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CRICOS Provider code: 00113B (VIC), 02414F (NSW)

Introducing a CAE program at Deakin University English Language Institute

Deakin University English Language Institute Overview

www.deakin.edu.au/international

• Deakin is a medium sized ELICOS centre

• Main nationality groups: Chinese, Thai, Sri Lankan, Indonesian, Hong Kong, Vietnamese

• Average length of enrolment is 10 weeks

• Most popular English language courses are the direct entry EAP programs to MIBT and Deakin University

• 82% of all Deakin’s student went to MIBT or Deakin university in 2005 (over 900 students)

English Language Programs at Deakin University

English Language Institute at the end of 2004

• English for Academic Purposes: 4 levels (Intermediate to Advanced )

• General English (4-5 levels-Pre Intermediate to Upper Intermediate)

• English for Business (Intermediate and Upper Intermediate)

• IELTS Preparation (Upper Intermediate to Advanced)


Deakin University’s plans for its English Language Institute

To become a large ELICOS centre

To diversify its main nationality groups to include larger numbers of students from Europe, Latin America, the Sub Continent and North Asia

To be relocate to the main campus in Melbourne in a new International centre that will have the capacity to house over 800 ELICOS students at any one time

To increase the average length of students enrolment and to increase the number of students going to the university via the English language direct entry pathway


Why introduce a CAE preparation program at Deakin?

• CAE was introduced to increase the number and type of the English courses offered to current and prospective students with Advanced levels of English but who did not want to go to university

• The development of the CAE program also part of an ongoing curriculum development program aimed at diversifying the General English, EAP and English for Specific Purposes pathways at Deakin

• Key agents in new European and South American markets would only work with Deakin if we were able to offer a 10 week Cambridge preparation course at one of its pathway end points


Key Issues

• Identifying staff to develop and teach the program

• Providing time release for curriculum development

• Ensuring that what was developed was appropriate and done within a set time frame

• Encouraging staff to take ownership of the program

• Minimum class sizes

• Ensuring that the program was part of a pathway within the English Language Institute


Identifying a member of the teaching staff to develop and teach the CAE program

• Audit of staff experience and qualifications was undertaken

• Discussion amongst senior management group as to who would be the ideal person or who would benefit from the challenge of developing the program

• As a result of the audit and after discussion with teachers a senior contract member of staff who taught on a CAE preparation program in the past was chosen to develop the program (this was the staff member’s first experience at developing a major ELICOS course)


Time release

• The teacher chosen was given 5 weeks to develop a 10 unit program the program the project with the understanding that 2 units would be developed each week

• The teacher was given a curriculum template to ensure that the curriculum design was consistent with other courses (the template was also designed to provide guidance to the teacher)

• A coordinator met with the staff member on a weekly basis to discuss what had been developed and to provide support and assistance

• The coordinator would report the progress made during formal fortnightly management meetings


Ensuring the what was developed was appropriate and done within a set time frame

• The time allocated to the task (the 5 weeks allocated was sufficient)

• The curriculum template helped give the teacher a focus on achieving the task

• The support given by the coordinator was vital as it gave the teacher a chance to review what had been developed and to go back to make changes

• In the end the teacher went further than required and developed weekly teacher and student resource packs to support the program


Unit 4Topics: Physical Change (Aging and Perceptions of Beauty)

Outcomes: Students will be able to use and identify the language of comparison when speculating on the future using a range of spoken and written language genres,

Grammar/Language Items: Comparison, Present Perfect, Linking and logical devices, Future tenses

Suggested Tasks/ Activities

Reading Writing Listening Speaking English In Use

Development of ability to answer reading comprehension questions in own wordsIdentify language that illustrates relationships in reading passagesApplication of strategies for determining meaning of unfamiliar vocabularyIn pairs/groups students complete true/ false/ comprehension activities related to topic

Write a short article for a magazine on age (e.gadolescence/old age etc)Write and identify topic sentences related to CAE writing taskComplete a comparative or descriptive piece of writing (e.g. 250 word essay) related to the topic)

Identify specific information from a listening passage related to issues related to the topic e.g health services for the aged, life expectancy issues, diet, lifestyle changes (CAE text) etcMultiple choice/short answer/ notetaking/True-False activities (as individual, in pairs and in groups)

Ability to discuss future changes to life as a result of age (speculation)Identifying and showing understanding of the range of possible tasks in the speaking paper by asking questions and providing answers in a pair/ group speaking activity (one which mirrors the CAE test format).

Development of editing skills (continued)Complete gap filling exercise without assistance (ie. no possible answers provided)Complete basic multiple choice cloze exercisesVocabulary/Dictionary activities: Deducing the meaning of words from contextEditing: Remove unnecessary words from text to correct errors

Encouraging staff to take ownership of the program

The teacher who developed the program was acknowledged by staff as being “the expert”

The Dos , Coordinator and Director played a support role encouraging ideas and providing constructive feedback and support (including resources)

A detailed presentation was given to staff by the teacher about the program once it had been completed

Continuing students were also given presentation about the program. The teacher was again identified as being “the expert” and as a resource for students who wanted more information


Minimum class sizes

Four CAE preparation programs have been offered at Deakin since the course was developed in June 2005

• The first CAE program started with 4 students(1 Czech, 2 Russians and 1 Colombian)

• The second program had 6 students (2 Indonesians, 1 Czech, 1 Russian, 1 Mexican and 1 Korean)

• The third program had 7 students ( 2 Japanese, 1 Czech, 2 Koreans, 1 Taiwanese, and 1 Colombian)

• The most recent program also had 7 students (1 Czech, 1 Jordanian, 1 Turk, 2 Japanese, 1 Korean and 1 Malaysian)


English language courses available at Deakin in 2006

ESP Stream

• CAE Preparation 2 levels (Advanced 1 and 2)• English for Business (Intermediate and Upper

Intermediate)• IELTS Preparation (Upper Intermediate to Advanced) EAP Stream• English for Academic Purposes: 4 levels (Intermediate to

Advanced )• Intensive Academic Preparation Program (Advanced)• Writing and Research Skills program (Advanced)• Communication Skills program (Advanced)• Academic English Skills program (Upper Intermediate)

General English Stream

• General English: 7 levels (Elementary to Upper Intermediate)


CRICOS Provider code: 00113B (VIC), 02414F (NSW)

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE

introducing a cae program at deakin university english ... · introducing a cae program at deakin...

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