Academic English-focused instruction in Vantage One programs is provided through a combination of general academic writing and discipline-specific academic English courses. A focus on academic English language and literacy is further complemented with individual and small group tutorials and workshops. These courses and sessions are taught by Academic English instructors.
An innovative aspect of academic English instruction at Vantage College relates to the linguistic orientation of our pedagogy. Our curriculum and materials are primarily informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a language theory that views language as a system of choices for meaning-making in context. Students learn SFL-based metalanguage (that is, language to talk about language) that allows them to engage in critical analyses of texts across the disciplines they study. This approach makes them more aware of the rhetorical and linguistic choices they make when communicating with others.
For an overview of courses and other academic English resources in our programs, see here.
- Role of LLED and Vantage (VANT) courses
Our main goal in the AEP is to help students become more effective readers and writers in a variety of academic disciplines. We achieve this goal by offering courses in Language and Literacy Education (LLED) that introduce students to foundational knowledge to identify genres and textual patterns.
LLED 200 provides students with the foundational knowledge and strategies to analyze the features of a variety of academic texts, and in this way, become more effective readers and writers. LLED 201 extends this knowledge and provides opportunities to develop library research skills and to design and carry out small classroom-based research projects.
A more discipline-specific lens is offered in custom-developed Vantage (VANT) courses. VANT 140 Integrated Language and Content Tutorials, is a custom-designed course that was newly developed by the Vantage College AEP team in collaboration with disciplinary instructors teaching a variety of courses across the Vantage One programs. Using a content-based instructional approach and a focus on English for specific academic purposes, this adjunct course is linked to the content courses (e.g., Geography, Chemistry, Economics, etc.) in the respective Vantage One program options.
Academic English Appointments and Workshops
The AEP team provides further support through offering tutorials on demand. Students can register online to take advantage of individual or small group sessions with an AEP instructor of their choice (based on availability). Additionally, AEP instructors also deliver a series of workshops to support students’ academic presentation preparation and delivery skills, pronunciation and reporting research through written genres.