English for IT I
Prerequisites
Because the course is situated at the upper-intermediate level, the test candidate must already be in possession of at least an intermediate English language skill set. A minimum of 150 hours of learning is essential, but more is recommended.
The Minimally Qualified Student
(MQS) for the English for IT course has an English language proficiency level
equal to a recognized B1 qualification. The MQS will have some basic working
experience in the English language. The MQS can work independently on simple
work-related tasks in the English language or as a member of a team on more
complex tasks and has an awareness of how to implement social interactivity.
The MQS can troubleshoot most common IT problems.
Areas of competency related to
the English language include:
●
Interpret and implement instructions
●
Construct requests for information and feedback
●
Update colleagues on work-related topics
●
Incorporate goals and objectives into their working environment
●
Defend a point of view
● Identify
concerns about an issue, a product or service, or a business situation
●
Examine key information from conversations
●
Participating in discussions and conversations, exchanging information when
necessary
●
Analyze and prioritize opinions and recommendations
●
Analyze factual information from various sources
●
Evaluate information from various sources
● Identify a problem and its
cause, and identify solutions
Course
Description
The curriculum advances the
MQS’s English language knowledge and skills by focusing on five IT sectors:
Product Management, Network, Software, Security, and Customer Support. The
titles and topics featured in the curriculum consider the scope of the target
audience, the previously mentioned prerequisites, and the areas of competency
of the MQS.
These titles are:
●
Identify Problems
●
Interpret and Implement Instructions
●
Analyze Factual Information
●
Examine Key Information
●
Incorporate Goals and Objectives
●
Participate in Discussions
●
Analyze and Prioritize
●
Request Feedback
●
Evaluate Information
●
Identify Issues and Concerns
●
Defend a Point of View
● Update Colleagues
Course Objectives
The objectives were decided
after rigorous Job Task Analyses with all SMEs were carried out to determine
the most important English language skills required for a student wishing to
progress from an English language level of B1 to B2. These skills were then
matched to suitable “Can Do” statements from the Common European Framework
Reference (CEFR). The Common European Framework Reference is a comprehensive
set of positive statements that describe what a language speaker can do at a
particular level. For example, at level B2, a language speaker: Can understand
the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including
technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. (Council of Europe,
2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press., p. 24)
Since its inception in 2001,
the CEFR has become a global standard for assessing language level skills and
has been successfully and accurately mapped to many other language level
scales, including the Pearson Global Scale of English (GSE).
This is important because not
all standards are recognized in all territories, but since they are mapped to
each other, it is easy to convert from one scale to the next and be confident
that the English for IT course will perform as designed.
The Pearson Global Scale of
English has made available its Teacher Toolkit to any person wishing to search
for “Can Do” statements. Not only can the user search for specific levels, but
they can also search for the skills related to specific jobs. The search for
IT-related “Can Do” statements resulted in a list of 82 skills. Those skills
were then re-written into 12 objectives and 29 sub-objectives, spread across
the three sections. This was possible due to the highly flexible nature of the
CEFR “Can Do” statements, which can be used as-is, or after being modified to
suit individual needs. As the CEFR states, “the framework should be open and
flexible, so that it can be applied, with such adaptations as prove necessary,
to particular situations.” (Council of Europe, 2001. Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press., p. 7)
The English for IT course
comprises 12 modules which are divided into parts one and two. The 6 modules in
each of these parts are specific to the previously mentioned objectives and
contain themes and scenarios relating to the fields of Product Management,
Network, Software, Security, and Customer Support.
Each module contains:
●
Videos which function as instructional grammar presentations, including
summaries and examples
●
Practical activities such as listening, reading, grammar, and use of English
exercises
●
An emphasis on everyday situations and issues experienced by people working in
the featured sectors of IT
● Clearly explained industry
vocabulary which is exemplified throughout the tasks
In addition to the modules,
there is an exam at the end of part one. Not only has this been designed with
the intention of testing progress, but also for the purposes of highlighting
vocabulary and grammar concepts, whilst preparing the candidate for part two.
The exam features reading, use of English and listening items based on the six
modules of part one.
The course also includes several appendices which provide
additional grammar instruction and exercises. There is also a similar exam at
the end of part two.
Programa
English for IT 1
Module 1
After completing
English for IT 1 Module 1, the student will:
●
Have an understanding for how to use the passive voice
●
Be familiar with relative pronouns
●
Know how to use the past simple with the phrases “as if” and “as though”
●
Be able to use vocabulary related to user experience
● Be familiar with the concepts
of supplier evaluation modules, and be able to follow in-depth texts on the
subject
Module 2
After completing English for IT
1 Module 2, the student will:
●
Be aware of the Emphatic Do and its uses
●
Have acquired knowledge of dependent prepositions
●
Have listened to vocabulary relating to Network Engineering, and understood its
uses in context
● Be familiar with the concept
of job roles and responsibilities, and have completed practice exercises with
relevant vocabulary
Module 3
After completing
English for IT 1 Module 3, the student will:
●
Appreciate the concept of using conjunctions to start a sentence
● Have
amassed knowledge of how inversion works
●
Have further experience of modal verbs, specifically using “ought to” and
“should” for suggestions and advice
●
Understand vocabulary used in Software Engineering in the context of analyzing
factual information, as highlighted in a listening exercise
● Have read and absorbed
information relating to compilers and interpreters, and have learned key
vocabulary through themed exercises
Module 4
After completing
English for IT 1 Module 4, the student will:
●
Have assimilated concepts relating to polite requests, using adverbs to express
frustration, add seriousness and convey priorities or urgency
●
Have obtained an appreciation of idioms and their many uses and applications in
IT scenarios
●
Have listened to idiomatic phrases in use in the context of a Customer Support
situation
● Understand the importance and
benefits of asking customers questions, as demonstrated in a reading exercise
which utilizes key Customer Support vocabulary
Module 5
After completing
English for IT 1 Module 5, the student will:
●
Comprehend subtleties, such as controlling directness, in the use of Imperative
Instruction
●
Have had practice of adverbs, specifically with adverbs of possibility, such as
“certainly”, “definitely” and “supposedly”, and understood their uses
●
Have had further practice of adverbs, specifically adverbs of probability, such
as “obviously”, “likely” and “surely”, and understood their uses
●
Recognize key vocabulary relating to fraudulent calls, as demonstrated in a
listening exercise relating to Security
● Grasp the concept of an
Information Security Policy, and how its scope can vary depending on necessity
Module 6
After completing English for IT
1 Module 6, the student will:
Recognize
and be able to differentiate between the applications of the future perfect
simple and the future perfect continuous tenses
●
Be familiar with the common phrase “to be on the point of something” and its
past tense forms incorporating gerunds, and its use in talking about
interruption or prevention
●
Have completed relevant vocabulary exercises and watched a Security Officer
Interview, in a two-part video, involving detailed listening practice relating
to the role of information security, dealing with clients, and the integrity of
information
● Be familiar with Pegasus and
the vocabulary pertaining to its many uses and characteristics, having
completed reading and vocabulary exercises.