IEEE Technical English Program

Moshe KamAlina Keschenr

Pramod AbichandaniChristopher Lester

IEEE Educational Activities

St. Petersburg, RussiaOpening Session Part 1

2 October, 2009ver002

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Why Are We Here?

IEEE volunteers have expressed the desire to have IEEE provide English-language skill services to its Members …in countries where English is not a native

language, nor is it widely used

We organized this event to start an effort in Region 8 toward establishing Technical English Programs (TEPs) in multiple venues

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Weekend Program

Time Location Description Moderators 2 Oct13:45-16:30

Corinthia HotelOpening Session

Moshe Kam, Alina Keschner

2 Oct 18:00-20:00

Abamelek-Lazarev Palace

Reception Douglas Gorham

8:00-9:00

Corinthia Hotel Admiralty

Breakfast

3 Oct9:00-17:00

Corinthia HotelNevskiII TEP workshop

Moshe Kam, Pramod Abichandani, Christopher Lester

3 Oct18:00

Corinthia HotelAdmiralty Participant Dinner Douglas Gorham

4 Oct8:30

Corinthia HotelAdmiralty Debriefing Breakfast

Moshe Kam, Douglas Gorham

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This afternoon…

Speaker Topic Moshe Kam

Opening Session

Alina Keschner On teaching English to non-native speakers

Moshe Kam Description of the TEP workshop and our next steps

Douglas Gorham Logistics

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Why Are We Here?

IEEE volunteers have expressed the desire to have IEEE provide English-language skill services to its Members …in countries where English is not a native

language, nor is it widely used

At present IEEE has only two such programs: In the Russia Northwest Section (R8) In the Uruguay Section (R9)

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A Few Words About Existing Programs

The Russia NW program is geared toward Student Members Started 2005

The Uruguay program is a pilot study toward a later effort focused on Members Not necessarily students; started 2009

The focus of this meeting is English-language for IEEE Student Members.

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Who is involved in this weekend event?

IEEE Russia Northwest Section IEEE Uruguay Section IEEE Educational Activities Board IEEE Region 8

IEEE Volunteers from Regions 2, 8, and 9

The event is sponsored and narrated by the IEEE Educational Activities Board

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IEEE Volunteers have come to this event from…

Croatia France Hungary Iraq Jordan Lebanon R. Macedonia Morocco Nigeria Portugal

Qatar Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Tunisia Turkey United Arab

Emirates United States Uruguay

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Who is involved in this weekend event?

IEEE Russia Northwest Section IEEE Uruguay Section IEEE Educational Activities Board IEEE Region 8

IEEE Volunteers from Regions 2, 8, and 9

The event is sponsored and narrated by the IEEE Educational Activities Board

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IEEE Board of Directors

IEEE

Assembly

IEEE Members

Educational

Activities Technical

Activities

Member and Geographical

Activities

IEEE-USA

Standards Association

Publication Services and Products

Regions and SectionsRegions and Sections

Divisions and SocietiesDivisions and Societies

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Educational Activities Board

One of the six (6) major Boards of IEEE

Responsible for IEEE’s activities in pre-university, university-level and post-university (continuing) education

Including accreditation

15 Board members

Approximately 100 committee members

Staff support of 22 Educational Activities Department

EAB: SMALL BUT POWERFUL

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13 IEEE Educational Activities Board 2008

14 IEEE Educational Activities Board 2009

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Most recent IEEE Vice Presidents for Educational Activities

Year Name

2009

Teofilo RamosIEEE Region 9

2008

Evangelia Micheli TzanakouIEEE Region 1

2005-2007

Moshe KamIEEE Region 2

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Educational Activities BoardSample Activities

Pre-university activities Teacher In-service Program,

TryEngineering.org, Trynano.org

University-level activities Accreditation, Technical English Program

Continuing education programs Expert Now, Education Partners programs,

Technical English Program, Certification

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Educational Activities BoardSample Activities

Pre-university activities Teacher In-service Program,

TryEngineering.org, Trynano.org

University-level activities Accreditation, Technical English Program

Continuing education programs Expert Now, Education Partners programs,

Technical English Program, Certification

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Why are we meeting in St. Petersburg?

The Russia NW Section has organized and run a Technical English Program since 2005 Led by IEEE volunteers Alexander Mikerov

and Yuriy Sepp Conducted in St. Petersburg

Since 2006, an annual or semi-annual event was added An all-day seminar to student participants

Why are we Meeting in St. Petersburg?

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We take advantage of the 2009 event (3 October 2009) to bring together volunteers from other parts of Region 8:

To hear about what was done here To see and take part in the all-day event To discuss possible new TEPs in other

venues in Region 8

Why are we Meeting in St. Petersburg?

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We take advantage of the 2009 event (3 October 2009) to bring together volunteers from other parts of Region 8:

To hear about what was done here To see and take part in the all-day event To discuss possible new TEPs in other

venues in Region 8

Why are we Meeting in St. Petersburg?

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General Framework (1) Target Group:

Students of science and engineering, who need to improve their knowledge of English for technical and professional purposes

Upper class undergraduates or graduate students

Entry-level requirements: Above average basic skills in English

just above Level B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Training objective: Upper Intermediate Level (C.1.1)

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Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

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Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

A guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe.

Put together by the Council of Europepart of the project "Language Learning for European Citizenship" (1989-1996).

Source: Wikipedia (2009): Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

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Proficient User

Independent User

Basic User

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Proficient User

Independent User

Basic User

Start here

End here

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Level Description

A1

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A2

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

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Level Description

B1

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

B2

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

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Level Description

C1

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C2

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

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General Framework (2) Teaching unit period: school term

Courses for a semester or quarter

Length of the program: 2-3 semesters 3-5 quarters Students move gradually to higher level courses Typically three types of courses will be available

Organizing unit: IEEE Section in cooperation with an academic

program IEEE Student Branch in cooperation with an

academic program IEEE Section

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Basic logistics

A regular weekly event 2-3 hours in one or two weekly installments

Program is meant to be delivered face-to-face in class Focusing on student interaction and

conversation skills Frequent discussions in groups and oral

presentations

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Typical tasks that we want a TEP student to perform (1)

Read an article in IEEE Spectrum and be able to translate a few paragraphs to his/her native language

Prepare and deliver an oral presentation, using PowerPoint slides about A technical project the student is engaged in A technical paper in English that the student

has read

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Typical tasks that we want a TEP student to perform (2)

Engage in a discussion in English about a technical task that the student is performing as part of a group

Prepare an article for the IEEE Region 8

newsletter describing activities of an IEEE student branch

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Typical tasks that we want a TEP student to perform (3)

Write an English summary of a technical report or article written originally in the student’s native language

Perform library and web literature search and provide a report on findings

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Typical Tasks that we want a TEP student to perform (3)

Participate in an interview as a candidate for a graduate program

in a graduate program that uses English as instruction language

Participate in an interview for an entry level job with a multinational corporation

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TEP is a Three-level Program

Elementary or Pre-intermediate

Intermediate

Advanced or Upper-Intermediate

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TEP Elements

Listen/Speak/Write/Read/Grammar/Vocabulary

====================================== Listening and Writing Listening and Speaking, Exercises in

Pronunciation Vocabulary Presentation and Exercises Reading Comprehension and Text Analysis Listening Comprehension (Audio/Video) Grammar Presentation and Exercises Terminology Training

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Additional Elements of the Program

Administered in a university atmosphere as an extracurricular activity

Conducted weekly during the school term

Requires attendance Discussion group element is central

Requires homework, midterm and final examinations Possibly oral exams

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Additional Elements of the Program

Material studied by students is adapted to their areas of technical interest

IEEE Section would run an annual conference and competition Written reports; oral presentations Possible participation of winners in regional

competitions

Requires tuition payment by students

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Why require tuition?

To cover some of the expenses

To communicate the value of the program

To enhance attendance Students tend to drop activities that they do

not pay for when pressed for time

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Exams and Certificates

Entrance exam is held to determine participant level

Program is likely to be run at three levels simultaneously

Assessment of level and attainment continue throughout the duration of the program

IEEE certificates are given indicating level of achievement Provided by Section and Region, possibly EAB

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TEP is an IEEE Member Benefit

Participants should be bona fide Student or Graduate Student Members of IEEE

Non-participants should be encouraged to join

Attempts to undermine bona fide membership should be discouraged Students should not be encouraged to join

just for the duration of the program Students should not be encouraged to take

advantage of 6-month memberships

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Entrance exams (Russia NW program)

Exams take place once a year and classify candidates into

one of the following categories

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Elementary (Pre Intermediate) Level

Language Index Level

Indicator Value

Speaking Ability to communicate in a number of commonly encountered situations.

ListeningUnderstanding of spoken language, the ability to capture the general sense when viewing movies, television programs, etc.

Reading The ability to extract information from original texts.

WritingThe ability to provide a written statement of everyday events.

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Intermediate Level

Language Index Level

Indicator Value

Speaking Ability to communicate in most commonly encountered situations.

Listening Understanding of spoken language in context .

Reading The ability to read books in English, understanding of different types of written messages.

WritingGeneration of correct business and private letters; the ability to express and convey ideas.

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Advanced (upper-Intermediate) Level

Language Index Level

Indicator Value

Speaking

•Ability to express ideas and opinions with relative ease (fluency) and using a variety of linguistic forms. •Ability to communicate easily any commonly occurring theme in the linguistic environment.

Listening Recognition of different accents. Complete understanding of spoken language in a single audition.

Reading •Complete understanding of original texts.•Understanding the various styles of written messages and genres.

WritingAbility to clearly and correctly express views and ideas, using a variety of linguistic forms.

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Participation of other organizations and sponsors

Local industry

Private Donors

IEEE Section and Region

IEEE Educational Activities Board

IEEE New Initiatives Committee

IEEE Life Member Committee

IEEE Foundation

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Suggestions for Class Content (accompanied by appropriate homework and oral

presentations) Participants describe their background

and technical interests

A session on a fundamental technical area is provided to enhance terminology

Power systems Circuits Communications – antennas and transmission Communications – wireless and networks Fundamentals of computing

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Students perform web and library search of a technical subject and provide a literature survey

Students write on and present a project or a subject of their technical interest/focus

Students translate paragraphs from technical articles in their fields of interest to and from English

Student present short PowerPoint aided reviews of history of a sub-discipline

Class Content

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Students listen to clips from IEEE.tv and youtube and answer questions Listening comprehension

Students undergo mock job interviews and entrance interviews to graduate programs

Students prepare and present technical papers for Section paper contest

Class Content

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Example: Describe the function and operation of the following circuit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bandpass_Filter.svg

Class Content

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Translate into your native language

An ideal bandpass filter would have a completely flat passband (e.g. with no gain/attenuation throughout) and would completely attenuate all frequencies outside the passband. Additionally, the transition out of the passband would be instantaneous in frequency. In practice, no bandpass filter is ideal. The filter does not attenuate all frequencies outside the desired frequency range completely; in particular, there is a region just outside the intended passband where frequencies are attenuated, but not rejected. This is known as the filter roll-off, and it is usually expressed in dB of attenuation per octave or decade of frequency. Generally, the design of a filter seeks to make the roll-off as narrow as possible, thus allowing the filter to perform as close as possible to its intended design. Often, this is achieved at the expense of pass-band or stop-band ripple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band-pass_filter

Class Content

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Translate into English: Filtr pasmowy

Filtr pasmowy to układ elektroniczny, bądź algorytm przepuszczający składowe widmowe sygnału w określonym przedziale częstotliwości, nazywanym pasmem przepustowym. Pasmo przepustowe filtru definiuje się jako przedział pomiędzy dolną i górną częstotliwością graniczną lub jako przedział leżący wokół określonej częstotliwości środkowej tego filtru.

Pojęcie filtru pasmowego najczęściej jest utożsamiane z filtrem środkowoprzepustowym. Filtry pasmowe o szczególnie szerokim paśmie mogą być zbudowane także z szeregowego połączenia dwóch filtrów: filtru górnoprzepustowego obcinającego sygnały poniżej dolnej częstotliwości granicznej pasma i filtru dolnoprzepustowego tłumiącego sygnały powyżej górnej częstotliwości granicznej.http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filtr_pasmowy

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Przykład charakterystyki przenoszenia filtru pasmowego z zaznaczonymi częstotliwościami granicznymi: dolną (fL) i górną (fH),

oraz częstotliwością środkową (f0). Na osi rzędnych zaznaczono

amplitudę sygnału na wyjściu filtru odniesioną do amplitudy na jego wejściu (w decybelach). Umowne granice pasm przyjęto dla spadku przenoszenia o 3dB. Oś częstotliwości f może być wyskalowana liniowo lub logarytmicznie.

Translate into English: Filtr pasmowy

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filtr_pasmowy

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Explain the following telecommunications terms

Adaptive antenna systems   

Delay spread Doppler spread   Fading in wireless

communications   Frequency reuse   Handoff protocols   

Intercell and intracell handover  

ISM bands   OFDM   Paging system   Simplex, half-duplex

and full-duplex    

Class Content

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Listen and Report: Bluetooth devices

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiV2LxHYHOk&feature=PlayList&p=B435E415374ECDD9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=15

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Listen and report: A Bluetooth presentation

Students view a video presentation on Bluetooth devices

Summarize the message provided by the presentation

What are some of the advantages of the technology presented by the video, and how were they demonstrated?

[Discussion] Can you think of limitations and disadvantages of the technology that were not presented in the video?

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Listen and report: Voting Machines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNYA5ggwG84

Class Content

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Listen and report: Voting Machines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNYA5ggwG84

Students view a presentation about possible security flaws in Diebold voting machines

Summarize the message provided by the presentation

What are the dangers against which this presentation warns?

What are the public implications of the demonstration provided by the Princeton researchers?

Class Content

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Conduct a Literature Search

Conduct a literature search on the Ozone Hole

Provide a 400-word summary and a 10 slide PowerPoint presentation on the phenomenon

Provide a separate report on the 5-10 major authoritative sources on the phenomenon, and a provide a bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:160658main2_OZONE_large_350.png

Class Content

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References

Wikipedia (2009): Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

HTWK (Leipzig): E-Xplore Technical English https://learn.sz.htwk-leipzig.de/wc/main.php?tool=About

Yiuri Sepp: IEEE Russia NW Section Technical English Program Manual (Russian, 2007)

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Questions and Comments ?

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IEEE Technical English Program

Moshe KamIEEE Educational Activities

St. Petersburg, RussiaOpening Session Part 2

2 October, 2009

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Technical English Program:

1. Next Steps2. The 3 October Workshop

St. Petersburg, Russia

2 October 2009

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What participants need to do next… Determine if the program is suitable for their

section/locale

Get in touch with the Section and determine whether the Section is interested in launching a TEP effort

Create a 4-7 volunteer committee to develop the plan

Should include ECE/CS educators, senior volunteers and possibly English educators

The key to success of the effort

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Tasks of the Committee (1) Determine structure, scope, size and

desired timetable Including a small-scale pilot project

Identify needs in volunteers and professionals

Communicate with schools and programs that will participate in the program Identify program to launch the pilot project

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Tasks of the Committee (2) Identify costs, existing resources and funding

needs Consult with Section, Region, EAB about potential

sources of funding Launch a “curriculum subcommittee”

Create course content and plan Create entrance exams

Establish Pilot timetable, venue and recruiting strategy

Conduct recruiting and testing for pilot Launch pilot

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Possible Sources of Funding

The local Section and Region Local sponsors from Industry

[Provide proper name recognition] Private donors and foundations IEEE Foundation IEEE Life Fellow Committee IEEE Educational Activities Board The IEEE New Initiatives Committee

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Questions and Comments ?