d. Writing reflective blogs as part of an online assignment e. Responding to the blog postings of others
f. Emailing the professor/TA g. Reading articles and papers h. Summarizing articles and papers
i. Listening to lectures
j. Following instructions on assignments k. Giving class presentations
l. Participating in class discussions
3. Are there any other activities not included on this list which should be a priority for developing skills among students entering your pro- grams from EAP courses?
4. Do you have any quantitative data about the performance of stu- dents entering your programs from EAP courses which you could share with us?
5. What is the one thing we could be doing better in preparing stu- dents entering your programs from EAP courses for your academic program?
Although each academic department is likely to give slightly different responses depending on the specific genre and discourse patterns of aca- demic language required in different disciplines, general trends are likely to emerge.
Curriculum planning in our context
Moreover, what mattered to them was that students could write clearly, and put sentences together in a structured paragraph. They expected to have to teach native speaker NS undergraduate students how to write an essay and that held true also for students entering their programs from EAP courses. This was important feedback which we incorporated into our curriculum. We did not abandon the five-paragraph essay using cita- tions, nor did we switch entirely to teaching sentence level grammar or include only paragraphs in our final exams. However, we synthesized this feedback into our curriculum by ensuring that our rubrics and rating scales began to emphasize grammatical accuracy, sentence structure and organi- zation along with research, content, and citations. All of these factors still combine to offer summative assessment marks but we have addressed this deficiency in our programming through this approach as well as inclusion of a detailed grammar curriculum to better meet the needs and support the success of our students as they move through their undergraduate academic pathways.
Other sources that can provide data important to better understanding the academic challenges that will be faced by students include:
Course Outlines: Assessment guidelines, readings, workload, and academic expectations are usually articulated.
Assignments: Instructions and expectations for assignments, as well as understanding how grading is completed.
Final Exams: If academic partners are willing to share these docu- ments for the research, they can provide a rich source for analysis of what language skills would best support student success.
Lecture/Lab/Seminar observations: Getting a bird’s eye view of what students will experience can be very informative in designing EAP curriculum and determining what the focus should be.
Data analysis of grade point average (GPA) & completion rates:
Ultimately, students who enter university undergraduate programs will measure success as it relates to their GPA and their completion rates.
Analyzing Data from Academic Receiving Faculties
Synthesis of the data from these different sources will be required in order to make sense of all the different strands of information. It may be
observed that metalinguistic awareness in terms of understanding the suc- cess rates on NNS students among, for example, members of the Faculty of Science may not be high. More general comments related to student success will require analysis through a lens of second language acquisition and EAP pedagogical expertise in order to determine how these might impact curriculum design and development. Moreover, student success in final exams may need to be understood not only in terms of a student’s linguistic readiness but more broadly take into account other factors such as motivation, and more general academic acculturation processes. It is recommended that all of the data collected be reviewed and integrated with a critical eye. For example, even using GPA as a measure of success has been critiqued in the literature with academics unable to conclude whether GPA is really a measure of academic success among international students or more a measure of increasing language proficiency. Further- more, others assert that GPA should be measured alongside credit weights taken in a particular semester to gain a clear picture of NNS student suc- cess (Fox, Cheng, Berman, Song, & Myles,2006).
Registrar’s Office/Admissions Office
If EAP courses are credit-bearing and/or form part of a formal tran- sition program, the Registrar’s Office or the Admissions office may be considered a major stakeholder in changing program goals for an EAP curriculum. Significant enhancements to an EAP program which result in changes to the length of the EAP program, for example, may have financial implications. Changes to EAP programs which result in modified learner pathways may have governance-related implications. Furthermore, these stakeholders may be able to yield valuable data related to current student success which can inform planned enhancements to the curricu- lum. Lastly, the Admissions Office/Registrar is a critical stakeholder in relation to establishing the English language proficiency (ELP) require- ment for the institution. It is vital to understand how changes to the curriculum and assessment within the program might impact the rela- tionship between the use of standardized language proficiency tests and completion of EAP courses.
Goal for environmental scan: What specific changes to the EAP pro- gram could have a domino effect on tuition fees and may result in governance-related issues?
Goal for environmental scan: What data is available on students who have completed the EAP program in terms of program comple- tion/graduation rates?
Sample Questions:
• What are program completion comparisons for domestic students, international students who entered degree programs directly without EAP preparation, and those students entering from EAP courses?
• Will changes in the curriculum impact students’ readiness for under- graduate study?
• Will changes to the EAP program have a cascading impact on the required ELP entry levels which may not align with the broader strategic goals of the institution regarding NNS/International stu- dents?
• Are changes planned for ELP?
• Will changes to the EAP curriculum impact ELP overall at institu- tion?
Internal Stakeholders
Within every school or institution offering EAP programs, there exists a unique range of internal stakeholders. These may include but may not be limited to students, instructors, administrators, student advisors, and administrative staff. Each group can offer a distinct perspective on the program and may be uniquely affected by curriculum changes. Because the needs and perspectives of the students in an EAP program are consid- ered so fundamental to the program, we have parsed out this aspect as an entire section on its own, see later section,Understanding learners’ needs.
In this section on understanding the environment, internal stakeholders, we will focus exclusively on those working in the EAP program.
EAP Teachers
Outside of a consideration of the impact of curriculum changes on learn- ers, perhaps the most significant stakeholder group in an EAP curricu- lum process is the teaching team. Not only do the teachers bring their expertise in terms of metalinguistic awareness, experience with the learner group, and knowledge of the current curriculum, but ultimately they will
determine how any new curriculum plan is lived in the classroom setting.
Not only is gathering their input vital as stated in the EAP curriculum principles, but every step of the curriculum development and implemen- tation can be seen as an opportunity to engage instructors with its even- tual implementation. Consultation with teachers, then, not only garners critical input for curriculum developers, but is vital in determining how close the group is to building a shared understanding of the program phi- losophy and pedagogical principles. Moreover, this consultation offers an opportunity to be transparent with instructors thatchange is coming and that consultation with them is a priority.
Sample questions for EAP teachers:
• How is the current EAP program/curriculum being lived in the classroom?
• What methodology do you tend to use most frequently with your class?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current programming approach?
• What should we put more emphasis on? Where should we focus less?
• What are your students’ greatest weaknesses in terms of academic language proficiency?
• What aspects of EAP programming should be explicitly stated in the new curriculum?
• How well are summative assessments functioning?
Administrators
Those tasked with managing and administering the EAP program are likely to be closely involved with the development of a new curriculum.
Individual consultations with members of this team are likely to yield critical information related to how changes in one part of the program will impact other aspects of the program, and how relations with external stakeholders might be affected by curriculum changes. Although this con- sultation appears mid-section in this chapter, starting with this uniquely placed internal stakeholder group may provide direction for other consul- tations undertaken in the environmental scan.
Sample questions for administrators:
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current programming approach?
• Are students who complete the current EAP program ready for undergraduate study?
• How do receiving academic faculties experience former EAP stu- dents?
• What are the most obvious program challenges associated with cur- rent program?
• How might changes in the EAP program impact other programs offered by the language school?
Student Advisors
Student advisors are uniquely positioned to provide expert and objective information about both the learner pathways and academic readiness of students completing the EAP program. As those who spend their time discussing the goals and intentions, as well as the challenges of current and former EAP students transitioning to mainstream study, these advi- sors can provide firsthand information about student needs. Moreover, they have detailed knowledge of the academic pathway options available to EAP students and can inform the curriculum development process in this way.
Sample Questions:
• Are students completing the EAP program currently able to pursue their broader academic goals?
• What specific challenges are EAP students facing in their language courses?
• What changes in the EAP program might be most beneficial to EAP students?
Administrative Staff
Administrative staff are often the most client facing of all members of an EAP program as they deal with everyday inquiries, registration, problems, re-registering students who have not passed a course, and responding to questions around a program, exam, or even curriculum content. They are often overlooked during an environmental scan as they are not considered
part of the academic team who can contribute this kind of perspective.
However, this oversight can limit a scan which is trying to take a complete 360° view of an EAP program. Administrative staff can offer a perspective that outlines the perceptions of students about the program and some of their frustrations, which may not be voiced to teachers or during a focus group with learners. These insights may not entirely shape a new curriculum but may inform the communication and messaging around the launch of a new curriculum or how information should be communicated to learners.
Sample questions for administrative staff:
• What are the most common reasons why students who make inquiries about enrolling in our EAP program do not complete their registration?
• What proportion of students who do not pass a course, re-register in that course?
• What problems do students share with you that they are experiencing in our EAP program?
• What is your perception about the language level of our students?
Where do they struggle? Where are they stronger?
• What could be the impact of changing the program, in this way?
Understanding Learner Needs
EAP programs offer a particular form of English for specific purposes courses, which are more narrowly targeted on those specific language areas that language learners will encounter on completion of the program (Basturkmen,2010). For this reason, a learner needs analysis tends to be a central focus of the environmental scan. A consideration of the needs, perceptions, and successes of current and former EAP students are viewed as central to curriculum changes to be made; it is for students that those changes are being considered, after all.
There are multiple tools that can be utilized in order to gather input on students’ intersections with an EAP course. Different tools target different aspects of data collection but can be used in a combined approach to build a comprehensive student perspective on the EAP program.
In this section, we propose that the scan of learners’ needs begin with a data-driven approach, which can then establish a concrete context for more qualitative data collection. Note: As stated in the principles of EAP curriculum development in Chapter 1, “EAP curriculum development is a highly integrative process, involving a wide-range of stakeholders each with specific considerations operating in a relatively high-stakes environ- ment.” However, the data generated by this process should now be ana- lyzed specifically in light of how each piece relates to learners’ needs.
Former EAP students
Students who have completed the EAP program and are now in degree programs are uniquely positioned to reflect on how well-prepared they felt as a result of those programs for mainstream academic study. In addi- tion to their perceptions, data describing success rates should be used to confirm perceptions of successful transitioning. It should be noted that contacting former EAP students can be challenging, particularly in larger institutions, and moreover, their recollections of the EAP course might have diminished with time. If data has already been collected from the Registrar’s Office and others regarding students’ ‘success’ rates, this por- tion of the environmental scan can gather qualitative data from former students which can probe their perceptions of language readiness, levels of academic socialization, and confidence in their mainstream academic pro- grams. Additionally, this kind of research can provide robust data about what academic pathways students actually pursue on completion of their EAP program.
Goal for environmental scan: Did the EAP curriculum/program align with their perceptions of the skills needed for mainstream academic study?
Sample Questions:
1. What was the best part of your EAP program?
2. What was the hardest aspect of transitioning to mainstream academic study?
3. Which learning activities in your EAP program proved to be most helpful in your academic program?
4. Which learning activities in your EAP program do you wish you had spent more time on?
5. Which learning activities in your EAP program do you wish you had spent less time on?
6. In your EAP program, you spent a lot of time writing five paragraph essays—was that a useful skill to learn?
7. What advice would you give to a current EAP student about how to get the most from the EAP courses?
8. Has there been any aspect of your mainstream academic program for which you felt completely unprepared?
Current EAP students
Students currently enrolled in EAP programs can offer insight not subject to the challenges of the passage of time. However, unless they are con- currently enrolled in undergraduate courses, it may be more challenging for this group to objectively reflect on how useful the courses may be for transitioning to degree programs. From an organizational perspective, this group is simple to identify and make contact with, and students in this group can reflect on how the course is meeting their expectations and supporting the development of their language skills and academic knowledge.
Goal for environmental scan: How are current learners experiencing the EAP curriculum as lived and what challenges are they facing?
Goal for environmental scan: What aspects of EAP programming may need to have increased or decreased emphasis as part of a new curriculum, in response to their lived experience of the EAP curriculum?
Sample Questions:
1. What has been the best aspect of your EAP program so far?
2. Why do you like this part of your course?
3. What has been the hardest part of transitioning to studying at an English speaking university?
4. Which learning activities in your EAP program are most helpful in developing your academic English?
5. Do you feel that you spend enough time on these activities?
6. Which learning activities in your EAP program do you find least helpful?
7. Why do you think these aspects are not very helpful to you?
8. Which other learning activities in your EAP program do you wish you spent less time on?
9. How confident do you feel about the following parts of academic English?
1=not confident at all−5 =very confident a. Writing papers
b. Using correct citation format
c. Writing short answer questions in an exam
d. Writing reflective blogs as part of an online assignment e. Responding to the blog postings of others
f. Emailing the professor/TA g. Reading articles and papers h. Summarizing articles and papers
i. Listening to lectures
j. Following instructions on assignments k. Giving class presentations
l. Participating in class discussions
10.What advice would you give to a new EAP student about how to learn the most from the EAP courses?
Curriculum planning in our context