Program Overview
The Mission
The mission of TUELC is to prepare the University students to undertake English-medium instruction in their relevant fields of study. Also, it aims at helping students use English as an effective means of communication in their prospective endeavors.
To achieve the mission, a variety of English courses are designed and delivered through an appropriate curriculum with measurable learning outcomes. In addition, appropriate assessment methods are employed to measure students’ achievement of learning outcomes (Course Specifications). The instructors receive continuous professional development opportunities throughout the academic year to deliver language instructions. A conducive environment and the necessary facilities are provided to ensure both teaching and learning are effectively carried out.
The mission guides all activities, policies, and different practices. Firstly, in order to cover the course content, all teachers are allocated sufficient teaching hours. Furthermore, workload is equally distributed to ensure all teachers successfully carry out their teaching tasks with ease. Secondly, apart from the classrooms, students have access to teachers during office hours on a daily basis in order to discuss any issues or queries. In addition to this, the center has clear attendance policies to address and tackle students’ tardiness (lateness, absences etc). The center also provides teachers with a conducive teaching environment equipped with the necessary technology to aid both teaching and learning in all classrooms. Finally, a very clear grading distribution system is not only used to ensure teachers assess students effectively, but to also help students in knowing how they are being assessed.
The Goals
- Help students develop their English proficiency level
- Help students improve their English communication in their respective academic fields by developing profession-specific vocabulary and contexts
- Design and deliver an appropriate curriculum with measurable learning outcomes to help students achieve the expected language proficiency level
- Employ suitable assessment methods to measure students’ achievement of the curriculum outcomes
- Bring together a team of qualified instructors to deliver high standards of language instructions
- Provide continuous professional development opportunities for faculty members throughout the academic year
- Provide a conducive environment and the necessary facilities to ensure both teaching and learning are effectively carried out
Academic Program: Curriculum
Taif University English Language Centre (TUELC) offers compulsory and elective English courses that have been designed to suit the respective academic programs of their students: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). These have been designed to help students acquire knowledge of the English Language and as a result aim to equip them with the essential language and study skills needed to successfully study courses that relate to their chosen professional majors. The overall approach at the TUELC is to efficiently teach all the four language skills e.g. listening, speaking, reading and writing (vocabulary and grammar as sub-skills) in an integrated way. The program is correlated with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and focuses on developing students’ language proficiency skills to successfully foster active and independent learning.
Rationale to adopting Vertical Learning Approach (VLA)
The Deanship of Supportive Studies (DSS) has introduced the vertical learning approach to replace the horizontal program of teaching English to the students at TU. In the past as a part of the Preparatory Year Program, English was taught only in the first year of their studies to cover all the levels (textbooks). In this way, the students could not find enough time to learn and practice English in the following years of their studies. It became apparent that overburdening students with such a packed curriculum did not help them to develop the required language proficiency. This also made it difficult for them to retain the newly acquired knowledge for a long period. Thus, the vertical approach has been introduced so that students learn English with a reasonable input in a gradual manner over a long period of time to provide them with enough opportunities to practice English. This approach as we deem would help learners to retain the English language skills and perform better in their respective professional fields.