Classes and Placement - ESL Center

Placement

The ESL Center administers an online placement test to students enrolling in the ESL Institute.

ESL Online Placement Test (requires an OU username/password to login)

Students are then placed in courses at one of three levels (beginning, intermediate or advanced) based on the results of their placement test and subject to course enrollments.

In general, the times and duration of the ESL courses follow the Oakland University schedule of classes and academic calendar.

Core Courses

ESL 0500N: Listening and Speaking I
To aid students in developing general listening and speaking skills through guided conversational practice. Students will be instructed in appropriate conversational techniques and will practice in group discussions.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0510N: Reading and Vocabulary Development I
Designed to help students develop general-purpose reading skills and strategies. Emphasis on vocabulary development to enhance reading facility.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0520N: Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes I
Designed for students of ESL to improve basic writing skills.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0600N: Listening and Speaking II
To help students develop the necessary listening and speaking skills for an academic environment. Focus will be on listening and speaking in a variety of class settings (lecture, seminar, discussion) and will include note-taking and subject comprehension.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0610N: Reading and Vocabulary Development II
An intermediate-level course designed to help students develop reading skills and strategies for academic purposes. Emphasizes developing appropriate technical vocabularies.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0620N: Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes II
Improving basic knowledge of paragraph structure, linear sequencing, and grammatical structures used in writing. Focus on organization and coherence, and practice in transitions, conciseness, and patterns of organization.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0700N: Listening and Speaking III
Designed to help students reduce their accent for improved listener comprehension. Focus on accuracy in articulation at both the individual sound level and the sentential level. Will use interactive phonetics software to provide feedback.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0710N: Reading and Vocabulary Development III
An advanced-level course designed to help students further develop reading skills and strategies for academic purposes. Emphasizes critical analysis and handling heavy reading loads.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 0720N: Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes III
Designed to help students improve their writing skills. Combines extensive practice in rhetorical techniques with a review of grammatical structures.
Prerequisite: Placement

During Fall and Winter Semesters, these courses are core courses and must be taken at the appropriate placement level.

ESL 054: Academic Communication I (2 or 4)
For non-native speakers only. Designed to provide an introduction to the skills necessary to succeed in the academic setting. The focus of this course is on non-verbal communication and classroom etiquette.
May be repeated for up to 12 credits.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 064: Academic Communication II (2 or 4)
For non-native speakers only. Designed to expand the skills necessary to succeed in the academic setting. The focus is on processing/synthesizing information received aurally.
May be repeated for up to 12 credits.
Prerequisite: Placement

ESL 074: Academic Communication III (2 or 4)
For non-native speakers only. Guides students toward mastery of the skills necessary to succeed in the academic setting. The focus is on student demonstration of their ability to communicate effectively in a variety of academic situations such that they are prepared for integration into general education courses.
May be repeated for up to 12 credits.
Prerequisite: Placement

During Summer I and Summer II, the following two courses are optional and may be taken in place of a core course with instructor permission.

During Fall and Winter Semesters, these courses will be offered, and students who wish to take these courses must meet all requirements and obtain instructor permission.

ESL 067: ST II: Intermediate/Advanced Grammar (4 credit) Online only
Designed to help students improve their grammar for writing as well as speaking. Students will be taught a variety of grammatical structures some of which will be individualized based upon a diagnostic test given during the first week of the course.
Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

ESL 077: ST III: Test Preparation (4 credit) Advanced ESL Students only
For non-native speakers only. Intensive instruction and guidance for advanced ESL students who are preparing for an English language proficiency test. Students will learn specific test taking strategies while improving their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Prerequisite: Instructor Permission