101234 - ENGLISH

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Josep López Xarbau

Trimester: Third term

Credits: 6

Academic year: 2025

Teaching course: 2

• English

This subject is taught in English.

Most of the technical literature that engineering students will encounter during their studies and careers will be in English. This course aims to familiarize them with some of the most typical grammatical structures, the most relevant vocabulary and the style of technical English in industrial contexts.

Students will learn to interpret technical texts related to their disciplines. They will acquire writing skills to produce well structured technical documents, among which technical descriptions, summaries and brief reports.

Emphasis will be placed on oral skills, so that students can present academic research effectively. They will also practice speak and listen to prepare for everyday situations in English-speaking professional environments.

The classroom (physical or virtual) is a safe space, free of sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and discriminatory attitudes, either towards students or teachers. We trust that together we can create a safe space where we can make mistakes and learn without having to suffer the prejudices of others.

Content 1: Grammatical and syntactic aspects of technical English

1. Compound nouns

2. Use of the genitive with 's (possessive)

3. Use of definite and indefinite articles

4. Relative clauses and reduced relative clauses

5. Compound adjectives and use of the hyphen

6. Review of modal verbs

7. Present participles and past participles (forms ending in -ed) -ing i -ed)

8. Prepositions of place, time and movement to describe mechanisms and processes

9. Active voice and passive voice

10. Review of past tenses, especially irregular verbs

11. Use of indirect style

12. Use of punctuation, reference and connectors (related to Content 4)

Related activities:

• Exercises in points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, especially in the context of definitions and technical descriptions.

• Exercises from point 6, especially in the context of dialogues for identifying and resolving problems. 

• Exercises in points 7, 8 and 9, especially in the context of descriptions of manufacturing processes (Content 5). 

• Exercises in points 10, 11 and 12, especially in indirect style texts, such as summaries, and in argumentation and personal reflection texts, such as reports (Content 4). 

Content 2: Vocabulary of technical English

1. Specific vocabulary on electronic, mechanical and industrial organization engineering.

2. Word formation processes in technical English: some relevant suffixes and prefixes.

Related activities:

• Vocabulary exercises.

• Word formation exercises.

• Vocabulary practice related to oral skills activities, such as short individual presentations and listening practices (Content 4) and reading comprehension activities (Content 3).

Content 3: Reading comprehension of technical texts and introduction to research

1. Reading techniques: searching for information and identifying key words, reading for main ideas and detailed reading.

2. Critical reading of technical literature in the field of electronic, mechanical and industrial organization engineering, with special attention to intelligent manufacturing in the digital industry.  

3. Introduction to the use of AI in industrial engineering research. Critical reflection on resources and processes, identification of reliable sources and attribution exercises. 

Related activities:

• Reading comprehension exercises based on authentic materials, such as technical articles and news from the field of industrial engineering, with special attention to digital manufacturing. 

• Critical analysis of technical articles and news related to oral activities (Content 4) and writing (Content 5)

Content 4: Oral skills

1. Develop oral skills related to everyday professional situations.

2. Practice specific vocabulary from electronic, mechanical engineering and industrial organization (Content 2), as part of oral presentations and interactions.

3. Practice pronunciation focusing on the features of English that are most important for making yourself understood around the world. Raise awareness about the different local varieties and international accents of English.

4. Practice understanding real audiovisual material on technical topics, also relating it to writing skills, such as taking notes.

5. Prepare students to give effective oral presentations, individually and in groups.

Related activities:

• Oral exercises to practice the points included in Content 1, especially in the context of everyday professional situations for industrial engineers. 

• Short individual oral presentations on manufacturing processes.

• Listening comprehension exercises based on authentic audiovisual material on technical topics and professional situations, and on technological innovations. Special attention will be paid to topics of intelligent manufacturing in the digital industry, and to the balanced representation of genders in technical roles in the material presented in class. 

• Group oral presentations of research topics related to smart manufacturing in the digital industry (related to Content 3). 

Content 5: Writing skills

1. Preparation of documents in accordance with the formal professional register.

2. Strategies for brevity, related to points 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Content 1.

3. Indirect style techniques, paraphrasing and transformations, especially for text synthesis, related to point 11 of Content 1. 

4. Textual cohesion, argumentation and persuasion strategies, related to point 12 of Content 1.

5. Awareness and practice of inclusive and non-sexist writing in English, especially the use of the generic plural.

Related activities:

• Writing definitions and technical descriptions for oral presentations (Content 4).

• Exercises in concision and textual cohesion.

• Writing practice exercises with a gender perspective. 

• Writing a summary of an article.

• Collaborative development of a script on a research topic in the field of smart manufacturing (Content 3), to present it to the class in a group (Content 4).

• Writing a brief report on the research process on a topic related to smart manufacturing in the digital industry. 

All course topics will be presented in class. There will be plenty of opportunities to practice in the classroom, but students are expected to review the content presented in class and also do exercises at home. In addition, the following assessable assignments will be scheduled.

a) Final exam (Contents 1 and 3): 30% of the final mark, including both grammar and reading comprehension exercises, according to the models presented and practiced during the term. For the final exam to be considered for the average final grade, a minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) will be required.

b) Vocabulary (Content 2): 10% of the final mark, assessed through a test scheduled during the term.

c) Oral skills (Content 4): 30% of the final grade. This includes two oral skills papers (one individual and one group) prepared at home and presented in class, plus a listening comprehension test. To pass the subject, it is mandatory to pass all the oral skills tasks.

d) Writing skills (Content 5): 30% of the final grade, including two writing tasks carried out in class (a summary and a reflection report on the group research activity), and an activity carried out partly in class and partly outside of class, in a group (the script for the presentation of the research activity, according to the model that will be indicated).

If necessary, a recovery exam of Contents 1, 2 and 3 (see above): 70% of the final grade. The remaining 30% corresponds to Content 4 (oral skills). To pass the subject, a minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) is required in the make-up exam.

Important

Activities, tests or exercises not submitted on time will not be evaluated. Late submissions may be accepted if authorized by the teacher for a justified reason.

Students may not use notes, folders or dictionaries in exams, unless otherwise indicated.

No work, exercise or task will be accepted that can be shown to have been copied from a classmate. Anyone who copies risks failing the subject.

Very important

Students are responsible for the originality and authenticity of the texts they present as their own. They must respect the intellectual property of the authors and always identify the sources they use. Plagiarism consists of copying text from unrecognized sources, whether part of a sentence or an entire text, which is then presented as their own text. It usually involves cutting and pasting from Internet sources, presented without modification in the student's text. Plagiarism is a crime against intellectual property. Total or partial plagiarism of any of the assignments will automatically be classified as a failure (0). If plagiarism is repeated, the student will fail the subject.

Generative artificial intelligence tools may only be used as an aid, never to achieve the main objective of the assessed activity. More precise instructions on accepted uses of generative artificial intelligence for each activity will be given in class. 

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