Course Specification
Institution: KING SAUD UNIVERSITY
College/Department : College of Languages and Translation / Language Unit
A. Course Identification and General Information
1. Course title and code: English 101
2. Credit hours: 3 per week
3. Program(s) in which the course is offered.
(If general elective available in many programs indicate this rather than list programs):
It is a compulsory single-semester general skills course in English offered to students enrolled
in (a) College of Administrative Sciences (b) College of Education (c) College of Arts and (d)
College of Agriculture.
4. Name of faculty member responsible for the course:
Dr. Nasser Saleh Al-Mansour
5. Level/year at which this course is offered:
A first year undergraduate level course
6. Pre-requisites for this course (if any):
None
7. Co-requisites for this course (if any):
None.
8. Location if not on main campus:
Main campus
B. Objectives
1. Summary of the main learning outcomes for students enrolled in the course.
The course is intended to equip the students with reasonable skills necessary for successful
communication in both oral and written forms of the language. At the end of the course,
students are expected to acquire the sub-skills such as reading or listening for gist or specific
information, and use vocabulary in a meaningful context.
2. Briefly describe any plans for developing and improving the course that are being implemented. (eg
increased use of IT or web based reference material, changes in content as a result of new research in
the field)
(a) Encourage students to use the teachers’ websites for reference material and useful
exercises.
(b) Exploring new teaching methodologies that vary according to the topic selected for
instruction every year.
(c) Use of workbook and teacher’s book for canonical and sub-canonical texts on the skills.
C. Course Description (Note: General description in the form to be used for the Bulletin or
Handbook should be attached)
1 Topics to be Covered
No of Contact
List of Topics Weeks hours
UNIT 1 – a, an; the verb to be ; ordinal / cardinal numbers; introducing Weeks 3
people; asking for personal information; talking about landmarks. 1&2 hrs./wk
UNIT 2: the verb have (got); the verb can (ability, polite requests),
people’s appearances, likes / dislikes; colours; Culture point – people Week 3 3 hrs.
around the world.
UNIT 3: uses of ‘there is’, ‘there are; ‘this/these – that/those; ‘plurals (-s, - Week 4 3 hrs
es); prepositions of place; describing a house/flat, asking for and giving
addresses and phone numbers; Culture point - houses around the world.
UNIT 4: possessive case; possessive adjectives/pronouns; whose/who’s; Weeks 3
present simple; family relationships; free-time activities; days of the week; 5&6 hrs/ wk
letters to pen-friends; talking about a person; identifying people.
UNIT 5: adverbs of frequency; prepositions of time; daily routines; telling Week 7 3 hrs.
the time; months.
UNIT 7: present continuous; present continuous vs present simple; Weeks 3
weather conditions / climate, clothes; writings to friends while on holiday. 8&9 hrs/wk
UNIT 8: plurals; countable / uncountable nouns; a / an / some; how much / Week 3 hrs.
how many; a few / a little; some / any; types of food / meals; restaurants; 10
offering / ordering food at a restaurant; accepting / refusing orders;
UNIT 9: was / were, had, could; prepositions of place; places, buildings in Week 3 hrs.
a town; abilities; talking about changes in place; talking about past 11
abilities; asking for information; giving directions
UNIT 10: past simple; asking questions; famous people and their Week 3 hrs.
achievements; full dates; asking personal questions about the recent past. 12
UNIT 11: past simple; joining sentences; prepositions of movement; Week 3 hrs.
adjectives / adverbs; feelings and reactions; sequence of events. 13
UNIT 12: comparisons; quite, too, very much; towns, cities, transport, Weeks 3
holidays; geography quiz; deciding on a hotel; making comments, making 14 & 15 hrs/ wk
suggestions; description of your town.
2 Course components (total contact hours per semester):
Lecture: 45 hours Tutorial: None Laboratory: Practical/Field Other:
None work/Internship: None
None
3. Additional private study/learning hours expected for students per week. (This should be an average
:for the semester, not a specific requirement in each week):
7 hours per week.
4. Development of Learning Outcomes in Domains of Learning
For each of the domains of learning shown below indicate:
A brief summary of the knowledge or skill the course is intended to develop;
A description of the teaching strategies to be used in the course to develop that knowledge or
skill;
The methods of student assessment to be used in the course to evaluate learning outcomes in
the domain concerned.
a. Knowledge
(i) Description of the knowledge to be acquired:
With the completion of the course, learners should be able to …
(a) inculcate and develop the habit of reading English texts, mostly at the general level.
(b) develop general lexical skills.
(c) identify and write simple sentences and develop writing skills with special reference to
spelling and writing short sentences.
(d) expand general listening / speaking skills.
(e) at home with simple sentence structures and common English tenses.
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop that knowledge:
(a) Lectures
(b) Class discussion
(c) Close reading and text analysis
(d) Collaborative learning / pair work / group work
(e) Assignments
(iii) Methods of assessment of knowledge acquired:
(a) Class participation
(b) Quizzes
(c) Midterms
(d) End of semester exam
b. Cognitive Skills
(i) Description of cognitive skills to be developed:
(a) The ability to read simple authentic texts for gist or for specific information.
(b) The ability to use language related to topics of general interest.
(c) The ability to remember common and core vocabulary items as parts of expressions with
regard to everyday experiences.
(d) The ability to communicate meaningfully in real life situations.
(e) The ability to write letters and short paragraphs.
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these cognitive skills:
(a) Lectures / teaching students how to read attentively, understand clearly, and use
vocabulary in a meaningful context, reinforcing students’ understanding of grammar
items through grammar exercises, teaching collocations.
(b) Class discussions / teaching a range of activities leading to free use of grammar items in
genuine language tasks.
(c) Meeting individual students during office hours to solve their problems related to
language learning , and encourage them to enjoy learning the new language.
(iii) Methods of assessment of students cognitive skills:
(a) Class participation
(b) Midterms and exams
(c) Assignments
c. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility
(i) Description of the interpersonal skills and capacity to carry responsibility to be developed :
(a) Students can complete both reading and writing exercises in due time.
(b) Students can participate in communicative situations.
(c) Students can act responsibly and ethically in carrying out individual as well as group
assignments.
(d) Students have the necessary skills to communicate, listen, read, and evaluate their
strengths and weaknesses in the process of language learning.
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these skills and abilities:
(a) Lectures in which students are made to understand the necessity of second language
acquisition, and instructed to learn and build up their language skills.
(b) Discussions with students motivating them to make maximum use of the course book.
(c) Individual counselling on various assignments and class works.
(d) Group assignments where much of the most effective learning comes from the student
discussing and explaining his own answers to the texts and exercises with his peers.
(iii) Methods of assessment of students interpersonal skills and capacity to carry responsibility:
(a) Active class participation reflects the students’ ability to keep up with his learning
schedule.
(b) Performance on midterms and final exams are evidence of the students’ ability to
recollect and analyse information.
(c) Instructor’s assessment of student’s performance and seriousness.
d. Communication, Information Technology and Numerical Skills
(i) Description of the skills to be developed in this domain:
(a) Use of Web CT to download exercises and assignments.
(b) Use of projector systems..
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these skills:
(a) Encourage students to make extensive use of material on the web.
(b) Encourage students to consult the specialist in the computer lab for help on web-based
material.
(c) Demand the use of Power Point when giving presentations.
(iii) Methods of assessment of students numerical and communication skills:
(a) Allot marks to encourage students for the use of web-based material.
e. Psychomotor Skills (if applicable)
(i) Description of the psychomotor skills to be developed and the level of performance required:
NOT APPLICABLE
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these skills:
NOT APPLICABLE
(iii) Methods of assessment of students psychomotor skills:
NOT APPLICABLE
5. Schedule of Assessment Tasks for Students During the Semester
Proportion
Assess Assessment task (eg. essay, test, group project, examination Week due of Final
ment etc.) Assessment
Middle of
1 1st midterm term 20%
2 Participation All Along 10%
3 2nd midterm Week 14 20%
4 Final Week 16 50%
8
D. Student Support
1. Arrangements for availability of faculty for individual student consultations and academic advice.
(include amount of time faculty are available each week)
10 hours per week
E. Learning Resources
1. Required Text(s):
(a) Virginia Evans / Jenny Dooley, 2008, Enterprise 1- Beginner Course book, Express
Publishing, London.
(b) Virginia Evans / Jenny Dooley, 2008, Enterprise 1- Beginner Workbook, Express
Publishing, London.
2. Essential References:
None
3- Recommended Books and Reference Material (Journals, Reports, etc) (Attach List):
None
4.Electronic Materials, Web Sites etc
http: //www.expresspublishing.co.uk
5- Other learning material such as computer-based programs/CD, professional standards/regulations:
None
F. Facilities Required
Indicate requirements for the course including size of classrooms and laboratories (ie number of seats in
classrooms and laboratories, extent of computer access etc.)
1. Accommodation (Lecture rooms, laboratories, etc.):
Lecture rooms should be large enough to accommodate 50 students.
2. Computing resources:
- Projector system
- Internet access to students
3. Other resources (specify --eg. If specific laboratory equipment is required, list requirements or attach
list):
None
G. Course Evaluation and Improvement Processes
1. Strategies for Obtaining Student Feedback on Effectiveness of Teaching:
(a) Midterm evaluation feedback to increase instructor’s awareness of the weak and strong
points of the class.
(b) End-of-term debriefing in class of students and teachers regarding what went well and
what could have gone better.
2. Other Strategies for Evaluation of Teaching by the Instructor or by the Department:
(a) Peer evaluation to assess ability of faculty members to work with their colleagues.
(b) Class observations by the Coordinator.
3. Processes for Improvement of Teaching:
(a) Training Sessions
(b) Workshops to facilitate the exchange of experiences amongst faculty members.
(c) Regular meetings where problems are discussed and solutions given.
(d) Encouragement of faculty members to attend professional development conferences.
(e) Discussion of challenges in the classroom with colleagues and coordinators.
(f) Keep up to date with pedagogical theory and practice.
(g) Set goals for achieving excellence in teaching at the beginning of each new semester after
reviewing last semester’s teaching strategies and results.
4. Processes for Verifying Standards of Student Achievement (eg. check marking by an independent
faculty member of a sample of student work, periodic exchange and remarking of a sample of
assignments with a faculty member in another institution):
(a) Check marking of a sample of examination papers by a faculty member.
(b) Students who believe they are under graded can have their papers checked by a second
reader.
5. Describe the planning arrangements for periodically reviewing course effectiveness and planning for
improvement:.
(a) Constant comparison of syllabi and course description with other universities (including
those on the net).
(b) Biannual meetings of faculty members to discuss improvement.
(c) Have a curriculum review committee to review the curriculum periodically and suggest
improvements.
