| Day | Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 10/12/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 10/19/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Monday | 10/24/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.4.14 |
| Wednesday | 11/02/22 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Online-Einheit |
| Wednesday | 11/02/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 11/09/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 11/16/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 11/23/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 11/30/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 12/07/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 12/14/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 12/21/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Wednesday | 01/11/23 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.09 |
| Friday | 01/13/23 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM | TC.5.02 |
| Wednesday | 01/18/23 | 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM | TC.3.09 |
The curriculum of this class is comprised of general language skills, core business content (i.e. the understanding of business principles and activities, technical terminology and registers) and communicative competence.
Please note that this course uses the Canvas learning platform. You will be expected to work through self-study material and asynchronous contributions on a regular basis as well as participating actively in class. There is a strong focus on interaction both in and out of class. Please read the syllabus through carefully to make sure you wish to participate in this class! However, if you are able to engage with the course, it should be interesting and rewarding.
THIS COURSE IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'ENGLISH BUSINESS COMMUNICATION3' (EBC3). Bachelor students are required to have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3.
LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs)
After successfully completing this course, students will be able:
In addition, this course fosters the following soft skills:
As with all PI courses, attendance is a requirement to pass EBC3. As a special concession, you may miss up to three (3) meetings of your LV. However, if you miss a fourth, you will no longer be able to pass the course. This condition applies whatever the reasons for your absences may have been.
Please note that the online session in the morning of 2 November is a class that is held jointly with students from NHH Bergen (Norway). It is not necessary to attend it (providing you can otherwise meet the regular attendance requirement), but it is strongly recommended as it provides you with a unique opportunity to work with students from a different university. There are also 3 participation points linked to this session.Students going on exchange in January 2023 can start the course in October and complete the continuous assessment elements (Teilleistungen) which take place until December. If desired, you can also participate in the class report writing task in January while you are abroad as it will be held online. The Content & Reading test will be an on-paper test and you can take it (and the report writing task, if you prefer) at the end of the next semester, when you return (i.e. in June 2023).
This EBC3 course consists of a mix of self-study, interactive online activities, and live/on-campus classes relating to different aspects of the course.
In the first part of the course, we will focus on preparing for our joint session with NHH Bergen, working through the content topics and discussing the orals and report writing.
The second part of the course will comprise presentation sessions and the larger assessment elements (Report and Business English in Context tests). The orals will be held during the presentation sessions and students not presenting will be required to listen actively, ask questions and give feedback in class and/or asynchronously online. The Report and Business English in Context tests will also be held in the final sessions scheduled at the regular time. See information below for further details.
Self-study materials
Self-study materials will be posted regularly and are designed to be used alongside class materials. These comprise language, comprehension and content exercises to help you understand and be able to discuss business topics pertaining to globalised trade and sustainable business, international market entry, risk in international trade, financial management and legal English.
Interactive activities
During the course you will be invited to participate in a range of synchronous and asynchronous interactive activities, such as creating mini-presentations, posting and responding to threads in a discussion forum, peer-reviewing reports, and working together in small groups (2-4 people) on quizzes. These activities are intended to help build a class community as well as help you go deeper into the material and prepare for the assessments.
Live/on-campus sessions
The live/on-campus sessions will be held during the scheduled class times and will have a content and/or language focus, depending on the relevant unit. EBC3 is currently scheduled to take place on campus but this may change depending on developments with Covid-19 and the government regulations. Please keep checking your WU email, MS Teams and the notices (Ankündigungen) on LEARN for up-to-date information. These sessions will also comprise a mix of teacher-led input, spontaneous and prepared presentations and discussions, and preparation for the assessment elements.
Please note that the attendance requirement refers to these sessions, and will be upheld regardless of whether we have class online or on campus.
As EBC3 is a PI course, you must meet the Learning Outcomes by completing various tasks:
(1) Oral group discussions (15%): This element includes an oral assessment in which you will need to demonstrate proficiency in spoken English at the level of (or very close to) C1 under the European Framework of Reference, which is defined as follows:
In groups of 3-4 people, you will conduct a presentation and discussion on current business topics.
(2) Report practice and peer review (12%): This is practice for the Final Report (see below). I will inform you about requirements and will set a deadline by which the homework must be submitted. You will receive 5 points for the timely submission of a reasonable draft, 2 points for a constructive peer review of one of your colleague's reports, and up to 5 additional points for the quality of your final submission.
(3) Participation and interaction (13%): There will be a range of small activities and synchronous/asynchronous tasks throughout the course which are intended to encourage interaction and peer learning. You will find details about requirements, point allocation and timeframes on Canvas once the course starts.
(4) Final Report (30%): In this assessment element you will need to write a new report on a market entry topic, as practised in (2) above. This will take place in class on 11 January but you may use a computer/laptop if you wish.
(5) Business English in Context (30%): This will be an on-paper test combining the content knowledge covered in the course with reading comprehension and text-based tasks. This will take place in class on 18 January and can be taken on paper only.
In order to pass the course, you must fulfill the following requirements:---
The grade boundaries for EBC3 are as follows:
Grade 1: 90-100%
Grade 2: 80-89%
Grade 3: 70-79%
Grade 4: 60-69%
Grade 5: 0-59%
Bachelor students must have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3. Please note that registration via LPIS is required for 'EBC3'.
Registration is effected on a first-come, first-served basis. Any unfilled slots will be filled from waiting lists in accordance with study progress and in cooperation with the Vizerektorat für Lehre und Studierende.
Individual EBC3 instructors are NOT involved in registration and will NOT reply to mails on the subject.
In order to take this course you must have passed
You can contact your instructor during his/her office hours, immediately before or after class or by mail.
Please note that, while all scheduled dates are confirmed, the exact content of each class and/or the order of the topics covered is still subject to change.