1. Needs analysis plan (10%): Identify a real group of English language learners. Describe this specific group of learners and design a needs assessment plan for them that you would carry out if you had sufficient time and money. Use class readings as guidelines. Include all methods and tools such as questionnaires/surveys/interview protocols that you plan to use to obtain information from this population with your reasoning behind them.
2. Discourse/Genre analysis (10%): Find authentic written texts for analysis that are appropriate for your learners. Outline your goals for your analysis, including
o audiences, contexts, and/or communities from which the discourse arises
o the apparent purposes for the discourse and specific ways in which the speaker or writer attempts to achieve his/her purposes with the audience
o the macro-structure of the discourse.(e.g., problem/solution)
o the headings and metadiscourse features that are employed to hold the entire text together
o the repeated, or essential, grammatical features and their relationship to discourse function
o the lexical features and their relationships to each other and the complete text
o the visual or extra-linguistic features.
3. Course design plan (10%): Develop the main components of a course design plan for your target population. It should include a syllabus outline based on your selected students’ outcome goals, the duration of the program, length of lessons, class size, placement considerations, number of instructors and so on. Another component of this assignment is for you to researcg current foreign language methodologies that are appropriate for the needs of your target population.
- Sample lesson plan (10%): Develop a sample lesson plan for your target population which includes:
a. Topic and list of task steps (e.g. steps to: giving a shampoo or manicure; checking the suspension of a car; checking a patient's blood pressure; preparing vegetable soup for 50; etc.)
- New vocabulary (5-20 expressions)
- One or two grammatical structures (hint: task steps are usually written in the imperative and often contain prepositional phrases of location)
d. Cultural information related to the topic (e.g. proper way to greet customers, talk to superiors or colleagues, etc.)
- List of materials and resources needed
- One learning activity
- One evaluative activity
5. Reflection paper on materials selection (10%): Reflect about the types of materials that would be best--more appropriate given time, availability, etc.--for your proposed course. Substantiate your position with information from course discussions, readings, and your own experience.
6. Course assessment plan (10%): Propose a plan to evaluate your own ESP course. What criteria for evaluation would you use? Who would you involve? What would you do with the information should your ESP course were one that you regularly teach at an institute, university, etc. Why?