Listening & Speaking: Goals, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Goals

• The students will acquire necessary listening skills in order to follow and comprehend discourse such as lectures, conversations and discussions.

• The students will develop necessary speaking skills to communicate effectively and follow academic courses during their undergraduate studies.

Objectives

• The students will identify main ideas in a lecture and conversation. 

• The students will identify important details in a lecture and conversation.

• The students will distinguish more important ideas from less important ones.

• The students will use different listening strategies to listen actively.

• The students will take clear notes.

• The students will use their notes to organize their ideas.

• The students will identify words and/or phrases related to the topic.

• The students will draw inferences relying on the context.

• The students will express themselves fluently.

• The students will express themselves with acceptable accuracy.

• The students will convey their ideas clearly.

• The students will participate in discussions.

• The students will analyze and synthesize information presented in different sources.

• The students will present the key points from a written and listening text.

• The students will use paraphrasing techniques when presenting what they have read/heard.

Learning Outcomes

    By the end of the program, the students will be able to:

• use cohesive devices to distinguish different ideas,

• identify key terms and definitions during conversations and/or lectures,

• identify cues the lecturers use when focusing on examples, cause and effect relationships, and comparison and contrast,

• make inferences based on what they hear,

• identify the lecturer’s point of view,

• use symbols and/or abbreviations to take effective notes,

• express their opinions in individual presentations of ideas,

• express their opinions in group discussions,

• use accurate linguistic structures in conveying their ideas,

• use appropriate vocabulary in conveying their ideas,

• paraphrase important information in the listening texts,

• produce a speech eliciting ideas from different sources.

*A listening text refers to any lecture at the upper-intermediate level of at least 600 words.

Reading:  Goals, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Goal

The students will acquire necessary reading skills to comprehend academic texts.

Objectives 

• The students will comprehend important information and facts that are stated in a reading text.

• The students will understand the distinction between main ideas and supporting details in a reading text.

• The students will understand the meaning of a word as it is used in a reading text.

• The students will draw conclusions based on the information given within a statement or section of a reading text.

• The students will perceive ideas that are suggested but not directly stated within a reading text.

• Students will develop the ability to analyze the logical organization of written text and enhance their skills in ensuring coherence and cohesion.

• The students will recognize the organization and purpose of a reading text.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, the students will be able to:

• use context clues to figure out the meaning of a word and/or phrase in a reading text,

• use surrounding information to understand meaning, details and/or inferences in a reading text,

• use surrounding information to determine what a pronoun, determiner, etc. refers to in a reading text,

• skim a passage for main ideas,

• scan a passage for specific information,

• recognize effective paraphrased statements of important points in a reading text,

• to identify the logical flow of ideas in a paragraph and insert a given sentence in the most appropriate place to ensure coherence and cohesion,

• summarize information in a reading text,

• categorize information in a reading text,

• infer a writer’s intention and/or purpose in a reading text.

*A reading text refers to an upper-intermediate level of at least 500 words.

Writing: Goals, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Goal

The students will develop essential writing skills that will enable them to produce academic texts required for their undergraduate studies.

Objectives

• The students will brainstorm and organize their ideas.

• The students will use mechanics of writing appropriately.

• The students will use appropriate cohesive devices to improve their texts.

• The students will incorporate appropriate vocabulary to express ideas precisely.

• The students will write grammatically accurate basic and complex sentences.

• The students will write coherent and unified paragraphs.

• The students will learn how to paraphrase to improve their writing.

• The students will learn how to summarize to improve their writing.

• The students will express a clear opinion.

• The students will provide relevant support through examples or reasons.

• The students will produce a written response based on the information in the reading and listening texts.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, the students will be able to:

• make an outline,

• apply punctuation, capitalization, and spelling rules in writing appropriately,

• use parallel structures accurately and effectively,

• use a variety of conjunctions, transition signals, pronouns, and articles to improve their texts,

• use a wide range of vocabulary relevant to the topic,

• use correct forms of the words,

• write texts avoiding fragments, run-on sentences, and/or comma splices,

• express their opinion clearly,

• organize their ideas using ordering styles according to the content of the discussion,

• use arguments, examples, specific facts, and anecdotes to strengthen their opinion,

• use language structures and vocabulary to express agreement/disagreement or to introduce a new opinion,

• write a response identifying the main ideas and key points of a reading and a listening text.

*A response is at the upper-intermediate level and expected to contain a minimum of 100 words.

*A response is at the upper-intermediate level and expected to contain between 150-225 words.

Use of English: Goal, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

    Goal

The students will attain useful and efficient linguistic structures and use them appropriately in their undergraduate studies.

    Objectives

• The students will use linguistic structures to read and understand well-structured texts encountered in academic or social contexts.

• The students will use linguistic structures to follow and comprehend a well-organized scripted lecture and take notes.

• The students will use linguistic structures to produce coherent written and/or oral responses on academic and social topics.

• The students will attain vocabulary to comprehend academic and social reading and listening texts.

• The students will use the correct form of the words in their oral and written language production. 

• The students will understand separate meanings of a word as it is used in a reading and listening text.

Learning Outcomes 

By the end of the program, the students will be able to:

• identify the use of linguistic structures in written and oral texts,

• use the linguistic structures they have learnt in different kinds of written and oral texts effectively,

• use appropriate words to convey accurate meanings in different kinds of speaking and writing,

• guess the definitions of the words using context clues,

• figure out a word’s part of speech in a sentence,

• spell and pronounce each word and different forms of words correctly,

• skim and scan a passage to understand the main idea and to find specific information,

• find direct and indirect answers about part and/or whole of reading or listening texts,

• make use of complex linguistic structures to understand a reading and listening text. 

Learner Training: Goal, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Goal

The goal of the learner training component of the preparatory program is to enable learners to become efficient and autonomous language learners.

Objectives

• Students will study independently,

• Students will collaborate with their peers to complete language tasks and assignments,

• Students will utilize various strategies for language learning,

• Students will make use of various online and offline resources for language learning,

• Students will evaluate their own progress by filling in self-reflection tools,

• Students will set their goals based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, students will be able to:

• demonstrate the ability to study independently using self-study materials and other resources,

• actively collaborate with peers to complete language-related tasks and assignments, contributing meaningfully to group efforts,

• employ appropriate language learning strategies to enhance their proficiency and adapt to diverse learning situations,

• effectively use online and offline resources to support their language learning, including dictionaries, apps, and academic materials,

• critically evaluate their own language development by completing self-reflection tools,

• identify their strengths and areas for improvement to regulate their learning process.