ACADEMIC COURSES & TEACHING
WE DESIGN MANY TYPES OF ACADEMIC COURSES WHICH YOU CAN CUSTOM ORDER TO SUIT YOUR EXACT NEEDS
Look at the types of bespoke English courses we have created for clients around the world.
English for Chinese Professors
An ESP course was created and delivered for lecturers and academics from one Chinese university from various disciplines. The group taught some of their university modules in English, so needed help specifically with speaking, presentations, lecturing skills and teaching methodology. (See term planner)
The course which culminated in the Professors giving guest several lectures to university students followed by seminars on their specialist subject. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive. (See lecture programme)
"The English training class is interesting and various classroom activities with clear different aims carried out in the class. All the teachers are British citizens with rich teaching experiences. The textbooks selected and provided are new with interesting topics for discussion and talking about. Colorful and rich teaching methods and techniques are presented which gave me a fresh and new world of learning and teaching, which broaden my horizon. By attending and observing their classes and lectures I learnt and experience various teaching methods and techniques which are quite enlightening and inspiring". Professor Guo Jingyi
"Training for different need is good."
IELTS 7.0 for Nurses
A cohort of overseas trained nurses was working within the NHS at a level below their qualifications due to their lack of English level certification. An IELTS course was created to enable the nurses to prepare for the exam where a pass at band 7.0 or above is needed for nurses to practice, and to be paid at a level appropriate with their qualifications.
Classes took place over 150 hours - three days a week for ten weeks in the four assessed communicative components of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, with additional support on the particular areas tutors' identified during an ongoing Needs Analysis . A basic curriculum as a starting point became more advanced and tailored to the nurses' needs as the course progressed.
The course had to be sympathetically developed taking into consideration the logistical and practical requirements of the nurses who were:
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still employed as nurses while taking the course,
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working shifts,
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working in different wards, if not different hospitals.
Using cutting edge technology, we were able to create an IELTS writing course that allowed the nurses to work collaboratively without each being simultaneously at a computer. The work created as a team can then be used however the teacher feels necessary in the next classroom session.
The stand out feature of this course was the implementation of technology and blended learning, and the 'flipped classroom'. This can best be explained by watching video of a teacher marking and giving feedback to a student's work as they write.
"A big thanks for your help to pursue out goal" ~ Mildred
Academic Writing for University
We have created an online only course to further assist those who are about to start, or who have started on an academic English course before university.
Covering many of the same skills, our online course allows students to try academic English from the comfort of their own home. With overseas study being a huge commitment, potential students really value what our lecturers provide and benefit greatly from our taster course.
Our online courses are hosted on udemy. com
English for Trade and Maritime Law
We were asked by a UK university to consult on their existing preparatory English course for international students about to enter on their Master's (LLM) degree.
We identified areas that needed updating with more recent methodologies, and created schemes of work that would be motivationally appealing and genre-appropriate to the cohort. The speaking and writing components were radically overhauled, and adjustments were made to writing and project work, all without affecting the portfolio-based assessment used by the institution. (See timetable)
Feedback from both students on the course and the university itself has been very positive indeed, especially for the CLEO analysis and new types of essay questions suggested, and the day trips we recommended... where else would you expect to find Maritime lawyers but in the sea!
English for Medical Purposes
An English proficiency course for a well known Chinese medical university was developed for its medical staff, ranging from doctors, pharmacists, nurses and clinicians, four days a week for 10 weeks.
Over the 160 hours course that was specifically created for this unique group, the focus was on speaking and communicative skills, at the request of the university. The medics looked at and reviewed articles in medical journals, presented peer-reviewed publications in the form of poster presentations to a group of university lecturers - in English.
On the patient-facing side, we developed communicative skills loosely based on the medical exam style OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination), which was highly regarded by the group.
It proved that our subject-knowledge and know-how in creating and facilitating events with access to real, authentic materials, resulted in another very successful course.
View sample timetable.
