For most international students, improving English skills is necessary in order to keep up with classes and live successfully in the United States. Now, they will have one more option to improve English skills. The American Language Program at Ohio State University will start offering classes for international students who are already enrolled at OSU starting this summer, in addition to prospective students who will apply to academic programs in the future.
Louis Holschuh, director of the American Language Program, said all ALP classes would be available to undergraduate students this summer and offered every quarter.
“We are very happy to provide it because we speak to students who say they need a little bit more work in this area,” Holschuh said. “There is no pressure on the students for grading, and it emphasizes an opportunity to improve their English skills. Classes are typically small – 10 to 15 students,” he said.
Yun-Mi Choi, a South Korean student in human resources, said she wants to improve her English skills, especially her speaking and listening.
“I don’t understand class lectures perfectly, and in a discussion class, I sometimes don’t know the topics they are talking about,” Choi said. “Also, I’m shy, so I’m embarrassed to speak in front of many people.”
Most international undergraduate students usually take English as a second language courses, such as Education Teaching and Learning 106, 107 and 108. They take these classes prior to their academic major classes, when they begin at OSU. The 100-level English classes, however, only focus on academic writing.
“Ohio State offers work only in writing, so this is a situation in which students need to self-select,” Holschuh said.
The intensive language classes that will be offered will be effective for undergraduate students who have trouble in their pronunciation, listening or speaking.
“I started from the 108 class, but it was not really like speaking and discussion,” said Li Qing Goh, a Malaysian senior in psychology.
The international students do not get any classes for improving other parts of their English skills, like listening and speaking.
“I think this is good opportunity,” Goh said. “When I speak to my friends or classmates, they don’t really correct us. That’s a kind-of worry because I’m not sure whether (my English) is good or not.”
Holschuh said some elective classes will bring good opportunities for undergraduate students.
“Academic speaking skills class and understanding English pronunciation class would be interesting to undergraduate students,” he said. “We have wanted to do this for a long time because we know that there is nothing for students who need extra work in these areas. Because of the way we are programmed, organized and funded, it took some time to work out a mechanism to make it work, but we have just gotten an approval to do this very recently.”
Choi also said she has a difficulty with the pronunciation of some words, for example “live” and “leave,” and she needs someone who will correct her mistakes.
“I had an English tutor, and she talked to me about my pronunciation,” she said. “But I met with her only three times in this quarter and quit it.”
Holschuh anticipates a need for these programs for some undergraduate students.
“We haven’t started this yet, so we don’t know the number,” he said. “I don’t think the students will be a large number, but it will be some, and we want to make students aware that this is a new arrangement.”
