English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
EAP Courses
(designed for students who don't come from an English-speaking background)
Semester Two, 2008
The ASU offers a number of short courses for students from non-English speaking backgrounds. These free classes are designed for students who want to achieve greater success in their communication and academic skills.
On this page:
- Better Grammar
- Better Reading and Note-taking
- Speaking Clearly (Advanced)
- Oral Presentations
- English in the Community
Download a class timetable.
Better Writing
Do you want to become a better academic writer?
This lecture series covers study strategies and tips to help you improve your writing.
- learn how to identify the basic features of academic writing
- tips to improve 'critical' writing skills
- understand what assessors often look for in your essays
- organising and structuring your essays
- writing critical literature reviews
- writing successful paragraphs and sentences
- editing and proof-reading strategies.
| Time: | 12:00pm-1:00pm |
| Day | Tuesdays |
| Date: | 29 Jul, 5 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug |
| Venue: | Old Arts Building, Theatre D (no 149 on campus map) |
Better Grammar
This course builds on Better Writing workshops by offering tips on improving written expressions and academic grammar. The series of four workshops aims at helping to improve not only the way you write, but also to improve your ability to identify your own errors in writing. If you lack confidence in your academic grammar, need a refresher course, or want some new ideas on writing composition, 'Better Grammar' may suit your needs.
| Time: | 12:00pm-1:00pm |
| Day | Tuesdays |
| Date: | 26 Aug, 02 Sept, 09 Sept, 16 Sept |
| Venue: | Old Arts Building, Theatre D (no 149 on campus map) |
Better Reading and Note-taking
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by how much academic reading you have? Are you unclear how to use what you've read? These three sessions, featuring a combination of presented material and practical activities, focus on how to read more effectively and to take better notes - and thus to make reading itself more enjoyable.
| Time: | 2:15pm-3:15pm |
| Day | Thursdays |
| Date: | 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug |
| Venue: | Doug McDonell-Herbert Wilson Theatre |
Academic Discussion skills
Learn to participate more effectively in discussions in academic, social and professional contexts in this six-week course.
The course includes:
- sessions on cultural differences in communication styles
- verbal and non-verbal language.
Improve your discussion and intercultural skills in 'lab' sessions:
- practise speaking in class
- receive feedback, based on taped recordings conducted in class, on your performance.
Participants : 20 maximum
Stream 1:
| Time: | 10:00am-11:30am |
| Day | Tuesdays |
| Date: | 29 Jul, 05 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug |
| Venue: | Alice Hoy, room 316 (no. 162 on campus map) |
Stream 2:
| Time: | 3:15pm-4:45pm |
| Day | Thursdays |
| Date: | 28 Aug, 04 Sept, 11 Sept, 18 Sept |
| Venue: | Alice Hoy, room 225 (no. 162 on campus map) |
Speaking clearly (Basic)
This course runs for six weeks (1 hour per week) and will give you the opportunity to practise the pronunciation of English and to improve those features of your pronunciation that have the potential to make you difficult to understand.
The course is designed to cover pronunciation difficulties experienced by people from a range of different language backgrounds.
Participants : 15
| Time: | 3:15pm-4:15pm |
| Day | Wednesday |
| Date: | 30 Jul, 06 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug |
| Venue: | David Caro Podium-208 (PHYSICS-Rm:208-Flr:2) |
Speaking clearly (Advanced)
This course runs as a follow-up session for students who have previously taken Speaking Clearly (Basic). It will give you the opportunity to practise the pronunciation of English and to improve those features of your pronunciation that have the potential to make you difficult to understand.
The course is designed to cover pronunciation difficulties experienced by people from a range of different language backgrounds.
Participants : 15
| Time: | 10:00am-11:00am |
| Day | Thursdays |
| Date: | 07 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 4 Sept |
| Venue: | 200 Berkeley-Rm:220-Flr:2 |
Active Listening in Social and Academic settings
In this series of workshops you will develop greater awareness of the features of academic lectures and other spoken genres in a variety of settings.
You will have the opportunity to analyse spoken texts for verbal and non-verbal signals, speaker''s attitude and other features which contribute to meaning. Building on this awareness, you will develop strategies for more effective and active listening.
Participants: 20
| Time: | 1:00pm-2:00pm |
| Day | Fridays |
| Date: | 08 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug |
| Venue: | Alice Hoy, room 225 (no. 162 on campus map) |
Oral Presentations
You may be afraid of having to speak in public, need a little extra practice before giving an oral presentation, or simply just love to talk. Whatever your reason, this course provides opportunities to learn and to practice ways to improve your oral presentation performance. The course is for students from all schools and builds your confidence step by step through interactive lessons.
| Time: | 1:00pm-2:00pm |
| Day | Wednesdays |
| Date: | 03 Sept, 10 Sept, 17 Sept |
| Venue: | ARCHITECTURE-Rm:135-Flr:1 |
Conversation Skills
The conversation group discusses topics related to study, society and contemporary life. This semester a number of Australian student volunteers are expected to join the discussion. The conversation group is open to all students, particularly from international backgrounds and is a natural, 'live' extension for students taking 'Discussion Skills' and/or 'Speaking Clearly' workshops.
The conversation group is held in a friendly, positive environment. Bring your lunch and drop in for a chat.
| Time: | Cancelled |
| Day | Cancelled |
| Date: | Cancelled |
| Venue: | Cancelled |
English in the Community
If you already have a good command of English, this course will extend your language skills through a combination of workshops and community engagement.
You will benefit from both classroom instruction as well as the opportunity to interact with Australians in a community activity. You will also have the opportunity reflect on and share your experiences with other course participants through a variety of media, thus developing skills and strategies for more effective interaction in English.
In this course you will:
- hone your oral and written communication skills
- develop ethnographic research skills
- engage with and get to know Australians in the community
Participants: 20 maximum
Prerequisites: 7 IELTS or average of 6 on DELA or equivalent
| Time: | 1:15pm-3:15pm |
| Day | Thursdays |
| Date: | 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 04 Sept, 11 Sept (Plus 6-8 hours of community engagement ) |
| Venue: | (Wks 1-4) 234 Queensberry St-Rm:212; (Wk 5) DOUG MCDONELL-Rm:619 |
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