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English Language Center
  2. Support for Departments
  3. Campus Support: Support for Departments

Campus Support: Support for Departments

The Vanderbilt University English Language Center (ELC) works with departments and individual faculty to assist students with varying language strengths and objectives. The center advises on recruiting efforts, language requirements, assessment, language development, and intercultural competency.

The ELC also provides trainings to enhance interactions between faculty and students who use English as an additional language (EALs) and to assist VU faculty, staff, or researchers preparing to travel abroad for scholarly purposes.

In addition, the ELC offers a seminar series exclusively for faculty members at Vanderbilt who use English as an additional language: Effective Teaching Strategies for International Faculty.

Support for Faculty

Supporting International Students and Those Who Use English as an Additional Language (for Faculty)

The ELC has consistently collaborated with Vanderbilt University faculty and the Center for Teaching to provide resources on effectively communicating with international students and those who use English as an Additional Language, supporting the creation of the CFT's Teaching International Students guide.

Linked here is a helpful resource on the same topic that the ELC adapted for helping VU faculty better understand how to teach and engage international students and EALs from a language and culture perspective.

Support for Students/ITAs

For information regarding International Teaching Assistants (ITAs):

Requesting assessment of a student’s language proficiency:

  • complete or have student(s) complete the EAP registration for the semester of required enrollment
  • indicate that an assessment is requested and provide the department contact

Requiring a student’s enrollment in a language course in conjunction with a reduced academic load:

  • complete or have student(s) complete the EAP registration for the semester of required enrollment
  • indicate reduced-academic-load status and provide the department contact
  • the VU ELC does not issue I20s for full-time language instruction prior to matriculation

Requiring a student’s enrollment in a language course in addition to academic load:

  • complete or have student(s) complete the EAP registration for the semester of required enrollment
  • indicate department contact if reporting to the department is desired

Requesting an exclusively designed course*:

  • contact Susan M. Barone, Director, regarding programming content, fees, and scheduling

*An exclusively designed course ensures enrollment and focuses on discipline-specific content and associated academic-language skills.