Course: ELI*225*1 Advanced Oral Communication Skills: Listening and Speaking, Level 5
Credit Hours: 2 Term: Fall 1 2025
Days and Times: Tuesday/Thursday, 1:45PM – 3:20PM Instructor: Rachel Israel
Location: Business & Entrepreneurship (BE), room 132 Office Hours: by appointment
Dates: August 21 – October 9, 2024 Email: risrael@noctrl.edu
Learning Outcomes – To pass this course, you should be able to:
1. politely interrupt during a formal conversation to ask for clarification or reasoning;
2. take detailed notes when listening that can be used to study for exams and prepare for presentations;
3. understand and answer different question types (short answer, true/false, multiple choice, etc.) about academic
talks and lectures;
4. give a clear 5 – 6-minute presentation on a familiar academic or professional topic;
5. avoid plagiarism in formal presentations and use reported speech when necessary;
6. respond to factual questions in a professional manner;
7. organize and manage collaborative group work effectively and encourage and invite another speaker to continue
or come into the conversation; and
8. use grammatical structures and academic vocabulary from class in your everyday spoken communication.
Course Structure:
This course is divided into multiple textbook units over eight weeks. Each week, you can expect to engage in a variety
of in-class tasks and activities in both individual and group settings, such as textbook exercises, listening tasks,
discussions, presentations, exams, and other tasks as appropriate.
Criteria for Evaluation:
Assignment Percentage of Grade:
Class Participation 20%
Homework 10%
Speaking Tasks (2, 20% each) 40%
Exams (2, 15% each) 30%
100%
Required Texts and Materials:
Cavage, C. (2018). University Success Oral
Communication, Advanced. (R. B. Lockwood,
Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN: 0-13-465268-1
Folder and notebook ONLY for this class
Calendar for course assignments
Technology as required for online work
(e.g., laptop, smartphone, tablet, WiFi
connection, headphones, etc.)
Course Description:
Welcome to our class! I look forward to getting to know you
and working with you this term. In this course, you will refine
your listening and speaking skills in academic settings. You will
actively listen to challenging lectures and talks about different
general education topics and take notes, reflect, think
critically, and ask relevant questions about the content. When
speaking, you will continue to increase fluency and accuracy in
English. You will develop your ability to share opinions during
group discussions, and give clear presentations about
advanced-level topics. You should also be able to self-correct
your grammar and apply course grammar and vocabulary from
class in your everyday speech as well as in your presentations.
If you have any questions, please talk to me; I am here to
support you and your learning.
Grade Scale:
A = 93-100% C+ = 77-79%
A-= 90-92% C = 73-76%
B+ = 87-89% C- = 70-72%
B = 83-86% D = 60-69%
B- = 80-82% F = below 60%
Israel, Fall Session 1 2025, University Success Oral Comm. Adv., p. 2
Assessments*
Class Participation:
You are expected to attend and participate in all classes. In other words, you are expected to be an active participant
in each discussion - sometimes, you might be actively listening - other times, you might be speaking. While in class, I
expect you to have your full attention on the class discussion so you can maximize your learning.
If you are unable to attend a class, it is your job, as a student, to review the class material and talk to your instructor
to make up any missed work. For more information, please see our class’s Late Work policy below.
Homework:
A lot of work is completed outside of class. Every day, you will have homework assignments that will be assessed by
your instructor. The main purpose of most homework assignments is to practice the skills learned in class. With some
exceptions, most homework will be graded for timeliness, completion, and honest effort. Homework assignment
details will be given explicitly in class.
Speaking Tasks:
During this term, you will have a variety of speaking projects, including presentations, discussion circles, and projects,
about topics connected to the textbook units or other relevant topics of interest. Before each speaking task, your
instructor will give you a detailed assignment description and rubric to outline the requirements.
Exams:
You will have two exams on which you will demonstrate your knowledge of the materials covered during the course.
You will receive a study guide and have approximately one week to study for each exam.
Course Policies and Expectations
Time Management and Homework Expectations:
English Language Institute courses are designed to be intensive, meaning you do a lot of learning in a short period of
time to meet your goals quickly. In general, you can expect about 4 hours of homework in this class, every week.
Technology:
Using technology is now a fundamental part of your coursework. While in class, we expect you to focus on the
technology that is required to engage in class activities and discussions. Please remember, it is disrespectful to your
instructor and your classmates if you are not fully engaged in class. For example, you should not check messages on
social media or respond to non-emergency text messages during class time. If you focus on things outside of class
while in class, your participation grade will be affected and your language skills won’t improve as quickly.
Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Plagiarism, copying someone else’s work without giving him or her credit, is a very serious issue in American
universities. Plagiarism is not acceptable. If you plagiarize an assignment, you will be given an “F” and may be asked
to re-do your assignment for a lower grade.
You are required to do your own intellectual work. This also means that using online artificial intelligence (AI) tools
to write your homework, essays, outlines, etc. is not permissible in this class, unless guided by your instructor. If
you have any questions about this policy, please ask.
Late Work:
If you are absent, it is your job as a student to learn about and complete the assignments you missed.
In general, all late work must be submitted within one week. I usually will not accept work submitted after one
week of your return to class. Exceptions are rare and made only on a case-by-case basis.
Late work can be accepted for full credit only if you were absent from a class and the absence is excused.
The highest grade you may earn when you submit a late assignment from an unexcused absence is a 75% (C).
Points will be deducted appropriately from the 75% mark.
Israel, Fall Session 1 2025, University Success Oral Comm. Adv., p. 3
Communication:
As your instructor, I will work hard to communicate with you clearly, quickly, and often. If you have a question
specific to you, the best way to communicate with me is via email or Microsoft Teams. During the work week
(Monday – Friday), my goal is to respond to your inquiry in 24 hours or less. On the weekends, it may take me up
to 48 hours to respond to an email or Teams message.
If you would like to meet to discuss a question, I am happy to set-up a meeting; Microsoft Teams is often the
easiest meeting platform.
Canvas (https://canvas.noctrl.edu/) is the platform that holds your class information. I expect you to log into
Canvas every day. After each class, I will post the homework for the following class in the Canvas Homework List
on under Modules > Our Class Resources > Homework List.
If you have questions, please ask!
Netiquette:
As a citizen in a digital world, you are responsible for maintaining appropriate communication in all academic
situations, including online. Netiquette is a set of guidelines for appropriate online communication. You are
responsible for adhering to the following:
o Be sensitive to differences (cultural, political, religious beliefs, etc.) and respecting others’ views and opinions.
o Online discussions may take the place of an in-class discussion, so be careful and thoughtful of your language.
o Avoid using all capital letters as it implies “shouting” on the Internet and is considered impolite or aggressive.
o Use appropriate grammar and spelling; avoid text message slang/short-cuts.
English:
You are here to speak English. When you are in the classroom, you must speak English at all times. If you do not speak
English, your participation grade will be lowered.
NCC Resources for Students
Our course syllabus includes by extension the college policies and resources for students posted
on Canvas. Visit College Policies and Resources for Students (link below) or scan the QR code to
learn more about college policies that apply to all courses and the support services available to
students.
https://canvas.noctrl.edu/courses/2538/pages/college-policies-and-resources-for-students