Higher Education. Laboratory Works.

MP3 AUDIO 5.1

1. You’ll hear five speakers talking about problems they or their relatives face while studying. Fill in the chart with the information given in the recording. Be especially precise with the column “Your solution to the problem”; here, you’re supposed to give your personal advice to avoid or ease the problems mentioned by the speakers.

Speaker	Problem	Signs of the Problem	Your Solution to the Problem
1	examination	the ability to learn	to develop process of studying and examination
2	preparing for medical school	tired face, sleepless nights etc.	to try to calm down and be sure in your knowledge
3	entering university	He lost his weight, he has big black rings under his eyes. He sleeps for 3 or 4 hours a day. He didn’t sleep at all during the last 3 or 4 days.	There are a lot of important things in the world, that’s why it’s necessary to agonize over exams and it isn’t necessary to get caught in an endless loop.
4	lack of confidence in knowledge	He never thought of himself like a highflyer, he never excepted such high results.	to stay cool, collect yourself and be ready for any kinds of results.
5	using technology during exams.	The results would be able to get much faster, 40% of all exams will be conducting electronically in a couple of years, online tests and registration will follow.	Computer technology may make the process of examination faster, that’s why it becomes more and more popular among universities.

2. Have you ever experienced problems while studying?  What were these problems like? How did you cope with them?

Of course, I experienced problems while studying, for example, sleepless night before exams, nervousness. It was the worst days in my life. Finally, I understood that my health is more important that good mark, I collected myself and didn’t think about bad results.

MP3 AUDIO 5.2

Listen to a talk given by a university advisor to a group of students and answer the following questions:

1.    What is the standard grading system in the USA?

Academic grading in the United States most commonly takes on the form of five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest.

2.    What are the ‘special grades’ that the speaker mentions in the recording?

They are satisfactory (S) and unsatisfactory (U) grades. It is not taken for all the courses at the university, as the majority prefer the standard letter grades.

3.      Comment on the standard grading system in your country?

In Russia we have a 5-grade system. The pupils get marks – 5 is exc, 4-good, 3-satisfactory, 2 – unsatisfactory. In fact there is such a mark as 1 – but it is not used very often.

4.      Do schools and colleges practice non-standard grading systems? What are they?

Yes, they do. Just as in the British and American colleges we have credit – non credit for some types of courses, but it is not the case with a secondary school.

5.      Give examples of other grading systems throughout the world? Which of them do you think are efficient for the students’ academic assessment?

Australia

In the land down under, many schools and universities use a “band” grading system which looks like this:

90–99.95% BAND 6

80–89% BAND 5

70–79% BAND 4

60–69% BAND 3

50–59% BAND 20–49% BAND 1

MP3 AUDIO 5.3

Listen to a talk by a student advisor on campus. Answer the following questions.

1.      What are the rules for dropping a course in the talk provided?

You can drop the course within the first three week of the semester. First, you need to get the signature of the professor whose course you want to drop on the official drop card/ Then you need to go to a student advisor on campus to get the signature of your adviser

2.      What warnings does the student advisor give?

First, You can not officially drop the course after the first three weeks of the semester. If you are having problems in a course and you decide to let it run if you want to drop the course – it is impossible to do so. Second, if you stop attending a course without going through the official drop procedures, the course will remain on your schedule and you will receive a failing grade.

3.      How can you avoid getting a failing grade, according to the recording?

It is important to understand these procedures and follow them. If you do so, you will not have any problems.

4.      What are the official drop procedures for the elective courses in your country?

Classes can be officially dropped during the first 20 percent of their scheduled meeting time.

MP3 AUDIO 5.4

Listen to a talk given on a college campus.

1.      What are the places of a college campus that the speaker mentions in the recording?

-The Library

-The Students’ Center: bookstore, post office, a bank, a theatre, a coffee shop, a travel agency, bowling alley

-The Administration complex: offices of the university administrators, the students’ records office

2.      Can you find the similar campus places in your college/university? What are other places that are worth mentioning? Characterize them briefly.

We can find the similar campus places in our institute. However, there is no theatre, travel agency and bowling alley. There are some other places which are worth mentioning.

 3. Pick out the places from the previous task and make a similar tour around your college/university to inform the freshmen about the campus.

We have a library with a reading room where students can take books or read them there. There are also 2 dormitories where students can live if their homes are far from out Institute. There is also a stadium for PE or individual activity. We have a canteen where every student can have a tasty dinner.