Question:
I'm interested to know how composition and esl/tesol interests play out
programmatically at institutions around the country. For instance, ESL
students can be entirely separately "tracked" for composition courses, or they
may be taught separately in pre-bac courses but "mainstreamed" in f-y writing
courses, and some schools have special classes just for international
students, just to name a few possibilities.
(1) I'd like to know if people have one of these models on their campus, or
another sort of configuration.
(2) Also at issue is how students are identified for ESL composition courses
and whether they are required or advised to take such courses.
(3) And curriculum: if ESL and native-speaker composition are separate, how
do the two differ? To what extent are they similar?
(4) Administration/location: are the ESL courses under the supervision of the
wpa or directed, staffed, and administered separately, and if so, by whom?
(5) And finally, how satisfied are you with the arrangement on your campus?
What problems do you experience/observe/hear about? What benefits?
If folks would have the time to respond to these questions, I'd very much
appreciate it. Shorthand and phrases OK, whatever's convenient for you, just
so I can get the gist of it.
Answer:
There's a distinct pre-First Year Writing Program ESL curriculum. In
some instances, students are enrolled in an ESL course and Basic Writing
simultaneously. That's the exception, though. More likely they take ESL
courses first and then, based on our Writing Program Placement text,
enter Basic or College Writing.
Students are requried to take the courses, I believe. The ESL
program administers a placement test. I think they also use Michigan
test scores
The most advanced of the ESL courses, Advanced ESL Composition may
overlap some with our First Year Composition Course, College Writing, but
not much. Students who take this advanced ESL course take the Writing
Program placement test, many placing into College Writing. If they were
to earn an exemption on the basis of their test results, then they could
skip College Writing.
We do not have distinct ESL sections of Basic or College Writing.
Yes, they are administered and staffed separately, currently under
the Provost's Office, reporting to a different administrator than the one
who oversees the Writing Program.
We coordinate informally, but should do so more than we do.
We do not coordinate on matters of curricular and pedagogical
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