In my class each student prepares scientific papers and makes scientific presentations on the progress of their work associated with the doctoral thesis. The students receive feedback from the classmates, from the guest lecturers and from the course professor, in this case me.
When they do the presentation and written document in English they require more time. They elaborate the article and the presentation according to a checklist, one week before the session in which they are going to present the preliminary version, they send it for suggestions. Then they make a presentation only with the classmates and the teacher, in this case me.
The students receive feedback, make suggestions for adjustments in terms of form and oral and written content, adjust the presentation and resubmit it, the class peers ant the teacher again makes suggestions. Finally, the students make the necessary adjustments and make the final presentation to the invited experts, one of whom is a foreign professor who speaks English.
Students are engaged in my class because from the beginning it is presented to them that the course aims to contribute to strengthen the quality of at least one study associated with the doctoral thesis or the complete proposal, depending on the personal interest of each student. They are offered the opportunity to present papers and make presentations before expert professors who ask them questions and make recommendations to strengthen their theoretical and methodological mastery, as well as to strengthen their synthesis and argumentation skills, both written and oral, for the presentation of at least one proposal or final study report associated to the doctoral dissertation or for the defense of the dissertation.
Based on the elements presented in this unit, it seemed interesting and feasible for my class to include sustainable development objectives, to know the level of expression in English that each student has in order to encourage that regardless of their level of English, they can orally express their comments and recommendations to their classmates; as well as to structure the class session in different sequences taking into account: commitment-study-activity.