In the event that the health authorities announce a new period of confinement due to the evolution of
the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the teaching staff will promptly communicate how this may effect
the teaching methodologies and activities as well as the assessment.
The aim of this program is primarily to provide students with the necessary academic language required to understand and present medical research in English. Critical reading and listening skills are particularly emphasized for this purpose, while speaking and writing skills are mainly reinforced to consolidate knowledge and to promote academic communication.
The programme contains 3 elements that include class-based lessons, tutorials and self study.
The teacher-led lessons focus on reading and listening activities related to topics in the field of scientific research and Medicine. Such activities are designed to develop comprehension within an academic setting. Speaking and writing activities aim at enhancing communication common to university and conference environments as well as to facilitate a solid linguistic base for the elements introduced throughout the course. Tutorials will focus on student development and interpersonal skills and will include an evaluated group project. The final part is the self-study element which primarily focuses on developing reading, writing and listening skills, consolidating grammar, specific lexis and increasing the autonomy of the learner when learning a foreign language.
Pre-course requirements
Recommended minimum level of English at the start of the course is B1+
Objectives
Classroom:
To prepare and equip students with the language tools necessary to understand, synthesize and present medical research in English.
To reinforce the receptive skills of reading and listening and to facilitate the development of the productive skills of speaking and writing through interactive activities.
Tutorial:
To develop students’ interpersonal skills and ability to work with others in both their own language and in an additional language.
To increase reading comprehension skills through tasks requiring students to analyze language on a lexical and structural basis, main and supporting ideas, and organizational patterns common in English literature related to Medicine; to reinforce listening comprehension skills; to review high-frequency linguistic/ discursive structures and vocabulary encountered in medical research.
Competencies
Based on the use of the competency from the Medical degree programme, students will be able:
To have sufficient knowledge of English to understand medical and health sciences literature in English, as well as a sufficient level of oral comprehension to be able to attend and participate in a talk or lecture.
31 - Understand, critically evaluate and know how to use sources of clinical and biomedical information to obtain, organize, interpret and communicate scientific and health care information.
34 - Ability for critical thinking, creativity and constructive skeptisim with a focus on research within professional practice.
37 - Acquire basic training for research.
CB-6 - To have developed sufficient autonomy to participate in research projects and scientific or technological cooperation within the student’s own thematic and interdisciplinary context. This should also include a high degree of knowledge transfer.
CTI-1 - To know how to communicate effectively through written and oral communication in a foreign language that will allow them to work in an international context.
CTP-3 - To develop critical thinking and reasoning as well as self-assessment skills.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able:
1. To be able to read and understand medical and health sciences literature in English
2. To be able to understand main ideas in talks and lectures in English
3. To be able to participate in a talk or lecture in English
Syllabus
Topics:
Students will cover topics related to the evidence-based approach to medicine as well as areas of most immediate relevance to current experimental studies in medical research related to neurology.
Discipline-specific Language Skills
Students will learn to read, understand and discuss academic literature related to medicine and experimental research. Furthermore, they will learn to recognize main features and the common format of experimental research articles. They will develop synthesis skills of material covered throughout the course.
Language Knowledge:
Instruction of this component is dependent on the students' language level. Students will revise/consolidate knowledge about professional and academic discourse related to health sciences research, the organization of information provided in scientific articles, and citation of sources.
Teaching and learning activities
Evaluation systems and criteria
Bibliography and resources
Class-based materials:
Class-based materials are based on a wide range of professional and educational resources from current online professional journals and textbooks.
Intranet and Internet materials for self study.
Teaching and learning material:
Mayer D. Essential Evidence-Based Medicine. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press. 2009