TOPIC 1 – The Pique-My-Interest Challenge (Semester 3 / Phase 1) 

Choose a 10- to 30-minute podcast or video about one of your personal interests or a topic you are curious to learn more about (literature, cinema/TV series, sports, history, politics, geopolitics, philosophy, ecology, sociology, anthropology, visual arts...). You are expected to have a personal take on the podcast, based on your interests and obsessions, and to communicate your enthusiasm: 

  • Why did you choose this podcast? 

  • How does it challenge your preconceptions of the topic?  

  • What did you learn? 

  • What might be missing from this programme? 

  • What would this listening experience lead you to explore next?  

A tutorial lasts 22 minutes. Tutorials are an opportunity for you to experience conversation, to become autonomous in your interactions, and to speak without a script. 

You may, but don't have to, use a slideshow.  

 

Criteria 

4 – Excellent 

3 – Good 

2 – Needs Work 

1 – Inadequate 

1. Personal Engagement 

Clearly passionate; explains why they chose the podcast and shows strong personal interest. 

Explains choice and shows some enthusiasm. 

Gives a reason but with limited enthusiasm or clarity. 

No clear reason given; no interest shown. 

2. Comprehension & Critical Reflection 

Clear, concise summary; shows thoughtful understanding; questions ideas; explores what’s missing and what to explore next. 

Accurate summary with some insight; touches on missing points or future curiosity. 

Summary is vague or too long; limited reflection or critique. 

Misunderstands content; little to no summary or reflection. 

3. Interaction & Conversation 

Speaks naturally, unscripted; leads or co-leads the conversation; includes small talk. 

Responds fully and comfortably; some small talk. 

Short or overly scripted responses; minimal small talk. 

Very short, rehearsed, or yes/no answers; no engagement. 

4. Language Use (Vocabulary & Grammar) 

Rich, accurate vocabulary; very few grammar issues. 

Generally accurate vocabulary and grammar; minor errors. 

Limited range or accuracy; frequent grammar issues. 

Major language issues make communication unclear. 

5. Pronunciation & Intonation 

Clear and expressive; natural rhythm and stress. 

Mostly clear; slight mispronunciations or intonation issues. 

Understandable but uneven or flat. 

Hard to understand; pronunciation interferes with meaning. 

Tutor Feedback 

Keep doing: 

Be mindful of: 

Work on: 

 

 

TOPIC 2 – Tutor the tutor (Semester 3 / Phase 2)

Engineers spend a fair amount of time learning about, explaining, improving and designing complex and lengthy processes. One difficulty when describing a process is gauging what your interlocutor already knows and adjusting your description of the process accordingly. Another difficulty is to steer clear of, or to explain jargon.  

In this Topic 2 tutorial, you are expected to teach your tutor how to do something unique that you have become an expert at – Role-Playing-Games, windsurfing, motorcycle  maintenance, music production, mindfulness, card tricks, to name a few options- or that you are currently learning.  

15 out of the 22 minutes will consist in teaching your tutor how to do something in detail, step by step, and answering their questions and requests for clarification and extra tips.  

 

Language : You are advised to be mindful of the following: 

  • Jargon (special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand) 

  • Assessment of interlocutor’s understanding of jargon  

  • Comprehension checks 

  • Action verbs / phrasal verbs 

  • Syntax: don’t separate verbs and their objects, put the adverbs in the adequate places, use adjectives in the right order 

  • Sequencing (first, second, next, then, afterwards...last) 

  • Processes (Communication Strategies seen in First Year) 

  • Hypotheses (if... then) 

  • Passive voice 

  • Emphasis, effective pauses 

  • Rephrasing, fielding questions 

 

Warning: Tutors are always impressed by an original choice of topic.  

Conversely, they may find it tedious to listen to 5 students in a row explaining first-aid or recipes.  

 

4-Exceeds expectations (4) 

3-Meets expectations (3) 

2-Needs improvement (2) 

1-Inadequate (1) 

Task completion :  

 

  • Trainee confident they would know where to start with proposed activity.  

  • Student effectively maintained tutor’s interest throughout  

  • Coherent and cohesive instructions throughout 

  • Trainee is somewhat confident they would know where to start with the proposed activity. 

  • Student was able to elicit the tutor’s interest in the activity. 

  • Mostly coherent and cohesive instructions 

  • Trainee is not confident they would be able to start the activity without extra help 

  • Student struggles to elicit the trainee’s interest 

  • Some attempt at coherent and cohesive instruction 

  • Trainee unable to follow  the student’s activity  

  • Student may lose interest in trying the activity 

  • Instructions lacking in coherence and cohesion   

Interaction 

  • The student tailored their explanations to their trainee’s reactions, and regularly checked comprehension 

  • Answers all questions thoroughly including cross-references to other Qs and extra tips given 

  • A good attempt at comprehension checks and adjusting to their trainee 

  • Answers audience’s questions in complete sentences, and occasionally takes the lead.  

  • Very few comprehension checks or adjustments made 

  • Answers tutor's questions, and sometimes supports their answers with examples, references, anecdotes.  

  •  No comprehension checks or adjustments made 

  • Answers tutor’s questions in short sentences.  

Vocabulary 

  • C1 Occasional minor slips, but no significant vocabulary errors. 

  • Very effective use of topic-specific vocabulary / jargon throughout. 

  • B2+ Lexical accuracy is generally high, though some confusion and incorrect word choice does occur without hindering communication.  

  • Most topic-specific vocabulary has been researched and is often consistently used. 

  • B2- Lexical accuracy is generally high, though some confusion and incorrect word choice does occur without hindering  
    communication.  

  • Topic-specific vocabulary isn’t always available. 

  • B1 Shows good control of elementary vocabulary but major errors still occur when expressing more complex thoughts or handling unfamiliar topics and situations. 

Grammar & Syntax 

  • C1 Consistently maintains a high degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare and difficult to spot. 

  • B2+ Good grammatical control. Occasional "slips" or non-systematic errors and minor flaws in sentence structure may still occur, but they are rare and can often be corrected in retrospect. 

  • B2- Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control. Does not make mistakes which lead to misunderstanding. 

  • B1 Communicates with reasonable accuracy in familiar contexts; generally good control though with noticeable  
    mother tongue influence.  

  • Errors occur, but it is clear what they are trying to express. 

Pronunciation Intonation 

  • C1 - Can vary intonation and place sentence stress correctly in order to express finer shades of meaning. 

  • B2+ Has clear, natural, pronunciation and intonation. 

  • B2-  Has a clear, natural, pronunciation and intonation. 

  • Occasional lapses (upspeak, consonants) 

 

  • Pronunciation is clearly intelligible even if a foreign accent is sometimes evident ;  

  • occasional mispronunciations 

MARK:                  /20 

 

Tutor’s comments (what the student should keep doing, what they should be mindful of, what they need to work on)