This course is open to professionals in the Gainesville area, as well as to UF students, faculty, and staff interested in improving their English Interaction and Presentation Skills.
This non-credit in-person course designed for intermediate to advanced English language learners provides an opportunity for UF graduate students, visiting scholars, faculty, and staff to improve their spoken English skills. Professionals from the Gainesville community will also benefit from the course*. The course is taught by Jen Ramos.
The 12-week course is divided into six 2-week modules. Participants can register for individual modules, six-week blocks, or the entire course. The first six weeks of the course will focus on delivering professional presentations in English and the second six weeks of the course will focus on English interaction skills. The course outline is below.
The course will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00pm – 7:30pm in Matherly Hall room 210. All course materials will be provided, but students will need to have access to a laptop or PC in order to complete at-home assignments. Participation in each module is capped at 16 students.
The cost of a single 2-week module is $200.
The cost of the three 2-week presentation modules is $500. (Enrollment closed.)
The cost of the three 2-week interaction modules is $500.
The cost of the full 12-week course is $900. (Enrollment closed.)
Participants who formally drop a module before the second day of class will be issued a full refund for the module. No refunds will be offered after the second day of class of any module.
Register for the course here: https://go.ufl.edu/eliprograms
Participants with UFID numbers should register using their UFID. Departments can register students and pay for the course by contacting fiscal@eli.ufl.edu.
For more information about the course contact Dr. Megan Forbes at mforbes@eli.ufl.edu or 352-273-4391.
*Non-UF affiliates must provide proof they have completed secondary school in order to enroll.
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Presentation Skills (9/2, 9/4, 9/9, 9/11)
Registration deadline: 8/28
Module 1 Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify basic presentation structure and means of engaging with an audience. Students will be able to provide oral citations. Students will be able to deliver a short presentation and answer questions from a small, familiar audience. Students will learn about a community resource for practicing public speaking.
Module 2: Delivering Academic and Professional Presentations (9/16, 9/18, 9/23, 9/25)
Registration deadline: 9/11
Students should either already have some experience presenting – in any language – or have taken “Introduction to Presentation Skills”
Module 2 Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to deliver a basic presentation. Students will be able to adapt presentations for specific audiences. Students will be able to create and describe basic PowerPoint visuals.
Module 3: Professionalizing Your Presentation Skills (9/30, 10/2, 10/7, 10/9)
Registration deadline: 9/25
Students should either already have experience teaching, creating and delivering presentations, or have taken “Delivering Academic and Professional Presentations”
Module 3 Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify ways to create accessible presentations. Students will be able to effectively incorporate audience interaction in presentations. Students will be able to use appropriate language to redirect audience members.
Module 4: American Pronunciation and Patterns of Speech (10/14, 10/16, 10/21, 10/23)
Registration deadline: 10/9
Module 4 Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify components of pronunciation and prosody. Students will be able to make a short personal presentation. Students will be able to identify tools and exercises to help practice pronunciation.
Module 5: Conversation and Networking Skills (10/28, 10/30, 11/4, 11/6)
Registration deadline: 10/23
Module 5 Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify conversation skills for academic and professional situations. Students will be able to appropriately introduce themselves and their ideas.
Module 6: English for Leadership and Public Speaking (11/13, 11/18, 11/20)
Registration deadline: 11/7
No class on 11/10 (Veteran’s Day). Remaining classes will meet for 2 hours instead of 1.5 hours.
Module 6 Outcomes: Students will be able to identify language to lead group work or teams and formal meetings. Students will be able to use language to provide positive and negative feedback and acknowledge complaints and concerns.