In this "Distance Learning" Special Issue, Errol Craig Sull introduces the "Try This" series of articles to assist In The Classroom. Sull notes, where once the idea of offering ESL (English as a second language) assistance and courses was a minor afterthought in postsecondary education, it has become crucial, for it recognizes…

The current internationalization trends in higher education and educational language policies impel universities to plan their provision of foreign languages. Often, universities are developing language policies, redesigning their foreign language programs and seeking to foster bilingual or multilingual strategies within graduate and undergraduate…

In this paper, we present and illustrate four principles used to develop discipline-specific academic language tutorials for students who enter university with low levels of academic language proficiency. The tutorials are part of a university-wide language support program following a post enrolment language assessment (PELA). The principles…

In light of China's 'Belt and Road' initiative, many mainland Chinese universities have been promoting non-English foreign language degree programs at the undergraduate level. This study examines the growth of these non-English foreign language programs by collecting and analysing a variety of data on curriculum design, teachers and learners…

The development of business English (BE) program cannot separate from that of its closely-related discipline. However, little is known about business English disciplinary development from the angle of postgraduate education in China. Through questionnaires and interviews on 64 postgraduate students of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies…

This article considers the methods of teaching in the field of the language for general purposes and the language for special purposes. The purpose of the article is to give a comparative analysis of teaching general English and English for special purposes, to present arguments with respect to approaches designed to organize and ensure the high…

An increased enthusiasm on teacher accountability, in recent times, has led policy makers and teachers to a significant care over evaluating teachers' success. To this aim, a 40-item Teacher Success questionnaire was developed and validated by the application of the Rasch model. The Rasch model is used to decide whether the scores of an instrument…

This paper is concerned with the modifications implemented in a second year foreign language (FL) reading program with respect to the problems students experience while reading in FL. This research draws on the sources of FL reading anxiety identified in the first year reading program with a motivation to re-design the second year program to help…

This volume offers research-based studies on English for Specific Purposes in higher education from across the world. By drawing on international studies, the book brings together diverse ESP practices and aspects of relevant issues in the development of ESP programs, teachers and learners in a coherent fashion. There is a growing need for…

A colleague interviews linguist Ann Johns concerning her interests and work in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), her teaching career, development of several new university programs that bring ESP perspectives to bear in other disciplines, the evolution of ESP as a discipline over several decades, and a new publication. (MSE)

Brock University (Ontario); an Ontario television station; and the Iroquois, Ojibwa, and Metis Nations are collaborating on the development of an Aboriginal adult education degree program. The clan system was modified for use as a planning tool, elders and other Aboriginal educators were included, and Aboriginal learning styles and perspectives…

A two-phase survey was conducted by the Center for Applied Linguistics Clearinghouse for Self-Instructional Language Materials to (1) identify modern language departments of U.S. colleges and universities using programed materials, and (2) describe the extent of the departments' use and development of such materials. A brief description of the…

This guide explains how staff at further education (FE) colleges throughout England and Wales can engage in the Learning Gateway, which is a program featuring personal advisers, "front end" assessment and support, and life skills training to help disengaged 16- and 17-year-olds re-engage in education, training, and employment. Chapter 1…

An evaluation and comparison of college and university intensive English programs in the United States focuses on program structure, organization, curriculum, faculty, program strengths, and areas for development. The evaluation instrument was a five-page questionnaire returned by directors of 41 of the 51 qualifying programs. It was determined…

In 1976, small special sections of English A (basic composition) were initiated within the English Department of the University of California at Davis to teach university-level writing skills to students in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), seventy-five per cent of whom speak English as a second language. This paper describes the design…