Course Descriptions

Academic Listening/Speaking and Notetaking - ALS1003

Course Description

Course Description
Academic Listening and Speaking 1003 (ALS 1003) is a 112-hour learner-centered course at a low to high-intermediate level, in which students develop their academic listening, speaking and note-taking skills. To enroll in ALS 1003, students need to score between 450 and 477 in TOEFL. Listening spans over almost a third of the course. First, it develops students’ understanding of a lecture and analysis of its components after a two-time listening. Second, it enables students to handle long, fast-paced technical lectures after a one-time listening. In both stages, students are exposed to the organizational elements of an academic lecture focusing on ‘pre-’, ‘while-’, and ‘post-’listening comprehension tasks. Note-taking spans over almost a tenth of the course; it helps students to use effective and various note-taking methods and 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 allows students to participate in in-class dialogues focusing on building fluency, accuracy and improving pronunciation.  In ALS 1003, 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 1003 is for students to:

• acquire the listening and note-taking skills necessary for coping with different types of lectures;
• 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:

1. listen effectively to an academic lecture for gist;
2. listen attentively for details;
3. take effective notes from scripted and unscripted lectures and utilize them to write summary reports;
4. express personal opinion on academic and global issues, utilizing appropriate language;
5. speak on subjects related to current events from articles, news, documentaries, etc.;
6. produce clear, fluent, accurate, and intelligible speech;
7. 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: 30%
  • 10% Lecture-listening quizzes:
  • 4% one listening-twice quiz
  • 6% two listening-once quizzes
  • 2% Note-taking for non-quiz lectures
  • 10% Assignment includes ECG, weekly listening log, online interactivities, or movie reviews:
  • 6% Listening assignments
  • 4% Speaking assignments
  • 8% Group presentation
• Midterm Exam: 10%
• 5% Lecture-listening
• 5% Speaking (Oral exam)

• Work up to the final exam: 30 %

•   5% Lecture-listening quizzes: minimum 1 post-listening quiz & 1 while-listening quiz
•   6% Discussion panels
•   7% Debates
• 10% Argumentative presentation

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

• Attendance: 5%
• Teacher Evaluation: 5%

Course Materials
• Beglar, D., & Murray, N., Contemporary Topics.  New York:  Longman, 2002 / 1993.
• Lim, P. & Smalzer, W. (2005 / 1996). Noteworthy: Listening and Note-taking Skills. (3rd ed.).  New York: Thomson Heinle Publisher.