Communicating effectively in an academic context

Target Group and objectives:

PhD researchers who frequently use written and spoken English for carrying out day-to-day tasks related to their research programme. The course aims to refresh and enhance participants’ knowledge of English, guiding them to use English efficiently and correctly in multiple professional contexts.​

NOTE: The course content focuses on the practical/organisational aspects of being a PhD researcher, rather than the research-related aspects (which are dealt with on other courses, e.g. Writing Academic Papers and Giving Academic Presentations). Check the course content, below, for more details. 

Content:

The course centres on five key areas of communication that are particularly relevant for PhD researchers:

• small talk and politeness for socialising/networking
• writing professional emails
• making polite and efficient telephone calls
• writing a convincing research grant proposal
• meetings: getting your view across; chairing
  

The course also dedicates some time to practising relevant grammar and structures in order to refresh and enhance participants’ general command of English.

Method:

The course uses a communicative teaching approach, focusing on practical language use rather than just theoretical understanding. Participants will be introduced to phrase banks of useful language tailored to specific situations (e.g. chairing a meeting) and will then practise applying these phrases in realistic tasks. This hands-on approach ensures that participants build confidence in both understanding and using the language effectively.

Writing and speaking skills will be enhanced through focused vocabulary and phrase practice, with the instructor providing corrections and personalised feedback on both written and spoken assignments.

Thanks to the small group sizes, the course is easily adaptable to meet the specific needs of each participant. The teacher can address individual challenges and offer tailored guidance on how to improve in specific areas.

Some more individual tasks, such as writing assignments or grammar exercises, will typically be assigned as homework to reinforce learning between lessons.

Dates:

Teacher:

Daniel Sossi (Linguapolis)

Language of the course:

English

Docop-points:

This course counts for 1,2 docop-points.

Registration:

Via Sisa Self Service.  Log in with your student account. Registration is possible as from 8 January 2025 and after you've been (re-)enrolled as a PhD student for 2024-2025.

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