Every year the CLA organises a number of Academic English courses specifically meant for a particular Phd Cohort; those about to start their 2nd year of doctoral studies. These courses are organised on the basis of the results of a survey conducted by the PhD Office in 2015 so as to understand the Academic English needs of the doctoral students.
Usually, one first group of classes is held between October and December, and a second one is organised between January and March.
Each course has a maximum of 20/25 participants.
During the 2020/21 academic year the courses will be dedicated to the 35th Phd students Cohort
Updated information about 2021/22 a.y. will be published by the end of September 2021. The courses will be addressed to the 36th and 37th Phd Cohorts.
Period and length of courses
30 academic hours for a period of 8 weeks. The first three courses will start in the middle of October 2020 and end by 20 December 2020 and will be held online. The remaining course will take place between January and March 2021. Courses will be held either in the early morning (8.30 am) or late in the afternoon (from 4.30 to 6.00 pm). Timetables will be made available together with the student lists from 12 October in the section “Classes”.
Course Objectives
The courses will be focused on academic writing and speaking skills such as writing abstracts, writing emails to academic peers, presenting research papers at seminars/conferences and networking, etc…
Admission requirements and entry test
In order to derive benefit from the courses, participants will require a B2 level of English, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is thus necessary for all students to take an entry test to assess their level.
On the basis of the results of the test the Centre may decide to organise courses for students whose level is below B2, but no lower than B1 level.
The test has a written and an oral component.
The test of written production (60 minutes) is made up of an email (semi-formal) and a summary/report (formal/academic) on data from a chart/diagram.
The oral test will consist of a brief interview. It is not possible to attend one of the courses without taking the initial test.
Both tests will be held ONLINE (by zoom and moodle).
Entry test dates
Written production: Students can choose between the following time slots:
30 September at 09:30 am, 30 September at 11.30 am
Spoken production and interaction: the oral test will take place during the week starting on 5th October (5-9 October). After all candidates have taken the written test (on 1st October), an email will be sent with a link to the oral test sign up page. Students will be able to choose a suitable time slot on basis of availability (“first come, first served”).
Both tests will be held ONLINE
On the basis of the results of the written and oral tests and the type of course/period chosen, the doctoral students will be organised into groups and offered one of the possible courses. The class lists will be available after 12 October in the section “Classes”.
Attendance and Certificates
Doctoral students wishing to receive an attendance certificate will have to attend at least 70% of the course (21 hours).
How to sign up for the test
Registration for the test (and thus for the course) is possible from 16th September until 27th September 2020 (deadline); when signing up for the test, students will be able to express a preference regarding the course (time/period). The CLA will attempt to satisfy all the requests, but the final decision will be made by the Centre on the basis of the levels of the students and organisational factors. REGISTER FOR THE TEST (the link will appear on 16th September)
EXTRA DATE FOR THE ENTRY TEST: Tuesday 15th December 2020 09:30am (written test). The oral test will take place on Thursday, 17th December, in the morning. Registration deadline: 10th December. The test will be taken online via zoom.
Register for the test.
ONLY for those students who could not attend the test in September 2020.
Classes
The names of the students admitted to the courses and the classes will be available in this section after 12 October. Timetables will be made available together with the student lists.
Contacts
For further information, you can contact elisabetta.divenere@unipd.it, tel. 0498276277 – 6185 (09:30 – 13.00).
Classes and timetable concerning January and February 2021 have been published. See the section “Classes”
EXTRA DATE FOR THE ENTRY TEST: Tuesday 15th December 2020 at 09:30am (written test). The oral test will take place on Thursday, 17th December, in the morning. Registration deadline: 10th December. Both tests will be taken online via zoom.
Register for the test.
ONLY for those students who could not attend the test in September 2020
