Aspects Not Covered

There are two areas of development that we have not documented in this book. The first is the development of students’ academic speaking ability, which is possibly one of the most challenging aspects of participation in English-speaking academic culture. A so-called ‘foreign accent’ can be a barrier to being comprehended and thus a threat to the students’ success that must be being taken seriously. In the Pitt IEP, speaking classes require presentations, but we do not have data to analyze based on those classes. It is a gap in our understanding of how students develop in this area.

In addition, we have not provided any quantitative analysis of how many learners progress to the next level (pass rates) or a complete set of rubrics that the IEP used to evaluate students in their various skills. These data exist and are reported to the Commission on English Program Administration but reporting on these data goes beyond the scope of this book.

Prospects for Intensive English Programs

In the United States

Throughout the United States, lEPs are housed in a variety of administrative units: reporting to provosts directly, in Schools of Education, and in academic departments. Other lEPs are now part of Pathways Programs that are wholly or partially owned by outside entities. One of the themes that emerges consistently from meetings of directors of lEPs in the university and College Intensive English Program consortium is that lEPs that are well integrated into the academic life of the institution are likely to have a more stable future (Hoekje & Stevens, 2017). The Pitt IEP isfortunate to be a core component of the Department of Linguistics and well integrated into the administrative life of the university through testing of matriculated students, instruction of credit-bearing courses for a variety of schools of the university, and serving as a partner in research and graduate student training in second language teaching and acquisition. These synergies are an important part of the vitality of a college-or university-based IEP and a key component in establishing ‘academic credibility’ in the institution.

However, lEPs in smaller population centers and smaller institutions may be at risk in the future as countries seek to develop their own IEP cultures in order to gain access to academic and professional advancement. In these situations, making links across campus will help programs in being recognized by their institutions in their role in international education.

Around the World

As of October 2019, the CEA list of accredited sites (https://cea-accredit. org/accredited-sites) reports that lEPs have been accredited by the USbased CEA across the globe: one in Egypt, one in Greece, one in Iraq, three in Kuwait, one in Mongolia, three in Peru, three in Qatar, six in Saudi Arabia, and four in Turkey. These data suggest that countries are increasingly setting up lEPs in order to train their citizens in English before they go overseas to study. This list does not include lEPs in other countries that have their own regulatory bodies. Obviously, the point is that as English remains the lingua franca of science, technology, commerce, and international politics, not just for English-speaking countries but among other countries, as well as economic and political organizations, the importance of lEPs around the world will increase.

It is hoped that this book may inform and generate debate at lEPs both in the United States as well as other countries, as long as the local conditions are taken into account.

Reference

Hoekje, B. J., & Stevens, S. G. (2017). Creating a culturally inclusive campus: A guide to supporting international students. New York: Routledge.