Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
English for Dentistry 1
If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.
Teaching staff
By appointment
Janine Knight for the English group
janine@uic.es
Joe Barr for the Spanish group
jbarr@uic.es
Introduction
The aim of this program is primarily to provide students with the necessary academic language required to understand and present dental research in English. To this end, critical reading and listening skills are specifically worked on, while speaking and writing skills are reinforced to promote academic communication.
The programme consists of 3 parts: class-based lessons, tutorials and self study.
The teacher-led lessons focus on reading and listening activities related to topics in the field of scientific research and Dentistry. Such activities are designed to develop comprehension within an academic setting. Speaking and writing activities aim to improve communication skills in a university and conference setting, as well as to provide a solid linguistic base to consolidate the material introduced throughout the course.
Tutorials will focus on the development of the students' interpersonal skills and will include an evaluated group project.
And finally, the self-study element focuses on developing reading, writing and listening skills, consolidating grammar and specific lexis and equipping students with greater autonomy in the learning of a foreign language.
Pre-course requirements
Students will be required to demonstrate a B1 English level in evaluated coursework in order to pass the course. Therefore, students should have a minimum overall English language level of B1 before the start of the course.
Objectives
Classroom:
To prepare and equip students with the lexical and grammatical knowledge necessary to understand, synthesize and present basic aspects of dental research in English.
To reinforce the receptive skills of reading and listening through practice using a variety of stimuli, and to facilitate the development of the productive skills of speaking and writing.
Tutorial:
To develop students’ interpersonal skills and ability to work with others in both their own and a foreign language.
Self Study:
To strengthen the students' reading comprehension through tasks requiring detailed analysis of language at a lexical and structural level, of main and supporting ideas, as well as of the organizational patterns in English in the literature related to Dentistry; to strengthen listening comprehension skills; to go over the specialized lexis and grammatical structures common to dental research.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
Based on the use of competencies from the degree programme, students will be able:
- 08 - Knowing how to share information with other healthcare professionals and how to work as part of a team.
- 18 - Being aware of, critically evaluating and knowing how to use sources of clinical and biomedical infomation in order to obtain, organise, interpret and communicate scientific and healthcare-related information.
- 20 - Obtaining and creating a medical record containing all the relevant information.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able:
- To read and understand the literature related to the field of dentistry.
- To successfully use English terminology and linguistic structures related to the field of dentistry.
- To understand and participate in talks or lectures in an academic context.
- To communicate orally/in writing in an academic context.
- To analyze and synthesize oral/written information.
- To manage information from different written sources and information systems.
- To work in a team.
Syllabus
Topics:
Students will work on topics related to dentistry, with an approach based on evidence and the most relevant areas of current dental research.
Discipline-specific Language Skills:
Students will learn to read and understand academic literature related to Dentistry and dental research. Furthermore, they will learn to recognize the main types of research, as well as common study design features. They will practise note-taking and synthesis skills using material covered throughout the course. Students will learn to describe oral health conditions and the most common treatments.
Language Knowledge:
Students will revise and consolidate knowledge of the gerund, participle and infinitive forms, simple tenses in the present and past, the passive voice, noun phrases, question forms, comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, linking structures, clinical terminology and high-frequency vocabulary related to research in the health sciences.
Course outline
- Discourse of research in dentistry in English
- Evidence-based Dentistry
- Research in Dentistry
- Clinical language
- Anatomical structures of the head and oral cavity
- Pain assessment
- Tooth abnormalities
- Evidence-based Dentistry and research design
- Non-experimental research
- Case reports
- Non-experimental research
i. Structure of a clinical description
ii. Topic: Common conditions related to oral health
- Non-experimental research design
i. Cross-sectional studies
- Structure and format of titles and abstracts of scientific articles
- Topic: Tobacco-related research in dentistry
ii. Longitudinal studies
- Cohort studies
- Case-control studies
- Topic: Dental anxiety
- Experimental Research
- Correlation and Causation
- Concepts and design features of randomized controlled trials
- Topic: Periodontal disease and diabetes
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Students will become actively engaged in the process of reading, analyzing and synthesizing information from a variety of academic genres specific to Dentistry, such as extracts from textbooks and dental journals. Students will discuss course contents in collaborative tasks. They will give presentations as well as produce some writing assignments. Listening activities will comprise listening for general and specific information given in lectures by teachers and presentations by other students and online speakers.
Internet-based language tools and material will be used and applied throughout their overall learning process. These materials will further form an integral part of the students’ self-study, thus equipping and motivating students for the life-long learning of English related to their field.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
|
Activity |
% final grade |
Learning outcome |
|
Final exam
|
25%
|
To read and understand literature related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18) To skillfully use English terminology and linguistic structures related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18) |
|
Midterm exam |
15% |
To read and understand literature related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18) To skillfully use English terminology and linguistic structures related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18) |
|
Coursework -progress tests -cooperative learning activities -written work
|
10%
|
To skillfully use English terminology and linguistic structures related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18)
To read and understand literature related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18)
To skillfully use English terminology and linguistic structures related to the field of dentistry. (Comp. 18)
To manage information from different written sources and information systems. (Comp. 18) |
|
Group project: Design an RCCT |
10% |
To understand and participate in talks or lectures in an academic context. (Comp. 8) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18) To manage information from different written sources and information systems. (Comp. 18) To work in a team. (Comp. 8) |
|
|
||
|
Group project: Oral presentation of a condition
|
10%
|
To understand and participate in talks or lectures in an academic context. (Comp. 8) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18) To manage information from different written sources and information systems. (Comp. 18) To work in a team. (Comp. 8) |
|
Group project: Presentation of results of a survey |
30% |
To communicate orally/in writing in an academic context. (Comp. 8) To analyze and synthesize oral/written information. (Comp. 18) To manage information from different written sources and information systems. (Comp. 18) To work in a team. (Comp. 8) |
Important information:
Students will be required to demonstrate a B1 English level in evaluated coursework in order to pass this course. Therefore, students should have a minimum global English language level of B1 before the start of the course.
Attendance and participation:
Students are reminded that attendance and participation in class and continuous evaluation are fundamental to passing the course. Furthermore, group work outside of class will also form a major part of the evaluation.
It will not be possible to pass the course by only taking the final exam in any sitting.
Make up exams
The 2nd sitting consists of an exam and may also include a writing and/ or oral presentation component. Students who must present for the second sitting are required to get in contact with the teacher and the coordinator of the course at least two weeks prior to the date of this exam in order to receive information regarding what the 2nd sitting exam will consist of.
Other exams: Students who miss a midterm exam, and who have a valid justification (i.e. medical certificate) must present it to their teacher the following day of class. At the end of the term, if the student has attended at least 80% of the classes, he or she will be able to make up the midterm on the day of the final exam.
Many small progress tests, or quizzes, will be given throughout the course. No make-up quizzes will be given, so students who miss a quiz will receive a 0 for that quiz. However, because each quiz bears little weight individually in the course evaluation, missing one will have little effect on the total grade.
Bibliography and resources
Resources:
Class-based materials:
Class-based materials have been developed from a wide range of professional and educational resources from current online professional journals and textbooks.
Intranet and Internet materials for self study
Bibliography:
An English-English dictionary of the student’s choice
Dofka C. Dental Terminology.2nd ed. Thomson Delmar Learning. 2007.
Evaluation period
- E1 28/05/2025 A04 10:00h
- E1 28/05/2025 A02 10:00h
- E1 28/05/2025 A01 10:00h
- E1 28/05/2025 A03 10:00h
- E1 28/05/2025 A13 10:00h
- R1 04/06/2025 A01 10:00h