JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD 
III Year B.Tech. EEE - I Sem  L T/P/D  C 
-  -/3/-  2 
(A50086) ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SKILLS (ACS) LAB 

Introduction 

The introduction of the Advanced Communication Skills Lab is considered essential at 3rd year level. At this stage, the students need to prepare themselves for their careers which may require them to listen to, read, speak and write in English both for their professional and interpersonal communication in the globalised context. 

The proposed course should be a laboratory course to enable students to use ‘good’ English and perform the following: 

  • Gather ideas and information, to organise ideas relevantly and coherently. 
  • Engage in debates. 
  • Participate in group discussions. 
  • Face interviews. 
  • Write project/research reports/technical reports. 
  • Make oral presentations. 
  • Write formal letters. 
  • Transfer information from non-verbal to verbal texts and vice versa. 
  • To take part in social and professional communication. 

Objectives: 

This Lab focuses on using multi-media instruction for language development to meet the following targets: 

  • To improve the students’ fluency in English, through a well-developed vocabulary and enable them to listen to English spoken at normal conversational speed by educated English speakers and respond appropriately in different socio-cultural and professional contexts. 
  • Further, they would be required to communicate their ideas relevantly and coherently in writing. 
  • To prepare all the students for their placements.

Syllabus: 

The following course content to conduct the activities is prescribed for the Advanced Communication Skills (ACS) Lab: 

  1. Activities on Fundamentals of Inter-personal Communication and Building Vocabulary - Starting a conversation - responding appropreiately and relevantly - using the right body language - Role Play in different situations & Discourse Skills- using visuals - Synonyms and antonyms, word roots, one-word substitutes, prefixes and suffixes, study of word origin, business vocabulary, analogy, idioms and phrases, collocations & usage of vocabulary.
  2. Activities on Reading Comprehension - General Vs Local comprehension, reading for facts, guessing meanings from context, scanning, skimming, inferring meaning, critical reading & effective googling.
  3. Activities on Writing Skills - Structure and presentation of different types of writing - letter writing/ Resume wrting/ e-correspondence/ Technical report writing/ Portifolio writing - planning for writing - improving one's writing.
  4. Activities on Presentation Skills - Oral presentations (individual and group) through JAM sessions/seminars/PPTs and written presentations through posters/ projects/ reports/ e-mails/ assignments etc.
  5. Activities on Group Discussion and Interview Skills - Dynamics of group discussion, intervention, summarizing, modulation of voice, body language, relevance, fluency and organization of ideas and rubrics for evaluation- Concept and process, pre-interview planning, opening strategies, answering strategies, interview through tele-conference & video-conferencing and Mock Interviews.

Minimum Requirement: 

The Advanced Communication Skills (ACS) Laboratory shall have the following infra-structural facilities to accommodate at least 35 students in the lab:

  • Spacious room with appropriate acoustics.
  • Round Tables with movable chairs
  • Audio-visual aids
  • LCD Projector
  • Public Address system
  • P - IV Processor, Hard Disk - 80 GB, RAM - 512 MB Min., Speed - 2.8 GHZ
  • T. V, a digital stereo & Camcorder
  • Headphones of High quality

Prescribed Lab Manual: A book titled A Course Book of Advanced Communication Skills (ACS) Lab published by Universities Press, Hyderabad.

Suggested Software: 

The software consisting of the prescribed topics elaborated above should be procured and used.

  • Oxford Advanced Learner’s Compass, 7th Edition
  • DELTA’s key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test: Advanced Skill Practice.
  • Lingua TOEFL CBT Insider, by Dreamtech
  • TOEFL & GRE( KAPLAN, AARCO & BARRONS, USA, Cracking GRE by CLIFFS)
  • The following software from ‘train2success.com’
    • Preparing for being Interviewed
    • Positive Thinking
    • Interviewing Skills
    • Telephone Skills
    • Time Management

Books Recommended: 

  1. Technical Communication by Meenakshi Raman & Sangeeta Sharma, Oxford University Press 2009.
  2. Advanced Communication Skills Laboratory Manual by Sudha Rani, D, Pearson Education 2011.
  3. Technical Communication by Paul V. Anderson , 2007. Cengage Learning pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.
  4. Business and Professional Communication: Keys for Workplace Excellence, Kelly M. Quintanilla & Shawn T. Wahl. Sage South Asia Edition. Sage Publications, 2011.
  5. The Basics of Communication: A Relational Prespective, Stev Duck & David T. Mc Mahan. Sage South Asia Edition. Sage Publications, 2012.
  6. English Vocabulary in Use series, Cambridge University Press 2008.
  7. Management Shapers Series by Universities Press(India) Pvt Ltd., Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 2008.
  8. Handbook for Technical Communication by David A. McMurrey & Joanne Buckley, 2012. Cengage Learning.
  9. Communication Skills by Leena Sen, PHI Learning Pvt Ltd., New Delhi, 2009.
  10. Handbook for Technical Writing by David A McMurrey & Joanne Buckely CENGAGE Learning 2008.
  11. Job Hunting by Colm Downes, Cambridge University Press 2008.
  12. Master Public Speaking by Anne Nicholls, JAICO Publishing House, 2006.
  13. English for Technical Communication for Engineering Students, Aysha Vishwamohan, Tata Mc graw Hill 2009.
  14. Books on TOFEL/ GRE/ GMAT/ CAT/ IELTS by Barron's/ DELTA/ Cambridge University Press.
  15. International English for Call Contres by Barry Tomalin and Suhashini Thomas, Macmillan Publishers, 2009.

DISTRIBUTION AND WEIGHTAGE OF MARKS: 

Advanced Communication Skills Lab Practicals: 

  1. The practical examinations for the ACS Laboratory practice shall be conducted as per the University norms prescribed for the core engineering practical sessions. 
  2. For the English Language lab sessions, there shall be a continuous evaluation during the year for 25 sessional marks and 50 End Examination marks. Of the 25 marks, 15 marks shall be awarded for dayto-day work and 10 marks to be awarded by conducting Internal Lab Test(s). The End Examination shall be conducted by the teacher concerned, by inviting the External Examiner from outside. In case of the non-availability of the External Examiner, other teacher of the same department can act as the External Examiner.

Mini Project: As a part of Internal Evaluation

  1. Seminar/ Professional Presentation
  2. A Report on the same has to be prepared and presented.
    • Teachers may use their discretion to choose topics relevant and suitable to the needs of students.
    • Not more than two students to work on each mini project.
    • Students may be assessed by their performance both in oral presentation and written report.

Outcomes

  • Accomplishment of sound vocabulary and its proper use contextually.
  • Flair in Writing and felicity in written expression.
  • Enhanced job prospects.
  • Effective Speaking Abilities.
  • Created
    Jun 14, 2015
  • Updated
    May 24, 2017
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