UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
English Language Program, UC Berkeley Extension
BUSINESS ENGLISH IN ACTION:
EXPORT VERION
A Four-Week Course in Speaking & Listening Skills for Business
COURSE AIM
The Business English in Action course (BEA) is designed for people who need English for business situations, but who have a short time to study. Its overall objective is to make participants more fluent, confident, and expressive in English so they will be more effective in a wide variety of business situations. The course also raises awareness of the cross-cultural aspects of doing business internationally.
COURSE FOCUS
The focus of this course is on speaking more fluently and listening more successfully. The course is specifically designed to offer students a challenging, well-balanced program. The course also activates the language students already know, while introducing new structures and vocabulary, and demonstrating useful ways to continuously improve their English when students return to work or to their studies.
Weekly themes such as finance, marketing, management, and doing business across cultures provide a focus for all program. All elements of the course complement and reinforce one another so students are exposed to a wide range of business topics, related vocabulary and functional language.
Classroom activities include:
INSTRUCTORS
Our instructors are highly-qualified professionals with master’s degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language, Applied Linguistics, or a related field. In addition, ELP instructors have an average of 19 years’ teaching experience in the United States and abroad.
LEVELS
The course is appropriate for students at low-intermediate to advanced levels. To determine level, a diagnostic assessment, including an oral interview and grammar test, and a needs analysis are given to BEA applicants
CLASS SIZE
Class size can be a minimum of 14 students and a maximum of 20 students.
CLASS HOURS
22 class hours per week; 5 ½ hours per day, 4 days per week.
COURSE LENGTH
4 weeks
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT
Business Language Skills
BEA participants are guided through a systematic program designed to make them more comfortable speaking English in demanding business situations. Skill work and activities focus on grammar, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, vocabulary, and writing.
Grammar
Pronunciation takes the form of short "accuracy" sessions to work specifically on clearer and more natural sounding speech through analysis and practice. Our goal is to make clients conscious of the non-standard sounds which make them unintelligible, and to raise awareness of intonation patterns that may affect how their messages and attitudes are interpreted.
Listening is designed to help clients increase comprehension through good listening strategies such as the awareness of natural speech rhythms and the effects of word stress on vowel sounds. Participants develop the ability to predict word choice in a given situation, and to use the natural redundancies of speech to increase understanding. The class practices ways to control the flow of input in face-to-face or telephone interaction. Books, tapes, videos, television and radio recordings, and group activities offer a variety of listening opportunities.
Speaking includes fluency practice based on problem-solving and task-based activities. The course materials provide opportunities to work on the elements of clear and effective expression on the telephone, in social conversation, at meetings, and in negotiations.
Discussion Skills are developed as participants use new vocabulary to share opinions and thoughts on written or spoken texts. These discussions prompt students to consider the factors and features that govern business practices in the U.S. and in other countries, and to develop the critical thinking skills vital to success in the working world.
Reading is a stimulus to other activities and skills. Participants read newspaper or magazine articles, and extracts from business documents. Attention is paid to developing or improving a wide range of reading skills and strategies, including prediction, scanning, skimming, and recognizing different text types. The lexical, grammatical, and stylistic conventions of the English language press are explored so participants can take advantage of this important learning resource after they return home.
Vocabulary includes both general and business-specific vocabulary and idioms, presented and practiced as they appear in the materials. Particular attention is paid to training participants how to identify, record, and retrieve useful, high-frequency vocabulary.
Writing is not a major learning target in BEA, but there are some opportunities to practice note taking, memo writing, and short business letters as an extension to oral English practice. Writing may also be required for some grammar homework. We provide advice and correction to participants who want to do extra homework to practice writing business correspondence, résumés, and similar texts.
Business Contacts
This afternoon class includes simulations and business projects.
Simulations give participants the opportunity to enact realistic professional situations and to experiment with the problems encountered when one has to understand another’s speech, handle complicated information, think on one’s feet, and express complicated meaning and attitudes all at the same time. The impact of cultural differences on business relationships is explored.
Business Projects give participants a chance to take their English skills into the real world to accomplish a variety of group assignments. Working together, participants organize, carry out, and report back on projects by making formal in-class presentations. These may be videotaped and analyzed for effective use of language, appropriate register, and presentation skills.
HOMEWORK
BEA participants are expected to complete about two hours of homework a day. These assignments include reading, grammar exercises, and a variety of contact assignments. Particularly strong or weak participants may be given special assignments. Participants are advised to set up a routine for homework so they do not get behind or come to class unprepared.
Typical Week: Business English in Action
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Monday |
9:00am-12:00pm 1:30 pm- 4 pm |
Business Language Skills Business Contacts |
|
Tuesday |
9:00am-12:00pm 1:30pm-4:00pm |
Business Language Skills Business Contacts |
|
Wednesday |
9:00am-12:00pm 1:30pm-4:00pm |
Business Language Skills Business Contacts |
|
Thursday |
9:00am-12:00pm 1:30 pm-4:00 pm |
Business Language Skills Business Contacts |
PROFICIENCY REPORTS AND GRADES
There are two measurements of a student's achievement: proficiency and performance. Proficiency refers to one's level of English language skill; performance refers to one's diligence in doing assignments and participation and performance in class. Proficiency and performance evaluations do not necessarily correspond.
Proficiency Evaluations: The English language proficiency of each student is measured by criteria established by the instructors, Additionally, use the CIEP English Language Proficiency Chart and give each student a numbered evaluation for Speaking, and Aural Comprehension at the end of the course.
Performance Evaluations: GRADES. Instructors also evaluate each student's performance with a letter grade corresponding to the following:
A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Average
D = Poor
F = Failure
Grades are based on class participation (including attendance), completion of homework assignments, completion of in-class assignments, and quizzes and tests.
CERTIFICATES
Students who receive letter grades of A, B, or C from their teachers will receive Certificates of Completion at the end of each session. [Please note: ELP can issue only one certificate per student. Lost certificates cannot be reissued.]
CONTINUING EDUCATION
UC Berkeley Extension offers a range of business-related diploma programs that require a minimum score of 550 on the institutional TOEFL or 760 on the TOEIC. In order to preserve the integrity of these programs, no exceptions to this requirement are made. Many clients enroll in BEA as a prelude to a diploma course. For students who already have a 550 TOEFL score, BEA offers the chance to increase fluency and communications kills, to get into a routine of study, and to adjust to life in San Francisco before beginning the diploma program. Students who do not yet have a 550 TOEFL score can use the time to increase their language skills and confidence, and to prepare for the TOEFL at the end of the program.