Following the goals stated below, all students in each program exit with the same expected learning outcomes with a little variety of degree in their English language proficiency. The goals and objectives of the courses within the whole program are determined regarding the students’ further academic needs in the 21st century and are written to serve as a guide for structuring of the curriculum and its implementation. While promoting learner autonomy, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication are emphasized, and students are encouraged to benefit from recent developments in technology. Our course goals and expected student performance objectives on completion of each course as well as the goals and objectives for the skills that we aim for our students to gain are described in the chart below:
While doing so, the UPP/ADP promotes autonomous learning in the curriculum to enable the students to become autonomous 21st-century learners who can not only communicate and collaborate with their peers effectively but also think creatively and benefit from recent developments in technology while engaging in tasks/situations related to their academic and communicative needs.
COURSES
1. USE OF ENGLISH
GOALS
The goal of the Use of English component of the preparatory program is for learners to be able to understand and use certain linguistic structures effectively in terms of form and function.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
● choose/use accurate *target upper-intermediate level grammar structures,
● use contextual and grammatical cues to understand more difficult current events or scientific texts,
● demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of statements by identifying target upper-intermediate grammar structures,
● choose/use correct and **appropriate vocabulary; has a good command of a large lexical repertoire.
*Target upper-intermediate level grammar structures are provided on the list of program-based target grammar items in Appendix C.
The term **‘appropriate vocabulary' refers to the range of words stated in ‘can do statements’ for level B1+ in the CEFR.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● demonstrate an understanding of meaning of statements by identifying target upper-intermediate grammar structures,
● identify target upper-intermediate grammar structures to understand a variety of reading texts,
● use target upper-intermediate grammar structures accurately to write essays,
● recognize target upper-intermediate grammar structures to follow an academic lecture,
● apply target upper-intermediate linguistic structures in speaking with acceptable accuracy,
● use target upper-intermediate vocabulary items in writing and speaking with acceptable accuracy.
2. SKILLS
READING
GOALS
The goal of the reading component of the preparatory program is for learners to be able to read authentic, semi-authentic and academic texts with reasonable comprehension by making use of appropriate reading strategies.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, using appropriate reading strategies, students will be able to:
● comprehend *texts of several paragraphs in length,
● identify stated and/or implied main ideas,
● identify supporting details,
● identify text coherence and unity,
● recognize reference words,
● make inferences,
● guess the meanings of unknown words from context,
● identify the summarized and/or paraphrased points,
● identify the purpose/opinion of the author.
*A “text” refers to any semi-academic and academic text, ranging from an intermediate to upper-intermediate level, with a length of up to 900 words.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● skim a text to understand the gist,
● scan a text to locate specific information,
● identify mentioned/not mentioned information in a text,
● identify stated and/or implied main ideas in a text,
● identify true and false information about a specific detail in a text,
● identify significant details in a text,
● understand what certain pronouns/determiners refer to in a text,
● make inferences based on specific information in a text,
● identify vocabulary in a text for active use in other skills,
● guess the meanings of unknown words from context,
● identify the purpose/opinion of the people/author in a reading text,
● identify the correct sentence to insert in a gap in the text by recognizing the logical flow of the passage,
● identify the correct sentence which best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in a reading text.
WRITING
GOALS
The goal of the writing component of the preparatory program is for learners to be able to produce academic writing making use of process writing approaches.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
● write a coherent and unified *essay by using critical thinking skills,
● develop ideas, highlighting significant points and providing supporting details,
● synthesize ideas from reading and listening texts and write them in an integrated way,
● paraphrase given information in reading and listening texts,
● use a variety of grammar structures accurately in their writing,
● use a wide range of topic-related vocabulary,
● use correct punctuation, capitalization, and spelling,
● make use of drafting processes to write an essay.
*An “essay” is an upper-intermediate level writing piece on an academic topic of 250-350 words and at least four-paragraphs in length.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● compose a coherent and unified essay,
● write a cause essay in relation with the topic provided, by developing their own ideas,
● write an effect essay in relation with the topic provided, by developing their own ideas,
● write an opinion essay in relation with the topic provided, by developing their own ideas,
● use language structures related to cause/effect accurately and effectively,
● use language structures related to opinion accurately and effectively,
● synthesize ideas from reading and listening texts and write them in an integrated way,
● use a wide range of topic-related vocabulary,
● use correct punctuation, capitalization, and spelling,
● use a variety of grammar structures accurately in their writing.
● make use of drafting processes (outlining, brainstorming, writing, self-editing, etc.).
LISTENING
GOALS
The goal of the listening component of the preparatory program is for learners to be able to comprehend authentic and semi-authentic academic lectures; develop global as well as detailed aural understanding; and develop effective strategies for taking notes.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
● use specific strategies and techniques for effective note taking while listening to a *lecture
● identify the main idea while listening to a lecture
● identify important details while listening to a lecture
● identify rhetorical cues in a lecture
● recognize the sequential information in a lecture
*An “academic lecture” ranges from intermediate to upper-intermediate level comprising at least 800 words.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● identify the main idea while listening to an academic lecture,
● identify the important details such as definitions, explanations, examples and statistics while listening to an academic lecture,
● recognize the structures that are used to define a term, concept, and/or principle while listening to an academic lecture,
● recognize the structures signaling advice and suggestions while listening to a conversation and/or an academic lecture,
● recognize true/false information while listening to an academic lecture,
● use specific strategies and techniques for effective note taking while listening to a lecture
● identify key words in a lecture,
● recognize the rhetorical cues in a lecture,
● recognize the sequential information in a lecture,
● identify mentioned/not mentioned information in a lecture,
● distinguish between true/false information in a lecture,
● develop their own strategies and techniques for effective note taking,
● complete an outline of a lecture using their notes.
SPEAKING
GOALS
The goal of the speaking component of the preparatory program is for learners to be able to communicate and collaborate orally with confidence and competence in a wide range of situations.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
● express themselves fluently on a wide range of conversational topics,
● express themselves with acceptable accuracy,
● convey their ideas clearly,
● engage in discussions efficiently,
● use presentation techniques effectively.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● deliver an oral presentation on a familiar topic using presentation skills,
● make effective use of presentation skills such as greeting the audience and introducing oneself, stating the topic, preparing and stating the outline of a talk, starting with an attention-grabbing statement, signposting, choosing appropriate content, and using effective body language and visuals,
● express themselves fluently on a wide range of conversational topics,
● express themselves with acceptable accuracy,
● convey their ideas clearly,
● express their opinions in a discussion effectively.
LEARNER TRAINING
GOALS
The goal of the learner training component of the preparatory program is for learners to become efficient and autonomous language learners.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
● study independently,
● collaborate with their peers to complete language tasks and assignments,
● utilize various strategies for language learning,
● make use of various online and offline resources for language learning,
● evaluate their own progress by filling in self-reflection tools,
● set their goals based on their strengths and weaknesses.
OUTCOMES
At the end of the program, students can:
● demonstrate the ability to study independently using self-study materials and other resources,
● actively collaborate with peers to complete language-related tasks and assignments, contributing meaningfully to group efforts,
● employ appropriate language learning strategies to enhance their proficiency and adapt to diverse learning situations,
● effectively use online and offline resources to support their language learning, including dictionaries, apps, and academic materials,
● critically evaluate their own language development by completing self-reflection tools,
● identify their strengths and areas for improvement to regulate their learning process.