Study Guide

Objective

On completion of the course the student understands the importance of communication skills as part of the professional competence of an engineer.
The student knows the principles of a well organised document and grammatical correctness in technical texts.
The student is familiar with the basics of academic writing and the ethical principles related to research.
The student is able to write documents needed in job applications.
The student can write reports related to his or her field, which fulfil the criteria set for academic writing, such as using sources, using a clear structure, using the appropriate conventions in referring to sources and using graphics and tables.

Content

Standard forms of documents and applying these to job applications and construction site documents
Oral reporting
Grammatical correctness in technical texts, especially abbreviations, the inflection of loan words, lists, numbers and special characters
Basics of academic writing, i.e. the structure of a research report, research, using references, paraphrasing, referencing conventions, the list of works cited, graphics and tables, formulas and layout
Communication
Combining and adapting information
Typical conclusions in the field of study.

Prerequisites

Completing the courses of Finnish in a Finnish high school or vocational school, or if the student's mother tongue is not Finnish or Swedish, passing the highest level in the National Certificate of Language Proficiency test, or passing Finnish as a foreign language test in the Finnish Matriculation Exam with the grade magna cum laude approbatur or higher.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student is able to compose understandable texts following given instructions and models.
The student is able to locate information in his or her field as instructed and use it in his or her output.
The student participates in presentations and interactive situations.
The student receives and gives feedback.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student can adapt his or her style of writing depending on the audience and context, and write fluent Finnish which mostly complies with the Finnish language usage recommendations.
The student is able to locate relevant information in his or her field and critically select and incorporate it into his or her own texts.
The student is able to communicate in an illustrative and interesting way as an expert in his or her field and use visual aids with skill.
The student is able to assess his or her own and others’ communication and propose development objectives.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student is able to write and revise texts in his or her field showing expertise and proficiency.
The student is able to locate information in his or her field in a versatile and independent way, and evaluate and compare the information from different sources.
The student is able to communicate persuasively and effectively as an expert in his or her field.
The student is willing and able to develop his or her communication skills as part of his or her expertise and give feedback from various perspectives.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student is able to compose understandable texts following given instructions and models.
The student is able to locate information in his or her field as instructed and use it in his or her output.
The student participates in presentations and interactive situations.
The student receives and gives feedback.