Course Descriptions

Academic Listening/Speaking and Note-taking 2 - ALS1002

Course Description
Academic Listening and Speaking 1002 (ALS 1002) is a 75-hour learner-centered course at an intermediate to high-intermediate level, in which students continue to develop their academic listening, speaking and note-taking skills. To enroll in ALS 1002, students need to either successfully complete ALS 1001 or score at least 480 in TOEFL. Listening spans over almost a third of the course; it enables students to handle long, fast-paced technical lectures after a one-time listening. In parallel, it exposes students to the organizational elements of an academic lecture focusing on ‘pre-’, ‘while-’, and ‘post-’listening comprehension tasks. Note-taking spans over almost one tenth of the course; it further helps students to understand the principles of effective note-taking in order to create more focused, complete and organized notes. Speaking spans over almost half of the course; it focuses on building fluency, accuracy and improving pronunciation. 

In ALS 1002, students cultivate skills in leading discussions and speaking persuasively through debates and individual presentations.
ALS students are required to participate in English Conversation Group sessions—a cross-level activity—and complete additional out-of-class level-specific activities such as weekly listening logs, online interactivities, and movie reviews.

Course Objectives
The main objective of ALS 1002 is for students to:

• develop their ability to use context in order to understand and analyze long, technical, fast-paced academic lectures and discourse;
• build up a personal note-taking style that serves their academic field;
• give oral presentations in fluent, confident, organized, and intelligible fashion while paying attention to accuracy;
• work in groups while developing team spirit that enables them to speak persuasively in debates and public discussions.

In accordance with the LC mission, ALS ensures that students apply what they learn in other language courses in their speech delivery. Simultaneously, it equips students with transferable skills that they can use in other contexts.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

• express personal opinion on academic and global issues, utilizing appropriate language;
• speak on subjects related to current events from articles, news, documentaries, etc.;
• take effective notes from scripted and unscripted lectures and utilize them to write summary reports;
• produce clear, fluent, accurate, and intelligible speech;
• give an effective formal oral presentation on a given subject, both individually and in a group.

Evaluation
The grading scheme for this level is broken down as follows:

• Work up to the midterm: 25%
  •   5% Lecture-listening quizzes: minimum 1 post-listening quiz & 1 while-listening quiz
  •   2% Note-taking for non-quiz lectures
  •   8% Group speaking activity (Group presentation/Discussion panels)
  • 10% Homework and in-class/out-of-class activities: (includes ECG, weekly listening logs, online interactivities, or movie reviews)
  • 4% Listening assignments
  • 6% Speaking assignments
• Midterm Exam: 15%
  • 7.5% Lecture-listening
  • 7.5% Speaking (Oral exam)
• Work up to the final exam: 30 %

• 5% Lecture-listening quizzes: minimum 1 post-listening quiz & 1 while-listening quiz
• 7% Debates
• 8% Assignment: (includes ECG, weekly listening logs, online interactivities, movie reviews)
• 10% Argumentative presentation

• Final Exam: 20 %
•   8% Lecture-listening
• 12% Speaking (Oral exam)

• Attendance: 5%
• Teacher Evaluation: 5%

Course Materials
• Lim, P. & Smalzer, W. (2005 / 1996). Noteworthy: Listening and Note-taking Skills. (3rd ed.).  New York: Thomson Heinle Publisher.
• Extra interactive activities made available on the constantly updated LC Website.

.