Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Vicerrectoría Académica y de Investigación

Course: English VII: English Conversation
Code: 518012

Activity guide and evaluation rubric - Task 2 - Partaking in eight weekly

mandatory encounters

1. Activity Description

Type of activity: In Collaborative Group

Evaluation moment: Intermediate Unit 1
Highest score of the activity: 120 points
The activity starts on: Monday, The activity ends on: Thursday,
September 6, 2021 November 18, 2021
With this activity, you are expected to achieve the following learning
outcome(s):

Learning Outcome 1: demonstrate oral skills to express fluently and spontaneously

about different cultural subjects for social or academic purposes.

The activity consists of:

Step 1 – Getting information about the encounters through the course

internal mail and the student’s institutional email
This activity implies the participation in eight (8) weekly mandatory encounters
through Teams or Skype in groups consisting of a tutor or monitor and 5 students
who will meet every week on the same day and time. In the course internal mail and
your institutional email, you will get from the course director the guidelines and
information to register to these encounters by the third week of September to start
the first week of encounters between September 20th and 26th.

Step 2 – Participate every week during eight (8) weeks in real-time

encounters via Skype or Teams
Starting on the week of September 20th through 26th until the week of November 8th
through 14th, you will participate in a synchronic meeting once a week through
Teams or Skype to complete eight encounters.

Each one of the 8 encounters will be 13 points worthy plus 16 points of your
individual journal for a total of 120 points for Task 2.

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The 13 points per encounter will be assessed regarding interaction, quality of
participation, domain of the topic, grammar, pronunciation, etc.

The course director will send an email each Friday or Saturday with the material to
prepare the encounter for the following week. For that reason, you must be checking
the course internal mail and your institutional email on a regular basis.

On the set days, you are to present and defend your ideas verbally, accurately and
fluently via Teams or Skype, following these steps:

1. Presenting a 2-minute summary of an article or video of a particular cultural or

academic topic.
2. Defending and debating your ideas regarding your assigned topics.
3. Answering and asking questions about weekly topics.
4. Expressing a 2-minute conclusion regarding the studied topics.

REMARK: Use of microphone and camera is mandatory.

Step 3 – Keep a journal for Task 2

Keep a journal of your participation in each one of the encounters to gather evidence
that you will submit by the end of the eighth week of these real-time meetings
through Teams or Skype. You can design your journal on your own, but it each entry
must include date, topic, a screenshot of the meeting, and a brief reflection of your
feelings and performance in it. This journal must be built during the process, that is,
after every single encounter register everything in your file. Do not delay it to the
end of eight week of meetings, or you will not have the evidence accurately
gathered. After the very last encounter (which will happen not beyond November
14th), submit your journal in a PDF file to the Evaluation environment.

For the development of the activity consider that:

In the Initial Information Environment, you must:

- Check the course agenda to be aware of the synchronic activities this course
implies.
- Go over the course rules and conditions to double check your commitment to
subscribe and participate in the synchronic activities of the course accordingly.
- Be attentive to the informative web conferences schedule to assure your
attendance.

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In the Learning Environment, you must:
- Read thoroughly the course syllabus to understand the dynamics and nature of
English Conversation course, which is atypical from other courses due to real-time
interaction and overlapping of several activities.
- Be aware of the guidelines and evaluation rubrics of each one of the tasks to
assure an excellent performance in the course.

In the Evaluation Environment, you must:

- Submit your individual outcome consisting of a PDF file with your journal and
check your score and feedback afterwards.

Evidence of independent work:

The independent evidence to be submitted is:

A PDF document with the journal of your participation in each one of the eight
encounters starting in September until November.

Evidence of group work:

No collaborative evidence is required in this activity.

No group submission is required apart from the performance and real-time

interaction of the group in each one of the encounters.

2. General Guidelines for the Development of Evidence to Submit

For Independent evidence, consider the following:

The PDF file to be submitted to the Evaluation environment must include a cover
page and the journal with eight entries that evidence your participation in each one
of the meetings through Skype or Teams.

Please keep in mind that all individual or collaborative written products must comply
with the spelling rules and presentation conditions defined in this activity guide.
Regarding the use of references, consider that the product of this activity must
comply with APA style.
In any case, make sure you comply with the rules and avoid academic plagiarism.
You can review your written products using the Turnitin tool found in the virtual
campus.

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Under the Academic Code of Conduct, the actions that infringe the academic order,
among others, are the following: paragraph e) Plagiarism is to present as your own
work all or part of a written report, task or document of invention carried out by
another person. It also implies the use of citations or lack of references, or it
includes citations where there is no match between these and the reference and
paragraph f) To reproduce, or copy for profit, educational resources or results of
research products, which have rights reserved for the University. (Acuerdo 029 - 13
de diciembre de 2013, artículo 99)

The academic penalties students will face are:

a) In case of academic fraud demonstrated in the academic work or evaluation, the
score obtained will be zero (0.0) without any disciplinary measures being derived.
b) In case of proven plagiarism in academic work of any nature, the score obtained
will be zero (0.0), without any disciplinary measures being derived.

3. Evaluation Rubric Template

Type of activity: In Collaborative Group

Evaluation moment: Intermediate Unit 1
The highest score in this activity is 120 points
First evaluation High level: Interaction in each one of the eight synchronic
criterion: encounters is accurate in terms of preparation of the material
previously sent by the course director, domain of the topic,
Participate actively technological competence, and active participation.
in each speaking
session If your work is at this level, you can get between 25 points
and 32 points
This criterion
represents 32 Average level: Interaction in each one of the eight synchronic
points of the total encounters might be affected by lack of preparation of the
of 120 points of material previously sent by the course director, shortcomings in
the activity. the technological competence, and no interest in showing an
active participation during the meetings.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 9 points

and 24 points

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 Low level: Interaction in each one of the eight synchronic
encounters is highly affected by lack of preparation of the
material previously sent by the course director, no contributions
about the addressed topics in the meetings, connectivity issues,
and/or no interest in showing an active participation during the
meetings.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 1 point

and 8 points
Second evaluation High level: Phonological features are used effectively to convey
criterion: and enhance meaning, and intonation patterns and stress are
appropriate or show minor difficulties.
Produce speech with
appropriate If your work is at this level, you can get between 17 points
pronunciation and and 24 points
intonation
Average level: It is unclear with pronunciation at times, and
This criterion intonation patterns and stress show some difficulties.
represents 24
points of the total If your work is at this level, you can get between 8 points
of 120 points of and 16 points
the activity.
Low level: Listener requires a high effort due to unclear
articulation and awkward intonation.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 1 point

and 7 points
Third evaluation High level: Speech is effortless and smooth to express ideas in
criterion: a clear and concise manner.

Demonstrate If your work is at this level, you can get between 17 points
effortless fluency and 24 points
and delivery
Average level: Response level can sometimes cause slow,
This criterion stumbling, nervous, or uncertain speech and delivery.
represents 24
points of the total If your work is at this level, you can get between 8 points
of 120 points of and 16 points
the activity.

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 Low level: Delivery shows choppy rhythm and pace, and
frequent pauses and hesitation are evident.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 1 point

and 7 points
Fourth evaluation High level: Ideas are expressed with effective use of grammar
criterion: and vocabulary including control of a wide range of structures
and appropriate vocabulary to exchange views on familiar and
Convey ideas with unfamiliar topics.
effective use of
grammar and If your work is at this level, you can get between 17 points
vocabulary and 24 points

This criterion Average level: Expression of ideas may exhibit some imprecise
represents 24 or inaccurate use of grammar and vocabulary, with control of a
points of the total limited range of structures and vocabulary to exchange views
of 120 points of only about familiar topics.
the activity.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 8 points
and 16 points

Low level: Range and control of grammar and vocabulary

severely limit expression of ideas and connections among them,
with control of only very basic vocabulary and expressions.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 1 point

and 7 points
Fifth evaluation High level: The journal fulfills the requirements of partaking
criterion: evidence in each one of the eight synchronic online encounters
regarding the guidelines.
Keep a reflective
journal If your work is at this level, you can get between 12 points
and 16 points
This criterion
represents 16 Average level: The journal does not include all the required
points of the total items for each entry or there are fewer entries than the eight
of 120 points of weekly online meetings.
the activity.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 6 points
and 11 points

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Low level: The journal is not submitted to the Evaluation
Environment or its contents does not meet the requirements of
the guidelines.

If your work is at this level, you can get between 0

points and 5 points