In Fall 2017, the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program launched a pilot initiative called Speak With Confidence in order to provide GW international students with an opportunity to develop important oral communication skills in a structured workshop format. The program was co-funded by the International Services Office (ISO) and the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS) and was open to both undergraduate and graduate GW international students. The workshop sessions were developed and facilitated by two EAP faculty members, who each offered nine workshop sessions to two cohorts of students. At these workshops, students learned to manage various communicative situations by engaging in activities like classroom discussion practice, debates, classroom presentations, and even business pitches.
Due to the overwhelming success of the Fall program, EAP launched Speak With Confidence once again in the Spring 2018 semester. Based on feedback from students and EAP faculty, the program model was revised to include two tracks: “Pronunciation” taught by Professor Cara Fulton and “Academic to Professional Communication” taught by Professor Jose Power. This semester, the final three workshop sessions for both tracks will be co-facilitated by GW peers. For this spring’s program, 226 students applied, and 60 were selected (15 into each cohort) based on needs analysis, followed by random selection to ensure a diverse population of students coming from all across GW.
EAP is excited to be able to offer this opportunity to motivated students who want to practice their oral academic language skills and feel more confident speaking publicly. We look forward to launching another group of international students into success!