Professional Communication Skills (5 cr)

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- communicate as a professional in field-specific tasks and intercultural contexts
- produce effective spoken and written texts using an appropriate style and register
- demonstrate knowledge of essential terminology needed in working life
- apply principles of interpersonal and organizational communication

Materials

Learning materials in Canvas. See also:
• Bovée, C. & Thill, J. 2011. Excellence in business communication. 9th edition. London: Pearson.
• Hartley, P. & Chatterton, P. 2015. Business communication: rethinking your professional practice for the post-digital age. 2nd edition. London: Routledge.
• Mclean, S. 2015. Business communication for success. Washington, D.C.: Flat World Knowledge.
• Munter, M. 2014. Guide to managerial communication: effective business writing and speaking. 10th edition. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Teaching methods

Meetings are held during the contact days on campus and some sessions will also be held online.
The course contains group work and individual assignments. Students receive feedback from the teacher and peer feedback may also be utilised.
Some assignments will be done jointly with other courses.

Exam schedules

Canvas will be opened on 8th January 2024 (during the first week of studies).
Some additional dates will also be scheduled for small group meetings.

Also see Laurea's degree regulations, section 18:

“Students must be present for the first contact teaching session, or they must notify the responsible teacher of their absence to confirm they intend to participate in studies, Alternatively, the teacher can specify a different manner for the student to confirm that they intend to participate in the studies. The completion of these measures can be required within a week of the studies having begun. The application of the aforementioned approach requires that the teacher notifies the students accepted to the study unit of the practice and that the practice is specifically mentioned in the study unit’s implementation plan.

If the student has a justified reason for not attending the first contact teaching session or for not notifying the teacher of their intention to be involved in studies in the manner required by the teacher, the student must contact the responsible teacher to agree on participation in the studies. Their registration for the study unit will be rejected, of the student does not notify the teacher of being absent from the first contact teaching session or the reason for their absence cannot be considered justified, Another student who is in line for the study unit can be selected in their place”.

Completion alternatives

According to Laurea UAS's degree regulations, "All students are entitled to demonstrate their competence. The recognition and accreditation of prior competence is initiated by the students themselves. The competence is recognised and accredited by the teacher responsible for the studies or another person designated to the position.

The assessment is carried out according to the same assessment criteria and, as a rule, the same grading scale as that adopted for the corresponding study unit or module.

The student is entitled to apply for accreditation of prior competence regardless of where, how and when the competence has been acquired. The student may also seek accreditation of competence to be acquired on the job as part of their degree (work-based learning). The competence to be accredited must be in line with the learning outcomes of the degree programme’s curriculum. The student is responsible for demonstrating and verifying their competence and for providing sufficient information.

Students should apply for the accreditation of prior competence at the beginning of their studies, so they can progress in their studies without interruption. However, students are entitled to apply for accreditation of prior competence throughout their studies."

Student workload

5 ECTS is approximately 135 hours of study.

Content scheduling

A detailed schedule will be given in Canvas.

The study unit contains work on the following themes:
• communication models, applying a communication strategy
• communication skills requirements of safety, security and risk management specialists
• intercultural communication and communication styles
• business writing: genre and style, the writing process, macro and micro features
• persuasive communication in presentations, pitches and debates
• building rapport and interpersonal communication in meetings and negotiations
• revision of common business terms & professional vocabulary

Evaluation scale

H-5