Students

EFLA100 – English as a Foreign Language in Practice

2017 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Dr Lai Ping Florence Ma
Contact via 98507285
W6A Rm 341
Tue 3-4pm & Wed. 2-3pm
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This introductory unit of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Program is designed for students from non-English speaking backgrounds, aiming to further develop their English language skills for social and academic settings. It develops essential skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as the structural properties of English through a communicative language teaching approach. From note-taking and paraphrasing skills to essay writing, report writing and oral presentation skills, this unit provides students with ample opportunities for in-class practice and independent learning. After taking this unit, students will be equipped with fundamental and effective language skills for various social and academic contexts.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

General Assessment Information

Submission of most tasks is via iLearn. All assessment tasks are compulsory and must be submitted on time. As a general rule, extensions will not be granted without a valid and documented reason (e.g. medical certificate). Late submissions will be penalised by 5% for each day (including weekends) the assignment task is late. No assignments will be accepted after assignments have been corrected and feedback has been provided. Assignment tasks handed in early will not be marked and returned before the due date. 

Indicative examples and marking rubrics for all assessment types are to be found in the unit iLearn site.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Skills-based tasks 24% No Weeks 3-6, 8, 11
Independent learning portfolio 16% No Weeks 7 and 13
Essay 25% No Week 9
Pair oral presentation 20% No Week 12
Class participation 15% No Week 2, on-going

Skills-based tasks

Due: Weeks 3-6, 8, 11
Weighting: 24%

Weekly tasks to assess reading, writing, and listening skills, grammar knowledge, and vocabulary.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.

Independent learning portfolio

Due: Weeks 7 and 13
Weighting: 16%

An independent learning plan and portfolio to demonstrate regular language practice at appropriate levels outside classroom.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Essay

Due: Week 9
Weighting: 25%

A written task to assess skills in essay planning and ability to compose a well-structured essay on a given topic. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.

Pair oral presentation

Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%

A pair oral presentation to assess oral presentation skills in academic settings.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.

Class participation

Due: Week 2, on-going
Weighting: 15%

Completion of Language Study orientation to prepare for university language study and online learning environment (5%, Pass/Fail). Participation in class activities and online discussion forums (10%).


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Delivery and Resources

Required Reading

Hewings, M. (2012). Cambridge academic English: An integrated skills course for EAP Student's book, Upper Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

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Online Unit

Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

Is my unit in iLearn?: http://help.ilearn.mq.edu.au/unitsonline/ to check when your online unit will become available.

Technology

Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Pair oral presentation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Assessment tasks

  • Independent learning portfolio
  • Class participation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Assessment task

  • Independent learning portfolio

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.

Assessment tasks

  • Skills-based tasks
  • Independent learning portfolio
  • Essay
  • Pair oral presentation
  • Class participation

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.

Assessment tasks

  • Skills-based tasks
  • Independent learning portfolio
  • Essay
  • Pair oral presentation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Assessment tasks

  • Skills-based tasks
  • Independent learning portfolio
  • Essay
  • Pair oral presentation
  • Class participation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Develop essential English language skills needed to communicate effectively in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Acquire knowledge needed to interpret and produce English text types encountered in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Analyse English text types encountered and/or produced in Australian academic and social settings.
  • Describe the logic of English text types and the resulting structures.
  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.
  • Show engagement in independent learning activities.

Assessment tasks

  • Skills-based tasks
  • Essay
  • Pair oral presentation
  • Class participation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Apply language skills to achieve effective interpersonal communication.

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment task

  • Class participation