BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

PC 103: Communication Skills

Course Outline

Preamble
The Communication Skills (PC103) is a university-wide course designed to equip all undergraduate students
with basic communication skills that enable them to function effectively when carrying out their day to day
tasks at university, and beyond. It is meant to groom effective communicators, as well as to equip students with
communication and survival skills as they enter university academic and social life.

Course Aims and objectives:

Aims
 To provide students with essential communication skills to match the level expected by the university
teaching staff;
 To inculcate in students attitudes and habits that will enable them to communicate their needs as they
adjust to university life;
 To make students aware that effective communication skills are a prerequisite for all teaching and
learning situations; and,
 To equip students with knowledge and skills to identify, evaluate, retrieve and ethically use and
disseminate information for academic and social purposes.

Objectives

By the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

 Interact effectively with all members of the university community;
 Show fluency in oral and written communication;
 Take and make comprehensive notes from various sources;
 Manage time effectively; and
 Critically evaluate information.

Lecturers:
FSSH: Dr. M. Jongore (0772 920 982; [email protected])
FSEdu: Mrs. J. Zivanai (0776 881 567; [email protected])
FAES: Ms T. Maduke (0773 448 906; [email protected]))
FSEng: Mr. I. Muvindi (0772 776 386; [email protected])
FC: Ms C. Ndoro (0783 307 878; [email protected])

Office: BINDURA Town Campus (Languages and Communication Skills Department Offices).

Course content
Topic # Content
Page 1 of 3
1 Introduction to Communication
1.1 Defining communication and communication skills
1.2 Elements of Communication
1.3 The Communication Process
1.4 Rationale of studying Communication Skills
1.5 The Nature of Communication.
2 Models of Communication: Tradition Models Transactional Models Interactive Models
3 Forms/Modes of Communication
i. Oral (verbal)
ii. Written (textual)
iii. Non-verbal Communication (NVC),
iv. Visual/
v. Multimodal.
4 Levels of Communication
i. Intrapersonal Communication
ii. Interpersonal Communication
iii. Small Group Communication
iv. Public Communication
v. Mass Communication
5 The four Macro Language Skills
i. Speaking,
ii. Listening,
iii. Reading
vi. Writing. Significance of each of the skills.
6.0 The Speaking skill:
Presentations, Seminars, discussions, debates, Dealing with the audience,
iv. The voice. Register and style. Attributes of an effective speaker, managing nerves and time.
6.1 The Listening skill:
Pre-listening activities, the process of listening, evidence of listening, Ways to minimize these listening barriers.
Theories/Models of Listening (The HURIER Model).
6.2 The Reading skill. What is reading? Developing a critical approach to reading.
Reading methods – prediction, skimming, critical, scanning, intensive, extensive, The SQ4R theory of reading.
6.3 Writing skills:
Academic Writing (definition, implications from definitions);
Characteristics of academic writing; Register and style (discourse);
Differences between spoken and written language,
Writing as a process, writing as a product; Essay and report writing
6.4 Essay writing (Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
-Paragraphing – topic sentences, developers, discourse makers.
-Instruction/command words, key words and special conditions, exposition, argument.
6.4.1 Note-taking and note-making (definitions, discussions).
Distinguishing between note-taking and note-making, Forms of notes.
6.4.2 Communication Barriers: Success Stories in Communication
7 Information Literacy Skills,
Digital information and information finding tools,
Legal and ethical issues involved when using information; Library skills, How to use the library.
7.0 Sources of information (primary, secondary and tertiary).
7.1 E-resources: e-library, e-databases, e-books, e-journals, websites, blogs,
Evaluation of information sources.
The significance of evaluating information sources
7.2 Referencing (Definition, Significance, Ref Styles) Quoting, summarising and paraphrasing
7.3 The internet: -getting around the internet,
-information retrieval: search engines, web directories and subject gateways,
-surfing the internet:
7.4 Social networking platforms & their significance in teaching & learning
Legal and ethical issues involved in these…
7.5 Examination writing: advanced preparation,
Revising for examination, reading the examination paper, selecting questions and planning writing time

Page 2 of 3
Teaching & Learning Approaches: Assessment
ONLINE lectures, tutorials and class discussions; Assessment will be through coursework and
Online practice of key skills; examination.
Collaborative work; Coursework: 40%
Online Seminar Presentations; Examination: 60%
Individual writing activities (online); Coursework will be composed of assignments,
One-on-one online consultations. quizzes and group tasks.

Suggested Reading List (Not comprehensive)

Bewes, R. (2002) Speaking in Public Effectively. Britain: Christian Focus.

Booth, V. (1994). Communication in Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bradley, P. (2002). Internet Power Searching: The Advanced Manual. 2nd Ed. New York: Neal Schuman.
Dwyer, J. (1997). Business Communication Handbook. Australia: Prentice Hall Pvt. Ltd.
Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2013). Interpersonal communication: Building connections together. SAGE
publications.

Gregory, H. (2002) Public Speaking. New York: McGraw.

Hybels, S. and Weaver L. R. (1986). Communicating Effectively. New York: Newbery Award Records.
Narula, U. (2006). Communication models. Atlantic Publishers & Dist.

O’Dochartaigh, N. (2002). The Internet Research Handbook: A Practical Guide for Students. London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
Payne, J. (2000). Applications Communication for Personal Contexts. London: Clark Publishing.
Riddell, D. (2003). Teaching English as a Foreign Language. London: Longman.
Stanton, N. (1996). Mastering Communication. 3rd Ed. New York: McMillan Press.
Tubbs, S. L. and Moss, S. (2000). Human Communication. 8th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
Wong, L. (1999). Essential Writing Skills. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Wyse, D. (2007). The Good Writing Guide for Education Students. 2nd Ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

E- Resources

https://library.buse.ac.zw/reference-and-citation
https://library.buse.ac.zw/images/docs/Information_literacy_module.pdf
Components of the Communication Process http://www.managementstudyguide.com/components-of -
communication/
Techniques in Academic Writing http://iteslj.org/techniques/in/academic/writing
Plagiarism in Academia http://www.mendeley.com/.../plagiarism-academia
E-learning http://www.scribd.com/doc/.../
The-Importance-of-E-learning http://tutor2u.net/business/communication/skills
Undergraduate Essay writing http://www.academia.edu/.../undergraduate_Essay_Writing
Cohesion and coherence: implications for ESL teachers http://www.journalijach.com

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