The intensive program in the ELI currently offers two bands with three levels.  Students placed in the Academic English band study together, and students placed in the Introduction to Academic English band study together.  Since students may need to study in the Introduction to Academic English band for two semesters, new materials are used each semester.  All courses focus on English for Academic Purposes to prepare students to study at the University. 

The ELI levels correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) global scale, published by the Council of Europe.  The CEFR describes what language learners have to learn to do to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop to be able to act effectively.  The CEFR defines six levels of proficiency (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2) from an initial division of three broad levels: A (Basic User), B (Independent User), and C (Proficient User).

Wayne State University accepts standardized test scores equivalent to a B-2 CEFR level as proof of English language proficency for admission.  Therefore, the levels of the ELI Intensive Program correspond to the CEFR as follows:

• ELI Introduction to Academic English (Intermediate) - CEFR B1
• ELI Introduction to Academic English (High-Intermediate) - CEFR B1-B2
• ELI Academic English (Advanced) - CEFR B2-C1

Explore the course descriptions for the intensive English program below.

Introduction to Academic English

Intermediate/High-Intermediate Speaking and Listening

The focus of this course is to develop students’ academic listening and speaking skills needed for successful extended academic discourse.  Students will demonstrate detailed understanding of academic listening passages by taking thorough notes, listening for rhetorical questions, distinguishing facts from opinions, making inferences, and inferring meaning of academic vocabulary.  Students will use speaking strategies to start, maintain, and end academic discussions; use fillers to show interest; and summarize information.  They will give informative, demonstration, and problem/solution speeches using visuals, transitions to organize ideas, and grammatically-correct sentences with academic vocabulary.  In addition to accurate production of sounds, stress, and intonation, students will continue to improve use of connected and reduced speech, effective pauses, and appropriate rates of speech.

Intermediate/High-Intermediate Writing and Grammar

The focus of this course is to produce well-developed paragraphs and acquire essay-writing skills in a variety of rhetorical modes.  Students will write on a variety of topics and use a combination of simple and advanced cohesive devices to include topic sentences, thesis statements, introductions, conclusions, and supporting details in their papers.  Writing assignments will be a mix of in-class, timed writings and multi-draft homework assignments. Intermediate and complex grammatical structures will be introduced and practiced to improve students’ accuracy in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.  Error-correction tasks will be done to develop students’ self-editing skills.

Intermediate/High-Intermediate Reading & Vocabulary

The focus of this course is to increase students’ vocabulary, comprehension of academic reading passages, and reading fluency and speed.  Students will learn to use context clues to determine the meanings of new words, appreciate that words can have multiple meanings, decode meanings of unfamiliar words using word parts, and use new vocabulary in writing and speaking.  In intensive reading activities, students will evaluate the content, structure, style, and tone of reading passages by determining main ideas, identifying supporting details, and making inferences.  They will also summarize short passages.  The focus of the extensive reading activities will be on identifying overall meaning of texts and increasing reading speed.  Class Readers will give the teacher the opportunity to help the students acquire the art of extensive reading, to improve their skills, and to monitor their progress closely.  Students will also choose their own books for independent reading based on their personal interests and reading levels.  By reading books that are individually suited for and chosen by the student, students should naturally become faster readers with increased reading fluency and positive attitudes toward reading in English.

Academic English

Advanced Speaking and Listening

The focus of this course is to develop students' academic listening and speaking skills needed for successful extended academic discourse.  Students will use listening strategies to show detailed understanding of lengthy academic listening passages.  They will apply speaking strategies to share information and perspectives and communicate successfully with automaticity in a culturally-appropriate fashion.  Students will generate complex and academic speech using complex vocabulary with grammatical accuracy when summarizing information, participating in academic discussions, giving a professional introduction, presenting a group survey, giving an impromptu speech, and participating in a panel discussion.  In all speeches and discussions, students' concentration will be on consistently speaking intelligibly and fluently.

Advanced Reading and Writing

The class is organized around the units in the textbook Making Connections 4; themes are Technology, Biomedical Science, and Business. Each unit has authentic readings connected by the relevant theme. Students will write 3 multi-paragraph essays, two drafts each, that respond to these units. Students will also write no less than 5 in-class 30-45-minute mini essays on a variety of topics.  Essays will include an introductory paragraph with thesis statement; multiple body paragraphs with topic sentences, support and details; and a conclusion. Students will incorporate a variety of rhetorical strategies by integrating them effectively into academic essays, which include appropriate transitions and citation of sources. Students will focus on summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing information from various sources and using academic vocabulary in their writing. Students will continue to use a variety of sentence types at a more advanced level with fewer grammatical errors. Students will write in and out of class and submit multiple drafts of their writing.

Research Skills

The focus of this course is to introduce skills essential to conducting academic research at the university level. Students will learn how to brainstorm and narrow a topic for research. They will learn how to search for and evaluate academic sources in the library and online databases as well as how to read, analyze, and use the information gathered.  The course also focuses on paraphrasing, summarizing, and using sources in citations and reference lists with APA format. 

Advanced Grammar

The focus of this course is to master students' communicative competence, or their ability to communicate effectively and appropriately, in writing and speaking. Advanced grammar points will be studied and practiced in ways that simulate academic discussions, scenarios, and assignments.  Students will engage in a variety of communicative activities that demand grammatical accuracy.