UCLA Extension Course Syllabus
Course # 921
Course title: TOEFL iBT Preparation Online
Dates: January 18– March 29, 2009
Instructor: Catherine Nameth, MA-TESOL
Welcome!
Congratulations on making the decision to improve your English and your awareness of the Test of English
as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)! I hope that you’ll enjoy this course; this will not
be a boring test-preparation class! You’ll learn from lectures, the textbook, audio files/Podcasts, and each
other, and you’ll apply your learning (TOEFL skills) to a variety of online activities. I’d appreciate your
feedback and your comments throughout the course.
Introduction
This course is designed to help you improve your English skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) which
are tested on the TOEFL iBT. There are minimum participation requirements for this course. All course
assignments are due on the date posted and in the required format.
Contact information & protocol
Catherine (Katy) Nameth
If you have a question/comment/concern that may be of interest to our class, post it
on our class’ Discussion Board. If you have a personal question/comment/concern, feel free to email me,
(instrucor email removed) and I’ll respond to you within 24 hours.
Learner characteristics at entry
•
High-intermediate or advanced ESL (English as a Second Language) learners
•
Non-native English speakers who work at least part-time in an English language environment
•
Basic knowledge of computers, tools, peripherals, and related terminology, including the QWERTY
keyboard
Course description
This 30-hour course focuses on developing the skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) essential to both
everyday communication and the TOEFL iBT exam. Students can expect to learn new concepts and
vocabulary and then apply this new knowledge to test-type situations and online discussions. Technical
requirements: Consistent Internet availability and access. Firefox 3.0 or 3.5 (Mac or PC) ; Internet Explorer
1
7 or 8 (PC only); Safari 3 or 4 (Mac only). Go to
https://www.uclaextension.edu/str/OnlineCourseTechSpecs-How-To.aspx for more details.
Course objectives: By the end of the course, students will be able to
Note-taking:
•
Apply note-taking skills to all sections of the TOEFL iBT
Reading:
•
Be knowledgeable about the 12 types of questions in the reading section
•
Construct own plan for answering the 12 types of questions
•
Construct own plan for reading more precisely while taking the exam
•
Apply knowledge and plans to exam simulations
Writing:
•
Identify the structures (independent & integrated) tested on the TOEFL iBT
•
Employ both writing structures to the appropriate sections of the exam
•
Be more aware of own grammatical errors when writing
•
Identify similarities and differences between one’s own writing and that of others
Listening:
•
Develop listening strategies for the exam
•
Adapt current listening skills to the exam
Speaking:
•
Develop speaking strategies for the exam
•
Adapt current speaking skills to the exam
•
Identify & differentiate between the speaking structures (independent, integrated) on the exam
•
Identify similarities and differences between one’s own speaking skills and those of others
Vocabulary:
•
Review and improve university-level vocabulary
•
Communicate with university-level vocabulary when speaking and when writing
Technical skills:
•
Improve typing speed
•
Illustrate improvement of typing speed through timed activities
•
Be more comfortable typing in Standard English on a QWERTY keyboard
2
Calendar
•
This course meets online. Our course calendar is Sunday-Saturday. This means that Week 1
starts on Sunday, January 18 and ends Saturday, January 24. Therefore, Week 1 assignments
are due by midnight, Saturday, January 24, Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Required Text
Rogers, B (2007). The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test (iBT ed.). Boston: Thomson Heinle. ISBN:
978-1-4240-9339-7
Grading
This is a non-credit course. Students will pass the course if they have a grade of 80% or higher. The
grade breakdown is as follows:
•
Discussion Board: 2 Discussion Board posts each week, 10 points each = 200 points possible
•
Quizzes: 10 points each, 8 quizzes total = 80 points possible
•
2 Independent Speaking responses, 10 points each, = 20 points possible
•
2 Integrated Speaking responses, 10 points each = 20 points possible
•
2 Independent Writing responses, 20 points each = 40 points possible
•
2 Integrated Writing responses, 20 points each = 40 points possible
•
Week 10 Assignment = 100 points possible
•
Total points possible = 500
•
Passing grade = 400+ points
Late assignments policy
•
All assignments are due on the date posted and in the stated format. All assignments are in the
“Assignments” folder on our class Blackboard (BB) site.
•
Late assignments may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Students must notify the instructor
before the assignment is due that the assignment will be late. Credit will not be given for
assignments turned in after the due date.
3
Attendance
•
You are required to log on to our class Blackboard (BB) site at least two (2) times per week. (Yes,
I can “see” you!)
Participation
•
Participation is a major component of this class.
•
“Participation” means doing all the required readings, vocabulary work, and completing and turning
in all assignments by the due date as well as applying your knowledge and posting your responses
to prompts on the Discussion Board.
Classroom Etiquette
•
We’re lucky to have an international classroom. Please respect all participants’ viewpoints and
ideas. Please refrain from bickering, using profanity, and making negative comments about others’
race, religion, or ideas. Thank you.
Plagiarism
UCLA Student Conduct Code
102.01c: Plagiarism
“Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of another's words or ideas as if they were one's own,
including, but not limited to, representing, either with the intent to deceive or by the omission of the true
source, part of or an entire work produced by someone other than the student, obtained by purchase or
otherwise, as the student's original work or representing the identifiable but altered ideas, data, or writing of
another person as if those ideas, data, or writing were the student's original work.”
Instructor’s Note: Please do your own work and do not copy from others. You may not get help from
friends, family members, or other native English speakers. You may get help from tutors. This class is
about learning, not perfection. Try your best and turn in your own work.
Blackboard (BB)
Blackboard (BB) is an online classroom. How do you log in to Blackboard? You’ve been sent your
Blackboard log-in instructions via an Enrollment Confirmation e-mail. If you did not receive your Enrollment
Confirmation: 1) Check your inbox and spam folder for the Enrollment Confirmation email (sent January
10). 2) If you still did not get the email or if your log-in does not work, send a Request for Blackboard
Support form. To send a Request for Blackboard Support form, go to http://uclaextension.blackboard.com .
4
Assignments
Each week, you’re expected to listen to or read the Week’s lectures. Click on the “Assignments” tab in the
left hand column. Then, click on the “Week” folder. After listening to or reading the Week’s lecture,
complete the assignments for that week, which are listed under the lecture. Students can expect to
spend three (3) hours per week on this course.
Assignments are numbered “W” for “Week” followed by the week number followed by the assignment
number. So, W101 is “Week 1, Assignment 1.” Assignments are numbered this way on the syllabus, on
BB, and on the Discussion Board.
Week 1:
W101 Buy the book To purchase the textbook for our course, please follow the steps below or call the UCLA
Store-Lu Valle Commons at 310-825-7238. Go to http://www.uclaextension.edu. Click on the “Quick Enroll” tab.
Enter Reg #U7053, and then click “Go.” On the “Course Description” page, click on “Get Textbook Information.”
On the “Ordering Textbooks” page, click on “Get Textbook.”
W102 Read the syllabus. Click on the “Syllabus” tab to your left.
W103 Take the Syllabus quiz. You may take this quiz more than once. Your score will be recorded in your
grade book (under “My Grades”).
W104 Instructor’s welcome message. Listen to the Instructor’s welcome message. Read the Instructor’s
introduction under “Staff Information.” Ask the Instructor a question on the Discussion Board (DB).
W105 Lecture 1, Note-taking skills. Listen to Lecture 1 and take notes. Then, compare your notes with the
Instructor's, and ask yourself, "What is the same and what is different between my notes and the instructor's? In
the future, what I can I do to improve my note-taking skills?"
W106 Your welcome message. Introduce yourself on the Discussion Board (DB). Read other students’ posts
and respond, in writing, to two other students’ posts.
5