Academic English Courses for PhD students – 36th cohort – A.A. 2021/22
Purpose of the Courses: to review and develop English language competence in academic speaking and writing contexts with a view to identifying and resolving areas of individual concern. To explore a variety of formal academic speaking situations and more informal academic occasions. Tasks will also focus on raising individual awareness of abilities and on strategies for further developing skills.
The courses listed on this page are free and are solely for PhD students of the 36th cycle. Starting from the 2021/22 a.y. the number and variety of courses has increased, as indicated below. Attendance will be over zoom. Compulsory ENTRY test – Registration to the entry test (and the course) is open from 15 to 25 October (deadline). THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER TEST DATES for the 36th cycle.
Course type and content
Each type of course has a minimum entry level of English. It is not possible to attend a course without having first taken the entry test.
INTRO TO ACADEMIC ENGLISH (30 academic hours course) – Level: B1 – Basic structures of Academic English: nominalization, recognizing sentence structure, recognising tense usage and appropriacy of lexis and register. Argumentation. Focus on pronunciation and conversation in certain contexts (confidence building). Promotion of passive skills to develop understanding and lexis.
ACADEMIC ENGLISH (30 academic hours course) – Level: from B1+ to B2 or higher. The courses are divided into upper and lower groups. The same topics are covered in different ways and at different speeds according to the level. WRITING: writing emails to academic peers, writing abstracts and structuring research papers; the moves, coherence and cohesion, stance. SPEAKING: presenting research papers at seminars/conferences, dealing with questions and strategies for interrupting politely, active listening and turn taking.
MINI COURSES on specific topics (10 hour mini courses) – Level: B2 or higher
- WRITING 1 Describing data (results, findings)
- WRITING 2 Conference abstracts and research article abstracts (exploring the differences between conference and research article abstracts, analysis of structure and language use)
- WRITING 3 Writing cover letters and research proposals
- SPEAKING 1 3-minute thesis competition presentation
Course duration and dates
The first courses will take place from November to December 2021. The remaining courses will take place between January and March 2022. Some of the mini courses may also take place during the summer period (June/July 2022). Preference will be given to the 8.30-10.30 and 16.30-18.30 time slots when scheduling. When registering, participants can indicate a preference regarding course type, timetable and period. The CLA will attempt to satisfy requests but the final decision will also be based on the entry test results and on organisational factors.
| Course type | Duration | Entry level required | Course dates | Attendance | Entry test |
| Intro to Academic English | 30 academic hours, twice a week for 6-7 weeks | B1 | January/February 2022 | Online over zoom | 3 December 2021 Written test (see below for registration)
Oral test during the week 13-17 Dec. |
| Academic English (writing and speaking) | 30 academic hours, twice a week for 6-7 weeks | from B1+ to B2 or higher | January/February 2022 and 2nd semester | Online over zoom | 3 December 2021 Written test (see below for registration)
Oral test during the week 13-17 Dec. |
| Mini courses on specific topics | 10 academic hours, Intensive or semi-intensive (1 or 2 weeks) | B2 or higher | From January to July 2022. | Online over zoom | 3 December 2021 Written test (see below for registration)
Oral test during the week 13-17 Dec. |
Which and how many courses can a person attend?
Depending on the level attained during the entry test, it will be possible to attend more than one course.
Participant with a level lower than a B1+: 1 INTRO to Academic English course + 1 Academic English course (the AEc can also be attended at a later date. The INTRO course is preparatory to the AE course).
Participant with a B2 level (lower): 1 Academic English course + a mini course (the Academic English course must be taken before the mini course).
Participant with a B2 level (upper): 2 intensive seminars (mini courses) or 1 Academic English course (upper) + 1 mini course.
Based on the results of the test, the Language Centre will inform each participant of the course which is most suitable to their level (which may not coincide with that given as a preference in the registration form).
Entry test and registration
In order to evaluate whether each participant’s language level is suitable to attend the courses, an obligatory entry test is required. When registering, each participant can indicate a preference regarding the type of course, timetable and period. Based on the test results the Language Centre will inform each participant of the course which is most suitable to their level (which may not coincide with that given as a preference in the registration form). The CLA will do what it can to satisfy requests and preferences but the final decision will be based on the level attained during the entry test and on organisational factors. It is not possible to attend a course without having taken the entry test. TEST STRUCTURE: The test comprises a written and oral component. The written test, which lasts 60 minutes, requires participants to write an email (semi-formal) and a summary/report (formal/academic) based on a diagram. The oral test involves a brief interview, lasting approximately 15 minutes.
| TEST | DATE AND TIME | WHERE | TYPE | REGISTRATION |
| WRITTEN PRODUCTION | 3 December (at 9:30 or 11:30 - 2 slots) | lab. 2E, CLA Via Venezia 16 | in person | Registration open from 16 to 28 November 2021
register for the test
If this is your first access to moodle CLA, a bug could occur just after the Single Sign On. You may be asked to update your personal data. In this case you have to log out from moodle and then log in again using the same link. |
| SPOKEN PRODUCTION AND INTERACTION | Various days and times from 13 to 17 December. Time slots can be booked in moodle from 3 to 9 December (first co me first served). | The oral test will take place over Zoom | online (brief interview) | A link for registration will be opened on 3rd December just after the written test
and will close on 9 Decemebr (11:00 am) |
Based on the results of the entry test, participants will be split amongst the various course types. The list of the first classes which will start in November will be available by 5 November in the section entitled “classes”. Timetables will be made available as the classes are published. The list of participants admitted to the January/February courses will be made available by the same date (5 November). The timetables for the January classes will be published by the end of November.
Attendance and certificates
PhD students who would like to receive a certificate of attendance will need to attend at least 70% of the lessons (21 hours)
Classes
The names of the participants admitted to the November/December courses will be made available in this section by 5 November. The timetables will be made available at the same time as the class lists. The names of the participants admitted to the January/February 2022 and following courses will be made available by the same date (5 November). The timetables for the January classes will be published by the end of November. Applicants whose level is considered too low to attend the courses will be contacted individually via email (institutional email address @studenti.unipd.it).
| November - December 2021 - CLASSES - Academic English courses (30 hours) | January and February 2022 (and beyond)- CLASSES |
| Group 1_lower | Group, level, timetables to be defined by the 21 of December. |
| Group_2_upper | View the results along with the timetable in moodle.
Class confirmation in moodle is mandatory |
| Group_3_lower | |
| Group_4_upper | |
Contacts
For further information you can contact elisabetta.divenere@unipd.it, tel. 0498276277 – 6185 (09:30 – 13.00).
