Written by emg210 | May 16, 2018 | SHARE
This academic year brought significant changes to Lehigh’s English language program in an effort to improve academic support for international students.
The English as a Second Language (ESL) program is now the International Center for Academic and Professional English (ICAPE). Along with the new name comes enhanced academic programming and support.
These changes reflect the changing needs of Lehigh students from a wide variety of multilingual and multicultural backgrounds. Since 2010, the number of international students at Lehigh has increased by 45 percent, with a 98 percent increase in the number of international undergraduate students. At the same time, the average score on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) of admitted undergraduates has increased.
In response, ICAPE has shifted from remedial English programs to a wider range of services, including coursework, tutoring, testing and workshops for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals. This new academic advising infrastructure will better support international students’ writing and communication skills as well as their academic and social integration.
For example, traditionally most international undergraduate students fulfilled the freshman composition requirement with ENGL 003: Composition and Literature I for International Writers, while domestic undergrads took ENGL 001: Critical Reading and Composition. Now ICAPE has added a one-credit recitation session that allows international students with a high level of English proficiency to take ENGL 001 with their American peers and get supplemental information about an American university classroom, cultural norms on campus and more.
Furthermore, in summer 2018, Lehigh is planning to become a testing location for IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, a popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. This designation is a recognition of the quality of English language preparation that Lehigh provides—there are only about 50 IELTS centers in the United States.
Recognition for International Voices Student Magazine
International Voices, a student club that produces an intercultural literary journal, received two awards at the Annual Student Life Leadership Award Ceremony. The club received the Student Club of the Year Award, and Winni Wei ’20, the club president, received the Contribution to Student Life Award.
The club includes international and domestic students and is advised by staff from ICAPE. Wei is a graduate of ICAPE’s StepUp Intensive English Language Program. They plan internationally focused educational programming and publish artwork and writing by a diverse group of faculty and staff.