English for
Academic Purposes

International Students

English for Academic Purposes

Two levels - EAP Foundation & EAP Advanced

CRICOS Course Code: 114980M

Purpose

The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course prepares students for further study in an academic setting while also improving their underlying proficiency in English. After completing the course, students may seek to continue their study in foundation studies programs, universities or other tertiary education institutions. The course integrates the four macro skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, as well as Grammar, Vocabulary, and Academic Skills.

Objectives

The Course Objectives in the English for Academic Purposes course are to enable students :

1. To develop the academic skills necessary to participate effectively in university at a diploma level or higher-level course in an English-speaking country.
2. To improve their overall English proficiency in terms of the four macro skills.
3. To develop core knowledge of the academic vocabulary and grammar commonly used in Academic contexts.
4. To develop awareness of sociocultural knowledge relating to communication in English as used with native speakers and with other non-native speakers where English is used as a lingua franca to prepare students for higher education contexts with local and international students.
5. To develop academic study skills that will maximise efficiency of study in class and externally.
6. To develop independent learning skills for ongoing improvement in language proficiency, even once students enter vocational or higher education.

Entry Requirements

• Before commencing classes in the EAP course, students need to have either completed Upper Intermediate in the General English course or be able to otherwise prove a B1 proficiency in English. If students have not completed Upper Intermediate, they can present a recognised test score to gain direct entry to a course. If they have a B1 level equivalent in a well-recognised English test, including IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, or Cambridge, they will also be able to enter the course.
• Students can enter in either Week 1 or Week 6 of the cycle. Monday or the first teaching day of the week in any week of the year, except for the two weeks over Christmas/New Year. The minimum enrolment period is five weeks.
• Students need to have completed General English Upper Intermediate to enter into the English for Academic Purposes (EAP). See table below.

Course Duration

• The standard course length is 20 weeks of English for Academic Purposes. Each week there are 20 face-to-face contact hours, with additional homework given for each day of class. The college is closed for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year Period.
• Students enter the course either in Week 1 or Week 6 of the course on a fixed intake basis.
• The minimum enrolment period is five weeks with the expectation that the majority of students will complete 10 weeks. The 20-week period is made up of two levels that each correspond to 10 weeks of course work.

Target Learner Group

• Students will predominantly have the goal of living and studying in an English-speaking country for an extended period of time. As a result, they have the desire to gain the skills necessary to carry out a variety of Englishmedium academic tasks, including lectures, tutorials, research and essay writing.
• Yarra College accepts students from a range of age groups. All students are older than 18 at their study commencement date. The content and delivery of the classes is not targeted to any specific age group, but rather covers vocabulary and topics in English which are accessible to people of all ages. None of the course content is designed to alienate any age group. The course is constructed in a fully inclusive manner.

Articulation with Other Courses

At Yarra College, students are able to articulate from the General English Program into the English for Academic Purposes as per the table directly a bove

Primarily, the General English course prepares students to enter the English for Academic Purposes. Students who take EAP do so with the intention of articulating to a pathway provider (either VET or Higher Education).

Modes and Methods of Delivery

• All classes are conducted for a minimum of 20 hours of face-to-face teaching per week. Any homework or online/distance learning is in addition to the core 20 hours face-to-face in class.
• The ratio between teachers and students does not exceed 1:18 at any time. Teachers conduct classes in modern classrooms with textbooks, tables, chairs, whiteboards and, when possible, a projector. Teachers have a computer to play recordings for listening activities. However, students do not typically use computers in class.
• Teachers use a variety of feedback and correction methods to ensure that students are fully engaged and participating in classes. These modes of feedback include but are not limited to: verbal correction of errors, comments on writing, scores given on assessments.
• Teachers keep a written record of the attendance of students, which is entered into the Student Management System by administrative staff. They also give letter grades for overall speaking performance in class and for weekly writing. Scores from formative and summative assessments are recorded by the Thursday teacher and given to Yarra College's administration to enter into the Student Management System.
• In Week 5 and Week 10 of the course the summative assessments require significant time on computers to develop the PowerPoint presentation and to draft/complete the essay. For students that do not have a laptop, the college will provide either a desktop computer in the computer lab or a laptop that can be used in the classroom.

Student Autonomy

• Students are encouraged to reflect on language learning strategies throughout the class including: study techniques, study plans, and participation at events outside of their course that facilitate use of English, such as language exchanges and preparation for assessments.
• To assist students in recognising their strengths and weaknesses in English, they receive regular feedback from their teachers, with reference to both the formative and summative assessments.
• Students have access to self-paced resources such as graded readers, extra grammar resources such as gap-fill exercises from grammar books, and access to online modules from the Clarity English suite that cover reading, listening, grammar and vocabulary. These are available in the student library/computer lab.
• Students who wish to discuss their learning goals and set up study plans to maximise their improvement can arrange a meeting with the Director of Studies through the Reception at any time during their enrolment.

Attendance

• Teachers keep attendance records. All attendance, test scores, and speaking and writing grades are recorded on the class roll. Administration staff enter this information into the Student Management System.
• Students are expected to maintain at-least 80% of attendance.

Please refer to the Progress, Attendance and Academic Counselling Policy

Assessment

• Offshore Placement Testing
  Students who apply to Yarra College from overseas are only able to enter into the General English course. They aren't able to enter directly into the EAP course.
• Procedure for Placement of Students in the Course
  Please refer to the Yarra College's Placement Testing Policy and the Change of Level and Course Policy.

Monitoring Learner Progress through Assessment

• Student progress is monitored through summative and formative assessment tasks which are linked directly to the learning outcomes. These assessment tasks take the form of test scores, writing and feedback from the teachers.

Summative Assessment

There are two forms of summative assessment:

Oral Presentation (Week 5)

• Students are provided a range of research that they are expected to use to inform their presentation and substantiate points they make.
• Students are given a specific topic which relates to one of the four previous units of the course so they will already have a high level of familiarity with the area and have already developed views and a level of knowledge of the area. Presentations are done individually.
• Analysis of the research material, development of the slides, adjusting based on feedback from the teacher, practice and preparation as well as the presentations themselves are all done during class time.

Researched Essay (Week 10)

• Students are provided a range of research that they are expected to use to inform their essay and substantiate points they make.
• Students are given a specific topic which relates to one of the four previous units of the course so they will already have a high level of familiarity with the area and have already developed views and a level of knowledge of the area.
• The specific topic and provided research articles will change from cycle to cycle.
• The final essay is marked according to EAP Essay Marking criteria, including grammar, vocabulary, structure and content. See the Summative Writing Marking Criteria for details.

Formative Assessment

Students complete three types of formative assessment.

• Writing Portfolio (letter grade and feedback given weekly
• Formative Listening (numerical score out of 10 given weekly)
• Formative Reading (numerical score out of 10 given weekly)
• Tutorial Speaking (letter grade given weekly)