NORI6000 Norwegian Language for Foreign Students, Intermediate Level Course description

Approved by the Study Board 30 June 2014.

Minor revision approved by Head of the Academic Affairs Committee, Faculty of Education and International Studies 16.11.2017.

Course plan valid from spring semester 2019.

The intermediate course of Norwegian is an introduction to central aspects of Norwegian language. The objective of the course is to enable the candidates to understand and use Norwegian for basic exchange of information in everyday communication. Course objectives are aligned with the requirements of an A2 level exam.  

None.

None.

The objective of the course is to enable the candidates to understand and use Norwegian for basic exchange of information in everyday communication. By the end of the course the candidates should be able to: 

Knowledge

• make use of the basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns of Norwegian in both oral and written language production
• make use of a vocabulary that is sufficient to conduct routine and everyday transactions involving familiar situations and topics

Skills

• understand short, simple Norwegian texts on familiar matters of a concrete type which consist of high frequency everyday or job-related language
• identify specific information in simpler written material, such as letters and short newspaper articles
• write a series of simple Norwegian phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like "and", "but" and "because", about themselves and everyday aspects of their environment, e.g. people, places, a job or study experience 
• write very short, basic descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences
• speak with a pronunciation that is generally clear enough to be understood despite a noticeable foreign accent  

General competence

• interact with reasonable ease using Norwegian in structured situations and short conversations about familiar matters and topics of interest, provided the other person helps if necessary
• understand clear, standard Norwegian speech on familiar matters, provided he/she can ask for repetition or reformulation from time to time

The course comprises 40 hours of language instruction (4 hours * 10 weeks) organized as whole class instruction.  

• Learning and Teaching Forms
• Reading comprehension practice
• Listening comprehension practice
• Conversation practice
• Grammar exercises
• Written assignments

Not applicable. 

Assessment

Code: NORI6000. Name: Norwegian Language for Foreign Students, Intermediate Level. 5 ECTS

Exam Form: Written and oral exam. Semester: By the end of the semester. Grading Scale: Pass/Fail.

The final assessment consists of a one-hour written exam and a fifteen-minute oral exam alone or together with another student. Both the written and oral exams are organized on campus, under supervision. The final exams are assessed by internal examiners. The students have to pass both the written and the oral part to obtain the final grade. The assessment criteria correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages descriptions of A2-level language competencies. The grading scale used in the final assessment is the ECTS-grading scale, Pass/Fail.

Re-examination

In case of failing the exam or in case of valid absence at the time of the exam, the student is entitled to make a renewed attempt the next semester. The re-examination will be arranged in the same manner as the regular exam. The students are themselves responsible for registering for the re-examination within given deadlines. 

Pass/Fail.

The final exams are assessed by internal examiners. 

Admission

International exchange students, who are admitted to the study programmes at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) for the current term, will be given priority over other applicants. Other categories of international students who currently follow study programmes at HiOA, may be admitted to the course provided that there will be available places. Trainees through the ‘Akademisk dugnad’ at HiOA must be approved by the Section for Internationalisation and must meet the general admission requirements for Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

Admission to the intermediate course requires a passing grade from the beginner’s level course or A1- level language competencies in Norwegian. When applying for admission to the intermediate course, such competencies must be affirmed either by a diploma/course certificate from an A1-level language course or through an interview with the academic coordinator. On the basis of this interview students can either be granted admission to the intermediate course or denied such admission. Applicants who wish to be evaluated on basis of an interview have to contact the academic coordinator within the application deadline. The result of the interview cannot be appealed. 

Applicants with equivalent or higher language competence will not be able to apply for this course. Other categories of applicants, who are not international students at HiOA, will not be able to apply. Students with ordinary admission to HiOA are not entitled to attend the course. 

Ranking

• Erasmus+ students and trainees.
• Exchange students from other exchange programmes.
• Trainees through the ‘Akademisk dugnad’ at HiOA and have been recommended by the Section for Internationalisation.
• Master’s degree programme students.

Applicants in each category will be ranked according to drawing of lots principle.

Target Group

The target group of the course is international exchange students who are admitted to the study programmes at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences for the current term.