Current Program

English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are designed for the student whose native tongue is not English. Students who enroll in ESL courses generally use ESL classes as an entry point into the college, taking these classes before they take other college classes. They enroll to help survive in an English-speaking world, to help as they train for employment, for personal enrichment or sometimes because taking ESL classes is a requirement of the GAIN/CalWORKs program. Several factors have affected the class offerings of the program in recent years: population changes, changes in students' basic skills, and economic conditions.

Degrees and Certificates - No degrees or certificates are offered.

Personnel - At this time three full-time and seven part-time faculty are employed to teach ESL.

Teaching Methodologies - Lecture and "small group learning" are the teaching methods most often used in ESL classrooms today.

Technology - There are no online or distance education classes offered at this time. The vast majority of ESL students are not computer proficient and do not have access to computers at home.

Equipment - The program uses VCRs, video cameras and tape recorders for classroom projects. There is a need for computers and printers and an additional telephone line.

Facilities - At this time there are two full-time ESL-only classrooms, which are not adjacent to each other. Classes are scattered throughout campus.

Future Program

The ESL curriculum is being revised to provide a more efficient transition to the English program. All ESL courses are being re-assessed and rewritten. To offer students more options, the department has overseen articulation with the English department to officially coordinate ESL 4A with English 64 and ESL 5A with English 21, and reinstating ESL 6A to the list of degree applicable courses is under review. As new research emerges in ESL teaching methodology, new ways of instruction will need to be adopted and different facilities designed. Methods of recruiting students will change, and the program will need to change to meet student needs, such as offering afternoon classes as well as morning and evening classes. It is expected that enrollment in ESL will increase at a faster rate than the college as a whole, both in the mid term (five years) and the long term (ten years), due to the increasing percentage of non-English-speaking households in the county - recently reported to be 54 percent. See Program Projections.

Degrees and Certificates - No degrees or certificates are planned.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Teaching Methodologies - Lecture and "small group learning" will probably continue as the predominant methods of instruction in ESL, but new methods are always emerging in the field. Most of these new methods, however, focus on teacher presentation/student interaction in the classroom, rather than through computerized or distance education methodologies.

Technology - Alternative delivery systems, such as online courses, interactive video or computerized learning will play a role in future course offerings. There is a need to invest in audio/computer components in a dedicated ESL/foreign language laboratory.

Equipment - Computer and audio components to equip an ESL/foreign language lab is needed.

Facilities - The program needs an ESL Center which would serve as a "hub" for all ESL classes. Ideally, all ESL classes would be taught in classrooms adjacent to each other, and ESL would have a dedicated ESL/foreign language audio/computer lab nearby.

Staff Development - Faculty are interested in providing cultural diversity workshops to other faculty and staff members. ESL faculty have participated in the Learning Communities and are serving as models for other faculty members.

Special Recommendation

The department should explore new methods of instruction and alternative delivery systems to provide more opportunities for students to access the program. New technologies, such as a state-of-the-art computer lab for both ESL and foreign languages, should be incorporated into the program as well.