Course organisation
Welcome to the department of English studies!
My name is Caroline Snäckerström Sims and I will be your course coordinator for English. Please make sure you click all the links and read all the information in this welcome letter carefully. If you have questions, feel free to contact me by email at Caroline.Sims@hig.se.
In this 15 hp course you will study three different modules:
Basic Language Structure 3.5 credits (Week 45-49)
English Didactics 7.5 credits (Week 45-02)
Children’s Literature 4 credits (Week 50-02)
These modules run in parallel. Starting week 45 you will have a class session in Basic Language Structure with one instructor and a class session in English Didactics with another instructor. Your last class in Basic Language Structure is week 49. Starting week 50 you will continue with classes in English Didactics, but also begin classes for Children’s Literature. Please see the schedule in Kronox for a better overview.
The schedule for the modules can be found in the timetable service Kronox no later than four weeks before the course starts. Please note that the campus and distance courses have different schedules. Also, due to the large number of students in the distance course, instructors may divide class sessions into two smaller groups.
Students attending courses in English at the University of Gävle are required to attend class in order to receive a passing grade. Studying English at our college does not only involve obtaining subject knowledge, but also improving one’s ability and confidence to speak and write English. This can only take place if students meet their teachers and each other and actively participate in the instruction. Furthermore, most modules feature live, face-to-face, group work in order to fulfil general course objectives. Failure to participate in such activities will therefore make it impossible to reach the goals of the course. For these reasons, we require attendance, with only minor exceptions. To take exams and pass the course, students must attend all obligatory seminars.
Please note that each module has several obligatory seminars. There is also an obligatory on-campus seminar in January (Week 2).
Dates and times for the exams and the on-campus meeting will be posted on Canvas. The syllabus and schedule for each module, including timetables and specific reading instructions, will also be posted on Canvas two weeks before the module begins.
Since this is a full-time course, you must be prepared to allocate 40 hours of study time per week, These hours include class attendance, lectures, reading, and preparing assignments and exams in both parallel modules. Studying for 15 credits in 10 weeks is equivalent to a full-time job.
Studying to become an English teaching can be very demanding, but also very rewarding. It is important that you prepare well for the seminars by reading the designated parts of the course literature. You should be able to discuss particular models and issues brought up in the literature rather than topics in general. Therefore, make sure you order the course literature for all modules well before the course starts. The literature list can be found in the course plan linked to this welcome letter.
In the Children’s Literature module there are many children’s books on the list, but since it is necessary to read a large variety of books to see patterns and make well-grounded choices, we strongly recommend that you read as many as possible. Use public libraries and share books to keep the cost down, but do not be afraid to invest in a few or several titles yourself. This is a way of starting your own collection of picturebooks that you can use in your future English classroom.
Please note that Lundberg’s De första årens engelska and Sandström’s Kidworthy Works are not children’s books but required reading material in the module. All books in Basic Language Structure and English Didactics are required reading material.
Communication
You will be automatically registered on Canvas when you register for the course. This is our main channel for communication and where you will find material about our course such as the timetable, instructions, assignments, etc. This is also where the instructors will post general announcements concerning each module and the individual sessions. Therefore, check the Canvas course page regularly.
You will find all relevant information about the course and the individual modules by clicking Modules in the left-hand menu. Important information from your instructors can be found in Announcements. We highly recommend that you use the setting Notify me immediately (represented by ✔) for Announcements, Added to conversation and Conversation message in order to avoid missing important information.
We will meet in our virtual classroom via Zoom. For us all to be able to benefit from a good quality of reception it is recommended that you use broadband and not a wireless connection. It is also recommended that you use a good headset with a microphone instead of the microphone on the computer only. A good camera is also essential for communicative purposes. Please note that you are expected to use your microphone and camera throughout the course since several of the course modules include seminars where you will participate actively in discussions. Unfortunately, Ipads and Iphones do not work sufficiently for all of these activities.
If you need support with any technical issues concerning Canvas, contact the support service through itsupport@hig.se
The course plan is a legally binding document for teachers and students alike. Students should therefore refrain from requesting instructors to change the course content or shorten the reading list, for example. There is a separate link in the welcome letter to the course plan.
Cheating and plagiarizing are serious academic offences, which result in failing the module in question and being reported to the college’s disciplinary commission. To learn about plagiarism and get basic information on how to avoid it, please read the disclaimer posted on Canvas carefully before the beginning of the course; print it, sign it, make a copy/take a picture, and upload it to Canvas. You can also find more information about plagiarism and about students' rights and obligations as well as cheating and disciplinary matters on the University of Gävle's website.
The course is given by the Faculty of Education and Business Studies.