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Conversational English for the Restaurant Management Industry Basic I

Workshop Description:

This non-credit course is designed to help students and Hotel and Restaurant industry workers increase their self-confidence, fluency and accuracy in spoken English. Special emphasis will be placed on grammar, syntax, pronunciation, vocabulary, listening and speaking skills to facilitate effective communication between hotel workers, UPRCA school of Hotel and Restaurant Management majors and hotel guests. This course will be offered within face-to-face and hybrid settings

General Objective

Upon completion of the course, the student will: 

  1. Strengthen awareness of the phonetics, intonation, and rhythm of the language. 
  2. Utilize the language effectively within simple conversational contexts such as those that commonly occur during employment interviews, the workplace, and particularly with tourists and guests. 
  3. Increase the ability to comprehend the various accents of English spoken by guests. 
  4. Reduce the fear of speaking English with guests. 
  5. Increase understanding and mastery of English grammar and syntax. 
  6. Enrich the in-house vocabulary of workers. 
  7. Enhance professional writing skills needed within various departments of the hotel.  
  8. Expand knowledge of terminologies, procedures, and protocols related to the hotel and restaurant industry overall. 
  9. Stimulate a continued interest in improving English language skills for upward growth within the corporation. 
  10. Foster greater confidence and comfort of workers when speaking English within various departments of the hotel, in public, and moreover, with guests.  
  11. Manage the appropriate use of both informal and formal language registers of English with tourists and guests.

Distribution of Thematic Content

Outline of Content and Distribution of Time for Modules #1-4 

Topic Time (approximate) 

  • Grammatical structures (5 hours)
    • Simple Present/ Present Continuous/Simple Past Verb tenses 
    • Word order/Sentence Structure 
    • Making Questions/Short Answers 
    • Singular/Plural Nouns  
  • Oral activities (10 hours)
    • Role-playing dialogues using the language of hotel departments. 
    • Oral Presentations related to specific hotel procedures and protocols. 
    • New vocabulary, in-house terminology, idiom usage, language registers 
    • Discussion about assigned topics such as: greeting people, courtesy expressions, dealing with inquiries and difficult clients, tourists’ needs, places to go, dining, night life, charging, giving information, touristic zones of Puerto Rico, problem solving, guest satisfaction. 
    • Provide general information about different festivals and/or distinguished Puerto Ricans. 
    • Touring the hotel facility. 
  • Reading/Writing assignments (5 hours)
    • Hotel and Restaurant related situational conversations and dialogs 
    • Summaries of Hotel and Restaurant related topics. 

Educational Strategies

Oral presentations, collaborative work, writing activities, reading assignments, Roleplay, Improvisation  

Individual/group tutorial sessions, listening skills videos/audios 

Resources: 

  • Textbook 
  • Spanish-English dictionary 
  • Library resources 
  • Internet 
  • Computer programs 

Learning resources (minimum tools available or required) 

  • Computer with Internet access 
  • Web camera, microphone, and speakers 
  • Institutional email account 
  • Portal.upr.edu (Access with institutional email account) 
  • Institutional learning management platform (MOODLE) account 
  • Use of programs and applications: Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, etc.) G-Suite (Gmail, Drive, Meet, Calendar, Forms, Docs, YouTube, etc.), Blackboard Collaborate, among others. 
  • Other resources, programs, or applications that the professor may require 

Resources 

  • Library material and services 
  • Computer and Internet access 
  • Audio-visual aids and equipment 
  • Special Services Program (for qualified students) 
  • Others 

Criteria for Evaluation: 

Oral Presentation 

A differentiated assessment will be provided for students with special needs. 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: 

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) recognizes the right of students with disabilities to an inclusive, equitable and comparable post-secondary education. Pursuant to the policy of the University of Puerto Rico towards students with disabilities, functional diversity or diverse capacities, based on the federal and local protective legislation in force in Puerto Rico, all qualified students with disabilities have the right to equal participation in those services, programs, and activities that are available to the general university community. That is, any student who has a physical, mental, or sensory impairment that significantly restricts him or her in one or more main life activities, could be entitled to receive accommodations or reasonable modifications in their areas of study. If you require any type of accommodation or reasonable modification in this course, you must visit the Campus Services for Students with Disabilities (OSEI) or contact alexy.ramirez@upr.edu, and start the process as soon as possible. 

View Certificación Núm.133 (2015-2016), Junta de Gobierno de la UPR http://www.vcertifica.upr.edu/PDF/CERTIFICACION/2015-2016/133%202015-2016.pdf 

ONLINE MODALITY 

This course can be taught in the face-to-face, hybrid or online educational modality. This information applies to the online or hybrid version of the courses. Hybrid and online courses are offered through the institution’s official course platform, which employs secure protocols to ensure the integrity and security of user data. The system authenticates the user’s identity, utilizing the username and password assigned to their institutional email. The user is responsible for keeping secure, protecting, and not sharing their password with other people. The professor is responsible for verifying the identity of the student during his participation in the evaluation activities of the course using the methods approved by the institution. 

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES 

The online and hybrid courses will incorporate different teaching strategies from those traditionally used in classroom courses. Additionally, they can include synchronous sessions across platforms for that purpose. For this reason, for hybrid courses, there will be an established schedule assigned to the course for those sessions. For online courses, universal time must be used (Tuesday or Thursday, 11:00 am – 12:25 pm). Similarly, the course may require participation in discussion forums, written reflections, as well as group work or study with other students of the course, among others. 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE 

The material contained in this course may be subject to copyright protections and its use is only for students while enrolled in this course. Under Copyright law, the material cannot be stored on your computer and cannot be reviewed, copied, or distributed without the authorization of the copyright holder. 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY 

The University of Puerto Rico promotes the highest standards of academic and scientific integrity. Article 6.2 of the UPR Students General Bylaws (Board of Trustees Certification 13, 2009-2010) states that academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: fraudulent actions; obtaining grades or academic degrees by false or fraudulent simulations; copying the whole or part of the academic work of another person; plagiarizing totally or partially the work of another person; copying all or part of another person’s answers to the questions of an oral or written exam, taking or getting someone else to take the exam on his/her behalf; as well as enabling and facilitating another person to perform the aforementioned behavior. Any of these behaviors will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the disciplinary procedure laid down in the UPR Students General Bylaws. On the other hand, to ensure the integrity and security of user data, all hybrid and online courses are offered through the institutional learning management platform, which uses secure connection and authentication protocols. The system authenticates the identity of the user using the username and password assigned to their institutional account. The user is responsible for keeping secure, protecting, and not sharing their password with other people. 

GENDER AND SEXUAL IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION POLICY 

The University of Puerto Rico prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in any of its forms, including that of sexual harassment. According to the Institutional Policy Against Sexual Harassment at the University of Puerto Rico, Certification Num. 130, 2014-2015 from the Board of Governors, any student subjected to acts constituting sexual harassment, must turn to the Office of the Student Ombudsperson, the Office of the Dean of Students, and/or the Coordinator of the Office of Compliance with Title IX for an orientation and/or a formal complaint. 

LIBRARY SERVICES  The José Paulino Fernández-Miranda Learning Resource Center (Library) has electronic and printed bibliographic resources for consultation. You can access the resources through https://www.upr.edu/biblioteca-uprc/. Among the services offered by the Library are: Reserva electrónica, Bases de datos, Catálogo en línea and the E-books, among other resources. They can make their inquiries electronically through Pregúntale a tu bibliotecario. In addition, the library has editing services through UPR Carolina Escribe and Tutorías. 

Workshop Procedures

Thematic and Grammatical Content of Modules #1 – 4: 

Module #1: “Using the Verb to Be in the Present Tense While Touring The Facility” 

Module #2:  »Using Regular Verbs in the Simple Present Tense at the Reception’s Desk” 

Module #3: »Using Affirmative and Negative Simple Present Tense Verbs with Guests in Guest Rooms” 

Module #4: «Using Affirmative and Negative Simple Present Tense In Concert Halls and Ball Rooms”    

Referencias Bibliográgicas

  • Avilés, C., & Martínez, P. (2006). Desorden déficit de atención (DDAH). Hato Rey,
    Puerto Rico: Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas, Inc.
  • Beaver, A. (2010). A Dictionary of Travel and Tourism Terminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Jacob, M. & Strutt, P. (2012). English for International Tourism. Longman.
  • Jones, D. (2015). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
  • Jones, L. (2007). Welcome: English for the Travel and Tourism Industry. (2nd ed.).
  • Cambridge University Press.
  • Leaney, C. (2005). In the Know: Understanding and Using Idioms. New York: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Nieves, R. (2006). Inclusión desde varias perspectivas. Hato Rey, Puerto Rico: Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas, Inc. 
  • The bibliography recommended before 2012 is considered essential for the course. 

Online Resources: 

Additional Resources: 

  • Bienvenidos Magazine – Ongoing editions 
  • ¡Qué Pasa! Magazine – Ongoing editions 
  • Assorted brochures from Puerto Rico’s major tourist attractions 

(Revised February, 2022)