English Language Enhancement and the Good Practice Principles

English Language Enhancement and the Good Practice Principles The Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy Presenter: Nicole Brigg Griffith English Language Institute AIEC October 2010

Overview of the session 1. Overview of the Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy 2. Context, rationale & related research 3. The English Language Enhancement Course § development § implementation § challenges & successes § mapping to the Good Practice Principles § research

1. Overview of the Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy Before your degree Griffith Uni. Prep An intensive 3 week program delivered prior to each semester for students with unconditional offer. Provides the language skills essential for successful tertiary studies in English. During your degree English Language Enhancement Course (ELEC) Credit-bearing, embedded, and disciplinespecific. Finishing your degree English HELP Student Linx IELTS 4 grads Free disciplinespecific English language support for all degree program students. Social immersion experiences. Promotes social and intellectual interaction, encouraging the establishment and building of useful ties across languages, cultures and countries. Subsidised IELTS ‘exit test’ at end of degree. Students completing a full degree at Griffith can sit an IELTS test at 50% of normal test fee. Group workshops & individual consultations with GELI tutors. Adapted from http: //www. griffith. edu. au/griffith-english-language-institute/university-initiatives

2. Context and rationale § Birrell report (2006) § AEI National Symposium (2007) § DEEWR Good Practice Principles (2008)

Context and Rationale § 2007 Audit of all English language support mechanisms across the whole university undertaken in the lead up to AUQA audit in 2008 § Established an English Language Working Party (2008) to develop English language support initiatives for international students § Membership: DVC (Academic), PVC (international), Secretariat, International Office, academics, School of Languages & Linguistics, Griffith English Language Institute § Developed and implemented the Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy

Good Practice Principles for English Language Proficiency for International Students in Australian Universities 1. Universities are responsible for ensuring that their students are sufficiently competent in the English language to participate effectively in their university studies. 2. Resourcing for English language development is adequate to meet students’ needs throughout their studies. 3. Students have responsibilities for further developing their English language proficiency during their study at university and are advised of these responsibilities prior to enrolment. 4. Universities ensure that the English language entry pathways they approve for the admission of students enable these students to participate effectively in their studies. 5. English language proficiency and communication skills are important graduate attributes for all students. 6. Development of English language proficiency is integrated with curriculum design, assessment practices and course delivery through a variety of methods. 7. Students’ English language development needs are diagnosed early in their studies and addressed, with ongoing opportunities for self-assessment. 8. International students are supported from the outset to adapt to their academic, sociocultural and linguistic environments. 9. International students are encouraged and supported to enhance their English language development through effective social interaction on and off campus. 10. Universities use evidence from a variety of sources to monitor and improve their English language development activities. DEEWR December 2008

Recent research in discipline-specific support § The impact of English language proficiency and workplace readiness on the employment outcomes of tertiary international students (Arkoudis, Hawthorne, Baik, O’Loughlin, Leach, Bexley, 2009) § Improving academic outcomes of undergraduate ESL students: the case for discipline-specific academic skills programs (Baik & Greig, 2009)

English Language Enhancement Course (ELEC) § § § Mandatory for all UG international students with IELTS<7 Optional domestic CALD* students Delivered in student’s first semester of UG study Offered on all campuses in semester 1 and 2 Common delivery standards, learning outcomes, content & assessment Co-delivered by LAL & GELI (2 hours lectures: 2 hours tutorials) *culturally and linguistically diverse

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3. English Language Enhancement Course § Credit-bearing: - 10 credit points - not an additional requirement - no extra time to complete § Embedded: - first semester of all UG degrees - complicated program rule changes § Discipline-specific: - sub-committee devised the recommended criteria and intended learning outcomes - working parties within each broad discipline were consulted - four course outlines devised and approved

Development: Intended Learning Outcomes 1. To develop the communicative competence (grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, strategic) in English of students in an academic and specific disciplinary context, including producing, interpreting, analysing and participating in text. Text refers to authentic spoken or written discourse in a particular genre. 2. To raise student awareness of features and expectations of the Australian tertiary system that underpin English language practices in Australian universities as it fits within the broader Australian cultural context. 3. To ensure students are aware of their responsibility to continue to develop their English language skills throughout the course of their degree program.

Implementation § § Establishing of partnership between the Griffith English Language Institute (GELI) and the School of Languages and Linguistics (LAL) Project managers from each appointed to: ü Consult with working parties from each of the 4 Groups and create course outlines for Business; Health; SEET; Arts & Social Sciences ü Discipline-specific nature of content (Development teams) ü Embedding of some Excel. L intercultural communication skills role-plays ü Recruiting and training of tutors ü Text book

Challenges & successes Challenges: § Lecture vs tutorial hours and minimum numbers for each (1200 sts) § Working across elements (LAL/GELI) § Communication channels between the newly appointed LAL coordinator, the other two newly appointed lecturers, the GELI coodinator & 25 tutors § Multicampus challenges § Communication between the convenors of the 4 courses and the tutorial development team § Time to develop material § Discipline-specific yet common outcomes so as to be comparable across all four streams § Variables in the student cohort: differing proficiency levels; differing academic skills backgrounds

Challenges & successes Successes: § All enrolment systems, student identification systems and exemption application systems worked very well § Material development teams (Convenor, RA, GELI tutor) § LAL/GELI relationship producing further useful cooperative ventures § Significant interest from other Australian institutions § An encouraging degree of buy-in from academic units across the university § Significant growth in international students accessing other GELES strategies and support services § Euphoria associated with the successful launch of a new and innovative Higher Education program

Griffith’s Response to the Good Practice Principles 1 2 3 4 Universities are responsible for ensuring that their students are sufficiently competent in the English language to participate effectively in their university studies. Resourcing for English language development is adequate to meet students’ needs throughout their studies. Students have responsibilities for further developing their English language proficiency during their study at university and are advised of these responsibilities prior to enrolment. Universities ensure that the English language entry pathways they approve for the admission of students enable these students to participate effectively in their studies. üMinimum English language entry requirements are set. üUni. Prep üEnglish. HELP üELEC üGELES funded through the DVC(A) üELEC is funded through FPOS üGriffith has committed financially over 6 years for the other strategies üEmbedded in ELEC üEncouraged via English. HELP tutors üEmphasised at orientation üPromoted on information sites on the web üA full review undertaken during 2009 and recommendations implemented in 2010 üMonitoring of pathway providers üPathway providers requiring their students to undertake Uni. Prep üResults of Capstone research correlated against entry pathways

5 English language proficiency and communication skills are important graduate attributes for all students. 6 Development of English language proficiency is integrated with curriculum design, assessment practices and course delivery through a variety of methods. 7 Students’ English language development needs are diagnosed early in their studies and addressed, with ongoing opportunities for self-assessment. üELEC üWorkshops by Career and Employment Services üIELTS 4 grads subsidy üStudent Linx üELEC üGELI staff involved in GIHE Io. C working party üELEC delivered in students’ first semester üDiagnostic testing of ELEC students üAmber Alert Assessment 8 International students are supported from the outset to adapt to their academic, sociocultural and linguistic environments. üExcel. L embedded in ELEC üEnglish. HELP “Find Your Voice Across Cultures” workshops üStudent Linx 9 International students are encouraged and supported to enhance their English language development through effective social interaction on and off campus. üStudent Linx üCommunity Engagement officer appointed by GBS üCommunity Engagement officer appointed by Griffith International 10 Universities use evidence from a variety of sources to monitor and improve their English language development activities. üResearch group for ELEC üIELTS 4 Grads data collected üStudent and tutor surveys

ELEC research aims § § § To measure change in English language proficiency of international students who undertake ELEC To measure change in educational outcomes by international students who undertake ELEC To demonstrate that an ELEC improves the above when implemented as an early intervention strategy To investigate the correlation between language proficiency, language achievement and overall academic outcomes. To investigate the cohorts’ experiences in engaging in learning English in terms of their motivation, investment and outcomes (qualitative).

ELEC research methodology Cohort 1 S 2 2009: Non-ELEC students Cohort 2 S 2 2010: ELEC students § § § IELTS pre first semester IELTS post first semester Qualitative interviews IELTS at degree exit Correlation against GPAs

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