Classes

Classes

Our classes are designed for students ranging in proficiency from true beginner to high intermediate/advanced levels. Full-time students receive 21 hours of instruction per week addressing a complete range of language skills including reading and vocabulary development, writing and grammar, and oral communication. Enrichment courses that complement the curriculum at each level are also included, and an academic listening and note-taking instruction is included at the top levels.

Testing and Placement

All new IEP students take a placement test upon their arrival to campus. The test examines the students' abilities in writing, listening, reading and grammar. Results of the test determine the student's placement in the appropriate level.

Foundations Level: Introductory level for students who have very little or no working knowledge of English. Students work on developing phonemic awareness, acquiring basic vocabulary with emphasis on spelling and learning basic sentence structure. Advancement from the Foundations Level to Level 1 may require more than one 7-week term.

Level 1: Beginning level for students who have some basic knowledge of English, but  who struggle with simple communication situations. Students may have a basic knowledge of some grammatical structures. Advancement from Level 1 to Level 2 may require more than one 7-week  term.

Level 2: High beginning level for students who understand simplified input and can be understood, but demonstrate a lack of fluency. Students begin to show understanding of verb tenses and are able to express ideas in simple written and oral language. Advancement from Level 2 to Level 3 may require more than one 7-week term.

Level 3: Low Intermediate level for students who can understand and read adapted material with some ease, but may make frequent mistakes when writing and speaking. Level 3 represents the curricular shift in focus from basic interpersonal communication skills to an emphasis on production, fluency, and accuracy in academic language skills. Advancement from Level 3 to Level 4 may require more than one 7-week term. Students who enter the IEP at Level 3 and above can reasonably expect to complete the IEP within one year.

Level 4: Intermediate level for students who understand adapted reading material and some authentic material and are able to communicate most ideas clearly when speaking or writing, but may still need support to identify and correct errors. With guidance, students can engage in authentic academic listening and collaborative speaking tasks, and produce essays on abstract concepts incorporating complex grammatical structures. Advancement from Level 4 to Level 5 may require more than one 7-week term.  

Level 5: High intermediate level for students who can read and understand most authentic reading material with guidance and engage in authentic academic speaking and listening tasks with some guidance. In writing, students are able to produce well-organized essays and are guided to incorporate source material, academic vocabulary, and complex grammatical structures. In speaking, students are able to discuss complex and abstract ideas with minimal hesitation and few errors that interfere with comprehensibility. Achievement of proficiency required to complete Level 5 may require more than one 7-week term.  

Class Schedule

Classes are held between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday.  Students are registered for classes by the IEP administration. Each full-time schedule will include 21 hours per week of faculty-led classroom instruction as outlined here:

Foundations Level

Reading/Vocabulary — 6 hours
Writing/Grammar — 6 hours
Oral Communication — 6 hours
Special Topics — 3 hours

Levels 1 and 2

Reading/Vocabulary — 6 hours
Writing/Grammar — 6 hours
Oral Communication — 6 hours
Special Topics — 3 hours

Levels 3, 4  and 5

Reading/Vocabulary — 6 hours
Writing/Grammar — 6 hours
Oral Communication/Listening & Note-Taking — 6 hours
Special Topics — 3 hours

For more details on the IEP schedule, including a sample weekly schedule grid, please see the IEP Student Handbook. 

IEP Instructors

Our teachers in the Intensive English Program are highly qualified professional instructors. Our instructors have the following qualifications:

• A Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or a related field, or
• A Master's degree and a TESL/TEFL certificate, e.g. CELTA, Oxford Seminars
• Experience working, studying and/or living abroad
• Membership in international and regional TESOL and other professional organizations
• Knowledge in computer-assisted instruction

Transportation to Class

Full-time IEP students (on F1 visas) should make a commitment to attend class regularly and on time. Therefore, it is important for students to think about how they will travel to the UD campus every day. 

Please note that students who live off-campus are responsible for finding transportation to and from campus as early as 8 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. Many IEP students find housing close enough to campus that they can walk. Otherwise, students sometimes arrange to carpool with other students, or use Dayton’s RTA bus system. In addition, students with young children are responsible for arranging any necessary daycare. 

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