Tutorium in Intensive English

University of Illinois at Chicago

TIE 050

Summer 2016
TIE 050: Advanced Academic Skills
Course Information

Instructor Information

Mon.Fri.: 9:00 a.m.11:30 a.m.

Trischa Duke
Office: 1333 S. Halsted, Suite 260
Office hours: by appointment
Office phone: 312-996-8098
Email: tduke3@uic.edu
Cell: (312)315-5030
You are encouraged to communicate via email.

Classrooms: AH 105
BSB 133

Course Description. Welcome! This is a course for advanced ESL students who wish to develop language
skills, critical thinking skills, advanced study skills, and a deeper understanding of the academic and cultural
expectations required for success in a university setting. Although the academic arena is the primary focus, most
aspects will apply to your current or future professional environment as well, and there are also opportunities to
address individual needs. The course is designed to be both challenging and rewarding. Here are the three main
components:
Focused Research and Writing: Unlike other ESL courses you may have taken at the Tutorium or elsewhere,
the focus within this component will be on honing your English and academic study skills through your field
of study in English. You will use authentic readings, recorded university lectures, and other resources to help
focus on grammatical accuracy, vocabulary enrichment, and improvement of reading, writing, listening,
speaking, and academic skills. Situated within your specific fields of study, these activities will give you
practice analyzing and writing various academic and professional genres. Since each of you may have a
different major and a different educational experience, focusing on the skills necessary to complete these
activities will provide a way for us to work together.
Seminars: Within the framework of regular seminars, you will further apply skills to research and report on
specific aspects of your chosen academic or professional field. You will gather information through library
research, interviews, observations, and other means, and you will share your findings with your classmates.
By the end of the term, you will have a portfolio that reflects your preparation for study or work in your chosen
field.
Guided independent study: You will engage in regular independent study in language areas of individual
concern, such as TOEFL or college application essay writing, development of vocabulary for a particular
academic field, grammar, or reading fluency. You will set specific goals, develop a plan to achieve these
goals, report on the progress of your independent study activities, and receive guidance from your instructor.

Materials

TEXTBOOKS
Carlock, Janine, et al. (2013) The ESL Writers Handbook. Pitt Series in ESL. University of
Michigan Press. (YOU MUST HAVE A NEW BOOK):
American Psychological Association. (2012). APA Style Guide to Electronic References (6
Edition). AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE FROM AMAZON.COM

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Other required and recommended materials will be available on the course Web Site: uic.blackboard.com

A three-ring binder or similar organizer is necessary to keep your handouts organized. You will receive a
LOT of papers in this course.

A Google Drive account and a Mendeley account are required. We will sign up for these together if you
dont already have them. You may also want to use a flash drive to store your work.

Additional texts/materials may be required for the independent study aspect of the course according to
student goals.

Tutorium in Intensive English

University of Illinois at Chicago

Major Course Goals

Reading
Recognize main ideas in a variety of academic and professional genres
Analyze organizational patterns
Find central propositions
Compare existing knowledge to new information
Evaluate a claim
Synthesize information across sources
Infer meaning from context
Define terms

Listening to academic lectures

Recognize key signals of information
Identify main ideas, organizational signals, verbal and nonverbal cues
Classify and analyze information in academic lectures
Infer cultural and other information
Take notes effectively

Writing
Write academic assignments, essays, and reports
Analyze task, audience and purpose for a variety of writing situations
Develop and present ideas effectively
Paraphrase and summarize effectively
Adapt writing to audience knowledge
Use and cite sources appropriately
Use academic written style
Organize ideas for effective flow

Speaking
Present information formally and informally
Effectively organize, develop, and cite information for presentations
Interact appropriately with audience members and answer questions effectively
Participate effectively in discussions
Gather information through effective interview strategies
Improve pronunciation and intonation

Academic/professional preparation
Set goals and evaluate progress
Meet deadlines
Follow guidelines to submit assignments in a neat and professional manner
Use an online course management system
Research internet, library, and other resources to find academic or professional information
Evaluate personal language and academic needs
Organize resources
Work effectively with a partner or team

TIE 050

Tutorium in Intensive English

University of Illinois at Chicago

TIE 050

Course Policies. (See the Student Handbook for more detail on Tutorium policies.)
Attendance and lateness
Class begins at 9:00 am. You should be here a few minutes before class. I keep a record of your lateness
and absence. Arriving between 9:00-9:15 = late / 3 late marks = 1 absence
If you are late, you should enter the class quietly as soon as you arrive. Better to come late than not at all.
Please note that coming late or leaving early will be considered as an absence.
Use the class phone list to contact a classmate in the case that you are absent to find out what you missed
and what your homework is. It is your responsibility to make up missed work.
Students may be marked absent for not being prepared to participate in class and/or for not participating during
class. When a teacher notices instances of such behavior, the student will be warned the first time, and marked
absent after that. Because we are a small class, it is imperative that everyone is prepared to participate daily.
Class participation: Effective class participation is one of the academic skills practiced in this course.
Students are expected to prepare for and participate in class discussions and activities and speak English only.
Ask questions and share your ideas! Participation in seminar discussions may be graded. Grading criteria will
be available before each seminar.

Examples of non-participation include:

not being prepared for significant class activities such as presentations or leadership roles,
not having the necessary homework completed for a participatory class activity such as a peer
review,
sitting in class but not participating in class activities,
not bringing books to class

Cell phones: Please turn off your cell phone when you come into class/disable ability to receive
incoming calls/texts. If your phone disrupts the class, I will take it and keep it until the end of class.
Homework: Meeting deadlines is also one of the skills practiced in this course. Assignments are due by
the beginning of class on the day indicated or at the specified time. If you do not have your homework
assignment, come to class and ask if you may submit the assignment later. If accepted, late assignments may
receive lower scores. If you hand in an assignment late, a late penalty will be subtracted from your final grade.
The instructor may refuse to accept late work after a certain date.
Remember that being prepared for class is also part of your daily homework. Note: Assignments and handouts
from class should also be available on our course Blackboard site.
You can expect an average of 1012 hours of homework per week.
Quizzes and exams: If you have a problem with a scheduled exam, please give advance notice. Exams
and quizzes missed due to absence may not be made up.
Academic honesty: Do not copy your work from other sources. If you plagiarize, you will receive a
grade of 0. Plagiarism is a serious offense. This includes taking information from the Internet without citation
or having someone else write for you.
This course can help you learn to follow the rules of academic honesty, so ask when you are not sure.
Universities take plagiarism seriously; many will dismiss a student for academic dishonesty.

Tutorium in Intensive English

University of Illinois at Chicago

TIE 050

Computer and SCAILAB policies: Students are expected to observe all computer and computer lab
policies established by UIC and SCAILAB. In addition, class time in a computer lab or in the UIC library
should be devoted to 050 class activities only this is not time to complete homework for your other class or to
do outside activities. Because email and online communication are a part of this course, students are asked to
learn about and practice safe and polite computing. This includes, for example, avoiding viruses, being aware of
the file size of messages, and sending messages only to those who will be interested in receiving them.
Course Evaluation: All students will complete an anonymous written evaluation at the end of the term.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome at any time. If you would like to discuss the course before then,
please let me know. If there are skills we are not covering that you would like to or if you feel that something
isnt working, lets talk about it as soon as possible.
Talk to your teacher J
You may face challenges adjusting to the US, Chicago, UIC, and academic work. I am here to help you. You
can contact me any time via email or cell phone. You can also talk to me during the class break or arrange to
meet before or after class.

Assessment

050 Advanced Academic Skills - Student Learning Outcomes:

A student who successfully completes 050 can:
Demonstrate an understanding of various forms of academic and professional writing
Research within an academic or professional field and report on findings
Participate in discussions on individual research and other academic/professional topics
Write using various genres
Appropriately integrate and cite academic and professional sources in oral and written
assignments
Give an oral presentation of about 15 minutes to non-native speakers on a researched
academic or professional topic that includes a visual aid and interaction with the audience
Devise and execute a plan of independent study and document it through periodic contracts
and reports
Achieve a TOEFL ITP score of 540 or higher

You will receive either "S" (satisfactory) or "U" (unsatisfactory) at the end of the term. You will be given grades on
all assignments and exams. Usually, 75% is considered satisfactory. To receive an "S" for the course, you must pass
both components of the course: Academic and Professional Skills and Language Skills. You must pass at least 6 of
the 8 components in Professional and Academic Skills and 7 of the 9 components in Language Skills to pass the
course. These are the components and sources for the grades for each component:

Tutorium in Intensive English

University of Illinois at Chicago

TIE 050

Academic and Professional Skills

Criterion
1. Understanding various modes of writing
2. Researching within an academic or
professional field
3. Participating in discussions
4. Writing using various genres
5.
6.
7.
8.

Integrating and citing sources

Giving oral presentations
Being prepared for class
Studying independently

Source of Grade
Skill-based tasks, daily assignments and discussions, and exams (75% or
better is S)
Academic reading log, seminar research and reports
Teacher observation and self-evaluation of discussions
Written assignments, email and Blackboard use, seminars, and independent
study
Written assignments, seminars, and independent study
Seminar presentations, formal research discussions
Homework for class activities, timely completion of major projects
Independent Study contracts, reports, and discussions

Language Proficiency
Criterion
1. Demonstrates effective listening
comprehension
2. Demonstrates reading comprehension
appropriate to level
3. Demonstrates appropriate spoken
language
4. Writing: Uses appropriate academic
written style and vocabulary
5. Writing: Demonstrates control of
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
formatting
6. Writing: Develops ideas effectively
7. Writing: Organizes and connects ideas
effectively
8. Writing: Uses sources appropriately
9. Achieves an ITP TOEFL score of 540

Source of Grade
Teacher observation of student performance during academic and other
lectures, ability to follow directions, and class discussions
Teacher observation of student performance related to reading assignments,
directions for class assignments, and test questions
Teacher observation of class discussions, evaluation of oral presentations
Essays and other assignments; seminar and GIS reports
Essays and other assignments; seminar and GIS reports; all other written
work submitted
Academic content assignments and tests; seminar reports
Academic content assignments and tests; seminar reports
Academic content assignments and tests; seminar reports
ITP TOEFL given at the Tutorium