Summary
The English Preparatory School (EPS) majors in two education programs, and these are the English Preparatory Programme (EPP) and the Faculty Academic English Programme (FAEP). EPP is a student-centered program that focuses on developing and upgrading the learners’ language skills and mastery. This, in turn, enhances their compatibility with the rigorous academic courses and vocational skills provided by the institution. On the other hand, FAEP is more of an assistant course; it is designed to help students struggling with the English language, especially those from the education faculty. EPS has employed well-trained and skilled lecturers and instructors to guide the students through the EPP.
Mission Statement
The school has an established formal mission statement outlining its academic institution’s aims and objectives. There are four aims: coach and support students to ensure a smooth transition to higher institutions of learning. Support students towards English fluency and mastery before the end of their studies, promote independent and autonomous learning and assist learners with language issues. Additionally, the school focuses on creating a comfortable environment that stimulates learning among students.
Organizational Structure
The institution has simple ranked organization management; all members have defined roles and responsibilities. This allows for a smooth administration and execution of duties with minimal supervision. The Director is the overall head of the institution and is supported by the Coordinator and an administrative officer. The coordinators manage all matters of the academic aspect of the institution, like curriculum and material development. The administrative officers are in charge of the welfare of all the students. All professional staff is engaged in a development program facilitated by the school, thus ensuring good service delivery. Additionally, the school has many officers solely in charge of specialist units since it offers these units to its students.
Structure and Decision-Making in EPP
Figure 1 displays the school’s organizational structure. This design allows for all objectives and aims to be attained with minimal strain. This has been achieved by establishing an all-inclusive decision-making procedure. This way, all members within the institution have a role to play in the school’s decision-making process. This process has significantly developed over time by incorporating certain vital features; decisions are majorly made based on the feedback of all stakeholders. All people are allowed to present their ideas and grievances while making decisions, and all decisions are made based on their ability to fuel the school towards its strategic objectives.
English Preparatory Programme
The school’s curriculum has been designed solely to facilitate better student experiences. This has been achieved through the provision of adequate academic and extra-curricular resources. Additionally, this school has devoted its resources to providing a whole-person education. This means that it does not only focus on the academic aspect of students but also the development aspect. This has proven beneficial by ensuring a seamless transition to the university. Additionally, students can deal with practical issues through the EUL EPP program. Many needs of the students are met through the different programs offered by the school; some of these needs consist of linguistic needs, academic needs and autonomy of the learners.
Staff Development in EPP
The development of professional staff is one of the things that the school’s administration takes seriously. The school understands that the students can only excel if the teachers and other staff are excellent. Additionally, the program evaluates and compares the performance of various students to those of their instructors. This way, the school can know where and how to improve. In order to achieve efficiency in service delivery, the school administration collects feedback from different stakeholders in the school; this can be internal, classroom visits, peer and full observation sessions. Through these methods of collecting data, the administration can know which departments have challenges and how to solve them.
Units In EPP
The establishment of these units has enabled the different departments of the EPP to experience significant improvement in performance. Through curriculum and material development, the school is able to synchronize the curriculum with the materials needed. Additionally, this unit helps to evaluate the materials used to determine their efficiency in producing the intended outcome. The testing unit prepares the exams and quizzes for the learners and helps to invigilate the exams. The advisory unit guides and advices students when they forward their concerns. It also helps students to explore and grasp their environment and systems. The advisory unit keeps a record of students’ attendance and informs the director.
EPP Modular System
The program has an elaborate and accommodative modulation system that provides for all students irrespective of their learning differences. The system is learner-centered; thus, every student can learn at their own speed; it focuses on understanding, not competition. This program’s primary purpose is proficiency in the English language; therefore, the modular system emphasizes individual students’ understanding. Students who fail to complete their modules must repeat them since they cannot be promoted to higher levels. The students are placed at different levels concerning their capabilities and proficiency in the English language.
Module Evaluation Criteria
The program offers six assessments for the student regardless of the module level, and they are given upon completion of a module. The pass mark for successful completion of the modules is sixty-five points. However, those who fail to meet the mark cannot be promoted to a higher module; instead, they must retake it. Formative assessment has lower stakes and mainly focuses on formal and informal techniques. Conversely, the summative assessment has higher stakes; it capitalizes on the student’s achievements.
Proficiency and Attendance
All students take a proficiency exam at the beginning of every academic year. The exam assesses the student’s mastery of grammar and vocabulary, reading, listening, and writing ability. Another exam is done at the end of the academic year; however, this is different because students are awarded bonus points based on their attendance, class participation, and self-study. Attendance bonuses depend on the rate of a student’s absenteeism; the points range from 1 to 10. Students who were absent the longest get the lowest points, while those with the highest attendance get the most bonus points.