The AEG offers an intensive English program of study for beginning, intermediate, and advanced level students in the language skills of reading, writing, grammer, listening, and speaking. Elective courses in TOEFL preparation and pronunciation are also offered. Understanding US American culture is an integral part of each class. Teachers use audio/visual materials, multimedia-based technology and individual attention to provide every student with the opportunity to master the English language.

 

Levels

The AEG offers 6 levels of intensive study (8 weeks each): Level I          Beginning       Level II         High-beginning Level III        Low-Intermediate Level IV        Intermediate Level V         High-Intermediate Level VI        Advanced Level I, II, III, & IV courses are offered for institutional credit; Level V & VI courses of up to 6 credit hours can be used as free electives and can be used to fulfill the academic degree requirement.

 

Core Classes (20 hrs/week)

Grammar

Oral and written work supplemented with computer lab assignments. Covers parts of speech, basic sentence structure, and tenses.

 

Listening

Content includes functional listening strategies, sound discrimination, basic conversation, selective listening, examination of grammatical and phonological features of spoken English and the development of listening strategies and note-taking skills for academic lectures.

 

Reading

Focus on building vocabulary, developing reading skills such as finding main ideas, locating pronoun referents, and using context clues and increase reading speed and comprehension.

 

Speaking

Intensive practice in sound production and differentiation as well as syllable stress, word stress, and intonation patterns. Uses word games, textbook activities, recordings, and software. Increases fluency and confidence by building vocabulary and providing controlled speaking practice in a safe environment.

 

Writing

Focus on sentence-level writing, paragraph-level writing, and essay construction.

 

Note: A student may be placed into a different level for each of the core classes, depending on his/her ability in that area. For example, a student may have Listening II, Reading III, Writing III, Grammar IV, and Speaking II. Students advance from level to level as a results of the grades they earn in each of their core classes. Students who excel in their classes may be qualified to skip a level.

 

 

Elective Classes

TOEFL Preparation

Students learn test-taking strategies, take and analyze practice exams, and work to increase vocabulary in order to prepare for the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Supplementary study of idioms helps students cope with the challenging listening comprehension section of this standardized exam.

 

 

Key Principle

The unique needs of each student are carefully evaluated by an ESL specialist using a comprehensive series of diagnostic measures designed to place students in classes which match their level of ability and address the specific skills they need to work on. Progress is closely monitored throughout each student’s course of study to ensure a steady and timely progression to a higher level of language proficiency. The AEG Placement exam is administered one day prior to the beginning of each term.