Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Academic and Research Vice-rector

Course Syllabus Format

1. COURSE IDENTIFICATION

Faculty or Unit: Vicerrectoría de

Initial: VIREL
Relaciones Internacionales
Level: Magister - Especialization Training Field: Common basics
-Professional Interdisciplinary Training
Course: English 2 Code: 90021
Course Type: Methodological Number of credits: 2
Course Designer: Carlos Fernando Course Editor: Carlos Fernando
Vásquez Mejía Vásquez mejía
Development Day: October 6th, 2015 Updating Date: July 14th, 2017
Course Description:

UNAD, faithful to its mission as a leading organization in open and distance

education, exerts a really important role related to the globalization issue. As a
result of this, its internationalization policy looks forward to guide the path of the
national and international community towards the bilingual scene.

In view of the above, English 2 is part of the foreign language component

established in the curriculum guidelines of UNAD’s academic programs. Its
methodology is theoretical and practical and has two (2) academic credits by means
of which the students will have to study independently 48 hours and another 48
hours of tutorial monitoring for a total of 96 hours of academic work. The purpose of
the course is:

 Recognize and appropriate the English basic contents.

 Comprehend the foreign language through the different skills: oral
comprehension (audios and written reflection of audiovisual materials) and
written comprehension (composition, interpretation and contents
development).
 Encourage students to realize the importance of learning English in labor,
academic and personal contexts.
 Take advantage of technical-didactic resources to learn a foreign language

The strategy used within the course is Task Based Learning, where the student must
study and develop some contents and from that, do some activities which will
strengthen the learning process. English 2 course has 6 environments, as follows:

Starting information environment: In this environment, the e-student can find

the course agenda, course general forum, news forum, course presentation, duties &
rights.

Knowledge environment: In this environment, the e-student can find the syllabus
of the course, online content of the course among other resources which will
strengthen the student’s learning process.

Collaborative learning environment: Space where a collaborative work is

developed. English 2 course has 2 collaborative tasks, Recognition Task which is
related to environment’s knowledge and Writing Task activity which encourage
students to build a written text.

Practice learning environment: The students will find documents related to study
the English language by their own, how to improve skills and some guidelines to
success in the development of the activities.

Monitoring & Evaluation environment: In this space the student will find 2
quizzes where some questions related to grammar, reading and listening
comprehension, besides and the course final exam which measures how knowledge
is acquired by students.

Student’s management environment: In this space, the e-student can find

different documents related to University issues like Virtual advisers, student’s
regulations, UNAD’s anti-plagiarism policy, among other important spaces for the
university life of our students.

This English course has a high volume of practical content, it is not only to take
quizzes or doing evaluations, but also developing some production activities as well
as it is suggested a constant checking of online content within the course and the
practice pages suggested for the development of different activities. The evaluation
of this course is going to have 3 moments, which are:

Moment 1: Recognition activity (Quiz & Forum).

5% from course total.

  Act. 1. Recognition task forum: 25 points
 Act. 2. Pre-knowledge task: non-evaluative (included in Act. 1)

Moment 2: Development of workshops units 1 & 2, Writing & Speaking Tasks.

70% from course total

 Act. 3. Writing task forum: 95 points

 Act. 4. Unit 1- Task: Giving advice: 70 points
 Act. 5. Speaking task: 95 points
 Act. 6. Unit 2 - Task: Getting a job! : 70 points
 Act. 7. Units 1-2 - Task: General course review: 10 points
 Act. 8. Task: Oral and written production review: 10 points

Moment 3: Development of course national final exam.

25% from course total

 Act. 9. Final evaluation: 125 points

2. TRAINING PURPOSES

Purpose of course training:

To develop student’s communicative skills in English language so they are able to

comprehend and use a standard language related to topics like family, studies, free
time activities, work profile, recommendations for a job. Likewise, the student could
obtain and supply information to other people in topics related with context using
some idiomatic expressions.
Course Competences:

Comprehension competences:

 Understand conversations related to specific topics in oral & written form with
people.
 Find simple written specific information of daily use materials, like
advertisements, menus, lists and schedules which allow interaction in different
contexts like restaurants, movies, among others.
Sociolinguistic competences:

 Recognize the past tense asking questions and giving answers to simple
actions in daily life.
 Express preferences and make comparisons with objects and situations given.

Production Competencies:

 Narrate oral and written events from the past interchanging information within
a conversation helped by the receiver to hold it and maintain it in an effective
way.

Technological & digital competencies:

 Use the technologies provided to learn the language, taking into account the
guidelines and/or suggestions given by the tutor.
 Search and recognize strategies according to strengths and weaknesses, to
potentiate the language learning.
 Use interaction strategies with other people by means of technology in order
to improve weaknesses and optimized strengths to improve language
knowledge.

3. Course Contents

Units/topic Required Bibliographic References

s
1. Unit 1 Unit 1.1. Fasten your seat belt. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado
Giving de:
advice http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=91

Unit 1.2. You should keep your passport! UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2.
Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=92

Unit 1.3. What’s the weather like? UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2.
Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=93
 Unit 1.4. Going on a trip. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=94

Unit 1.5. What did you do last weekend? UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2.
Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=95

Unit 2.1. Summer jobs. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=97

Unit 2.2. Job interview. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=98

Unit 2.3. At the supermarket. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado

de:
2. Unit 2 http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?id=99
Getting a
job! Unit 2.4. At the restaurant. UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?
id=100

Unit 2.5. What’s on the news? UNAD (2017) Curso Inglés 2. Recuperado
de:
http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/resource/view.php?
id=101

Additional bibliographic references for this course:

Unit 1: http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/page/view.php?id=90

Unit 2: http://campus06.unad.edu.co/invil21/mod/page/view.php?id=96
 4. LEARNING STRATEGY

Description of learning strategy:

UNIT 1

Competencies:

 Distinguish and differentiate modal verbs “Ought to” and “Had better” orally
and in written way in real and hypothetical situations in present.

 Understand and apply “The comparative adjectives” in statements which

describes comparative situations and understands its rules.

 Understand and apply the “simple past” grammar within negative and
interrogative statements using in a proper way verbs in sentences which
communicate events and situations that had passed.

Performance indicators:

 Express orally his/er point of view using modal verbs “should”, “ought to” and
“had better” depending on the context.

 Participate in spontaneous conversations where daily life issues are related

concerning past events and situations.

Learning strategy:

Task Based Learning organized in three moments:

 Initial moment: General recognition of the English II virtual room through

the forum and development of a level quiz to measure English knowledge at
the beginning of the course.

Activity 1: Recognition task forum & Pre-knowledge quiz.

 Intermediate moment 1: Production of a written text where we can observe

 the application of the online contents. Quiz Act. 4.

Activity 3: Writing task forum & Quiz Act 4. Unit 1 – Task: Giving
advice.
UNIT 2

Competencies:

 Describe daily life situations using in a proper way the “adverbs of frequency”
in different related conversations.

 Perform and appropriate concept and function of “modal verbs of possibility”

using them properly in applied statements in practice activities within a
context.

 Comprehend the grammar use of “superlatives” and use them in statements

and in real time conversations with true information.

 Categorize “likes and preferences” in a social, familiar and personal

environment.

Performance indicators:

 Write in detailed form about daily routine, properly using “adverbs of

frequency”.

 Express consistently statements using the concepts of “modal verbs of

possibility” in real situations and context.

 Design questions using “WH questions” to obtain any related information in

different contexts.

 Identify the “superlatives” in a statement or in conversations.

 Express coherently “likes & preferences” within in a conversation or written

statements.

Learning strategy:

Intermediate moment 2: Oral interview related to proposed topics and quizzes

concerning Unit 2 and self-assessment about process done within the course.

Activity 5: Speaking task

Activity 6: Quiz Unit 2
Activity 7 & 8: Self-assessment quizzes concerning written and
speaking activities.

Final moment: Final exam to verify knowledge acquired and course end.

Activity 9: POC – Closed objective test - Course Final exam

5. DISTRIBUTION OF ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE COURSE

Week Contents to develop Activity to develop according to the

learning strategy
1 and 2 Unit 1.1. Fasten your seat Activity 1 & 2: Recognition Task and Pre-
belt. knowledge environment
3 Unit 1.2. You should keep Activity 3 & 4: Writing task forum and Quiz
your passport! Unit 1
4 Unit 1.3. What’s the Activity 3 & 4: Writing task forum and Quiz
weather like? Unit 1
5 Unit 1.4. Going on a trip. Activity 3 & 4: Writing task forum and Quiz
Unit 1
6 Unit 1.4. Going on a trip. Activity 3 & 4: Writing task forum and Quiz
Unit 1
7 Unit 1.5. What did you do Activity 3 & 4: Writing task forum and Quiz
last weekend? Unit 1
8 Unit 2.1. Summer jobs. Activity 5 & 6: Speaking task and Quiz Unit 2
9 Unit 2.2. Job interview. Activity 5 & 6: Speaking task and Quiz Unit 2
10 Unit 2.2. Job interview. Activity 5 & 6: Speaking task and Quiz Unit 2
11 Unit 2.2. Job interview. Activity 5 & 6: Speaking task and Quiz Unit 2
12 Unit 2.3. At the Activity 5 & 6: Speaking task and Quiz Unit 2
supermarket.
13 Unit 2.4. At the Activity 7 & 8: Self-assessment Written and
restaurant. speaking tasks
14 Unit 2.5. What’s on the Activity 7 & 8: Self-assessment Written and
news? speaking tasks
15 and Units 1 & 2 Activity 9: Final Exam
16
 6. STRATEGIES OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Description of academic support strategies to apply in this course

Synchronous monitoring to students:

The course English 2 tutor’s web look after a synchronic attention towards students
within the virtual class in the following scenarios:

1. Skype synchronic attention: Different schedules are established to attend to

student’s requirements in real time. This schedule can be found within News
forum, Collaborative learning environment and platform messaging.

2. Course Web conferences: Different encounters are going to be set up for

students to interact with their tutors. Schedule can be found within News
forum, Collaborative learning environment and platform messaging.

3. In-person student’s attention: Students can observe the schedules where

tutors are available on each CEAD along Colombia. Thus, they will be able to
obtain personalized attention (face-to-face). Schedule can be found within
News forum, Collaborative learning environment and platform messaging.

Asynchronous monitoring to students:

4. Platform messaging: Requirements attention by contacting tutor and course

director.

5. Organization mailing: Monitoring of student’s activities within the course.

6. General forum, doubts concerning the learning process and technical

problems forum: Interaction with tutor’s web through these academic spaces
in order to clarify doubts and answer to student’s requirements.
 7. COURSE ASSESSMENT PLAN

Highest Evaluatio
Assessm
WEEK Products to deliver according to Score/5 n
ent
NUMBER the Learning Strategy 00 Score/50
Stages
points 0 points
Activity 1 & 2. Recognition task & 25
1-2 Initial 5%
Pre-knowledge quiz
Intermed Activity 3. Writing task 19%
3-6 iate Unit
Activity 4. Quiz Unit 1 14%
1
Activity 5. Speaking task 19%
7-10
Activity 6. Quiz Unit 2 350 14%
Intermed
Activity 7. Self-assessment Writing
iate Unit 2%
task
11-14 2
Activity 8. Self-assessment
2%
Speaking task
15-16 Final Activity 9. POC – Final exam 125 25%
Total Score 500 500
Points Points