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COURSE GUIDE DESCRIPTIONYou must read this Course Guide carefully from the beginning to the end. Itexplains briefly what the course is about and how you can work your waythrough the course material. It also provides an estimation of the time required inorder to complete the course successfully. Please regularly refer to this CourseGuide as you go through the course material as this will help you to clarifyimportant study components or points.

INTRODUCTION

OUMH2103 English for Science and Technical Purposes is one of the coursesoffered by the Faculty of Education and Languages at Open University Malaysia

(OUM). This course is worth 3 credit hours and should be covered over eight to15 weeks.

COURSE AUDIENCE

This is a core course for all learners taking the Bachelor of Education (TESL)programme. As language teachers, you need to master the skills of using Englishfor science and technical purposes as you must later transfer the knowledge toyour students.

As an open and distance learner, you should be able to learn independently andoptimise the learning modes and environment available to you. Before you beginthis course, please ensure that you have the right course material and understandthe course requirements, as well as how the course is conducted.

STUDY SCHEDULE

It is a standard OUM practice that learners accumulate 40 study hours for everycredit hour. As such, for a three-credit hour course, you are expected to spend

120 study hours. Table 1 gives an estimation of how the 120 study hours could beaccumulated.

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Table 1: Estimation of Time Accumulation of Study HoursStudy Activities StudyHours

Briefly go through the course content and participate in initial discussion 3

Study the module 60

Attend 3 to 5 tutorial sessions 10

Online participation 12

Revision 15

Assignment(s), Test(s) and Examination(s) 20

TOTAL STUDY HOURS 120

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Define objects, mechanisms, processes and procedures by describing theirphysical appearance using precise and appropriate language;

2. Provide accurate and appropriate instructions on how to use a mechanism

or carry out a procedure or process;

3. Analyse information, data and facts through classification, cause-and-effectrelationships and compare-and-contrast functions;

4. Analyse information, data and facts as evidence;

5. Practise the skills necessary for effective summary writing;

6. Employ the various steps in the summarising process;

7. Recognise the format of documents in the technical genre such as simplememos, memo reports and e-mails;

8. Explain how to use and incorporate visuals into text effectively; and

9. Recognise the difference between highly technical and semi-technicalvocabulary.

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COURSE SYNOPSIS

This course is divided into nine topics. The synopsis for each topic is presented

below:

Topic 1 will start by discussing how to define someone or something. We willlook at how definitions work. Next, we will touch on describing how somethingworks. This includes the process of writing explanations of mechanisms and alsothe procedure of a process.

Topic 2 will look at how to put things in perspective, i.e., doing analysis. We willlook at analysis through classifications. We will also discuss how to do analysis

based on cause-effect and comparison-contrast relationships. Later, we will see

how to do analysis by providing evidence.

Topic 3 will deal with summary writing. You will be exposed to writing a topicsentence and identifying the main ideas in a text. Before we end this topic, wewill discuss the different types of summary writing as well as the steps andcharacteristics of an effective summary.

Topic 4 will look at the technical genre which involves the process of sendingmessages. You will be exposed to the various aspects of writing memos and e-mails.

Topic 5 will discuss guidelines for using visuals to describe, highlight andinterpret data. In addition, we will see how to incorporate visuals in text. Beforewe end Topic 5, we will touch on using the right words and structures inillustrating ideas.

Topic 6 will expose you to different types of vocabulary which can be used inpresenting your ideas to an audience. You will learn how to write for bothspecialist and non-specialist readers.

Topic 7 will focus on mathematical concepts, skills and processes. It will look atbasic mathematical concepts involved in solving problems.Topic 8 will expose you to the skills of estimation, approximation, arithmeticmanipulation, algebraic manipulation and data handling.

Topic 9 covers the process of problem solving, specifically the heuristics andstrategies involved.

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TEXT ARRANGEMENT GUIDE

Before you go through this module, it is important that you note the text

arrangement. Understanding the text arrangement will help you to organise yourstudy of this course in a more objective and effective way. Generally, the textarrangement for each topic is as follows:

Learning Outcomes: This section refers to what you should achieve after youhave completely covered a topic. As you go through each topic, you shouldfrequently refer to these learning outcomes. By doing this, you can continuouslygauge your understanding of the topic.

Self-Check: This component of the module is inserted at strategic locationsthroughout the module. It may be inserted after one sub-section or a few sub-sections. It usually comes in the form of a question. When you come across thiscomponent, try to reflect on what you have already learnt thus far. By attemptingto answer the question, you should be able to gauge how well you haveunderstood the sub-section(s). Most of the time, the answers to the questions can

be found directly from the module itself.

Activity: Like Self-Check, the Activity component is also placed at variouslocations or junctures throughout the module. This component may require you tosolve questions, explore short case studies, or conduct an observation or research.

It may even require you to evaluate a given scenario. When you come across anActivity, you should try to reflect on what you have gathered from the module andapply it to real situations. You should, at the same time, engage yourself in higherorder thinking where you might be required to analyse, synthesise and evaluateinstead of only having to recall and define.

Summary: You will find this component at the end of each topic. This componenthelps you to recap the whole topic. By going through the summary, you should

be able to gauge your knowledge retention level. Should you find points in thesummary that you do not fully understand, it would be a good idea for you to

revisit the details in the module.

Key Terms: This component can be found at the end of each topic. You should gothrough this component to remind yourself of important terms or jargon usedthroughout the module. Should you find terms here that you are not able toexplain, you should look for the terms in the module.

References: The References section is where a list of relevant and usefultextbooks, journals, articles, electronic contents or sources can be found. The listcan appear in a few locations such as in the Course Guide (at the References

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section), at the end of every topic or at the back of the module. You areencouraged to read or refer to the suggested sources to obtain the additionalinformation needed and to enhance your overall understanding of the course.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

No prior knowledge required.

ASSESSMENT METHOD

Please refer to myVLE.

REFERENCESGoodwyn, A. (Ed). (2000). English in the digital age. Information and

communications technology (ICT) and the teaching of English. New York:

Cassell.

Huckin, T. N., & Olsen, L. A. (1983). English for science and technology. A

handbook for nonnative speakers. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Mackay, R., & Mountford, J. (Eds). (1978). English for specific purposes. London:

Longman Group Limited.

Zimmerman, F. (1989). English for science. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.

Krulik S., & Rudnick J.A. (1987). Problem solving: A handbook for teachers.Newton MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Polya, G. (1957). How to solve it. USA: Princeton University Press.

TAN SRI DR ABDULLAH SANUSI (TSDAS)DIGITAL LIBRARY

The TSDAS Digital Library has a wide range of print and online resources for theuse of its learners. This comprehensive digital library, which is accessiblethrough the OUM portal, provides access to more than 30 online databasescomprising e-journals, e-theses, e-books and more. Examples of databasesavailable are EBSCOhost, ProQuest, SpringerLink, Books24x7, InfoSci Books,Emerald Management Plus and Ebrary Electronic Books. As an OUM learner,you are encouraged to make full use of the resources available through thislibrary.

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