SFU
OFFICE OF THE ASSOCIATE VICE-PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC AND
ASSOCIATE PROVOST
S.13-79
8888 University Drive,
Burnaby, BC
Canada V5A1S6
TEL: 778.782.4636
FAX: 778.782.5876
www.sfu.ca/vpacademic
MEMORANDUM
ATTENTION
FROM
RE:
Senate
Gordon Myers, Chair
Senate Committee on
Undergraduate Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
DATE
PAGES
April 5, 2013
1/1
For information:
Acting under delegated authority at its meeting of April 4, 2013, SCUS approved the
following curriculum revisions.
1. Department of Linguistics ISCUS 13-05i(REVISED))
(i) New Course Proposal: EAS 101-4, English Language Fundamentals for the Arts
and Social Sciences effective Fall 2013.
2. Department of Humanities (SCUS 13-20)
) Reactivation of HUM 151-3, 152-3, Ancient Greek
i] Reactivation of LANG 134-3, Introduction to Classical Arabic
ii) Course name change to LANG 134 effective Fall 2013.
SIMON PHASER UNIVERSITY
ENGAGING THE WORLD
MEMO
English for Academic
Success
Department of Linguistics
p: 778-782-6715
e: sjf(5)sfu.ca
SFU
SCUS 13-051 REVISED
TO Dr. Steve Marshall, Coordinator, Foundations of Academic Literacy
FROM Sarah Fleming, Coordinator, English for Academic Success
RE Revised rationale for new course proposal EAS 101-4
CC Marti Sevier, Tom Perry, Panayiotis Pappas, Ena Lee
DATE March 19, 2013
This memo introduces minor revisions to the course proposal for
EAS 101-4: Introduction to
Language and Concepts in the Social Sciences.
This course is proposed as a three-year pilot
project to address the language learning needs of EAL students in FASS courses. In response
to discussions with colleagues in the Faculty of Education, entry requirements have been
adjusted to ensure a coherent curricular progression for EAL students, from FAL into EAS. This
memo provides an overview of the course and highlights the requirement changes.
This course aims to serve a variety of purposes. It is designed for a specific audience: EAL
students with limited prior experience in English-medium academic work who are within their
first 60 credit hours of undergraduate studies. The course was prepared in response to
recommendations made in the 2011 EAL Committee report,
English as an Additional
Language: supports and services at SFU.
The report noted that a significant number of SFU
students are speakers of English as an additional language, and they may be either domestic
or international students. Some of these students have met the language and literacy
requirements for admission, yet still struggle with language and language-related issues in
managing their coursework and integrating into the university community. The VP Academic
recommends that the university provide a range of means whereby EAL students can improve
their skills, for example through credit courses which focus on academic skills and
acculturation opportunities as well as language skills. Accordingly, this course represents one
initiative to provide for the learning needs of these students.
This course also serves as a means whereby EAL students can prepare for success in future
FASS programs. EAL students entering undergraduate study already have a good level of
general English competence, and need academic language learning that is grounded within
broad disciplinary practice and content if they are to approach future FASS courses with
appropriate ability and confidence. As a first-level FASS offering, it is designed to increase
student awareness of and fluency in knowledge and practice relevant to future study in social
science disciplines. Accordingly, the course will focus on topics, text forms and task types that
are used across a range of FASSdisciplines.
In this memo I describe the target population for the course and how this course provides a
unique learning experience; course aims and objectives; screening procedures; measurement
of outcomes, and suggestions for tracking of student progress. Iwill also comment on how
the course might be promoted and a schedule for offering it.
Target Population: Language Proficiency and Discipline Focus
Language Proficiency
The target clientele of this course is EAL students who have had less than 4 years of prior
English-medium instruction, and so presumably have had limited exposure to academic
English. Such students may also have limited access to English in their daily lives in Canada
SIMON FRASEH UNIVERSITY
THINKING OF THE WORLD
and so have not developed in general English or Canadian cultural knowledge. Many EAL
students at SFU seek to participate in the university community but feel hindered in their
progress as they are inhibited by the perceived fluency of their classmates. In an
environment where language learners work together, they can support and learn from one
another more effectively than they might in a more heterogeneous group. Accordingly, EAS
101-4 is not aimed at students who already have a high level of oral/aural fluency and can
easily comprehend academic lectures and readings in English. Students taking this course will
more typically be those who are admitted with an IELTS test score (or equivalent) of overall
Band 6.5, but with Reading, Listening, and/or Speaking scores lower than Band 7. EAS 101-4
is designed for EAL students who have met the literacy requirement through taking FAL X99
or by other means. These students have reached a threshold level of proficiencywith
academic literacy, but need further support to achieve the full range of academic language
abilities needed for success in FASS courses.
Disciplinary Focus
Thiscourse aims to prepare EAL students for the language demands of further work in social
science disciplines. It is recommended that course enrollment be limited as follows: only
students who have been admitted to FASS, and students who are within their first three
semesters of study. With this arrangement, the course can serve as a means of student
retention in FASS programs. The course uses content, class activities and assignments
generallytypical in FASS courses. The learningof languageat an advanced academic level is
most effectively undertaken within a disciplinary focus, as this focus allows the coherent
development of ideas, vocabulary and languagestructures whichare common in the social
science disciplines.
Aims and Objectives
In many SFU courses, particularly in FASS, a great deal of attention is givento writingas this is
a desirable academic product. Speaking is also important as many courses require short
presentation assignments. Less attention is givento listeningand reading, despite their
crucial importance to academic success. EAS 101-4 aims to help learners develop all four
language skills in an integrated fashion, usingcontent and methods that are relevant to their
goals and to FASS courses they will take at SFU. The course will place structured practice with
listening, speaking, reading and writingtasks in an academic context so that students can see
the connections between these skills and their coursework. The subject matter, class
activities and course assignments will be broadly similar to those in typical lower-division
FASS courses.
When students should take EAS 101-4
This course is unique in the SFU curriculum insofar as it is designed to support the academic
language learning of EAL students enrolled in FASS courses at SFU. Assuch, it is distinct from
FAL X99. FAL's primary focus is on academic writing. EAS 101-4, on the other hand, aims to
foster learning of all four language skillsin an integrated manner. The EAL students most
likelyto need
the support offered through EAS 101-4 are those who have had limited prior
experience of English-medium schooling. Such students need the opportunity to acclimatize
to different methods of teaching and learning and becoming university students in Canada.
EAS 101-4 will offer this opportunity, helping students to develop strategies to manage
academic reading, follow academic lectures, participate in class discussions and work with
classmates to give presentations. Bytaking EAS 101-4 early in their university career, EAL
students will receive cultural and academic orientation, as well as language learning, that can
equip them to respond successfully to the demands of other courses in FASS.
Course promotion
As this course targets EAL students early in their study career, it is important that recruiters,
academic advisors and departments be made aware of it. To this end a course website willbe
set up and linked to the FASS site as well as to Student Services and International Admissions.
In addition, advisors will be sent FAQ information about the course so they are aware of who
it is
appropriate for.
Screening Procedures
EAL students who meet the course entry criteria will be advised to take the course within
their first 60 credit hours of undergraduate study. The course has no academic prerequisites,
but students must provide evidence that they meet these English language and academic
literacy requirements:
•
Admission with overall Band 6.5 IELTS, with Reading, Listening and/or Speaking scores
below 7 (or equivalent measure on another standard English language proficiencytest
such as TOEFL; if no valid language test score is available students may submit evidence
that English has not been their medium of instruction for more than 3 years);
• Documented evidence of having satisfied SFU'sliteracy requirement, either through
completion of FAL X99 with a grade of C,or other accepted means.
Students may provide evidence of their English language proficiency in several ways. Ifthey
submitted an
IELTS score as part of their SFU admission and the score is still valid (within 2
years), their student record will be checked to confirm the score. Otherwise, students may
sign up in the previoussemester for a screening interview with the course instructor. If
students are unable to attend a pre-semester interview and did not submit a language test
score as part of their application, they may still register for the course. Inthe first week of the
course the instructor will conduct interviews with the students, and the department will
deregister from the course any student who does not meet the entry criteria (This procedure
is similar to that followed for the courses offered through the Language Training Institute).
Class
Size
It is recommended that the class size for each section be limited to 22 students. As the
course aims to improve language proficiency, monitoring and evaluation of student progress
will be intensive, with regular, detailed feedback provided to students, and activities and
materials adjusted to meet individual learning needs. TAs will not be used either for tutorial
or marking activities, as an advanced level of language teaching expertise is required to
provide the detailed feedback students need to fulfill course requirements. The course will
be taught by lecturers/instructors with significant expertise in teaching English for Academic
Purposes.
The intensive nature of this course makes it similar to other first-level language-rich courses
such as FAL XX9 and ENGL 199W. Classpopulations for these courses are capped at 18 and 17
students, respectively. The rationale for limited enrollment in such courses would
presumably be that frequent writing activities and intensive feedback result in significant
instructor workload, so a cap is required. Similarly in EAS 101-4, class activities will be
language-intensive, involving a range of reading analysis,writing, extended listening/note-
taking and formal speaking activities. Giving students detailed feedback on such activities
requires considerable time and expertise, hence a cap of 22 students is recommended. This
cap puts the course more in line with other language learning courses at SFU,such as
Language Training Institute courses where the enrollment cap is 25.
A
further rationale for limited enrollment is provided in the research literature on language
learning (Harfitt, 2012; Yi, 2008). It suggests two benefits for students in smaller language
courses. One study found that in smaller classes students experienced less fear of negative
peer evaluation and as a result gained more confidence in their own performance. Asecond
study found that language acquisition improved more as class size decreased to less than ten
students. Given that the aim of EAS 101-4 is to foster language ability and confidence in
students so that they feel ready to succeed in other FASS courses, it seems reasonable to
provide classroom conditions that give them optimal learning opportunities.
Course Outcomes
Course outcomes will be assessed following the rubrics provided by the Centre for Canadian
Language Benchmarks (CCLB)1. The CCLB is a national, government-sponsored agency which
develops and maintains a national set of standards for English language proficiency, the
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). These Benchmarks, inspired by the work of the
Council of Europe on the Common European Frame of Reference for Languages", provide a
detailed description of language performance across all four skills(Speaking, listening, reading
and writing) and all levelsof proficiency (Level 1 is most basic and Level 12 is most advanced).
Student performance in EAS XXI will be assessed in terms of CLB Level 10, which
approximates to effective language use for students at an undergraduate level.
Student Tracking
This course is proposed as a three-year pilot offering. As its aim is to foster Englishlanguage
learning of EAL students and improve student retention in FASS programs, its performance in
these areas needs to be monitored. Students who complete the course will be tracked
annually over the three year period. Success willbe measured by what GPAs the students
maintain, and In particular, grades attained in FASS "W" courses.
Course Level
EAS 101-4 is proposed as a credit-bearing course, eligible for Breadth designation and with no
prerequisites. Its level is similarto other first-level courses in FASS such as PHIL XXI and ENGL
199. It is not designed as a W course, although it willcontain a number of writing
assignments, because its aim is to provide multi-modal learning of academic language
through social sciences content. Proposed course assignments are similar to those in other
first-level three-credit FASS courses:
EAS 101-4
PHIL XXI
ENGL 199W
PSYC109W
Attendance/participation
10%
Five short
assignments 25 %
Three short
summary exercises
10%
Mid-term exam
20%
Homework assignments
10%
Two mid-term
exams 20 % each
One long summary
15%
Final exam 20%
3 in-class written
assignments
20%
Final exam 35%
Short definition
10%
Debate 5%
Mid-term writing exam
10%
Comparison paper
20%
Tutorial
assignments and
attendance 15%
Comparison-contrast
essay 10%
Final paper 20%
Term paper 40%
Research proposal 20%
Six online exercises
10%
Oral presentation 15%
Mid-term exam
15%
Self-assessment 5%
Course Hours and Credit
The course will meet face-to-face for 4 hours weekly. The total credit hours will be 4
Proposed Schedule of Offering
It is proposed that the course be delivered under the auspices of the Englishfor Academic
Success (EAS) unit in Linguistics, and by one of the Lecturers assigned to this unit. The would
be
offered twice per year, in the Falland Spring semesters, with two sections per semester.
This level of offering would correspond to approximately 2/3 of the Lecturer's annual load.
The balance of the load would be made up with teaching in one of the unit's other programs.
It should be noted that, in general, remuneration for EAS Lecturers is covered through
revenues from the non-credit EAS programs. To compensate the EAS unit for the lecturer
reassignment to EAS 101, funding would need to be provided from other sources. Hence, it is
recommended that FASS and the VPAcademic consult with the view to supporting this course
as a pilot initiative.
Thank you for taking the time to review this proposal. We welcome comments and
suggestions for improvement.
References
Harfitt, G.J. 2012. Class size and language learning in Hong Kong: the students' perspective.
Educational Research
54(3) pp. 331-342
Yi, H. 2008. The effect of class size reduction on foreign language learning: a case study.
Language and Linguistics
Compass 2/6:1089-1108.
Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Monterey
1http://www.language.ca/display_page.asp?page_id=982 accessed November 8, 2012
" http://w\vw.coe.int/t/dg4/Linguistic/CADRE EN.asp accessed November 8, 2012
SFU
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
NEW COURSE PROPOSAL
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
1 OF } l'AGES
COURSE SUBJECT/NUMBER
EA$ 101-4
COURSE TITLE
LONG — for Calendar/schedule, no more than 100 characters including spaces and punctuation
English Language Fundamentals for the Arts and Social Sciences
AND
SHORT — for enrollment/transcript, no more than 30 characters including spaces and punctuation
English Language Fundamentals
COURSE DESCRIPTION (FOR CALENDAR). 50-60 WORDS MAXIMUM. ATTACH A COURSE OUTLINE TO THIS PROPOSAL.
Instruction in and practice of skills required in coursework in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). Texts
from disciplines such as psychology, economics, philosophy, etc. will be used to examine key concepts from the
Social Sciences. Students will improve their comprehension of written and oral texts and will learn to use the
vocabulary, grammar and content of these texts in speaking and writing.
LIBRARY RESOURCES
NOTE: Senatehasapproved (S.93-1 1) that no new courseshould be approved by Senate until funding hasbeen committed for necessary library
materials. Each new course proposal must be accompanied by a library report and, if appropriate, confirmation that funding arrangements havebeen
addressed.
Campus where course will be taught:
HI Burnaby
I ISurrey
I—I Vancouver
I—I Great Northern Way
I—I Off campus
Library report status
RATIONALE FOR INTRODUCTION OF THIS COURSE
Provide details on how existing instructional resources will be redistributed to accommodate this new course. For example, will another course
be eliminated or will the frequency of offering of other courses be reduced; are there changes in pedagogical style or class sizes that allow for this
additional course offering?
This is a new course that has been prepared in response to recommendations made in the 2011 EAL Committee
report, English
as an Additional Language: supports and services at SFU. The VP Academic recommends that the
university provide a
range of means whereby EALstudents can improve their skills, for example through credit
courses which focus on academic skills and acculturation opportunities as well as language skills. Accordingly, this
course represents one initiative to provide for the learning needs of these students.
SCHEDULING AND ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
Indicate effective
term and year
course would first be offered and planned frequency of offering thereafter:
Fall 2013, 2 sections per semester, 2 semesters per year
Will this be a requiredor elective course in the curriculum? I IRequired
IMI
Elective
What is the probable enrollment when offered?
Estimate:
t-^-
CREDITS
Indicate number of credits for: Lecture
Seminar
Tutorial^-
Lab
NOVKMBKR 2011
SFU
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
U N D E RG HA D U AT E ST U DIES
NEW
COURSE PROPOSAL
2 OF 3 PAGES
FACULTY
Which of your present CFL faculty have the expertise to offer this course?
Marti Sevier, MA English, Certificate in TESL
WQB DESIGNATION
(attach approval from Curriculum Office)
not applicable
PREREQUISITE
Does this coursereplicate the content of a previously-approved courseto such an extent that studentsshould not receive credit for both courses.? If so,
this should be
noted in the prerequisite.
FAL X99 with a grade of C, or other equivalent with departmental permission
COREQUISITE
none
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon satisfactory completion of the course students will be able to:
Reading: identify purpose, main ideas, supporting details, author's intent, mood, attitude and point of view, values
and assumptions from stated and implied information and compare arguments and evidence in texts
Listening: follow extended discourse, specifically lectures and academic presentations on topics in the Social
Sciences, identify values and assumptions in communication intended to influence or persuade
Writing: develop editing skills required to evaluate own and others' writing, write critical reviews of summarized texts
Speaking: clearly express opinions, participate in academic discussions in class with peers and instructor, adapt
language to audience, context and purpose
Academic skills: make inferences and interpretations, synthesize information from a range of readings, ask relevant
questions
FEES
Are there any proposed student"fees associated with this course otherthan tuition fees?
LJ YES
(If yes. attach mandatory supplementary fee approval form.)
NO
RESOURCES
List any outstanding resource issues to be addressed prior to implementation: space, laboratory equipment, etc:
not applicable
Articulation agreement reviewed?
Dyes G
OTHER IMPLICATIONS
not applicable
Exam required:
LZI
YES
H NO
Criminal Record Check required:
L_J YES
no
Not applicable
NO
NOVEMBER 20 1 1
SFU
APPROVALS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
NEW COURSE PROPOSAL
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
3 OF 3 PAGES
1
Departmental approval indicates that the Department or School has approved the content of the course, and has consulted
with other Departments/Schools/Faculties regarding proposed course content and overlap issues.
Chair, Department/School
Date
Chair, Faculty Curriculum Committee
Date
2
Faculty approval indicates that all the necessary course content and overlap concerns have been resolved, and that the
Faculty/School/Department commits to providing the required Library funds.
Dean or designate
Date
LIST which other Departments, Schools and Faculties have been consulted regarding the proposed course content, including overlap issues. Attach
documentary evidence of responses.
OtherFaculties approval indicated that the Dean(s) or Designate of other Faculties AFFECTED by the proposed new course support(s) theapproval of
the new course:
Date-
Date
3
SCUS approval indicates that the course has been approved for implementation subject, where appropriate, to financial issues
being addressed.
COURSE APPROVED BY SCUS (Chair of SCUS):
Date
APPROVAL IS SIGNIFIED BY DATE AND APPROPRIATE SIGNATURE.
NOVEMBER 20 1 I
SFU
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Department of Humanities
Academic Quadrangle 5127
8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
BC
Canada Y5A 1S6
TEL 778.782.3906
FAX 778.782.4504
SCUS 13-20
www.sfu.ca/humanitics
March 26, 2013
Jo Hincliffe
SCUS
Dear Jo,
On behalf of the Language Training Institute The Department of Humanities wishes to
reactivate HUM 151-3 and 152-3 (Ancient Greek 1 and 2). We are receiving regular requests
from students interested in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Hellenic Studies who need skills
in ancient Greek in order to pursue their interests.
Initially we shall want to offer the course through the distance format, as we have with
Latin. CODE has indicated its willingness to support the adaptation for on-line course materials
that have already been developed by the Niarchos Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU and to
support the course delivery.
Once I'm back from my research leave in2015-2016 I also plan to offer an on campus version.
Yours sincerely,
David Mirhady, Professor
1
and Chair
Department
of Humanities
SIMON" i H A S E U U N I V ERS I.T Y
THINKING OF THE WORLD
SFU
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Department of Humanities
Academic Quadrangle 5127
8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
BC
Canada Y5A 1S6
TEL 778.782.3906
FAX 778.782.4504
www.sfu.ca/humanitics
March 26, 2013
Jo Hincliffe
SCUS
Dear Jo,
On behalf of the Language Training Institute The Department of Humanities wishes to
reactivate LANG 134-3 (Introduction to Classical Arabic) while at the same time changing the
Course Number to ARAB 134-3.
Please find change of number form attached.
Initially we shall want to offer an on campus version of the course in the Fall of 2013 followed
by distance format in Spring 2014. CODE has indicated its willingness to support the adaptation
for on-line course materials.
The Dean of FASS has matched a grant of $125,000:00 over 3 years from the Qatar Foundation
International to support this course.
Yours sincerely,
7
David Mirhady, Professor and Chair
Department
of Humanities
SIMON FRASEK UNIVERSITY
THINKING OF THE WORLD
SFU
SUNA1E CO M M IT TEE ON
UNDERG R A D
V
AT E S I"U D I E S
COURSE CHANGE/DELETION
EXISTING COURSE, CHANGES RECOMMENDED
Please check appropriate revision(s):
IS Course number
I ICredit
I ITitle
I IDescription
I—I Prerequisite
I—I Course deletion
I—I Learning Outcomes
Indicate number ot"hours for: Lecture
FROM
Course Subject/Number
3
Credits
LANG
/ 34-
Seminar
Tutorial
TO
Course Subject/Number
3
Credits
ARAB 134
TITLE
(1) LONG title for calendar and schedule, no more than UK) characters including spaces and punctuation.
FROM:
TO:
NO CHANGE
(2) SHORT title for enrollment and transcript, no more than 30 characters including spaces and punctuation.
FROM:
TO:
NO CHANGE
DESCRIPTION
FROM:
NO CHANGE
DESCRIPTION
TO:
Lab
PREREQUISITE
PREREQUISITE
Does thiscourse replicate the content of a previously approved course to such an extent that studentsshould not receive credit for both courses?
If so, this should be
noted in the prerequisite.
FROM:
LEARNING OUTCOMES
TO:
RATIONALE
High number of requests from Students and support from external funding source.
Effective term and year
N() V EM 15 UK 2 0 12
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