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English as a Second Language Program
On this page:
- Why Choose the English as a Second Language Program?
- Courses
- International Teaching Assistants Workshop
- Oral English Proficiency (OEP)
- Contact Information
Why Choose the English as a Second Language Program?
The English as a Second Language program strives to prepare non-native English speakers to succeed in their university writing and speaking assignments and to improve their academic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The program offers credit-bearing courses in writing and speaking for Wright State students who are non-native English speakers and a special classroom communication course for International Graduate Teaching Assistants (IGTAs). These courses are designed to improve students’ success in the university classroom.
Courses
| Course | Audience | Grade | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG 1010 | All ESL students enrolled in Wright State degree programs, international graduate students applying for teaching assistantships, and people in the community who need training in speaking and understanding English strategies | Pass/Unsatisfactory | 3 |
| ENG 1020 | Low intermediate and intermediate level ESL students who need to work on the basics of sentence structure and paragraphing | Pass/Unsatisfactory | 3 |
| ENG 1030 | High-intermediate ESL students who need an introduction to the fundamentals of essay writing and preparation for the demands of college writing, emphasizing advanced sentence structure, style, and organization, and the development of ideas for writing | Pass/Unsatisfactory | 3 |
| ENG 1100 for ESL (sections 1-10) | Advanced ESL students who must fulfill the first-year writing requirement and for other advanced students who wish to sharpen their academic writing skills | Letter grades are given | 3 |
| ENG 1050 | International teaching assistants (ITAs) who need to improve oral proficiency and teaching skills for the classroom and lab | Pass/Unsatisfactory | 3 |
International Teaching Assistants Workshop
The workshop is held one week prior to the start of fall semester classes. All workshop participants are automatically registered for the Oral Proficiency Test (OPT) and take the test during the workshop.
The workshop is designed to help international graduate teaching assistants prepare for their classes and labs and includes:
- Introductory lectures and presentations on what the new international teaching assistant can expect and prepare for in the American classroom or lab.
- Small group sessions in which participants meet with experienced international graduate assistants who share the cultural, language, and teaching experiences they have encountered at an American university.
- Round table session in which Wright State students talk about their experiences with international teaching assistants in the classroom and lab.
- Videotaped session in which participants present a micro teaching assignment and then have it critiqued by ESL faculty.
Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning Workshops page to register for the fall International Teaching Assistants Workshop.
Oral English Proficiency Test (OEP)
Because Ohio law requires that all teaching assistants who provide classroom instruction to students be orally proficient in English (ORC 3345.281), all Wright State graduate assistants who have teaching responsibilities (including graduate assistants and graduate research assistants who provide instructional or other direct-contact student services in either the classroom or laboratory) must establish that they are proficient in spoken English before they will be allowed to sign their assistantship agreements. Oral proficiency in English may be established either by a) confirmed citizenship of a country where English is the primary language (see the list) and demonstrated proficiency during a brief oral interview with the university representative overseeing the signing of the assistantship contract, or b) a score of at least 250 (Category 1) on Wright State's Oral English Proficiency Test (OEP), administered by Wright State's Department of English Language and Literatures.
- A test fee of $25 is required
- Any international graduate student may register for and take the OEP, regardless of whether the student has officially been offered an assistantship contract. Please note that taking and passing the OEP does NOT guarantee a teaching assistantship offer.
- Students may take the OEP a maximum of once per semester.
| Category | Result |
|---|---|
| Category 1 Score of 250-300 |
The prospective ITA should be allowed to teach with routine supervision by a department advisor. |
| Category 2 Score of 210-249 |
The prospective ITA should be allowed to teach with supervision by a department advisor and must simultaneously enroll in the three-hour workshop, Classroom Communication for the International Teaching Assistant. |
| Category 3 Score of 209-0 |
The prospective ITA is not yet qualified to teach. |
Contact Information
Robert E. Rubin, ESL Coordinator
937-775-3136
