“An online course to support students in preparation for academic studies in English.” English for Academic Studies

Introduction English for Academic Studies is designed for those who study in English and need to improve their language skills in specific areas, such as academic writing or to improve IELTS scores. It also has an additional course for tutors of academic English. English for Academic Studies includes the online materials, teacher training modules and implementation support required to move towards or enhance an online or blended approach to deliver training in academic English. Course Lead Advisor: Dr Julie King - Director of the Centre for Academic English, Imperial College London English for Academic Studies

Development Group Members Developed in collaboration with: British Council Brunel University Cardiff University Charles Sturt University, Australia Durham University Graz University of Technology, Austria Imperial College London KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Lancaster University Leeds Beckett University Maastricht University, Netherlands Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa The University of Newcastle, Australia University of the Arts London Universita Di Bologna, Italy University of Bradford University of Hertfordshire University of Hull University of Malaya, Malaysia University of Oslo, Norway University of Reading University of Sheffield University of St Andrews University of Worcester

About the course Published: July 2015 English for Academic Studies Structure: 23 hours of core activities 80 hours of additional activities 2 course formats to choose from (picking one that is most suitable for your institution): -Theme-based courses -Skills-based courses Who is it for? Designed to support postgraduate students in the effective use of English in their academic studies.

Theme-based Courses Overview The theme-based format contains a stand-alone introductory course aimed at students, and five further student-facing courses: The programme also contains a course for EAP teachers which comes in a single format. English for Academic Studies Theme-based CoursesTiming Introduction course: Preparing for study: Academic culture, language and assessment 180 minutes Course 1: Types of academic English: Differences and key features180 minutes Course 2: Core academic language: Functions, meaning and grammar 180 minutes Course 3: Academic identity: Position and voice180 minutes Course 4: Criticality: Evaluating and questioning180 minutes Course 5: Optimising your learning: Strategies and self-evaluation180 minutes Teaching Course: Teaching English for Academic Studies300 minutes

Skills-based Courses Overview The skills-based format contains the same stand-alone introductory course as in the theme-based version. There are then four further student-facing courses, each teaching the traditional skills through the 5 themes: The programme also contains a course for EAP teachers which comes in a single format. English for Academic Studies Skills-based CoursesTiming Introduction course: Preparing for study: Academic culture, language and assessment 180 minutes Course 1: Listening240 minutes Course 2: Speaking240 minutes Course 3: Reading240 minutes Course 4: Writing240 minutes Teaching Course: Teaching English for Academic Studies300 minutes

Course Features  Interactive activities, models and scenarios  Authentic video interviews with professional experts and students  Case studies and practical scenarios exploring real-life examples  Polling feature enabling participants to compare their responses to complex questions with those of their peers  Customisable portfolio incorporating practical and in-depth reflective self-development activities English for Academic Studies

What does it look like? English for Academic Studies

Message from the Lead Advisor The EAS programme incorporates five core academic themes: community, knowledge, identity, criticality and autonomy. Community – students gain an understanding of the wider academic community they are entering, the purpose of higher education in relation to knowledge and society, and the discourses of the different disciplinary communities Knowledge – students gain an understanding of what knowledge is and what it means, how it is understood in the different disciplines and how it is communicated, negotiated and transformed in academic contexts Identity – students learn why identity is important in the academic community and how to develop their own academic identity and present it in their spoken and written academic texts Criticality – students develop an awareness of critical thinking as an evaluative judgement shaped by the epistemology, research practices and values of the academic disciplines Autonomy – students develop their ability to work independently and collaboratively in the academic context and develop themselves as discourse analysts so that they have lifelong tools for enhancing their academic discourse competence. This approach therefore takes the view that the complexity of academic language and literacy development cannot be dealt with until students have an understanding of academic contexts and purposes. This EAS programme prepares the ground by using these five key areas as a more meaningful, useful and effective way into the academic language students need to eventually communicate their own academic purposes and meanings in ways that the academic community finds linguistically legitimate and credible. English for Academic Studies

Support materials for English for Academic Studies available from: support/implementation-toolkit/course- tools/english-for-academic-studies/ English for Academic Studies