Study Guide

Objective

The student knows how to use communication professionally and the English language in architectural studies and in the profession of building architect.
The student is able to work constructively, autonomously and actively in all interaction situations, e.g. in group work.
The student is familiar with different interaction situations in working life, is able to interpret the attitude of others and observe the feelings and effects evoked by his own communication. The student is able to evaluate his own communication skills.
After completing the course, the student knows the requirements of project communication and the thesis process.
After completing the course, the student knows how to prepare a research plan, refer to the sources used and knows the writing process. The student knows how to argue and justify his choices and manages the reporting of the thesis. He knows the ethical requirements of research and development communication.
The student knows how to use professional English in the construction architect's profession both in theory and in practice.
The student knows how to communicate fluently and effectively in English in the study and work tasks of his professional field, and he is able to use English to develop his own professional skills. He knows how to function naturally in multicultural environments, taking into account the special features of communication situations and the cultural and linguistic starting points of the participants.
The student is able to acquire the information needed in his professional field from various sources and process and convey it in writing and orally.
The student has a realistic understanding of his language and communication skills and takes a positive attitude towards developing them as part of his professional skills. The student's oral and written communication skills correspond to skill level B2 of the European Framework of Reference.

Content

The course is implemented as a joint teaching of building architecture, communication and language teaching, the theme of which is defined in the course implementation plan.
Oral and written reporting related to projects and the thesis process:
- teamwork skills
- project communication
- preparing the thesis text
- preparing an abstract in English
- use of sources
- knowledge acquisition and structuring skills
- argumentation and reasoning
- research and development texts

The English teaching content of the study course focuses on the following subject areas that increase oral and written communication skills, with an emphasis by sector:
- Key interaction situations in the profession: individual and group communication
- Key concepts and terms of the profession
- Professional text practices and documents
- Acquisition, processing, application and transmission of information
- Professional organizations, work environments, tasks, processes and tools
- Education and career planning in your professional field
- Self-assessment of language and communication skills and development of learning strategies
The content of the course is determined by the degree program.
More detailed content is described in the study course implementation plan.

Prerequisites

Acquiring professional English language and communication skills requires the entry level B2 of the European Framework of Reference.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Successful completion of the study course requires that the student achieves the goals of the study course in the manner defined in the implementation.
The student is able to name the characteristics of his own communication based on the instructions and feedback he receives and recognizes the components of the communication process.
The student participates in community interaction situations, receives and gives feedback. He recognizes the characteristics of interaction situations in communities.
The student prepares messages according to the given instructions and template, acquires information in a controlled manner and uses it in his/her output.
A student in communication situations related to his professional field in English
• trusts his communication skills so that he can cope with language use situations in the profession with the help of clarifying questions and his own short speeches
• understand the conversation partner's communication so that he can act accordingly
• expresses his thoughts simply and mainly coherently and moderately comprehensibly, even though there are shortcomings in the special language of the profession and there are language errors that hinder the transmission of the message
• prepares simple quantitative texts independently as well as longer texts with the help of linguistic aids

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student is able to evaluate his own communication skills and form communication development goals. The student works goal-oriented in interaction situations in the field, knows the importance of internal and external communication within the community. He listens, observes and interprets messages appropriately.
As an expert, the student communicates in a structured, comprehensible and interesting manner and targets his message according to the recipient and the situation. The student justifies his point of view.
The student acquires knowledge in his field and uses it critically. The student can work on a goal-oriented written, oral or visual presentation for the target audience. The student uses the knowledge of text genre in the assignments in accordance with the language usage recommendations.
A student in communication situations related to his professional field in English
• trusts his communication skills so that he can cope with language use situations in the field in accordance with the goals of the professional task
• exchange ideas as an equal partner with an independent language user
• communicates proactively in professional language use situations, taking into account to some extent the language and cultural backgrounds of the participants and the requirements of the situation
• expresses himself without delay, clearly and in detail

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student wants and knows how to develop his/her Finnish language and communication skills as part of his/her professional skills and is able to communicate purposefully, creatively and personally.
The student uses communication methods creatively and uses communication channels and tools appropriately in internal and external interaction situations within communities. The student argues skillfully and demonstrates, shares and builds his expertise in the community.
The student acquires information independently and expertly in order to produce new information or new perspectives. The student uses the language creatively and in accordance with the practices and language usage recommendations of his field.
A student in communication situations related to his professional field in English
• trusts his communication skills in such a way that he is able to take initiative in language use situations in the industry, following the practices of different communication situations
• exchange ideas clearly and fluently as an equal partner with a skilled language user
• communicates proactively even in demanding professional language use situations, taking into account the language and cultural backgrounds of the participants
• expresses himself effectively and accurately
• use exacting vocabulary accurately
• pronounces English clearly and emphasizes and rhythms his speech so that the overall message is reinforced
• produces clear, well-structured and impressive texts required by different types of texts

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Successful completion of the study course requires that the student achieves the goals of the study course in the manner defined in the implementation.
The student is able to name the characteristics of his own communication based on the instructions and feedback he receives and recognizes the components of the communication process.
The student participates in community interaction situations, receives and gives feedback. He recognizes the characteristics of interaction situations in communities.
The student prepares messages according to the given instructions and template, acquires information in a controlled manner and uses it in his/her output.
A student in communication situations related to his professional field in English
• trusts his communication skills so that he can cope with language use situations in the profession with the help of clarifying questions and his own short speeches
• understand the conversation partner's communication so that he can act accordingly
• expresses his thoughts simply and mainly coherently and moderately comprehensibly, even though there are shortcomings in the special language of the profession and there are language errors that hinder the transmission of the message
• prepares simple quantitative texts independently as well as longer texts with the help of linguistic aids

Further information

The student must achieve such oral and written skills in the English language as are necessary for practicing the profession and professional development (Regulation 352/2003, § 8).