English as a Second Language

Our Mission

The mission of the Utah Tech University ESL Program is to provide instruction and support to help international students develop the academic English skills and awareness of cultural norms and standards needed to succeed at an American university.

At UT-ESL, our goal is to be the best ESL institution for preparing international students to succeed at an American university while remaining one of the most affordable programs in the region. We do this through hiring only highly educated and experienced faculty, setting high academic standards for our students, and providing assistance and support for our students that is second to none.

Objectives

The ESL program has five objectives for students who go through our program.

Reading

In academic reading, students will be able to comprehend most standard English texts and implement strategies for comprehending what is not immediately understood. At mastery, students should be able to read at the Advanced-Low Level as described in the ACTFL guidelines.

Listening

In listening comprehension, students will be able to understand standard English spoken in and out of the classroom and implement strategies for effective note-taking for specific academic material. By mastery, students will be able to achieve an Advanced-Low Level of listening ability as described in the ACTFL guidelines.

Speaking

In speaking, students will be able to appropriately respond orally to the demands of college life and college-level classes, including giving classroom responses, speeches and presentations. At mastery, students will be able to speak at the Intermediate-High level as defined by the ACTFL guidelines.

Writing

In writing, students will be able to produce appropriately clear and coherent responses to in-class or extended assignments. At mastery, students will be able to write at the Advanced-Low level as defined by the ACTFL guidelines.

Awareness

In academic awareness, students will understand and demonstrate appropriate student behavior and ethics in American university classrooms. Students will be able to show understanding of 1) the expectations of appropriate classroom behavior and interaction, both between student and professor and among peers, 2) university policies on plagiarism and cheating, and 3) common technology used in the university classroom.