ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

English Language Lab is established with 60 computers to enable learners to learn better pronunciation through stress, accent, intonation and rhythm. It exposes the students to a variety of self – instructional, learner – friendly and totally inter – active modes of language learning to use language effectively to face interviews, group discussions and public speaking. The Lab facilitates to face computer – based competitive exams, such as GRE, TOFEL, and GMAT etc. The lab also has audio and video recording facilities through which the language errors can be rectified.
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Thursday, October 7, 2010

ADVANCED ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS LAB

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, HYDERABAD
III Year B.Tech.
ADVANCED ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS LAB

1. Introduction
The introduction of the English Language Lab is considered essential at 3rd year level. At this stage the students need to prepare themselves for their careers which may require them to listen to, read, speak and write in English both for their professional and interpersonal communication in the globalised context.

The proposed course should be an integrated theory and lab course to enable students to use ‘good’ English and perform the following:
• Gather ideas and information, to organise ideas relevantly and coherently.
• Engage in debates.
• Participate in group discussions.
• Face interviews.
• Write project/research reports/technical reports.
• Make oral presentations.
• Write formal letters.
• Transfer information from non-verbal to verbal texts and vice versa.
• To take part in social and professional communication.
2. Objectives:
This Lab focuses on using computer-aided multimedia instruction for language development to meet the following targets:
• To improve the students’ fluency in English, through a well-developed vocabulary and enable them to listen to English spoken at normal conversational speed by educated English speakers and respond appropriately in different socio-cultural and professional contexts.
• Further, they would be required to communicate their ideas relevantly and coherently in writing.

3. Syllabus:
The following course content is prescribed for the Advanced Communication Skills Lab:

 Functional English - starting a conversation – responding appropriately and relevantly – using the right body language – role play in different situations.
 Vocabulary building – synonyms and antonyms, word roots, one-word substitutes, prefixes and suffixes, study of word origin, analogy, idioms and phrases.
 Group Discussion – dynamics of group discussion , intervention, summarizing, modulation of voice, body language, relevance, fluency and coherence.
 Interview Skills – concept and process, pre-interview planning, opening strategies, answering strategies, interview through tele and video-conferencing.
 Resume’ writing – structure and presentation, planning, defining the career objective, projecting ones strengths and skill-sets, summary, formats and styles, letter-writing.
 Reading comprehension – reading for facts, guessing meanings from context, scanning, skimming, inferring meaning, critical reading.
 Technical Report writing – Types of formats and styles, subject matter – organization, clarity, coherence and style, planning, data-collection, tools, analysis.
4. Minimum Requirement:
The English Language Lab shall have two parts:
i) The Computer aided Language Lab for 60 students with 60 systems, one master console, LAN facility and English language software for self- study by learners.
ii) The Communication Skills Lab with movable chairs and audio-visual aids with a P.A System, a T. V., a digital stereo –audio & video system and camcorder etc.
System Requirement ( Hardware component):
Computer network with Lan with minimum 60 multimedia systems with the following specifications:
i) P – IV Processor
a) Speed – 2.8 GHZ
b) RAM – 512 MB Minimum
c) Hard Disk – 80 GB
ii) Headphones of High quality

5. Suggested Software:
The software consisting of the prescribed topics elaborated above should be procured and used.

Suggested Software:
• Clarity Pronunciation Power – part II
• Oxford Advanced Learner’s Compass, 7th Edition
• DELTA’s key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test: Advanced Skill Practice.
• Lingua TOEFL CBT Insider, by Dreamtech
• TOEFL & GRE( KAPLAN, AARCO & BARRONS, USA, Cracking GRE by CLIFFS)
• The following software from ‘train2success.com’
 Preparing for being Interviewed,
 Positive Thinking,
 Interviewing Skills,
 Telephone Skills,
 Time Management
 Team Building,
 Decision making
• English in Mind, Herbert Puchta and Jeff Stranks with Meredith Levy, Cambridge
6. Books Recommended:
1. Effective Technical Communication, M. Ashraf Rizvi, Tata Mc. Graw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd.
2. A Course in English communication by Madhavi Apte, Prentice-Hall of India, 2007.
3. Communication Skills by Leena Sen, Prentice-Hall of India, 2005.
4. Academic Writing- A Practical guide for students by Stephen Bailey, Rontledge Falmer, London & New York, 2004.
5. English Language Communication : A Reader cum Lab Manual Dr A Ramakrishna Rao, Dr G Natanam & Prof SA Sankaranarayanan, Anuradha Publications, Chennai
6. Body Language- Your Success Mantra by Dr. Shalini Verma, S. Chand, 2006.
7. DELTA’s key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test: Advanced Skill Practice, New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers, New Delhi.
8. Books on TOEFL/GRE/GMAT/CAT by Barron’s/cup
9. IELTS series with CDs by Cambridge University Press.
10. Technical Report Writing Today by Daniel G. Riordan & Steven E. Pauley, Biztantra Publishers, 2005.
11. Basic Communication Skills for Technology by Andra J. Rutherford, 2nd Edition, Pearson Education, 2007.
12. Communication Skills for Engineers by Sunita Mishra & C. Muralikrishna, Pearson Education, 2007.
13. Objective English by Edgar Thorpe & Showick Thorpe, 2nd edition, Pearson Education, 2007.
14. Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test by Jolene Gear & Robert Gear, 4th Edition.
15. Technical Communication by Meenakshi Raman & Sangeeta Sharma, Oxford University Press.

DISTRIBUTION AND WEIGHTAGE OF MARKS:
Advanced Communication Skills Lab Practicals:
1. The practical examinations for the English Language Laboratory practice shall be conducted as per the University norms prescribed for the core engineering practical sessions.
2. For the English Language lab sessions, there shall be a continuous evaluation during the year for 25 sessional marks and 50 End Examination marks. Of the 25 marks, 15 marks shall be awarded for day-to-day work and 10 marks to be awarded by conducting Internal Lab Test(s). The End Examination shall be conducted by the teacher concerned with the help of another member of the staff of the same department of the same institution.