A Work in Progress
The Process of Revising EAP Curriculum
Introduction: Who are We?
O Glenda Fish, Instructor and Curriculum
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Coordinator, Trent-ESL
Tamara Al-Kasey, Instructor, Trent-ESL, Oshawa
Trent-ESL is a 5-level EAP program
The Oshawa ESL program is smaller and newer
but equivalent to the Peterborough program
Level 5 is the “gateway” to regular studies at
Trent U.
Overview of Process: 20052013
O Existing Level 5 curriculum model
O Instructor initiated revisions
O Catalyst
O Identification of Trent distinctives
O Creation of new Level 5 curriculum model
O Delivery
O Evaluation and revision
O Consideration of implications for other levels
Existing Level 5
Curriculum
Instructor Initiated Revision
Level 5 Model: 2005-2010
Lecture (10 hrs)
Critical
Reading
(2 hrs)
Listening
and Note- University
Transitions
taking
(2 hrs)
(2 hrs)
Instructor Initiated Revisions
O Initially, L5 was just “Lecture,” an integrated
skills course
O One-by-one three other skills courses were
added as needed
O Eventually the three skills courses were
united into one course, but the course was
disjointed
Revised Level 5 Curriculum
Model: 2010
Applied Academic Skills (10 hrs)
•Integrated skills
University Skills (6 hrs)
•Critical reading, listening and notetaking, university transitions
Catalyst
Summer 2012
Oshawa Evolves
O The Oshawa ESL program would offer a Level 5
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class for the first time in September 2012
The students would be Science Without Borders
students heading to UOIT in January 2013.
Trent-ESL had never had a group of science
students
The existing program was unsuitable
A decision was made to develop a model suited
to both campuses
Identification of Trent
Distinctives
What makes us “Trent”?
O Writing conferences
O Trent developed materials – not textbooks
O Lectures by Trent professors as the starting
point for units/essays
O Disciplines and topics that are areas of
specialty at Trent
O Strong connections to other departments at
Trent e.g. Academic Skills
Creation of New Level 5
Curriculum Model
Identification of Needs
O Critical productive skills
O Key receptive skills
O Cross-course coordination of topics
O General academic skills
The Inspired Curriculum
Process
The New Level 5 Model
Academic
Analysis (6 hrs)
Academic
Communication
(8 hrs)
University
Transitions
(2hrs )
Critical
Reading
Academic
Writing
Academic
Calendar
Listening &
Notetaking
Academic
Speaking
Study
Skills
The New Model: Details
O Includes writing conferences
O Uses lectures by Trent professors as the
starting point for units
O Shares topics for units (i.e. Academic
Analysis and Academic Communication
study the same topic at the same time)
O Uses Trent-developed materials
O Continues relationships with other
departments through University Transitions
Academic Communications:
Writing Assignments
Research skills
Trent Library skills
Bibliographical skills
Four research projects
-Case study
-Research Essay
-Poster Presentation (group)
-Individual Research Project
Connected to Presentation reqs.
Annotated Bibliography
Peer Editing
Improved in Writing Confs
In-Class Writing
Weekly In-class writing
Rewriting
Essay style
Reaction papers
(Exam question essay)
(Technical writing)
Improved in Writing Confs.
Academic Communications:
Academically Speaking
Presentation skills
In-progress presentation
Power-point Research presentation
Group Poster presentation
-Peer evaluation
Discussion skills
Weekly Seminars
-Depth of topic
-Evaluated by participation quality
Communication strategies Specific Strategies for Seminars
-turn taking,
-perspective
-summarizing
-clarification
-listening to other participants
Academic Analysis:
Listening and Reading Skills
Critical Reading
Assignments to develop CR skills
Academic Disciplines
e.g. Business, ICT, Enviro. Sci.,
Engineering, Health Sciences
Discipline-specific vocabulary
Depth of topic feeding into writing
assignments
Print vs. internet sources
Listening and Note-taking Public and Trent lectures
Note-taking skills
Weekly assessments
Support of Research Skills Critical analysis of sources
University Transitions
Trent Calendar
Academic terminology
Trent (UOIT) Academic
regulations and policies
Academic honesty and
consequences
University Culture
Canadian educational system
Types of learning and
evaluation activities
Classroom culture
Study and life skills for
success
Time management, group
work, self knowledge, etc.
Delivery
Delivery: Fall 2012
O 2 campuses
O 1 large mixed group (split into two classes)
O 1 small culturally cohesive group
O 2 curriculum writers (AC/AA)
Unit-by-unit materials creation
O 5 instructors
Evaluation
Evaluation
O Mid-term SWOT (instructors and manager)
O Mid-term evaluations (students)
O End of term Focus Group (repeating
students)
O End of term student evaluations
O Instructor feedback
O Continuing evaluation (Winter/Spring 2013)
Instructor Mid-Term
Evaluation: Fall 2012
O SWOT evaluation
-Liked the shared topics
-Liked the Trent-developed materials
-Found materials development for AA and marking
for AC time-consuming
-Realized that good communication between the
instructors is vitally important
--Ptbo: felt a time crunch in AC
--Oshawa: needed more hard science materials
Oshawa Student Mid-Term
Evaluation: Fall 2012
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Requested grammar reference
Asked for explicit vocabulary instruction
Struggled with non-science writing
Enjoyed seminars
Felt themselves to be progressing
Population details:
-Homogenous cultural group: Brazilian engineers
-Level variation
-Direct admit students
Peterborough Student MidTerm Evaluation: Fall 2012
O Many noted improvements in reading and
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note-taking
Some wanted speaking in Academic Analysis
Many liked trying new writing styles
Many were thankful for the seminars and
presentations
Generally seemed to feel that the materials
were directly relevant to regular studies
Peterborough Student Focus
Group: December 2012
O Participants were students who had studied
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level 5 in both models (i.e. repeaters)
They loved the new model
They especially liked studying the same
topics at the same time in the two courses
They liked the addition of report writing
Most felt University Transitions should be a
separate course
Revision
Revisions in Oshawa
O Additional/alternative units
-mechanical engineering
O Addition of reference grammar
O Adaptation of writing assignments
-e.g. technical writing, exam short essay
responses, writing with graphics
O Addition of vocabulary support
Revisions in Peterborough
O Paring down the excess e.g. removed one-
week introductory unit
O As new units are developed, the critical
reading assignments and note-taking
assignments are becoming more focused
O To free up some time in AC, moved the
introduction to seminars to UT
O Shifted to weekly assignments in UT
Considering the Implications
for Other Levels
What does the new Level 5
mean for Levels 1 to 4?
O Winter 2013 we began a process of sharing
our findings and experiences with the other
instructors
O Currently we are undergoing a curriculum
review process for the other levels
O Preliminary decisions: adopt the shared
topic approach in all levels, adopt the
Academic Analysis / Academic
Communication approach in level 4
CURRICULUM
REVIEW
Contact Information
O Glenda Fish, Instructor and Curriculum
Coordinator, Trent-ESL
O Email: glendafish@trentu.ca