Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Academic and Research Vice-Rector

Course Syllabus English I

1. COURSE IDENTIFICATION

Faculty or Unit: Escuela de

Ciencias de la Educación
Academic Level: Profesional
Course: English I
Course Type: Metodológico
Course Designer: Claudia Múnera
Preparation Date: Noviembre de
2015
Abbreviation: ECEDU
Academic Field: Formación disciplinar
Code: 518002
Number of credits: 3
Course Editor: Edwin Londoño Alape
Update Date: Agosto de 2018

Course Description:

The academic course English 1 corresponds to the specific professional training

component of the program Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages. It is a required
course for undergraduate students majoring in English at UNAD.

The course presents a set of different learning environments that provide the
students with an opportunity to develop language skills through a variety of
materials, activities, strategies, autonomous learning and the use of the target
language for communicative and interactive purposes. Accordingly, for the
English 1 level, the communicative approach is taken into consideration since it
sees language as a system for interaction and communication; it draws on the
constructivist idea that knowledge is constructed through social interaction with
others and emphasizes communication between students, and students and the
teacher.

Students who participate in this course will be exposed to several didactical

situations devised to promote interaction and communication in the target
language. Thus, students will be presented with language content that allows
them to become familiar with the form, meaning and use of English in real life
situations and in multiple contexts at the A1 level. Finally, the course focuses on
developing communicative skills in English and at the same time promote
autonomous learning, self-assessment, critical thinking, and intercultural
competence.
The contents of the course English I are included in an interactive e-book, which
is available in the virtual room all along the academic term. They consist of three
units. The Unit One, Talking about me and the others, is aimed at developing
the communicative abilities to express personal information and promote a basic
interplay related to favorite activities, family, and people’s preferences. The Unit
two, Talking about location and places, focuses on the description of places and
the abilities to provide directions to get to any destination; it also emphasizes
the personal plans, events and social activities. The Unit three, Talking about
daily routines and past events, is intended to fostering linguistic skills to ask for
and give information about travel and transportation, and to talk about daily
habits and past activities.

2. EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES

Course training purpose:

 To develop language skills as a whole in order to improve and consolidate

students’ elementary language command and knowledge and extend this
understanding of language to more basic communicative situations by
increasing students’ ability to communicate clearly, effectively and
appropriately in the target language while increasing their understanding of
grammar points in basic spoken and written interactions.

Course Competences:

 The student performs basic conversations and communicative interactions in

different contexts such as home, office, school or college, by addressing to
different people with the normal standards of courtesy according to the
communicative situation.

 The student uses tools if ICT to reinforce his knowledge, to develop his self-
directed learning, and to acquire more skills while learning the language in
its structural, communicational and interactional components.

 The student is aware of the ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and
attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and communication that are both
effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions.
3. COURSE CONTENTS

Units/topics Required Bibliographic References

Books & Books (2012). Unit 1, How are you? in Virtual English
Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit1/html/
index.html

Books & Books (2012). Unit 2, How’s your family? in Virtual

1. English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit2/html/
Talking about index.html
me and
others. Books & Books (2012). Unit 3, What kind of music do you like?
in Virtual English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit3/html/
index.html

Books & Books (2012). Unit 4, She loves to go dancing in Virtual

English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit4/html/
index.html

Londoño, E. (2018). Basic Writing. [video file]. Retrieved from

http://hdl.handle.net/10596/19632

Books & Books (2012). Unit 5, Where are you going? in Virtual
English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit5/html/
index.html

Books & Books (2012). Unit 6, How much is it? in Virtual

2. English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit6/html/
Talking about index.html
location and
places. Books & Books (2012). Unit 7, Is there a copy shop near here?
in Virtual English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit7/html/
index.html
 Books & Books (2012). Unit 8, Turn right at the light in Virtual
English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit8/html/
index.html

Londoño, E. (2018). Interest and activities. [video file].

Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10596/19633

Books & Books (2012). Unit 9, Is this the bus to Rio? in Virtual
English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit9/html/
index.html

Books & Books (2012). Unit 10, I like to sleep late in Virtual
English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
3. https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit10/htm
l/index.html
Talking about
routines and Books & Books (2012). Unit 11, Did you do the homework? in
past events. Virtual English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit11/htm
l/index.html

Books & Books (2012). Unit 12, What happened? in Virtual

English Online program. Level one. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.unad.edu.co/basic_english_I/Ebook/Unit12/htm
l/index.html

-Londoño, E. (2018). Past of verbs. [video file]. Retrieved from

http://hdl.handle.net/10596/19637

Additional bibliographic references for the course:

Unit 1:
Clouet, R., & Cranfield, S. (2014). Inglés. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria. Servicio de Publicaciones y Difusión Científica. Retrieved from:
 http://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2077/lib/unadsp/detail.action?docID=1101
3843&p00=ingl%C3%A9s

Unit 2:
British Council. (s.f). LearnEnglish. Retrieved from:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/

Unit 3:
BBC (june 2018). Skillswise. Retrieved from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english

4. LEARNING STRATEGY

Description of the learning strategy:

Context of the learning strategy to develop in this course:

Task-Based-Learning that, according to Richards (2010), refers to a focus on
the use of tasks as the core of the planning process and bring language learning
approach. Some of its proponents portray it as a logical development of the
communicative approach. Some of the characteristics of TBL are the use of:
1. Activities that involve real communication since they are essential to
language learning,
2. Activities that are meaningful to the student since they help the learning
process,
3. Activities in which language is used to develop meaningful tasks since they
promote real learning the language.
Phases of Learning:
 Pre-task: at this time is required to make an introduction to the topic and
task.
 Cycle-task: students establish the framework required for the development of
their work: knowledge, strategies, and activities. Students perform the task
individually or in groups, giving everyone the chance to express themselves
and make proposals facing the development of it.
Post-task: finally, the product of the task is delivered, so you can socialize
among different groups in order to compare findings, share realities or
exchange information.

5. DISTRIBUTION OF ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES FOR THE COURSE

Week Contents to develop Activity to develop according to the

1 Recognition of learning
contents, goals and
2 strategies for language
learning.
3 Talking about me
and others
4 (How are you? / How is
your family? / what
5 kind of music do you
like? / She loves to go
6 dancing).
learning strategy
Pre –Task:
Students are asked to introduce themselves
and to recognize the contents of the course to
be aware of the learning goals.
Cycle-task, task 1:
Students are asked to participate in the
collaborative forum in order to develop several
communicational tasks related to personal
situations. Then, the student takes a
knowledge test in order to account for the
understanding of the contents.

7 Talking about Cycle-task, task 2:

location and places Students are asked to participate in the
8 (Where are you going? collaborative forum in order to develop several
/ How much is it? / Is communicational tasks related to personal
9 there a copy shop near situations. Then, the student takes a
here? / Turn right at knowledge test in order to account for the
10 the light) understanding of the contents.

11 Talking about Cycle-task, task 3:

routines and past Students are asked to participate in the
12 events (Is this the bus collaborative forum in order to develop several
to Rio? / I like to sleep communicational tasks related to personal
13 late. / Did you do the situations. Then, the student takes a
homework? / What knowledge test in order to account for the
14 happened?) understanding of the contents.
15 Post-task:
All the course contents Students present a task where they put in
16 (units 1 to 12 from the practice their knowledge and skills through the
e-book). language skills.

6. STRATEGIES OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Description of academic support strategies to apply in this course

The student's learning and assessment process will be guided through different
synchronous and asynchronous strategies:

Synchronous means: The accompaniment to the learning of the students will

be developed through written chats, video calls, exchange of documents and
others that can be done through tools such as Skype, Oovoo, Imo, among
others.
Likewise, the follow-up by Wenconferences will be essential, since it will allow
a planning, execution and monitoring of students' progress, as well as the
identification of their needs and strategies that lead to their satisfaction, as
well as direct and effective communication and interaction. These tools will
also serve to develop the qualitative evaluation of learning, which will be
continuous and will be aimed at diagnosing and training.

Asynchronous media: Non-synchronic communication spaces will be provided

through the various informative, communicative, interactive and collaborative
forums that will be available in the course in order to guide collaborative and
autonomous learning processes. Also, through the internal mail of the course,
as well as the institutional, there will be a permanent communication that will
guide the processes.
The quantitative evaluation will be done at the end of each task through the
evaluation and monitoring environment, where through the rubric of
evaluation, the student will find a description and numbering of their
performance in the different items that describe the tasks.
7. COURSE EVALUATION PLAN

Products to submit Highest Weighting

Evaluatio
Weeks according to the Learning Score / / 500
n moment
Strategy 500 points points
Written document where
Initial students present some 25
1, 2 25
evaluation personal information and
the contents of the course.
A written document, a voice
Mid-term recording and a video with
3, 4,5,
evaluation the development of 115
6
Unit 1 communicational tasks. A
written questionnaire.
A written document, a voice
Mid-term recording and a video with
7, 8, 9,
evaluation the development of 350 120
10
Unit 2 communicational tasks. A
written questionnaire.
A written document, a voice
Mid-term recording and a video with
11, 12,
evaluation the development of 115
13, 14
Unit 3 communicational tasks. A
written questionnaire.
A written and oral document
Final where students put in 125
15, 16 125
evaluation practice the whole course
contents.
Total Score 500 points 100 %