ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPPORT
PROGRAMME (ELSP):
A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING ENGLISH
LANGUAGE COMPETENCE AMONG STUDENTS AND STAFF
IN UTM
Khairi Izwan Abdullah
English Language Unit
Centre for Teaching & Learning
CENTRE FOR TEACHING & LEARNING
Creative Teaching, Effective Learning
(CTL)
Problems in developing communicative
competence among students
Perception that responsibility for the
development of communicative competence
lies solely with the language specialists
Lack of collaboration between language
specialists & content specialists
Absence of functional needs (in the language
class) to drive language learning
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ELSP
Outline of talk
Learning in English: Problems faced by students
ELSP in international universities
ELSP in UTM
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Learning in English:
Common Problems
1) Academic language is ‘noun heavy’
Everyday Language
Academic Language
► Animals that move slowly
Slow-moving animals
► Excessive load from vehicles
Excessive vehicular load
► The bridge is five years old.
The five-year old bridge.
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Learning in English:
Common Problems
2) The grammar of academic language is complex
Everyday Language
The bridge was built five years ago. It collapsed
because of excessive load from vehicles.
Academic/Scientific Language
Excessive vehicular load caused the collapse of
the five-year old bridge.
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Written
Spoken
In polluting freshwater,
Fertilizers pollute freshwater.
the fertilizers increase the
available plant food,
They provide more food for the plants (that
live in the water),
causing a “bloom” of
acquatic plant life.
This supergrowth of
plants, mostly algae (that
spread like carpet over
the surface of a lake),
reduces the amount of
oxygen (available to
acquatic animals)
and they die.
so more of these plants, mostly algae,
grow
and they grow bigger and more quickly,
so they soon spread out over the surface
of a lake like a carpet.
Because the plant cover so much of the
surface the lake,
there is not much water in contact with the
air,
so as much oxygen from the air can get
into the water
and there is less oxygen for animals (that
live in the water) to breath,
Unsworth, 1997
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so they die.
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Learning in English:
Common Problems
3) Academic language contains more passive
sentences
Passive
The function generator was turned on and the frequency
gradually increased until a standing wave pattern with one
antinode appeared in the wire.
Active
We turned the function generator on and then gradually
increased the frequency…
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Learning in English:
Common Problems
4) The demands of tertiary education
• processing load
• mismatch between students’ language ability
& the demands of a student-centred approach
- the need to work in groups, participate in
discussion, make oral presentations, etc.
5) Low self esteem, slow learning pace, high anxiety,
etc.
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPPORT PROGRAMMES
IN UNIVERSITIES

Imperial College
Monash University
Harvard University
U of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
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English Language Support
Programme (ELSP)
Objective:
To develop competence and confidence among students
and academic staff of UTM in the use of English for
academic and professional purposes by:
creating an acquisition-rich environment conducive for the
development of communicative competence.
emphasising learning and the learner’s responsibility for
self-development.
supporting learning through the provision of language
services and support.
emphasising collaboration among all parties to ensure
optimal utilisation of university resources and expertise.
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SUPPORTING LEARNING THROUGH ELSP
Short Courses (2 hrs)
Language Learning Resources & Assistance
● Online Resources for Learning &
Teaching in English
● Help Desk (one-on-one consultation)
● CAT (Peer Tutoring by a st. selected
and guided by the subject lecturer)
● General Courses (Comm. in English)
● EAP Courses
(Academic Writing, Study Skills)
● Specific Skills Development Courses
( Speech Training)
Supporting
Learning
Through
ELSP
Visit:
http://www.ctl.utm.my/
for further information
Language Enhancement Activities
● Friends of English
● Language Camp
● English Language Month
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DEVELOPING ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE IN
UTM
ELSP committees at university, faculty &
college levels
Creating targets/need
for language learning
Developing an acquisition-rich
environment - University, Faculties,
Residential Colleges
Developing
English Language
Competence
in UTM
Multi-disciplinary task forces
Encouraging
collaboration
between content and
language experts
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Emphasising learning &
responsibility for selfdevelopment
ELSP
Supporting learning
through language
services & support
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CONTENT-AREA TUTORING (CAT): WHAT?
A Content-Area Tutoring (CAT) group is a small
discussion/study group for a subject.
The group is led by a senior student (Content-Area
Tutor) selected by the subject lecturer to facilitate
group discussion on topic areas related to the
subject.
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CONTENT-AREA TUTORING (CAT): WHY?
CAT builds on the belief that while learners can
learn on their own, they learn better with and from
‘more knowledgeable others’ or ‘expert users’.
(Vygotsky’s social-cultural theory of learning)
The main objective of the CAT group is to enable
students, with the assistance of a senior student, to
help one another in developing better
understanding of the subject so as to improve their
academic performance.
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CAT: Lecturing: PEER TUTORING: TA SCHEMES
Lecturer - Students
TA – Students

Peer Tutors – Learners
Content-Area Tutors (Has confidence of & guidance from lecturer)Learners
All Content Area Tutors have to undergo a training session
on group facilitation skills conducted by CTL.
Content Area Tutors are paid an allowance under the ‘Skim
Pelajar Bekerja’ by their respective faculties.
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CENTRE FOR TEACHING AND
LEARNING (CTL)
Creative Teaching, Effective Learning
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ELSP Workshop
Activities
Infrastructural/Administrative
Support Required
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