Brigham Young University

Intensive ESL The English Language Center (ELC) at Brigham Young University is under the direction of the Department of Linguistics and English Language and the Division of Continuing Education. The program is designed to provide a laboratory school for teachers learning to teach English to speakers of other languages and to provide high quality English language instruction for students desiring to improve their English language skills. Students can expect most of the teachers at the ELC to be graduate students studying in the TESOL master’s degree program or to have graduated from that program with a graduate certificate or master’s degree. Although ELC students are not BYU students, they nevertheless have access to many BYU facilities including the university library as well as to the ELC computer lab and resource center. The English Language Center strongly promotes an English-only environment. At the ELC, language instruction and testing take place Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Students are expected to complete 2 to 3 hours of homework assignments daily. They also participate in social activities sponsored by the ELC. Above all, the intensive nature of the program supports language development; students attend 20 hours a week of in-class instruction plus lab work. Entering students are tested in order to determine their level of English proficiency and are placed in the appropriate track and level according to their performance on the placement test. The ELC has two tracks, and each track offers 3 levels for English study—The foundations track A, B, and C and the academic track A, B, and C (see chart below). 1) The Foundations Track Focuses on basic language skills. Students admitted to this track should have some foundation in English prior to coming to the ELC. While at the ELC, they will work to improve their skills, though they may not be interested in or ready for academic English study designed to prepare students for university training. 2) The Academic Track Focuses specifically on preparing students to develop English language skills in order to attend a university where English is the medium of instruction. Academic track students should have at least a high intermediate level of English proficiency. Students are tested when they arrive at the ELC and are placed in the appropriate track according to their ability in English.