Academic English
Location: Online, Virtual Classroom
Level: Advanced (B2/C1)
Are you pursuing a degree taught in English? Or are you going to write your thesis or dissertation in English and may have to present it too? Are you sometimes unsure if you phrase things correctly and would appreciate feedback on this? In this Academic English course, you will hone your academic skills. This will help you to improve your grades, deliver presentations in English easier and spend less time on writing assignments.
About the course
This Academic English course has a dual focus: academic writing and academic presenting. You will get regular, personalised feedback that will help you achieve quick results and gain confidence.
We will work with different academic texts. You will learn how to quickly scan and analyse information from an article. Further, you will also practise building and structuring academic texts and will learn how to use AI as a writing tool.
You will also practise giving presentations. By training your presenting skills often, public speaking will become easier and easier. You will become more fluent in English and will have to search for the right words less frequently.
This Academic English course is suitable for bachelor and master students (HBO &university) with at least a B2 level command of English. Want to know your current
level? Then take our free placement test.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course you will have:
- expanded your academic vocabulary.
- improved your fluency in English.
- learned how to analyse academic texts.
- practised using AI (e.g. ChatGPT) as a writing tool.
- improved your academic writing style.
- learned how to structure an academic paper.
- practised with delivering academic presentations.
- acquired self-study strategies, so you know exactly how best to manage your time while studying.
Method
- During this interactive course there will be individual assignments, but we will also be working in pairs and small groups.
- You will receive regular, structured feedback on both your written work and delivery of presentations. Giving and receiving feedback from fellow students is also part of our didactic approach. We will guide you in this process.
Time investment
- This course consists of 8 meetings of 1 hour and 45 minutes each.
- To ensure that you learn as much as possible from the meetings, we expect you to spend about 2-3 hours a week on self-study. Of course, you will receive class material and assignments for this, which will be discussed in class.
Practical
- The language of instruction is English.
- You can order the necessary books for this course via our special books page. We count on everyone having the material with them on the first lesson, so that we can make a good start right away.
- You will receive a certificate of participation if you have attended 80% of the meetings.
- Do you work at Utrecht University or are you registered as an (exchange) student at this university? Then you will receive a 15% discount. Register with your UU email address and the discount will be automatically
settled.
Schedule
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Starting date: 6 February 2025 (Virtual Classroom)
Day Date Start End Thursday 6 February 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 13 February 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 20 February 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 27 February 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 6 March 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 13 March 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 20 March 2025 18:00 19:45 Thursday 27 March 2025 18:00 19:45 -
Starting date: 18 April 2025 (Virtual Classroom)
Day Date Start End Friday 18 April 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 25 April 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 2 May 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 9 May 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 16 May 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 23 May 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 30 May 2025 15:15 17:00 Friday 6 June 2025 15:15 17:00