Consultancy Courses and Projects

CELC provides consultancy courses to various institutions and staff of the University.

The Intensive English Programme (IEP) for King Abdullah Scholarship Programme Scholars (KASP)

The Intensive English Programme (IEP) module is conducted for King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP) Scholars who have been granted conditional admission to enter the National University of Singapore (NUS) as Master’s students. This is an eight-month programme designed to prepare selected scholars for the academic environment at NUS.

Objectives

The programme aims to

• raise the level of English skills of KASP scholars to that of the average NUS graduate student by teaching them general English (grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing);
• prepare KASP scholars for studying at NUS by teaching them the foundations of academic reading and writing;
• familiarise KASP scholars with the multi-racial multi-religious culture of Singapore.

Course Structure

The intensive English programme will be conducted in three phases.

Phase 1 – 10 weeks
Phase 1 will focus on general English proficiency with an integrated skills approach, including reading, writing, listening and speaking. Grammar and vocabulary building will also be addressed.

Phase 2 – 10 weeks
Phase 2 will continue the integrated skills approach begun during Phase 1 but will focus more on academic reading and writing.

Phase 3 – 10 weeks
Phase 3 will continue the focus on academic reading and writing begun during Phase 2. Included in this phase will be lectures on a broad range of subjects as well as small-scale research work.

There will be a one week teaching break after phases 1 and 2. 

Students who show favorable progress will continue their academic preparation in a 12-week Bridging Course. The Bridging Course may include an English module for those who continue to need language support.

Instructional Materials and Activities

Instructional materials are varied, comprising textbooks, class readers, and handouts, as well as audio and video recordings.  They will be used to strengthen the scholars’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, vocabulary acquisition, and application of grammar.

Lectures on Singapore, email etiquette, report writing, academic culture, conducting research, and relevant eLearning websites, for example the NUS Integrated Virtual Learning Environment (IVLE), are also conducted.  Oral and written projects, requiring the students to interact with other NUS students outside the classroom are additional activities designed to promote the development of interpersonal, team-working and communication skills.

Continual Assessment

Throughout all three phases, homework, assignments and projects will be required on a weekly basis to ensure the scholars are performing well. Students must complete all assignments and maintain a B- (60%) average on all their work.

Examinations

Pre-test: A pre-test will be given on the first day of the programme. This test will be an indication of the proficiency level of the scholars at the beginning of the course. 

Mid-term tests and Examinations: A test will be given at the middle of each phase to assess the progress being made by each student. Similarly, at the end of each phase an examination will be conducted.