Ease - Essential Academic Skills in English

Volume 1 helps students focus on the key academic skill of listening to lectures. The program includes an extensive video library of authentic lectures (from 40 lecturers) on subjects as varied as History of Art, Philosophy and Comparative American Studies. These work in tandem with a range of presentation screens, exercises and feedback.

Volume 1 breaks down into six units, each dealing with a particular aspect of lectures: openings, structure, argumentation, style, listening for detail, listening for the main points, note taking and so on. Each area is exemplified by one or more videos which students generally view as part of an exercise. The activities are practical and include intensive listening and note taking.

Volume 2 is a parallel program with a focus on seminar work, it helps students improve their academic presentation skills. It is based around the digital video recordings of university seminar presentations from a wide range of departments and covers presentations from the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. There are hundreds of interactive exercises based on these video clips. By working through these exercises student will develop a knowledge of the features of an academic presentation, in terms of both language and structure, and have the chance to develop your own presentation skills.

Volume 3 is designed to help students improve their academic discussion skills. It is based around the digital video recordings of university seminar discussions from a variety of university departments. Besides looking at discussions in the humanities and social sciences, it also deals with problem solving seminars in the sciences. There are hundreds of interactive exercises for you to work through.

Ease is highly recommended for institutions preparing students for higher education, and for students who may already be attending lectures and seminars, but need to sharpen up their skills.