33

ELLT 2504
English as Medium
for Teaching and
Learning

2024
Year Course
NQF LEVEL 6

CREDITS: 16

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

1
 • Introductory Instructions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Welcoming 3
• Module Aims and Objectives 6
• Module Outcomes 7
• Graduate Attributes 8
• Module Calendar 8
• Assessment 11
• Credits and Notional Hours 12
• Resources for the Course 12
• Dispute Clause 13
• Departmental and Faculty Guidelines 14
• Class Attendance Policy
• ELLT 2504 Plagiarism Declaration and Cover Page 20

2
 • Welcoming

Dear student,

Welcome to ELLT 2504 which is a 16-credit module. We trust that you will enjoy the course
and that you will learn a great deal from it! Remember that much of what you learn depends
on what you are willing to put into the course. Invest in the course – and yourself – and you
will find it of immense value.

Dr Carla Els and Ms Candice Brider will be responsible for teaching this module on the
Bloemfontein campus. Here is all the information you will need to contact me.

BLOEMFONTEIN CAMPUS LECTURER (MODULE COORDINATOR)

Lecturer: Dr Carla Els (coordinator)

Office number: Flippie Groenewoud Block B, Room 222

Email address: elsca@ufs.ac.za

Phone number: 051-401 3157

Consulting hours: These time slots will be communicated via Blackboard and during
contact sessions.

BLOEMFONTEIN CAMPUS LECTURER

Lecturer: Ms Candice Brider

Office number: To be announced

Email address: ReynoldsC@ufs.ac.za

Phone number: Contact email address

Consulting hours: Tuesdays: 11h00-12h00

3
 • Module Aims and Objectives

In this section I will provide you with a short overview of what will be expected from you to
be successful in your learning in this module.

ELLT 2504 has one main aim; namely, to assist you to access and respond to information
via the medium of English. The module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to
develop your ability to follow information in various formats and to respond coherently through
the medium of the English language.

The ability to access and respond to information also implies the ability to process and
interrogate discourse. This involves the understanding of spoken and written discourse at the
literal and figurative level, as well as the ability to make meaning beyond sentence level
while adopting a critical stance. Knowledge of how texts are constructed and organised is a
further essential aspect that can enhance communication.

As part of the development of the mentioned skills, considerable attention will be devoted to
helping you to expand your vocabulary and knowledge of the idiomatic use of English across
different subject fields. Throughout the course, skills are integrated, and tasks closely
connected. You will be given the opportunity to carry out a variety of thought-provoking and
creative activities.

The development of a strong proficiency in English across the curriculum also requires
exposure to language needed for expressing opinions, paraphrasing, comparing academic and
or popular texts and evaluating information. A better understanding of key grammatical,
phonological and lexical features of English will strengthen your ability to negotiate and
construct different kinds of texts for specific purposes and audiences.

Module Objectives
ELLT 2504 will help you to:

• arrange, present, and interpret information critically, creatively and in a grammatically

correct manner.

4
 • analyse and evaluate information on and above the sentence level.
• develop critiquing and inferencing skills and expressing those skills via language.
• make effective decisions by learning self-monitoring and taking responsibility.
• pursue and demonstrate autonomous or self-directed learning by reflecting on and
exploring a variety of strategies with a view to learning more effectively.
• demonstrate cultural and aesthetic sensitivity across a range of contexts.

• Module Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this module (this means completing all assessments and
attending all sessions), you should be able to:

• recall from prior experience (lectures; reading; practical work; glossaries; online
materials).
• apply concepts and abstractions in both known and unknown situations.
• research, select and organise and compare information (using the library.
• databases and catalogues; web searches; essay / paragraph plans.
• apply grammatical and contextual knowledge to a variety of communicative tasks.
• use language to improvise, negotiate and communicate more fluently, critically and
creatively;
• display a level of critical awareness of language at an intermediate level.
• recognise the value of effective non-verbal communication.

• GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

 Written Communication
 Oral Communication
 Critical Thinking
 Problem Solving

5
 • MODULE CALENDAR

 The module schedule and syllabus (study material) may be updated or modified at any
time by the lecture team. It is your responsibility to stay up to date with the schedule
and syllabus.
 It is important for you to note that any work discussed during contact sessions can be
used for assessment purposes. This is a year module, and it is compulsory to write the
semester test and the summative test.
 Class time slots will be announced via Blackboard announcement and during the first
orientation session of the year. Any changes regarding class times or assessment
dates will always be announced via Blackboard.
 Check your Blackboard site regularly (twice a week!)
 Students who go for practical teaching at schools are not excused from online class
attendance as two lectures per week are scheduled after 17h00. (All online classes
are recorded – you need to listen/watch each lecture to be able to progress to the next
one).
 A mark for class attendance will be awarded.
 The content of the class schedule, as well as the dates for assessments is subject to
change as deemed necessary.
 You will always receive timely notifications via Blackboard in case of any changes
to your schedule.
 Do check your emails and announcements regularly!

ELLT 2504 is a year course, so you do not write formal exams at the end of each semester.
Your schedule for the year is on page seven. Please remember that it is subject to change.

6
 SEMESTER 1

Week Dates Work to be completed Additional comments

1 12-15 Feb Welcome and orientation Please read your module
guide!
2 19-23 Feb Reading and Critical Study grammar in Open
Thinking Education Resources
Language Instruction (OER’s)
3 26 Feb-1 March Language Instruction Study grammar in Open
Education Resources
Saturday Write Promotion / (5% of module
9 March weighting)
Pre-course Literacy Test
Compulsory
(Face-to-face on campus)
Test in
Computer Labs

5 11 March- Trouble Shooting (OER Resources)

15 March (TBA)
6 18-22 March Language Instruction Lecture notes
Structure of the Reflective (TBA)
Paragraph
7 25-29 March Submit Assignment 1 (5% weighting)
Reflective Paragraph
(online)
8 1-5 April Presentation Skills Lecture notes

SHORT RECESS (8-12 April)

9 15-19 April Speech Delivery Lecture notes
Lectures A & B
10 22-26 April Intercultural Sensitivity Lecture notes

11 29 April- Persuasion in Text; Lecture notes

3 May Recognising argument
12 6-10 May Submit Assignment 2 (15% weighting)
Speech Analysis
(online)
13 13-17 May Language Instruction TBA

7
 14 20-24 May Self-directed Learning Watch lecture slides.
Test: Multiple Choice email writing
questions (online) (5% of weighting)

15 27-31 May Trouble Shooting

MAIN MID-YEAR EXAMINATIONS COMMENCE 5-17 JUNE

BREAK 3-14 JULY
SEMESTER 2
Week Dates Work to be completed Additional comments

1 8-12 July Language Instruction TBA

2 15-19 July Language Instruction TBA

3 22-26 July Language Instruction TBA

4 29 July – Semester Test (online) (15%weighting)

2 August

5 5-8 August Report Writing TBA

6 12-16 August Language Instruction

7 19-23 August Submit Assignment 3 (15%weighting)

(online) Mini report.

8 2-6 Sept Discussion Skills for Meetings

9 9-13 Sept Revision Self-evaluation

10 23-27 Sept Formative Quiz Revise all grammar

resources

SHORT RECESS
11 30 Sept- Summative Test (40% weighting!)
Compulsory!
4 October

8
 (Face-to-face on campus)

12 7-11 October Marking and Moderation

Final marks and
14 14-18 October
moderation
(Main end-year exams
commence on 30
October)

(Main end-year exams commence on 30 October)

Further Notes to Remember!

 This is a promotion course.

 It is compulsory for ALL students registered for this course to write the promotion

test on campus during the fourth week of the first semester.

 As the purpose of a pre-course literacy test is to measure whether a student

already has the competencies that will be taught in the course, you do not need to

be pre-taught for the promotion test.

 Students who attain a mark of 70 % or more for an initial proficiency test (pre-

course literacy test) based on their curriculum content need not attend classes

but must remain registered to receive the promotion mark and the credits for

the course.

DO:
make sure that you complete all assessments timeously. You will not
be allowed during the second semester to complete assessments
that were due during the first or second term!

9
 REMEMBER:
There is a difference between the mark total and the weighting an
assessment carries – take care not to miscalculate your marks at any
stage and miss assessments because you are under the impression that
you already have enough points to pass the module!

Further Notes to Remember!

 When emailing me have a) clear subject line, b) identify yourself fully (name,
surname, student number), c) specify the course in question (I teach other courses as
well), and d) provide enough detail about your query/problem/issue for me to get the
full picture.

 You will be expected to complete a selection of course guide activities and assignments
which will count towards your year mark. These marks will be accumulating as the
year progresses, so keep this in mind when you check your marks at regular intervals
in Grade Book.

 The final total indicated at the beginning of the year will not be a true reflection of
your final mark; it will only reflect a percentage of it because the module is a year
course and marks are accumulating as you complete other assessments.

 Students who promote the module will receive the same mark at the end of the year
as the mark they obtained for their promotion test, as long as they remain registered
for the module.

 Check your marks regularly to ensure that there is no discrepancy between the entered
mark and the actual mark of an assessment / test you completed.

 You do not write formal exams in this module, so you will not find the module code
listed on the official UFS exam timetable.

 All students must write the promotion test (5% weighting) and the summative test (40%
weighting) on campus. You must produce your official UFS-issued student card on
the day of each test; otherwise, you will not be allowed to sit for the test at all.

10
  If you were ill or had legitimate reasons for not writing/submitting a test or assessment,
a valid medical certificate/affidavit must be produced within 7 days of the test
having been written. This should be handed in/send to your lecturer.
 Fraud may be defined as “a deception deliberately [practised] in order to secure unfair
or unlawful gain” (www.answers.com). Writing a test or examination on behalf of
another student constitutes fraud which is a criminal offence. Committing plagiarism
is also a criminal offence.

MARK WEIGHTINGS

Promotion Test and Test to be written on campus 5%

participation mark

Formative Assessment 60% of your total mark

Assignment 1 Reflective paragraph (online) 5%

Assignment 2 Quiz on email writing (online) 5%

Assignment 3 Speech analysis (online) 15%

Semester Test Test 15%

Assignment 4 Formal Mini Report 15%

Summative Assessment (written on campus) = 40 % of final year end mark

Combined final percentage

TOTAL = 100 %

11
 Credits and Notional Learning Hours

Notional learning hours indicate the amount of learning time taken by the ‘average’ student to
achieve the specified learning outcomes of the course-unit or programme. It includes all
learning relevant to achievement of the learning outcomes e.g. directed study, essential
practical work, group work, private study, preparation and assessment. Please consult the
“Faculty Important Information Guide” on Blackboard or the Faculty Rules and Regulations in
your Rulebook for more information if necessary.

Notional hours

ELLT 2504 is a 16-credit module, which means that 160 notional hours must be covered.
These notional hours are allocated as follows:

Attending and participating in Lectures/Tutorials: 40 hours

Writing tests: 7 hours

Self-study and completing assignments 103 hours

Troubleshooting (during consultation hours): 10 hours

TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTIONAL HOURS: 160 hours

• Resources for the course

In this course, we’ll be using three main resources, all of which are freely available online.
They are as follows:

Online Resource

Available at: https: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/471

12
Babin, M; Burnell, C. Pesznecker, S, Rosevear, N. & Wood, J. 2017. The Word on
College Reading and Writing. Clackamas Commegunity College. Portland State
University

Accessed 31 January 2024. Use of this resource is subject to the following terms: CC-BY-NC (Licence terms and
agreements are included at the end of this study guide.)

Online Resource

Available at: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/35

Robin Jeffrey and Jeffrey, Robin. About Writing: A Guide (Revised Edition) 2016.
Portland, Oregan: Open Oregon Educational Resources.

Online Resource

Available at: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/717

(Grammar Book 1 –semester 1 and Grammar Book 2 – semester 2 adapted from Brehe’s Grammar
Anatomy.)
(Licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 International License.) Produced by: University System
of Georgia. Published by: University of North Georgia Press Dahlonega, Georgia.

Recommended reading and valuable language resources

Lutrin, B. & Pincus, M. 2013. English handbook and study guide. 9th edition. Birnam Park,
Johannesburg: Berlut Books.

Turnbull, J. & Lea, D. (Eds.). 2010. Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary (8th edition) Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Additional Resource for enrichment

Latham-Koenig, C. & Oxenden, C. English File Upper-intermediate Student’s Book (3rd edition).
Oxford University Press: Oxford. (ISBN 978-0-19-455874-7). (The orange coloured edition).

Practical Arrangements

• Each student needs an A4 writing book (48 pages) for class exercises.

13
 • All class quizzes/exercises may count towards formative assessment marks, so in the event of
you not being able to attend class, please notify your lecture BEFOREHAND via email. Only
valid medical certificates will be accepted in case of you missing an assessment opportunity.

Dispute Clause

Feel free to contact your lecturer/s if you experience any problems with ELLT 2504. Make
sure that y

ou contact us in good time if you are not satisfied with the assessment procedure followed in
the evaluation of your semester tests and assignments. In this regard, queries or complaints
must be lodged within 7 days after writing a test and/or receiving back a marked script or
assignment.

No student will be allowed to write a sick test (aegrotat test) without producing a bona fide
medical certificate (7 days after the test/assessment was written or immediately).

Be sure to complete all assessments / tests and complete any class activities. If you miss a
deadline, you may not lodge any complaint with the Head of the Department or with the Dean
of the Faculty if your lecturer refuses to assess late submissions. Late submissions will be
penalized.

• DEPARTMENTAL AND FACULTY GUIDELINES

ASSESSMENT POLICY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE

MODULES

Please read this document with great care to ensure that you understand our departmental
assessment policy. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade.

1. Continuous Assessment

14
The Department of English has adopted a policy of ‘continuous assessment’ to ensure that
students engage with course materials consistently over the course of the semester, and not
simply in last-minute spurts of pre-exam cramming. In order to develop the interpretative,
analytical, writing, reading and oral communication skills required for university-level critical
engagement, students are asked to read and write on a weekly basis, and to actively
participate in classes.

In the Assessment Policy of the Faculty of the Humanities, continuous assessment is

defined as “that which occurs throughout the learning process and not only after the learning
process. Students are thus assessed continuously over the duration of a quarter, semester
or year. It is cumulative and the marks are calculated to produce a final result”.

In accordance with this policy, we therefore do not require of students to write a final exam,
but instead calculate grades based on portfolios of work submitted over the course of the
semester or year (these include tests, essays, oral contributions, and written assignments).
It follows then that you must complete all the required activities each week, as
stipulated in your course guides.

Whereas most other departments calculate a predicate mark that, if higher than a certain
grade, entitles you to sit for the final examination, in the Department of English, all marks
awarded for work done throughout the semester/year count toward your final mark for the
course. This means that your performance throughout the semester will determine whether
or not you pass the course, and it is therefore imperative that you submit all assignments
and write all tests. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for the course.

University regulations stipulate that “[w]here a system of continuous assessment applies, a

student passes when a final mark of at least 50 percent has been obtained and she/he has
participated in all the assessment opportunities” (see point A9.4 (h) in the “2014 General
Rules for First Qualifications, Postgraduate Diplomas, Honours Bachelor’s Degrees,
Master’s Degrees, Doctoral Degrees, Higher Doctoral Degrees, Honorary Degrees and
Convocation”).

In other words, students need a final mark of 50% to pass the course, and no
additional opportunity to submit assignments or write tests will be given once the
final marks have been calculated. The breakdown of how marks are earned is
provided in full in your course guide.
2. Marks for formative tests and assignments

15
Marks are posted on Gradebook. It is your responsibility to verify your marks and report
any missing/incorrect marks to your lecturers within a week of receiving back any tests or
assignments.

3. Final Mark

The final mark obtained on completion of all the assessment opportunities will be posted on
Gradebook.

4. Moderation

In order to monitor the quality and fairness of assessment, all test question papers will be
moderated internally, and a selection of papers will be moderated on the same basis as
required by the university for examination papers. The department will keep copies of the
moderation reports for audit purposes.

A selection of assignments will also be moderated internally. It is imperative that you keep
copies of all your assignments and returned test papers for future reference.

5. Tests

Because the Department of English uses the system of continuous assessment, students
must write all tests at the first opportunity. Only in the case of justified extraordinary
circumstances may a student apply to write the supplementary test (“sick”/aegrotat test).
This application, which should be accompanied by corroborative documentation (an original
doctor’s certificate, for instance), must be submitted to the lecturer within one week of the
student’s return to class. Only students who have been granted permission by the lecturer to
write the supplementary test, will be allowed to do so.

Test dates and venues will be clearly communicated by your lecturer in class, in the study
guide and on Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure that you know what these
dates and test venues are. Please remember that all dates are subject to change but
this will be communicated to students via Blackboard announcements.

6. Missed or Late Work

16
Sickness with an original doctor’s certificate or the death of a family member supported by a
copy of the death certificate are the only excuses that will be accepted for missing a test or
failing to meet a deadline. Students are expected to report such issues to their lecturer by
email on the same day and submit their valid documentation at the first lecturing opportunity
following their approved absence from class.

Any assignment handed in after the due date will be penalized 5% per day, unless the
extenuating circumstances outlined above apply. No assignment will be accepted after
seven days (including Saturday and Sunday) without medical documentation.

7. Appeals

Students have the right to appeal their marks, but only once they have carefully studied the
feedback given to them by their lecturers. The appeals procedure is as follows:

• Students should discuss the mark with their lecturer first.

• Should the lecturer and student fail to reach an agreement, the internal moderator for
the course can be asked to remark the test script or assignment. The internal
moderator will have the final say.
• Please note that students must have attended at least 80% of their classes to
be granted a reassessment by the internal moderator.
• Disputes over test marks must be worked out within two weeks (14 days) after the
return of marks and no correspondence or communication will be entered into after
this time.

8. Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and other types of academic deception, can
result in serious consequences, such as a grade of zero on an assignment or expulsion from
the university. All cited material must be referenced in full using the Harvard Referencing
Style.

17
Plagiarism constitutes copying five or more words from a text without citation. Should a
student be found guilty thereof, a mark of zero will be awarded. Such a student will be given
no opportunity to resubmit the assignment.

Should a student be found guilty of cheating during a test, whether through use of notes or
copying from a fellow student or the unauthorised use of electronic devices in the test venue,
the student will be required to leave the test venue and his/her test will not be marked. The
students will not be given an opportunity for a reassessment. Should a student be found
guilty of copying another student’s assignment, both students will receive a mark of zero for
their assignments and will not be given an opportunity to resubmit.

9. Assessment Policy of the University of the Free State

The above policy should be read in conjunction with the General Rules of the University,
which can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.

FACULTY OF THE HUMANITIES: CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY

The UFS has NO regulation according to which students need NOT attend classes – therefore, 100%
class attendance is expected and allowances are made for up to 80% attendance for illness and other
circumstances over which the student has no control. In a pilot project where class attendance was
compulsory, the success rate increased by between 12% -51%.

Compulsory attendance also applies to other contact sessions such as tutorials, practicals, academic
facilitation sessions, group work, etc.

Students must comply with all the requirements for a particular module (as provided in the study guide).
If a student, therefore, misses an assessment opportunity (e.g. a class test) because he/she has been
absent, the lecturer is under no obligation to repeat the assessment opportunity, and the student will
merely forfeit those marks. If such a student cannot provide written evidence of the reason for the
absence, and does not comply with predicate/module mark requirements, he/she may be refused
admission to the examination.

It is expected of students to attend ALL scheduled contact sessions. Absence due to illness, approved
university activities and family or other emergencies, constitutes excused absenteeism, if the reason
for absence is supported by documentation presented to the lecturer prior to or immediately upon the

18
student’s return to class. Oral or written assessments, assignments, etc. that have been completed
during the absence still is the student’s responsibility.

Information regarding class attendance and absences, excused or unexcused, must be provided in all
study guides/module guides.

Students who are of the opinion that they have been treated unfairly or penalised unjustly as a result of
the requirement to attend classes may approach the lecturer concerned to reach an agreement. If the
matter cannot be solved to his/her satisfaction, the matter may be appealed in writing to the Programme
Director/Head of the Department/Departmental Chair, and after that to the Dean.

Consistent class attendance or consistent absenteeism will be taken into consideration in border cases
where decisions need to be made with regard to pass/fail or pass with distinction.

Absence of more than 30% of class hours constitutes excessive absenteeism, and in such cases
lecturers may refuse to mark students’ assignments, tests, reports, etc. which have been completed
during the time of absence, and which form part of the pass requirements, if the absence has taken
place without excuse with documented reasons.

Time table clashes will not be accepted as a valid reason for absence. It is the students’
responsibility to ensure at registration that no time table clashes will occur.

Class tests, oral assessments, writing short reports, etc. may take place without prior warning
during class times, and students who are absent without excuse will forfeit the marks thus
earned.

19
 ELLT 2504 PLAGIARISM DECLARATION
AND COVER PAGE

Please copy this page and use it as a cover page for each one of
your ELLT 2504 assignments.

DECLARATION:

Student number: _________________________________________

Name of assignment/assessment:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Date of submission: ______________________________________

I herewith declare that I understand the meaning of plagiarism and know

that it is wrong. The work submitted in my portfolio is my own work. I
have not copied anybody else’s work and have also not allowed anyone
to copy my work. I agree to acknowledge all sources used in the essay.

Signature: ___________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________________

20