SCLA 110 and SCLA 111

SCLA 110 and 111 are designed for students who were educated outside of U.S. school systems and who learned English as a second language. In these courses, international students build a strong foundation of university-level language, communication, and intercultural skills so that they can more fully participate in the life of the university. The courses provide a balanced, developmental approach to learning by integrating a range of topics and activities into an engaging curriculum focused on academic skills, language skills, and intercultural competence. The two-semester course sequence consists of six units that fit together as learning cycles, where each unit builds on previous units, so that by the end of the year, students are able to do much more and work much more efficiently in English (see table below). Assessment is embedded from the start so that instructors and students can gauge their language proficiency, set learning goals, and evaluate their progress. These courses were previously ENGL 110 and ENGL 111.   During our start-up, they were called, GS 100 and GS 101.

SCLA 110 provides students with a foundation for increasing their intercultural competence and academic language skills. In addition to three major projects (see table above) and related class and homework, students complete weekly journals and video blogs, in which they explore course topics and practice writing and speaking skills. Specific topics and skills addressed during SCLA 110 include self-regulated learning, goal setting, creative thinking, collaboration and teamwork, reflection, sentence and paragraph writing, and speaking and reading fluency.

SCLA 111 builds on the general foundation of intercultural competence and language skills in 110 by delving into more particular elements of language and culture. Students complete three major projects (see table above), weekly journals, and a range of activities in and out of class. Specific topics and skills addressed during SCLA 111 include conceptual learning, critical thinking, reflection, source use and citations, oral presentation skills, collaboration, and developing an effective writing process for learning and communication in an academic setting.