13/04/2017
English Language Resource Centre!
Over the years, it has become apparent that many SUA students arrive on campus without sufficient English language proficiency, despite English being the medium of instruction at secondary schools and universities in Tanzania. Although these students possess the innate ability to learn English, they lack the requisite systems and opportunities to learn and use the language in communication. This situation has undermined university efforts to increase students access to higher education and enhance the quality of its courses.
In view of this, SUA through the Department of Language Studies created an innovative English Language Resource Centre (ELRC), to address the current challenges facing SUA. These include lack of a supportive environment where classroom knowledge can be reinforced outside language classrooms. Currently at SUA, students and staff alike lack sufficient opportunity to engage in English language learning activities and practice. For example, instructors and students consultations are often not conducted in English and English/Kiswahili code mixing have been observed to permeate classroom discourse;
The center is envisaged to strengthen the foundation of English teaching and learning at SUA through using innovative strategies. In this respect, ELRC is set to provide English Language Proficiency Course, which is primarily designed for clients who wish to improve their English language skills to the best functional level in preparation for effective communication in different settings. The course participants will be provided with instructional and self-access learning opportunities through integrated technology based resources which are meant to enable them communicate confidently and effectively through spoken and written English, for general communication purposes, business, employment, studies, tourism, mass media and the like.
Iintegrated technology based resources at ELRC
Thanks to the internet, high-quality English language learning resources are more available than ever before. Electronic resources including web-based learning applications, instructional videos, interactive webinars, and massive open online courses (MOOCs) are readily available to those who know where to look and have access to high-quality internet connectivity. However, many students and staff in the SUA community do not seem well informed about the existence of these resources and how to utilize them. The ELRC will be both a repository of resources and information about learning English and a home for English language services at SUA.
Programs available at ELRC
English language proficiency Program
SUAs Proficiency Program will take a different approach, in developing learners communicative competencies focusing on teaching the language and not about language.
The PP at SUA will make sure that
SUA students and staff have access to high-quality supplementary English language training, thus improving their academic performance and employability;
Potential students from non-English speaking countries, notably Mozambique, Rwanda and Burundi, have access to quality pre-admittance English programs;
SUA becomes known as a resource for Tanzanian government and private sector actors to provide their employees with necessary English language instruction;
The PP generates revenue for SUA and its ELP to ensure the sustainability of language services offered to students and staff.
Writing Program
By creating a Writing Program at SUA, the Department of Language Studies will be better-able to respond to the varied writing service needs of students, academic staff and clients outside the SUA community. The Writing Program will provide services such as proofreading academic papers; editing thesis write-ups, long essays, research articles and conference papers; and organizing writing workshops for faculty, departments, groups and individuals.
Objectives of the Writing Program include:
Creating a positive and professional environment that encourages students to improve their academic writing skills, including the writing process; understanding audience; focus, coherence and logic in writing; and taking a thinking-through-writing approach;
Educating students on selecting information from a variety of sources, plagiarism and proper citation;
Equipping students to self-edit their work and improving their ability to proofread for common grammatical errors;
Providing training in academic writing to students, staff and other clients within and outside the university community;
Creating a source of revenue for SUA and the Social Sciences Department that will make additional student service and staff development possible.
International standardized language testing
Currently Tanzania has very few testing centres offering international standardized tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In the future, SUAs ELRC could be expanded and accredited to offer such examinations as both a resource for students who are applying for studies outside Tanzania and a source of revenue for the university.
