By Justin Roche staff reporter Students in the Intensive English Program can now learn English through multimedia software and interactive curriculum with the addition of e-Program, a new TCU Internet resource. Kurk Gayle, Director of the IEP, said TCU is forging new trails in teaching English to international students in the country. "As far as we can tell, TCU is the only one, and therefore the first, to have the program online," Gayle said. There are 451 IEP programs in the United States, bringing more than 54,000 international students to learn the language. However, many more are kept from coming due to the cost of living and the required visa to enter the United States. These and other factors have resulted in more international students seeking an intensive English program in other countries, like Great Britain and New Zealand, Gayle said. The e-Program bypasses these hindrances, allowing participation and learning worldwide, Gayle said. "One of the biggest benefits of the e-Program is that it brings the world's most utilized language directly to anyone who wants to learn," Gayle said. Created by Daniel Olson, IEP lab coordinator, the e-Program began last March and has already seen immediate results. The use of the e-Program has resulted in improved scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, an exam that all international students need to pass to enter into any U.S. university. The program utilizes video clips from movies such as "Groundhog Day" to "The Fugitive" to show students common uses of the English language. Other lessons are available for users to listen to and attempt to duplicate. The reading and writing aspects of English are also emphasized through quizzes on the film clips, an online chat room, a discussion board where students can post messages and writing assignments on different topics. These hi-tech capabilities of the e-Program make it exciting and easy to use, Olson said. It is also available to IEP students in the higher level English classes. "Students have been eager to use it and students in the lower level classes are eager to get into it," Olson said. Reiko Hashimoto, a freshman computer science major from Japan, participated in the e-Program and said most of the success behind it comes from the instructors' desire to help the students and the program grow. "It's a really nice program and everyday it's improving because the teachers are always trying to make it better," Hashimoto said. The program is also set up so the instructors can monitor the students' progress, review their work and even offer suggestions, both in print and on recorded audio clips, Gayle said. This contact gives the e-Program a more personal touch. "It's highly interactive," Gayle said. "Your classroom is a one-teacher-to-three-student (ratio). And TCU students can get involved by being an e-mail pal with the IEP students to help with surveys and assignments." Along with these options, the IEP has seminars that all of its students can attend if they want face-to-face interaction. In June, the Mary Couts Burnett Library opened the Union Pacific Learning Laboratory, a computer lab created specifically for the IEP students and the e-Program that was made possible by a $180,000 grant from Union Pacific. With this new and exciting resource for the IEP, Gayle said he hopes to give students the opportunity to learn English, both at TCU and around the globe. "We want the e-Program to help students get English quick, regardless of time or space," Gayle said. |
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