Presented at TESOL ARABIA '95 conference.

Carlos H. Aguilar
Maurice Ryan

As a result of the rapid development of the Arab world there is an increasing need for Arab scientists and technologists who will eventually replace hired expatriates currently occupying key positions in research, teaching, and administration. Amid this process of Arabisation, English, paradoxically, has become increasingly important as a teaching medium in higher education.

Accordingly, science students attending ESP courses at the U.A.E. University are required to give a short oral presentation in English, in order to develop their research as well as their oral skills.

In this paper the presenters will:

1. address the practicalities of preparing non-native speakers for the task of giving an oral sciend5c presentation. This will include behavioral objectives and factors such as organization of ideas and appropriate use of discourse markers, technical vocabulary, and visual aids.
2. discuss the challenges of assessing the students’ oral presentation objectively in light of current research in communicative language testing

explore, in particular, the issues involved in using overall impression markings as well as discreet criteria based on detailed breakdown of various significant aspects of student performance.

  Homepage  Introduction    Assessment of Oral Presentations    Students' Handout