Insufficient English skills are detrimental to both student and university, resulting in higher drop-out rates, lost investment and a negative impact on the experience of fellow students. That’s why many universities choose to provide ‘English for University’ courses to prepare students for their upcoming studies. Let’s take a look at how these courses can help equip students with both the academic and soft skills they need to thrive during their time with you.
It’s not just about learning English
Studies have shown that higher language proficiency is positively correlated with academic success, but there’s more to studying abroad than speaking the language. To thrive in their new setting, international students need bringing up to speed on every aspect of studying in their chosen country before their course starts.
Even if a student has studied abroad before, it would be unfair to assume that they’re already well-versed in how things are done in their country of choice this time round. University teaching styles, methods and assessment formats inevitably differ from country to country, as do course structures and durations, and the wider education systems into which they fit. This picture is only made more complex by course-specific language and pedagogy (a healthcare course will be vastly different to a humanities degree, for example).
So-called ‘soft’ skills are important too: skills such as presentation delivery, communication, research and networking all stand them in good stead for both university and life beyond it. Indeed, two thirds of employers state that soft skills like these are more valuable than educational qualifications when hiring.
And let’s not forget the interpersonal side of university – both in and outside the classroom – and the importance of cultural awareness and integration on ensuring international students (and their ‘local’ peers) get the best from their time abroad. Cultural immersion on an English for University course will help them ‘hit the ground running’ from a social point of view, enabling them to make friends and quickly build the support network they need to adapt and thrive.
International students bring diversity to the student pool and add much to the university community. Ensuring they’re able to contribute fully and equipping them for success is therefore a worthwhile pursuit. That’s why many universities choose to offer ‘English for University’ courses, designed to help bring students up to the standard of English necessary for higher education as well as teaching the ‘soft’ skills they’ll need to succeed.
The benefits of outsourcing pre-sessional English course delivery
English for University programmes are often referred to here in the UK as pre-sessional English courses. In Canada, they’re known as English for Academic Purposes, and in the US they’re called Pathways English Online. However they’re named, they provide students with intensive English language study before their university course begins. They’re tailored to help students whose language skills have been identified as not meeting the required standard, and the best courses also support students in developing other skills needed to thrive at university overseas.
Although some universities do offer their own pre-sessional English courses, many choose to partner with an external provider. At a time when great global demand on universities is coupled with expectations to perform with dwindling resources, this alleviates the heavy workload associated with running such courses. It saves valuable time and budget, as well as resources such as teaching staff, training time and materials.
Working with an external course provider makes other aspects easier, too: there’s much more flexibility over when and where it’s carried out, which also makes it infinitely more scalable. What’s more, it means there’s no need to set aside teaching space or think about catering. An external provider will cover the teaching, assessment and student management so that you don’t have to.
Customisable English for University courses
As we’ve seen, the right English for University course will do more than just enable students to improve their English ready for foundation, undergraduate or postgraduate education. It will help them improve in numerous areas needed for studying abroad, developing a raft of academic and soft skills to help them thrive both academically and socially.
Our customisable 6, 12 or 16-week courses can be white-labelled and can be fully tailored to the needs of your university, or even to specific courses, providing measurable increases in students’ English proficiency as follows:
● 6 weeks: increase of 1 OIDI Level or 0.5 IELTS level increase
● 12 weeks: increase of 2 OIDI Levels or 1.0 IELTS level increase
● 16 weeks: increase of 3 OIDI Levels or 1.5 IELTS level increase
Carried out online, but with opportunities for group working with other students, our courses are flexible and accessible for students anywhere around the world. The results speak for themselves, with an exceptional conversion rate of 98.2% of our students improving their English language levels to progress to university study.
Our courses already help over 50,000 UK and international students achieve academic success every year, at the same time as supporting universities to make sure students’ transition from our courses to theirs is smooth and seamless. If you’re looking for English language support for higher education and you’d like to find out more, get in touch today.
