ILC Courses

Sample ILC Student Schedule

The chart below shows the typical weekly schedule for a full-time ILC student. 

Levels

The ILC offers the following five levels of intensive English study:

• Level 1: High Beginning
• Level 2: Low Intermediate
• Level 3: Intermediate
• Level 4: High Intermediate
• Level 5: Low Advanced

Core Classes

ILC Core Classes meet for a total of 20-24 hours per week.  Full-time ILC students attend 5-6 classes per day (50 min. each) on four days of the week (Monday - Thursday).

These classes follow the communicative language teaching approach and include the four component skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) plus additional work in a course in Accuracy as well as one (at Level 040) in Experiential Learning (a course that acclimates students both to campus culture and to the community at large while connecting experiences in service and action research back to the language classroom itself).  A student may be placed into a different level for each required core class, depending on his or her demonstrated ability in that area.  For example, a student may be placed in Listening, Speaking, and Reading at the 040 level, but may need to take Writing and Accuracy at the 030 level.

Regardless of skill level the class schedule for each ILC student is similar, since each component skill is taught simultaneously for all levels (with the exception of Accuracy). For example, all listening classes are taught at 8:00-8:55am, all speaking classes at 9:10-10:05am, etc.  The general order of class hours is:

*Required only in levels 010-040.  Accuracy 040 is currently taught at 3:20-4:15pm, so depending on a student's grammar level there might be an hour break before his/her final class each day.

Students advance through the levels based on the grades they earn in each of their required core classes.  Students who excel may be eligible to skip a level with the permission of instructors and the director of the program.

Experiential Learning and Culture

In Level 040, all students take a dedicated course titled "Experiential Learning."  However, all full-time ILC students are required to participate in the three experiential learning excursions the program sponsors each semester.  For those students not in Level 040, the trips serve to connect with classroom themes.  On those days students travel to sites of cultural interest for activities that enhance and provide practice for the language skills learned in the classroom.  One activity per semester will also involved a service element, to expose students to a core element of citizen action in the U.S.  Travel to some selected attractions may require an overnight stay and part of a Saturday.  Participation in these cultural trips is required for full-time students, and intsructors will notify students of these dates at the beginning of each semester.  Participation is mandatory because instructors use these experiences as the basis for speaking and writing exercises in their classrooms, so that students may improve content delivery, vocabulary, and fluency. Failure to participate may therefore affect related assignment grades.

Study Skills

On Friday mornings when cultural trips are not scheduled, full-time ILC students are required to participate in a Study Skills session lasting a typical class hour (50 min.).  Participation is optional for part-time ILC students.  This course is conducted by an ILC staff member, and its purpose (along with ILC core classes) is to improve students' abilities to function within the U.S. university system and the collegiate classroom setting.  A variety of topics are discussed, including student-professor communication, personal study habits, stress management, cultural academic expectations, academic resources, and test-taking tips.  The teaching method is participatory, interactive, and utilizes various instructional mediums.  Please note: While Study Skills is an informal course, attendance is tracked and factored into final grades for ILC core classes. 

Service Opportunities and Event Participation

In addition to the experiential learning that occurs through the curricular activities, ILC instructors also encourage students to participate in UAHuntsville on-campus and sporting events, city events and entertainment, and community service.  Instructors include an event participation component in their courses, requiring students to attend events or visit attractions, followed by oral presentations or written activity reports from each student.  The Office of International Engagement (OIE) coordinates with the ILC to regularly offer day trips, service opportunities, and transport to special events and city attractions for all international students on the UAHuntsville campus.  For more information about on-campus events please visit the link: http://www.uah.edu/student-life/welcome.