INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF GRAND-BASSAM
University Preparatory Program
UPP0224A – Oral Communication – Intermediate Level
Monday and Wednesday at 4:00pm-5:20am R03
Syllabus for January Semester
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Instructor Information:
A. Name: Ms. Lorie Mattox
B. Email: mattox.l@iugb.edu.ci
C. Office location: 121
D. Office hours: By arrangement only
Course information
A. Number of Class Hours per week: 3
B. Number of Credits: 0
C. Articulation: GSU/UH/UAB: N/A
D. Course Prerequisites: IUGB Entrance Test
E. Computer Skills Prerequisites (CSP): 1, 6, 7
F. Course Description: Students develop basic oral presentation skills appropriate for low
intermediate learners. They will practice speaking accurately and fluently through
planned speeches, impromptu speeches, class discussions, speaking games, and debates in
order to prepare for both classroom situations and the TOEFL oral questions.
Pronunciation problems and common grammar errors will be addressed as they arise.
Guiding Principles: The learning outcomes and objectives of this course are supported by
the following guiding principles:
 Communication (Oral and Written)
 Collaboration
 Critical Thinking
 Contemporary Issues (if appropriate)
 Quantitative Skills (if appropriate)
 Technology
 Problem Solving
Learning Objectives: At the end of the course, students should be able to:
A. Make an effective oral presentation, averaging 3.5 or more on the IUGB speaking
placement rubric
B. Pronounce high frequency words correctly
C. Speak using basic intonation, stress, and rhythm
D. Express themselves in simple, complex, compound, and compound complex sentences
E. Conduct conversations in English with IUGB staff, students, and faculty
F. Greet people of authority, friends, and strangers appropriately
G. Apologize, make excuses, complain, express agreement and disagreement
H. Use a variety of American idiomatic expressions and slang in conversation
I. Avoid global, patchwork, and incremental plagiarism in presentations
1
V.
Recommended Texts
Delk, C.L. College Oral Communication 3: English for Academic Success. Boston, MA:
Thomson Heinle, 2004. Print.
VI.
Additional Materials / Bibliography
Miller, Sue F. Targeting Pronunciation: Communicating Clearly in English (with CD).
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.
VII.
Methodology Used: Various student-centered approaches with activities that encourage
student involvement, motivation, and interest. Students are encouraged to actively participate
in the course.
VIII.
Presentations: Students are required to deliver six presentations. Two weeks before the
presentations are due, the instructor will cover the type of speech student will give. Students
should write out their speech, but they will be graded on the presentation only. The class will
complete peer evaluations for some of the presentations.
IX.
Discussion Forums (7): Students are required to visit the Discussion Forum regularly; 2
relevant, brief or longer, comments per cycle (one early, one later) would be optimal. Each
topic is open for 2 weeks and each relates to course topics or the presentations. Students will
be assigned a topic and will generate questions for discussion. Students may post a response
about the question or respond to another person’s posting. This should be viewed as an online discussion in which persons can post opinions, describe personal experiences, and pose
questions just like during an in-class discussion. Candidates will be required to post at least 2
times per topic. Students will be penalized for “lumping” all Blog visits on one day late in a
topic cycle. See Appendix A.
X.
Small Talk Recordings: Students are required to record 10 conversations with other students
or assigned speakers. The conversations will target the specific pronunciation skill focused on
during class. Students will evaluate their recordings afterwards to determine how well they
met the specific pronunciation skill. See Appendix B.
XI.
E-Portfolio: Through the semester students should place the following documents and
audio/video files in a Google Site student portfolio (see Appendix C). After setting up your
personal site the 1st week, share the site with your instructor. Each assignment demonstrates
understanding and mastery of the learning objectives.
A. 1 Peer Evaluation on a presentation (student’s choice)
B. 2 written Presentations (student’s choice)
C. 3 recordings of Presentations (student’s choice)
D. 4 Discussion Forums: (student’s choice)
E. 5 recorded Small Talks with student’s self evaluation
F. E-Portfolio assessment: at the end of the semester, students should record themselves
verbally explaining why they chose the particular items for their e-portfolio. Explain how
these items helped improve his or her speaking skills and affirmed/changed their views of
speaking English. This assignment should be posted during the 13th week.
XII. Assessments and Project Description
A. Frequency
B. Weighting of different assessments
Total=100%
2
C. Types and expectations
 E-portfolios 15%
 Discussion Forums and Small Talk Recordings 15%
 Presentations 20%
 Midterm exam 20%
 Final exam 30%
IUGB Grading Scale
Letter Grade Credit
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
K
V
W
WF
I
XIII.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NO
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
Quality
Grading Scale
(In Percentage)
Points
4.30
97-100
4.00
93-96
3.70
90-92
3.30
87-89
3.00
83-86
2.70
80-82
2.30
77-79
2.00
73-76
1.70
70-72
1.00
59.5-69
0.00
<59.5
0.00 Credit by Exam Pass/Fail
0.00
Audit
0.00
Withdrawal
0.00
Failing withdrawal
0.00
Check with faculty
General Policies
Students are expected to follow all published IUGB rules and regulations.
The instructor reserves the right to modify the outline and/or the assignments as deemed
necessary to meet certain needs or situations that will arise during the semester.
Students with Special Needs or Disabilities: Please let the instructor know if you have any
special needs and need specific accommodations.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is NOT optional. Students are expected to attend each class meeting and be on
time. Students who have unexcused absences for more than 20% of course meetings will fail
the course. Students may be marked absent if they are ten minutes late, create a disruption,
leave class without permission, leave class early or for extended periods of time, or take part
in forbidden classroom behavior (such as texting, instant messaging, accessing websites
unrelated to class work).
3
Submission of assignments
All assignments for the course are to be completed and submitted on time in order to receive
full credit. Late assignments could incur the loss of 10 pts per day. If an assignment will be
late, please notify the instructor and work out a new submission time.
Make-up policy
Missed work can be made up, only if the absence is excused. You might not be able to make
up some small assignments, for example, those involving group works.
Academic Integrity
Students are encouraged to assist each other in mastering the concepts and skills covered in
the course. However, an individual assignment, group project, a quiz or an exam submitted
by a student fulfilling the requirements of this course must be the result of that student’s
personal effort, and not copied from another work or performed by anyone else. Any student
who cheats, plagiarizes, or performs any other act of academic dishonesty is guilty of
academic misconduct. Any academic misconduct in this course will be dealt with according
to IUGB’s academic misconduct policy and will result in an automatic “F” for the
assignment. A repeated offense will result in course failure and be reported to the UPP
director. If you have any questions about what might be considered plagiarism, please ask
your instructor, librarian, or writing lab tutor.
Classroom conduct
Respect of instructors and fellow students is very important.
Use of cell phones, I-pods, etc is strictly prohibited during class unless they are being used
legitimately for a class assignment. No text messaging during class! Phones should be
turned OFF during the class period. Improper use of electronic devices will lower your class
participation grade or cause you to be marked absent.
Students who are dressed in a distracting manner will be asked to leave class and be marked
absent.
Assistance with course
This may be arranged either directly with the instructor, or through the Advisory Process
XIV. Faculty Biographical information
As a Texan, I understand the importance of hard work, encouragement and pride. In school,
I’ve always worked hard to not only make good grades but to apply and test the things I’ve
learned. After graduating with a BA in English, specializing in Technical Writing, I had the
opportunity to work in Ghana and Zambia producing a variety of publications, including
literacy materials. I then returned to the US to work in a publishing house. Also around this
time I started teaching a community conversational English class and learned the importance
of encouragement. Learning a new language is a stressful exercise, and I constantly reminded
my students this was a feasible task. This eventually led to my decision to work on my MA in
Education focusing on adult ESL. After graduation, I taught part-time and had the
opportunity to see many of my students enter the work force or university as their English
levels improved. I see my students as future world leaders and have a deep sense of pride in
all that will be accomplished. I look forward to seeing these same qualities in you, your hard
work to master English, encouraging each other on this journey and pride in yourself as you
accomplish this task. I believe that each of you will have an important part in the future.
4
XV.
Course Outline
Class
Homework
WEEK 1
Day 1
Intro to course
Small talk
Discussion Forum 1: What do you want to
get out of this course?
Prepare All About Me presentation
Day 2
All About Me Presentations
Greetings
Set up student e-portfolio on Google/Sites
WEEK 2
Day 3
TP1: Improving your Pronunciation
Small Talk recording 1
COC Reading: p. 7 The First Movie Cameras
Day 4
COC: How did movies get started?
Expressing agreement and
disagreement
Taking on roles in groups
Asking clarification questions
Impromptu Speech overview
Discussion Forum 2: What type of movies do
you prefer? Why?
Prepare Impromptu Speech presentation
WEEK 3
Day 5
TP2: Pronunciation Basics
Small Talk recording 2
Prepare Impromptu Speech presentation
Day 6
Impromptu Speech presentation
WEEK 4
Day 7
TP3: Stress Syllables and Speaking Clearly
Day 8
COC: How’d they do that?
Personal Narrative overview
Small Talk recording 3
COC Reading: p. 30 Computer Animation and
the Cinema World
Discussion Forum 3: Why do you think
animated movies are so popular?
Prepare Personal Narrative presentation
WEEK 5
Day 9
TP4: Intonation Patterns
Small Talk recording 4
Prepare Personal Narrative presentation
Day 10
Personal Narrative presentation
5
WEEK 6
Day 11
TP5: Speech Rhythm
Day 12
COC: Can you hear me now?
Being part of a study group
Controlling the talk time in groups
Helpful phone message hints
Small Talk recording 5
COC Reading: p. 58-60 Models of Human
Communication
Discussion Forum 4: Can you think of an
example from your everyday life when
communication broke down because you
didn’t know something about your
audience?
WEEK 7
Midterm Review/Midterm
WEEK 8
Day 15
TP6: Vowels & speech music
Day 16
COC: Do we watch TV for free?
Describing a chart or table
Demonstration Speech overview
Small Talk recording 6
COC Reading: p. 84-87 Tables and graphs
and p. 103 Life Without Advertising
Discussion Forum 5: What types of TV
advertising are most common and why?
Prepare Demonstration Speech presentation
(pairs)
WEEK 9
Day 17
TP7: The melody of speech
Small Talk recording 7
Prepare Demonstration Speech presentation
(pairs)
Day 18
Demonstration Speech presentation
W E E K 10
Day 15
Spring Break (Mon & Tues)
No Class Mon & Tues
COC Reading: p. 116 Group Cities VideoGame Makers for Violence Against Women
Day 16
COC: Does violence in the media make us
Discussion Forum 6: Should the government
violent?
have more control over media?
Open and closed questions
Prepare Persuasive Speech presentation
Express opinion, agreeing and
disagreeing
Persuasive Speech overview
W E E K 11
Day 17
TP8: Speech pathway
Small Talk recording 8
Prepare Persuasive Speech presentation
6
Day 18
Persuasive Speech presentation
W E E K 12
Day 19
TP9: Important Endings
Small Talk recording 9
COC Reading: p. 147-148 Society of
Professional Journalists Code of Ethics
Day 20
COC: Are they telling the truth?
Question intonation
Analyze case studies
Informative Speech overview
Discussion Forum 7: What is the role of a
media (TV, newspaper, magazine, etc)
editor?
Prepare Informative Speech presentation
(groups)
W E E K 13
Day 21
TP10: More vowels and consonants
Small Talk recording 10
Prepare Informative Speech presentation
(groups)
Day 22
Informative Speech presentation (groups) E-Portfolio assessment
W E E K 14
Review
W E E K 15
Final
Appendix A: Discussion Forums
After beginning a new topic in class, the instructor will post a class discussion question on Edu2.0.
Students will have two weeks to provide a response to the question and at least one comment to
another student’s response. Students may need to wait until the second week to post a comment to
another student’s response. Students are encouraged to comment more than once as an opportunity to
practice writing in English.
Under this class in Edu2.0, click on Forums in the left hand menu. The instructor will begin a thread
with a question or statement that students will respond to. Student responses need to be well thought
out, substantial, and cover the topic. Once students have responded, be sure to click the Subscribe
button to receive alerts to postings to your response.
Appendix B: Small Talk recordings
Students need to locate a voice-recording program or app for recording Small Talks. The program
needs to have the ability to mail the recording to student’s email address and e-portfolios. Most smart
phones come with a program. Apps can be found for Android or Apple tablets. Computer programs
can also be found. A good free program is Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net).
7
Appendix C: E-Portfolios
E-portfolios are electronic folders showcasing a student’s best work. It is an effective tool to allow
students to self-monitor their progress over the semester. In this course, you will create an e-portfolio
though Google Sites. This will allow you to access your portfolio along with your IUGB gmail
account.
Directions for creating a Google Sites e-portfolio:
1. Sign into your IUGB gmail account, but don’t select Mail.
2. Click on the symbol (
) and choose Sites from the pull down menu.
3. Click on Create in the left hand menu.
4. Use your name in the Name Your Site box (ex: Aly Gbane)
5. Under Select a Template to Use, choose a Blank Template or Browse the Gallery for More.
6. Once you have selected your template, click Create.
This will provide you the first page of your e-portfolio. You should create an introduction for
yourself on the main page. Then create your table of contents for the left hand side menu. Your table
of contents should include the title of this course UPP0224 and any other courses where instructors
ask students to create a Google Sites e-portfolio.
Typing text for the introduction:
1. Click on the pencil image or Edit Page (s) button.
2. Click on the text box and begin typing your introduction information.
3. When you are finished, click on Save.
This provides your home page. To add, delete, copy or move pages, click on the “gear” image or
More Actions button.
To share e-portfolio with others:
1. Click on the “gear” image or More Actions button.
2. Select Sharing and Permissions.
3. In the Invite People box, type my email address (mattox.l@iugb.edu.ci). You can only add
addresses that end in @iugb.edu.ci.
4. Click Send.
An invitation will be sent to all the email addresses you entered. They will need to accept your
invitation before they can access your site.
The above three steps need to be completed by Week 2!
This is just the basic information about setting up a site. You will need to take the time to play with
the site to see what it does and how to personalize it to your tastes. Have fun!
8
Appendix D: Reflection Journal Worksheet
Reflection Journal Worksheet
Keeping a journal about your speaking and listening experiences will increase your awareness about
your own pronunciation and provide a record of your progress.*
SAMPLE JOURNAL ONE
Goal: To improve word stress
Reflection: In class this week, I noticed that the rubber band helped me a lot to lengthen the stressed
syllable. I decided to write down some words that I use at work: publicity, marketing, agreement,
feasibility study, and sustained growth. I marked the stressed syllables. I made a real effort to stretch
out the stressed syllables using my rubber band. Then I made up sentences with the words and
recorded them. When I listened, it sounded better, but I made another recording anyway. I tried to
say those words more correctly at work and was thinking about my speech when I said them.
SAMPLE JOURNAL TWO
Goal: To improve my ability to describe events and pick out the important words
Reflection: I took a series of photos at my sister’s wedding and decided to put them in the order of
what happened so I could tell the story of her wedding. Then I began to tell the story. I tried to stress
the focus word in each sentence and use pauses. The kind of practice was very helpful. I taped
myself telling the story about the wedding. Then I found some other pictures I had taken of some
places we went this summer, and I did the same thing.
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
1. Keep a weekly journal related to your speech. Your journal should reflect your personal goals,
interests, and experiences. Choose an activity that you are interested in.
Sample listening activities: listening to students or the instructor in class
 listening to conversations, news, or interview programs on TV or the radio, or to the speech
of neighbors or friends
 taping and listening several times to your favorite TV program
Sample speaking activities: picking out words that you say frequently at work emphasizing
the stressed syllables
 practicing your pronunciation in social situations (making plans, talking at a party, inviting a
friend for a movie)
 talking in the community (getting information, shopping)
 recording your speech, listening for corrections, and re-taping it
Sample goals: to lengthen stressed syllables, to listen for pauses and focus words, to say final
“ed” and “s”, to pause more, or to use more speech melody
2. Write your journal entry on your computer. Describe in your own words what happened and how
it helped you. How successful was it?
3. Send a copy of your journal to your instructor by e-mail---either in a letter or as an attachment.
Print out your copy each week and bring it to class. We will spend a few minutes in class talking
about the journals and what happened.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
9
Appendix E: Talk Times and Small Talk Worksheet
Talk Times and Small Talk Worksheet
1. Talk Times Targets. Write the targets you plan for each Talk Times activity.
Examples: Monday-word stress. Friday-focus.
2. Situation. Write where you were and whom you were talking to.
Examples: at work-John, at a market-clerk, at the movies-person in line.
3. Notes. Describe your plan, what you said, and what happened when you said it.
4. Comfort level. Rate 1-10. 1=least comfortable 10-most comfortable.
DayTalk Times
Targets
Situation
Where and with
whom?
Notes
Describe your plan
and what happened
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
10
Comfort Level
1-10
STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET
Name _______________________________________________________________________
Preferred Name for Class (only pick ONE) _________________________________________
Cell #___________________________
Residence: Bassam _________
IUGB E-mail______________________________
Abidjan _________
Other ________________________
EDUCATION:
How much experience do you have in using English? ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How much English did you have in school? __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
LANGUAGES AND CULTURES:
Your first language(s) - native language or mother tongue: ______________________________
What other languages do you know and how (where and when) did you learn them:___________
______________________________________________________________________________
Travel Abroad: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Study/work/life experiences in other countries: ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
11