Academic English for the Liberal Arts
Director's Welcome
Welcome to the Academic English for the Liberal Arts. This program helps students with the academic skills necessary for all courses at AUC. It also helps students be introduced to different disciplines, which is at the heart of liberal arts education. We hope all students benefit from our program and hope they have a very successful experience at AUC.
Iman Baza, PhD
Director, Academic English for the Liberal Arts
Our Mission
Academic English for the Liberal Arts (ENGL 0210) is an integrated language skills and content course which prepares pre-freshman students at AUC for success in courses taken simultaneously, as well as subsequently in the freshman program. The course provides opportunities for students to develop the necessary communication and critical thinking skills, learning strategies, and attitudes that are essential to success. Students in ENGL 0210 gain knowledge of the liberal arts, learn to take responsibility for their own academic progress, work both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and appreciate individual and cultural differences in a student-centered learning community.
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ENGL 0210 is designed to enable students to:
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Comprehend, analyze and evaluate authentic texts from a freshman-level course (reading).
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Demonstrate understanding of information presented orally by faculty and peers in lectures and discussions (listening).
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Communicate ideas in writing, following academic conventions (writing).
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Demonstrate university-level speaking skills (speaking).
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Use university resources effectively and ethically (academic literacy).
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Demonstrate understanding of academic culture and requirements (acculturation).
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Monitor and assess their own understanding of course material, use of strategies and ability to transfer learning and strategies from one setting to another (metacognition).
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Throughout the program, teaching strategies aim to nurture independence of thought, learning autonomy, creativity, critical thinking and self-evaluation. Teaching is basically student-centered, encouraging class participation, as well as pair and group interaction.
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Evaluation
ENGL 0210 is a Pass/Fail course. Whether a student passes or not depends on their final score, which is based on a number of exams and assignments. The following table provides the content and weighting of ENGL 0210 assessments.
Tasks
Grade Distribution
Exam 1
First Writing Task
Listening Comprehension Task
10%
10%
Exam 2
Reading Summary Task
Summary Response Task
20%
Oral Presentation
Oral presentations: Process and Product consisting of the following two components:
- 85% for the Oral Presentation
- 15% for the Process Reflection Paper
15%
Student Involvement
Student Involvement
10%
Final Reflection Paper
Final Reflection Paper Assignment
5%
Final exam
Final Writing Task
Reading comprehension and vocabulary (RCV) multiple-choice test
20%
10%
Program Structure
The course is divided into two modules and the modules are divided into rounds. Reading selections are culled from a different discipline every round, and language development is reinforced by activities based on themes from that particular discipline. At the end of each module, the students are given a formal test that forms part of their overall assessment.
ENGL 0210 Proficiency Scale
Final Total Score
General Description
Proficiency Descriptors
Indication of Standing
70 +
Proficient
(Meets or exceeds expectations)
Student is able to perform many academic tasks well, including:
- Comprehending and analyzing written and oral academic English on a wide variety of topics,
- Expressing his/her own ideas and the ideas of others appropriately and effectively orally and in writing, despite occasional minor difficulties in language use and/or
- Consistently following the conventions of written or oral academic English discourse (including paraphrasing and accurately integrating and citing source material).
RHET 1010
65-69
Inconsistent
(Approaching expectations)
Although sometimes able to perform academic tasks satisfactorily, student demonstrates inconsistency in the ability to:
- Comprehend written and oral academic English
- Express ideas orally or in writing
- Follow the conventions of academic English discourse, whether oral or written and/or
- Produce acceptable work either within or across tasks.
BORDERLINE
0-64
Inadequate
(Does not meet expectations)
Although student is able to perform some academic tasks satisfactorily, language difficulties and/or lack of knowledge of conventions of academic English may impede:
- Full comprehension of academic texts, whether oral or written and
- The ability to communicate effectively when writing or speaking.
- The ability to produce acceptable work.
ENGL 0210
Grades on Banner Self-Service
On Banner Self-Service, you will receive one of the following grades: P (Pass), IP (In Progress), or F (Fail).
What does a P grade mean?
A P (Pass) grade is given when students have demonstrated achievement of the ENGL 0210 learning outcomes through their scores on course assessments; these students progress to RHET 1010.
What does an IP grade mean?
An IP (In Progress) grade indicates an Incomplete and is given only under exceptional circumstances, such as when a student has a documented illness that prevents him or her from completing the course requirements. Students in such situations have a specific period of time in which to complete the course requirements. A form is submitted to the registrar indicating the timeline for completion of course requirements. Failure to complete course requirements within the specified time will result in an F grade in the course.
What does a F grade mean?
An F (Fail) grade means that a student has not met the requirements to proceed to the next level. Students are allowed a maximum of two semesters and a summer (or three semesters if no summer session is offered) to pass the course.
- 85% for the Oral Presentation
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For frequently asked questions, click here.
Hear from our students
From my experience, ENGL 0210 has been a valuable opportunity to immensely improve my skills in writing proper and credible academic papers and doing solid presentations.
Learning English can be overwhelming, especially if you are not a native speaker. Being a college student at AUC, taking the ENGL 0210 course has been a golden opportunity. The ENGL 0210 course has made me discover a world of knowledge by exposing us to various disciplines; therefore, expressing my ideas has never been more feasible! Moreover, as a student intending to major in architecture, persuasion is key. Thus, ENGL 0210 was a great help in terms of allowing me to develop the required communication and critical thinking abilities, as well as learning methodologies and mindsets, for success.
ENGL 0210, through its diverse topics, has made me much more confident in expressing my thoughts and ideas by significantly improving my writing and presentation skills.
Contact Information
Academic English for the Liberal Arts (ENG 0210)
Department of English Language Instruction
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Hall (HUSS)
AUC New Cairo
Email: AEFinfo@aucegypt.edu
Iman Baza
English 0210 Director
Room P068
t: +20.2.2615.2113
Mohamed Mokhtar
Senior Administrative Affairs Assistant
Room P067
t: +20.2.2615.2119
