Business Communication in English (5 cr)

Objective

The student is able to communicate fluently and efficiently in English in student and working life assignments in their field in Finland and abroad, and able to use English to develop their own professional skills. The student is able to act naturally in a multicultural environment, taking into account specific characteristics of the communication situations and the other speakers' cultural and linguistic circumstances. The student is able to obtain information required in their professional field from various sources and to process and communicate about it in writing and orally. The student has a realistic perception of their language and communication skills, and takes a positive approach to developing them as part of their professional skills.

Content

The course content focuses on the following field-specific subjects, improving both oral and written
communication skills:
• Business field's key international interaction situations: individual and group
communication
• Key concepts and terms used in the field of business
• The professional field's text conventions and text types
• Information acquisition, processing, application and dissemination of information
• Professional organisations, work environments and duties
- ethics in communication
• Self-assessment of language and communication skills, and development of your own learning
strategies

Location and time

Thursdays at 11.30 - 14.00
Myyrmäki campus, classroom MMA111b

Materials

Lecturer's course material
Reference books:
- Stansfield, Eerola Munne. 2009. Win Win - English for your business career. Edita. Helsinki.
- Bovée Courtland L,Thill John V. 2018. Business communication today. Global Edition. Fourteenth Edition. Pearson.Essex.

Teaching methods

Interactive lecture
Pair and group work
Independent work
Virtuaalinen työskentely

Employer connections

N/A

Exam schedules

The course consists of verbal and written exercises.
There is no exam.
It is possible to redo some assignments in the last class of the course.

International connections

N/A

Completion alternatives

Prior learning by previous studies or work experience

Student workload

Student workload 1 op = 27 t
5 op X 27 t = 135 t
Face-to-face on campus 16 X 3 = 48 t
Independent assignments and preparation for classes 16 t
Building professional vocabulary through group work 15 t
Preparing for an assessed group presentation and preparation of presentation material 18 t
Planning, researching and writing a group report 20 t
Planning, sharing roles and preparation for a virtual meeting 18 t

Content scheduling

N/A

Further information

N/A

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

In communication situations related to their professional field, the student trusts his/her communication skills enough to manage professional language use situations by asking questions to check any unclear points, and thanks to their own short speeches are able to understand the other speaker's communication in order to act appropriately. The student expresses their thoughts in a simple way and for the most part coherently and reasonably understandably despite shortcomings in professional language and making grammatical errors that make it difficult for the message to get across. The student can produce simple texts of a specific format independently, and longer texts by means of language tools.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

In communication situations related to their professional field, the student trusts his/her communication skills enough to manage language situations in the field as expected from a professional. The student exchanges ideas on an equal basis with an independent language user, and if necessary, takes the initiative to communicate in professional language use situations, taking into account to some extent the other participants' language and cultural backgrounds and the circumstances. The student expresses him/herself, without delay, clearly and in detail, using professional vocabulary accurately.
The student pronounces English clearly so that the overall message is conveyed, and produces texts for different purposes, without any of the occasional weak points in the language stopping the message from getting across.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

In communication situations related to their professional field, the student trusts his/her communication skills to take part and take the initiative in language use situations in various communication situations in the field, following the conventions. The student exchanges ideas clearly and fluently on an equal basis with a skillful language user, and communicates, taking the initiative if necessary, also in demanding professional language use situations, taking into account the other participants' language and cultural backgrounds. The student expresses themselves efficiently and accurately, using demanding professional vocabulary accurately. The student pronounces English clearly with natural stress and rhythm so that the overall message is emphasized, and produces clear, well structured and compelling texts in various text types.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student has achieved the course objectives fairly. The student will be able to identify, define and use the course subject area’s concepts and models. The student understands the criteria and principles of the expertise development.

Assessment methods and criteria

Individual email assignments (2) 20 %
Verbal Group Presentation 25 %
Written group assignment 25 %
Virtual meeting in groups 20 %
Participation 10 %

Qualifications

B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Further information

The course content is determined individually for each degree programme and integrated into the
degree context in the curriculum and into substance studies.