listening and speaking skills so that they may overcome everyday situations facilitating their integration into an English-speaking environment.
In general terms, the subject contributes to the learning outcomes (LO) specific to the subject matter it belongs to (English): At the end of the course, students must be able to:
Teaching Methodology
The classroom work will be based on a theoretical explanation of the syllabus items. These explanations will find practical support with the proposed exercises to be done both in the classroom and outside the classroom. These exercises will be done individually or in small groups.
Pieces of work, exercises, activities, assignments, etc., which form part of the evaluation will have to be delivered just after completing each one of the contents and never after having been returned to students once corrected by the lecturer.
The exercises and tasks leading to achieving oral skills will be done in the classroom in groups of two to four students.
Other tasks of autonomous learning will be made such as reading proposed articles and texts, deliverables, and exam preparation.
Content 1: Grammatical, syntactic, and lexical aspects of technical register in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and industrial organization
Related Activities:
Content 2: Technical register and technical translation. Reading comprehension of technical texts in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and industrial organization
Related Activities:
Content 3: Writing skills
Related Activities:
Content 4: Oral skills
Related Activities:
Aiming to gather evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes (LO), the following activities will be carried out:
Activity 1: Analysis of grammatical, syntactical, and lexical features of technical register in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and/or industrial organization (Content 1) (Evidence of Learning Outcomes LO1 and LO7). Individual activity.
Making different exercises on 's structures, participles in –ing and -ed, shortening of relative clauses, and complex noun phrases.
Regarding Competencies, this activity has an impact on general competence BG10 and on cross-curricular competence CT1
This is 20% of the final mark
Specific goals:
At the end of the activity, students must be able to:
Activity 2: Technical Register and technical translation. Reading comprehension of technical literature in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and/or industrial organization (Content 2) (Evidence of Learning Outcomes LO2, LO3, and LO7). Individual activity.
Turning non-technical register into technical register. A direct translation into Catalan or Spanish of technical passages previously selected from authentic technical literature (specialized magazines, books, technical magazines, Internet, …) Reading comprehension of technical passages and articles selected from bibliography sources in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and /or industrial organization. Critical reading of technical articles
Regarding Competencies, this activity has an impact on general competence BG10 and on cross-curricular competence CT1
This activity will be assessed in the final exam (30%).
Specific goals:
At the end of the activity, students must be able to:
Activity 3: Writing skills (content 3) (Evidence of Learning Outcomes LO4 and LO7). Individual activity
The student will practice writing texts and reports according to an academic style and will have to know the essential features to produce a summary or an abstract.
Taking the professional environment into account, the student will have to write formal letters to make orders, claims, and information requests, and will also have to produce formal electronic mails.
Regarding Competencies, this activity has an impact on general competence BG10 and on cross-curricular competence CT1
This is 20% of the final mark
Specific goals:
At the end of the activity, students must be able to:
Activity 4: Oral skills (content 4) Evidence of Learning Outcomes LO5, LO6, and LO7). Individual and Group Activity
Students will practice certain situations in the daily professional life of an engineer, such as testing information, making orders, and participating in discussions on specific topics.
They will work on the most important aspects of a good oral presentation on a topic related to their subject matter.
They will have to foster group discussion on the topics presented.
Regarding Competencies, this activity has an impact on general competence BG10 and on cross-curricular competence CT1
This is 30% of the final mark. This activity has to be passed in order to comply with the learning outcomes
Specific goals:
At the end of the activity, students must be able to:
Activity 5: Exam (Contents 1, 2, and 3) (Evidence of Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, and LO7) Individual activity
This is a written paper with exercises on the points studied in contents 1, 2, and 3 of the module with a strong emphasis on technical style, technical translation, and reading comprehension.
Regarding Competencies, this activity has an impact on cross-curricular competency CT1
30% of the final mark. A minimum mark of 4 (out of 10) is required in this activity
Specific goals:
At the end of the activity, students must be able to:
Assessment Methodology
Classroom exercises and homework exercises will be collected on all the items of the course and a written test will be done according to the following assessment criteria:
Students who FAIL or DO NOT deliver the Written Report assignment WILL NOT pass the subject.
If necessary, there will be a EXAM FAILURE of points 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the assessment (see above): 70% of the final mark. The remaining 30% corresponds to activity 4 above (Oral Skills). A minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) will be required in the resit exam to pass the subject.
Rules for Doing the Activities
If one of the activities, tests, or exercises is not delivered in due time by the student, it will be considered as not assessed.
The student will not be allowed to use notes, dossier, or dictionaries in the exam (s)
No piece of work, exercise, or assignment which is proven to have been copied from a classmate will be accepted, upon the risk that the author will directly fail the module.
VERY IMPORTANT:
Total or partial PLAGIARISM of any of the assignments will be automatically qualified as FAIL (0). And, if plagiarism is repeated, the module will be given a fail (0).
PLAGIARISM consists of copying text from unacknowledged sources, whether this is part of a sentence or a whole text, which is intended as the student's own text. It includes cutting and pasting from Internet sources, presented unmodified in the student's own text. PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS OFFENSE. Students must respect authors' intellectual property, always identifying the sources they may use. They must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.
Handouts, J. Garcia. 2021
Polytechnic Dictionary of Spanish and English Languages. F. Beigbeder Atienza. Diaz de Santos, SA
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
https://www.eenewsautomotive.com/
Technical Writing and Professional Communication for Nonnative Speakers of English, Huckin and Olsen. McGraw-Hill, 1991
Essential Grammar in Use. Murphy, R. Cambridge 2003
English for Science and Technology, Trimble, L. Cambridge 1985
The Essence of Technical Communication. Herbert L. Hirsch. IEEE Press. 2000
Test Your Professional English: Business: General. Flinders, Steve, and Steve Flinders. Harlow, Essex, Eng: Pearson Education, 2002. Print.
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
Electrical and Computer Engineering Dictionary (English / Spanish-Spanish / English). Steven M. Kaplan, 2000. Wiley Intescience Ed.
www.edn.com
Bonamy, David. Technical English 4. Coursebook and Workbook, Harlow, UK:
Pearson Education, 1995.
Beer, David and McMurrey, David. A Guide to Writing as an Engineer (4th ed.),
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
Bonamy, David. Technical English 3. Coursebook and Workbook, Harlow, UK:
Pearson Education, 2011.