French - Following a course at university (listening and making sense) - Objective B2

Teacher(s)

Rassart Emmanuelle (coordinator);

Language

French

Prerequisites

To take this course, students must have reached the level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This should be attested by

• the ILV orientation test organized during the 1st week of each semester OR
• a recent DELF B1 (less than 1 year) OR
• having obtained 14/20 or more at the LFRAN1301 or LFRAN1321 courses OR
• having passed the LFRAN1401 course OR
• following at the same time the LFRAN1321 or LFRAN1401 courses.

Main themes

To reinforce listening skills in academic situations, the following topics will be covered:

• the sound flow of spoken French: accentuation, pauses, intonation, continuity, co-verbal gestures
• communicative intentions specific to academic oral discourse: indicating structure, defining, explaining, criticizing
• note-taking

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

By the end of this course, students will be able to follow the main points of a university lecture or conference, provided the subject is related to a familiar field.  More specifically, students will be able to:

Build listening skills Sequence the flow of speech, relying on prosodic and non-verbal cues. Use appropriate metalinguistic compensation strategies in the event of difficulty.

Constructing meaning Understand the main ideas in complex, abstract discourse. Identify and analyze transitions between different parts of speech. Distinguish digressions from main themes. Identify the point of view expressed and distinguish it from reported ideas or facts. Use appropriate metalinguistic strategies to compensate in case of difficulty. Synthesize and report main ideas orally and in writing.

Content

This course is designed to help non-French-speaking students follow courses and lectures given in French as part of their university education more easily.
Students practice decoding the flow of speech and constructing the meaning of academic oral discourse using prosodic, linguistic and non-verbal cues. Metalinguistic strategies to compensate for oral comprehension difficulties are tested and analyzed. Note-taking techniques to support listening are also analyzed.
Students practice with authentic extracts from university lectures and courses, before applying metalinguistic compensation strategies in real-life situations.

Teaching methods

In-class sessions alternate between:

• Speech flow decoding training exercises
• Listening and note-taking activities based on short extracts from university lectures and courses
• Moments of metacognitive sharing in groups
• Explanations given by the teacher and by experts in listening.

After each session, students can work independently on the skills they have learned in class on the Moodle platform.

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment during the four-month term: 30%

•     Oral presentation: “The Perspective of Experts in Foreign Language Listening” (20%)
•     Active participation in the evaluation of oral presentations and in class sessions (10%)

Final assessment: 70%

•     Written exam consisting of listening exercises similar to those completed in class and on Moodle (50%)
•     Reflective oral presentation, in the form of an audio recording to be uploaded to Moodle (20%)

An absence (whether excused or not) from the written exam and/or failure to submit the recording of the reflective presentation by the specified deadline will result in a final grade of “absent.”
Generative artificial intelligence must be used responsibly and in accordance with academic and scientific integrity practices.
For certain activities, the instructor may authorize the occasional use of AI, provided that such use adds educational value to the course.

Other information

• Opened only to the non-francophone students enrolled at UCLouvain as well as to the members of UCLouvain staff.
• Class attendance is mandatory (75% min.)

Online resources

https://moodle.uclouvain.be

Bibliography

• De Rycke K., Jonkers S., Rassart E., Starrs C., CORAL, Franchir la barrière de la compréhension orale à l’université. Projet financé par le Fonds de développement pédagogique de l’UCLouvain (2022-2024).
• Field, J. (2011). Into the mind of the academic listener. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10 (2), 102-112. ​
• Hilton, H. (2022). Enseigner les langues avec l’apport des sciences cognitives. Hachette éducation.  ​
• Mangiante, J.-M. & Parpette, C. (2011). Le Français sur objectif universitaire. PUG.​
• Robert, J.-M. (2009). Manières d'apprendre : pour des stratégies d'apprentissage différenciées. Hachette (Collection F)
• Salehzaded, J. (2020). Academic listening strategies. A guide to university lectures. University of Michigan Press ELT.

Faculty or entity

> ILV