The utility and importance of "English as a Second Language" courses are being debated on many campuses. As international students find ways to acquire English at home at a cheaper cost and less time, ESL focused on them at U.S. institutions becomes less attractive. Two cases in very different settings get to some of the questions being explored, the first at Loyola University and the second is a community college group in New Jersey.
Cuts in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Loyola of Chicago attracted the attention of the campus chapter of AAUP. Faculty produced a report indicating that by cutting ESL faculty positions, Loyola lost momentum in international student enrollment and in prestige compared to other universities. The bottom line was that the decision to release faculty in ESL had cost the university money rather than creating savings.
In the New Jersey example, a recent meeting of the vice presidents of academic affairs for community colleges requested input from researchers affiliated with the state Community College Research Center. The researchers in this case provided evidence about access, completion, and next steps for students who take ESL courses. The findings stimulated discussion about the broader needs for ESL, including students who are recent immigrants with U.S.A. passports whose colloquial command of English is good but academic English is poor.
As competition for international student enrollment intensifies, most campuses are doing anything they can to maintain their numbers - with ESL being one option. The combination of the Loyola and New Jersey examples perhaps demonstrates that there is a larger market for ESL and that there is an opportunity to integrate international students through interaction with students who are U.S.A. citizens but still transitioning in language and sense of culture and belonging.
Cuts in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Loyola of Chicago attracted the attention of the campus chapter of AAUP. Faculty produced a report indicating that by cutting ESL faculty positions, Loyola lost momentum in international student enrollment and in prestige compared to other universities. The bottom line was that the decision to release faculty in ESL had cost the university money rather than creating savings.
In the New Jersey example, a recent meeting of the vice presidents of academic affairs for community colleges requested input from researchers affiliated with the state Community College Research Center. The researchers in this case provided evidence about access, completion, and next steps for students who take ESL courses. The findings stimulated discussion about the broader needs for ESL, including students who are recent immigrants with U.S.A. passports whose colloquial command of English is good but academic English is poor.
As competition for international student enrollment intensifies, most campuses are doing anything they can to maintain their numbers - with ESL being one option. The combination of the Loyola and New Jersey examples perhaps demonstrates that there is a larger market for ESL and that there is an opportunity to integrate international students through interaction with students who are U.S.A. citizens but still transitioning in language and sense of culture and belonging.
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