ESL Faculty Resources
WSU Faculty Resources:
This page contains links to a variety of resources to assist faculty in supporting their non-native English speaking graduate and undergraduate students. It is important to remember that multilingual students include not only the over 1,200 international students who study here, but also a large and increasing number of students who are U.S. citizens or recent immigrants.
People and Places at WSU:
Nancy Bell, ESL Coordinator, English Department: Nancy is an applied linguist and associate professor who coordinates the ESL offerings of the English department. In addition, she collaborates with others across the university to offer workshops on communicating with and mentoring students who use English as an additional language. Nancy offers these tips for supporting ESL students in your classes and welcomes additional ideas from faculty who have had success in this area.
Elizabeth Siler, ESL Specialist, English Department: Liz teaches many of the department’s ESL courses, in addition to English grammar, a course that is open to all students. She has been working to raise awareness of linguistic diversity at WSU since 1986, when she began her career at WSU as Curriculum Coordinator at the IALC.
Writing Program: At WSU, we have a Writing Center for undergraduates, and a separate center devoted to meeting the needs of graduate and professional students. While the Writing Center does not edit student work, tutors offer support and feedback to help writers develop stronger skills and awareness of audience, purpose, and writing style.
IALC (Intensive American Language Center): The IALC offers advanced workshops designed to provide extra language support to graduate and undergraduate students. These include a thesis and dissertation workshop, a workshop for international teaching assistants, and a Pronunciation Workshop. IALC courses are non-credit bearing and are not included in WSU tuition. However, the Center’s Language Support Program allows international students at WSU who want additional language support (and who are not on appointment in their department) to take courses at the IALC as part of their full-time credit load and still maintain their full-time status.
Credit-Bearing Courses at WSU:
Engl 107 Writing Tutorial for ESL students V 1 (0-3) to 3 (0-9) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 5 hours. Prereq writing placement examination. Student-centered group tutorial focusing on writing improvement usually connected to the Engl 101 105 course. S, F grading.
Although this course is normally connected to Engl 105, because it is repeatable for credit, undergraduates looking for additional writing support may choose to enroll in it at other times as well.
Engl 202 Grammar in Context 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 5 hours. Prereq concurrent writing course. Tutorial to assist students in mastering conventions of Standard Edited American English. S, F grading.
Engl 303 Revision Workshop – ESL 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Prereq completion of written communication proficiency course. Appreciation for writing processes and revision for speakers of of English as a second or foreign language, including self-assessment, developing rhetorical approaches, diagnosing and solving consistent problems, editing, and proofreading strategies.
This flexible workshop is helpful for both graduates and undergraduates seeking additional writing support. It is repeatable for credit.
Ucoll 302 (GenEd) Advanced Writing Tutorial: V 1 (0-3) to 2 (0-6) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 5 hours. Prereq c// in a Writing in the Major course or a course that assigns writing. Assigned tutorials in the WSU Writing Lab. S, F grading.
Similar to Engl 107, this course is designed to offer additional, structured, credit-bearing writing support throughout a student’s undergraduate career.
Univ 590 Preparation for College Teaching: 2 Prereq graduate standing/TA appointment. Cross-discipline instructional development for graduate teaching assistants; course development teaching techniques, university policies and procedures. S, F grading.
While not specifically designed for students who use English as a second language, this course can help international teaching assistants become more comfortable providing instruction to native English speakers.
Univ 597 Preparing the Future Professorial: 2 Prereq doctoral student standing. Understanding and contextual knowledge of the professorial and issues facing higher education.
This is another course that is not designed for non-native English speakers, but which may help familiarize some doctoral students with the norms and expectations of their profession.
Additional Resources:
Tips on Teaching ESL Students from UNC
Grading Multilingual Students’ Papers: What Are the Issues? – This page provides a good discussion of the issues surrounding grading ESL student writing, as well as helpful suggestions.
ESL Contact Information:
Nancy Bell – ESL Coordinator
Department of English
Office: Avery 499
Office phone: 509-335-1322
Email: nbell@wsu.edu
Department of English Contact Information:
Main Office: Avery 202
509-335-2581
Fax: 509-335-2582
PO Box 645020
Pullman, WA 99164-5020