ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM –

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) PROGRAM

PROGRAM ASSESSMENT PLANS & REPORT: AY 2013-2014

Program Rationale/Purpose Statement:
The ESL program provides a multi-faceted training of English-language skills for international students in reading, listening, and writing, which are conducted at three levels: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Marketing / Recruitment Target Statement:
The English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is designed to help international students achieve English proficiency required by their degree programs and expose them to many facets of American culture. The ESL program also offers comprehensive orientation that prepares international students for university studies and campus life. Students in the ESL program have full access to Tiffin University facilities, including computer labs, dining facilities, the fitness center, the Student Success Center, and the library.
Goals of the Program/Corresponding Classes:
Students in all three levels of ESL will be expected to attend the Sunday Night Supplement program for 4 hours each month to extend and further develop their English language skills.
Students in ESL courses will improve their English reading skills. Courses Involved: ELA101/102/109.
Section One: Describe all department activities with respect to improving student learning in the major. This may include new faculty hires, course revisions, assignment creation, rubric revisions, goal evaluations, etc.
Section Two: Describe which program goal(s) in the Major Program Plan was assessed during the academic year.
Section Three: Describe analysis of assessment data and action plans for upcoming academic year.
Intended Outcomes/Assessment Criteria:
Intended Outcomes 1: Students in all three levels of ELAC will be expected to attend the Sunday Night Supplement program for 4 hours each month.
Assessment Criteria: 85% of the students in all three levels of the ESL program will attend and participate in the Sunday Night Supplement program for at least 4 hours per month.
Section One - Activity Statement:
This year we implemented our Sunday Night Supplement program for all of our students, including Level 3. Level 3 students were previously involved in 1-3 regular courses, but we have made some changes to the program and now they are placed in ESL courses only. The students were required to meet for SNS sessions twice a month for a total of four hours. These sessions were organized and facilitated by two assigned tutors who have experience working with the international students during the last academic year.
The students were split into sessions based on their academic level (Level 1 and lower Level 2 students from 1-3 and higher Level 2 and Level 3 students from 3-5), so instruction could be differentiated according to their academic skills. Each student was required to complete a 30 minute conversation table during this time, and an average of a 1-1 ½ hours working with the tutor and in groups on vocabulary development, reading skills, and sentence structure, with the goal of improving English fluency and overall academic skills.
Attendance at these sessions was a graded requirement of all ESL reading courses (ELA 101/102/109), and the conversation tables factored into grading requirements for ESL communication courses (ELA 103/104/130). During the course of both semesters, the students were exposed to various lessons that integrated content instruction and discussions focused on cultural events, communication skills, and grammar/writing techniques. The content and instruction was also modified based on student suggestions and feedback about particular issues and skills with which they were struggling.
Section Two - Results of Outcomes Activity:
2013-2014
SNS goal – 85% of the students in all three levels of the ELAC program will attend and participate in the Sunday Night Supplement program for at least 4 hours per month. / Met/Not Met
Met in Fall 13
and Spring 14 / Data Details
Records of SNS and conversation table attendance were kept every week. For the Fall 2013 semester, these records indicate that 90% of the ESL students in levels 1-3 attended at least 4 hours per month. For the Spring 2014 semester, these records indicate that 85% of the ESL students in levels 1-3 attended at least 4 hours per month.
Section Three - Analysis and Action Plans:
Analysis: The difference in Sunday Night Supplemental instructions program attendance rates from the Fall to the Spring were most likely due to weather. We had several instances of severe weather in both January and February that seemed to affect student attendance. One major change in the program this year was the consistency and flow of the organization and structure throughout the semester. The tutors in charge developed themes for each semester and then had the activities that were completed in each session relate to and culminate in a final product of that theme. Because of this, student feedback about the sessions in both semesters was very positive. Overall, the SNS program continues to be a successful and necessary aspect of our ESL education program because it provides additional one-on-one instruction and exposure to English outside the classroom that is guided by student feedback and instructor support.
Action Plan: Based on the consistent level of attendance, the positive feedback from the tutors, and the heightened engagement of the students, we have decided to continue requiring these sessions in both the reading and communication classes. In the upcoming academic year, the international students will be afforded their own learning space with computers, tables, and study areas. This will be the location for all of the SNS sessions, thus increasing the consistency that was positively experienced this year.
Intended Outcomes 2: Students in ELAC courses will improve their English reading skills. Courses Involved: ELA101/105 (Level 1) and 102/106 (Level 2).
Assessment Criteria: Students in the listed courses will take the Accuplacer tests at the end of each semester. 75% of them will show an increase of at least 5 points between the first and second tests.
Section One - Activity Statement:
Together with the international students office, the ESL department continued to work together towards the establishment of a stand-alone ESL program that would satisfy new government requirements and expand our recruiting base. As we began this process, several issues surfaced that led to some changes to our classes in Levels 1-3. We decided it was necessary to develop an independent ESL program leading to a certificate. After evaluating the needs for this new initiative, we decided to revise the third level of our program so that it offered full time credit in English language courses with no additional degree credit courses. This involved the creation of several courses in order to establish a stand-alone program with a sufficient amount of credit and contact hours at each level, leading to the completion certificate.
·  ELAC Level 1: ELA101, 103, 105, 110
o  Add ELA170 (Community Partnership course)
·  ELAC Level 2: ELA102, 104, 106, 112
o  Add ELA171 (Community Partnership course)
·  ELAC Level 3: ELA109, 130
o  Add ELA172 (Community Partnership course)
o  Add ELA114 (English Grammar III, which completes a 3-course grammar sequence and makes level 3 a complete full-time semester)
o  Add ELA132 (Advanced Academic Writing, previously this was ENG140 ESL (international students only); it counted as elective credit. ELA132 will not count as elective credit. Students who complete this course will move to ENG141 ESL if they move into a TU degree program. ENG140 ESL will still be offered for international students who meet the TOEFL/IELTS standards, but do not have strong enough composition skills to take ENG141. This is similar to incoming native speakers who are placed in ENG140.
In personnel, the director of the ESL program was promoted to a faculty position to take the place of a faculty instructor who will be retiring at the end of the spring 2014 semester. A staff position was also created (Coordinator of International Student Services) to teach four ESL classes and serve as a liaison for student services support. To compensate for the loss of the retiring faculty member and another adjunct who is leaving the university, we are hiring a full-time adjunct who speaks fluent Spanish and Arabic and has extensive experience in writing instruction.
We envision that these changes will aid in the preparation and education of our international students as they progress through Levels 1-3 of our ELAC program as well as provide a solid foundation as we move towards a process of program accreditation.
Section Two - Results of Outcomes Activity:
2013-2014
Students in the listed courses will take the Accuplacer at the end of each semester. 75% of them will show an increase of at least 5 points between the first and second tests. / Met/Not Met
Met in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 / Data Details
Students in Levels 1 and 2 took the Accuplacer test at the beginning of the fall semester and again at the end of the fall semester in 2013. This testing was repeated at the beginning and end of spring semester in 2014. In Fall 2013, 79% of the students improved their Accuplacer scores by 5 points or more, with 71% improving by 10 points or more and 50% improving by 20 points or more. In Spring 2014,
Section Three - Analysis and Action Plans:
Analysis:
The reading goal was again reached for this academic year, suggesting that the consistency of the curriculum and the stability of the instructor base are both having a positive effect on the students’ progress in the area of reading. Again, it is worthwhile to note the high percentages of students whose scores increased by 10 or 20 points within the course of one semester.
Action Plan: In an effort to continue and improve upon this success, we have decided to expand our current ESL curriculum. Presently, we teach from one book for all four courses in Levels 1-2. Next academic year, we have decided to utilize separate books for each course. Instructors are in the process of evaluating several options that they have used to supplement their curriculum this past semester. We will use everyone’s input and feedback to make a adoption decisions for the upcoming year.

Updated April 2014