Customized Summer Workshops
Summer Customized Workshop
The ESL Center offers customized workshops for refinement of advanced English language and academic skills for those embarking on graduate degree programs in the United States. The per-person cost for enrollment in the workshops described here is $1,000 and is restricted to those taking part in pre-academic preparation programs. Please contact program director, Debbie Rozner, drozner@kent.edu, with questions.
Academic Speaking Skills Workshop
This 4-week workshop aims to refine the spoken communication skills of participants who will have the opportunity to practice listening and speaking in a dynamic environment which simulates graduate academic contexts. Participants will make formal presentations and develop the ability to communicate effectively in spontaneous interactions for professional and practical purposes including expressing opinions, asking questions, repairing communication breakdowns, and improving clarity in spoken English. Topics will be relevant to the participants’ academic interests and academic professionalism.
Academic Writing Skills Workshop
This 4-week workshop promotes advanced skills in academic writing for American academic contexts. Cross-disciplinary reading materials will provide opportunities for vocabulary development and analysis of rhetorical moves in academic writing. Writing topics will be customized to the academic disciplines of individual participants and will include summarizing, paraphrasing, writing and responding to posts, and academic annotation and formatting skill development. Participants will learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it in their writing. Participants will also become familiar with how to do library database research.
Academic Skills Training Workshop
This 4-week workshop promotes advanced academic skills and cross-cultural awareness in adapting to U.S. academic culture. Workshop topics include but not limited to: time management, study tool, project management, online/library database research & keeping track of materials, copy rights & plagiarism, citation styles & citation tools, conference presentations & professional organizations, doing research & publications, teaching skills development, virtual learning and teaching, campus life and culture, belonging, faculty expectations & classroom culture, mental health and well-being; personal safety, and using the international office.