Academic ESL
The Los Medanos College Academic ESL for Educational and Professional Advancement Program offers both Credit (ESL) and Noncredit (ESLN) courses and serves and supports non-native
English-speaking students who are ready to make the commitment to work to acquire
intermediate and advanced academic language proficiencies and competencies.
As mentioned on our Home page, we offer a mirrored Noncredit/Credit curriculum. Noncredit ESLN class are tuition free and are not held to the same residency and documentation standards as credit classes.
These classes are also repeatable. Credit ESL classes follow the tuition, fee, and residency policies established by the state and the college. These courses are not repeatable. If
you have any questions about these two types of classes, please ask!
Program Description
Our Academic ESL Program supports students’ college and career advancement by intentionally
infusing two key components into our second language acquisition-oriented program
student learning outcomes (PSLOs):
- the LMC Institutional/General Education student learning outcomes, which exist and
function to prepare students to succeed in general and career education courses as
well as students’ chosen major coursework.
- the thinking dispositions (i.e., the Habits of Mind) that research has shown most significantly support student success, and which are
equivalent to the highly valued “soft skills” that industry and employers have called
upon higher education to help students attain to prepare them for the world of work.
Additionally, our instruction takes an appreciative, strengths-based approach to teaching
our multilingual immigrant, refugee, and international student populations by valuing
the rich diversity they bring to our college classrooms, respecting their language
learning goals as additive and commendable, and empowering them toward academic and
career engagement and success.
We strive to offer the intermediate and advanced Academic ESL courses according to
their three-course Certificate-based packages during the sixteen-week fall and spring
semesters. The courses are designed in an integrated manner; thus, for optimal language learning and progress, students who are committed to advancing and transitioning into general, career,
and college major coursework should take all three courses as a package.
All six Academic ESL courses are described below.
For students’ convenience, each semester the college posts a searchable schedule of
available classes:
Course Schedule Search
Program Expectations
By registering and enrolling in any General ESL or Academic ESL course, the LMC ESL Department expects that each student understands, and both can
and will COMMIT to the following:
- attend EACH and EVERY class session from the start-date to the end-date of the given
session or semester
- come FULLY prepared with textbooks, materials, and completed homework, and for tests
- come ON TIME according to the start-time listed and stay until the end-time listed
- ASK QUESTIONS and strive to understand answers about anything that is not clear and/or
that you do not understand
- RESPECT and FOLLOW the instructor of the class, the class syllabus and all class policies
and guidelines, and the LMC Student Code of Conduct
- work to become increasingly aware of, understand, practice, and apply the 16 HABITS
OF MIND as you are supported to do so by your teacher during class and specific activities,
exercises, and assignments, and as other learning situations warrant
- MAKE APPOINTMENTS with the class professor during her/his Students’ Hours (also known
as Office Hours) or at another time pre-arranged time to discuss any classroom, instructional,
or course problems, issues, and/or complaints
- Please note, such items will not, should not, and cannot be addressed and discussed
during class time, and it is a student’s responsibility to follow the guidelines and
procedures stated here and as put forth on the Help with Difficulties You May Encounter at LMC page.
Course Descriptions - Academic ESL
-
ESL-085G & ESLN-085G: Intermediate Grammar - Credit or Noncredit
Are you ready to build on the general English language skills you have and move on
to improving your ability to communicate confidently and appropriately in English-speaking
college and work settings? Would you like to improve your capacity to understand
and participate in academic and career situations and engage with your fellow students,
professors, and people at work? Then take this course, which supports intermediate
to high-intermediate English language learning, and provides you opportunities to
enhance your understanding and ability to use a selection of intermediate English
grammar structures to strengthen your reading, listening, and thinking abilities and
your oral and written communication.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Intermediate” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-085G content, language skills, and communication abilities is
FIND SOLUTIONS.
Successfully complete ESL-085G, ESL-085SL, and ESL-085WR, and then apply for the Credit
Intermediate English for College and Career Success Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-085G, ESLN-085SL, and ESLN-085WR and then apply for the
Noncredit Intermediate English for College and Career Success Certificate of Competency.
-
ESL-085SL & ESLN-085SL: Intermediate Oral - Credit or Noncredit
Are you an English language learner who wants and/or needs to prepare yourself for
the oral communication opportunities and challenges of U.S. college classrooms and
work places? Then this course, which supports intermediate to high-intermediate English
language learning, is for you. In it, you will have chances to sharpen your listening
abilities and visual sensitivities as you listen to, watch, and analyze presentations
and performances on a range of college and career topics of interest. You will also
learn and practice effective note-taking strategies to improve your comprehension,
and you will develop interactive speaking and listening skills to help you engage
fully and confidently in a variety of college and career oral communication settings
and situations.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Intermediate” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-085SL content, language skills, and communication abilities is
RISK RESPONSIBLY.
Successfully complete ESL-085SL, ESL-085G, and ESL-085WR, and then apply for the Credit
Intermediate English for College and Career Success Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-085G, ESLN-085SL, and ESLN-085WR and then apply for the
Noncredit Intermediate English for College and Career Success Certificate of Competency.
-
ESL-085WR & ESLN-085WR: Intermediate College Writing - Credit or Noncredit
Are you a multilingual English language learner with a solid base of general English
who wants to build strong academic writing, reading, vocabulary, and thinking skills
that will prepare you to engage and succeed in U.S. college classrooms and workplaces?
Then, this class is for you. In it, you will have opportunities to develop valuable
skills and strategies and apply them to critically read, think about, analyze, discuss,
understand, and write about social, cultural, and global ideas relevant to you. This
class supports intermediate to high-intermediate English language learning and focuses
on developing the related grammar, syntax, and organizational skills to produce solid
academic paragraphs and the North American college essay.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Intermediate” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-085WR content, language skills, and communication abilities is LEARN MORE.
Successfully complete ESL-085WR, ESL-085G, and ESL-085SL, and then apply for the Credit
Intermediate English for College and Career Success Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-085WR, ESLN-085G, and ESLN-085SL and then apply for the
Noncredit Intermediate English for College and Career Success Certificate of Competency.
-
ESL-095G & ESLN-095G: Advanced Grammar- Credit or Noncredit
Do you want to continue to strengthen your potential to communicate with accuracy
and confidence in English-speaking academic and career environments? Then take this
class, which builds on the general and intermediate grammar and communication skills
that you have already acquired and supports advanced English language learning. You
will have opportunities to learn and use a set of advanced English grammar structures
to boost your reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking abilities and solidify
your ability to competently communicate with your peers, professors, and the people
you work with in English.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Advanced” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-095G content, language skills, and communication abilities is
STRIVE FOR ACCURACY.
Successfully complete ESL-095G, ESL-095SL, and ESL-095WR, and then apply for the Credit
Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement College Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-095G, ESLN-095SL, and ESLN-095WR, and then apply for the
Noncredit Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement Certificate of Competency.
-
ESL-095SL & ESLN-095SL: Advanced Speech Communication - Credit or Noncredit
Are you a English language learner who wants and/or needs to be able to speak and
listen confidently and effectively in public situations and settings? Then take this
course in which you will explore features, learn strategies, and practice skills that
go into making communication in various social spaces successful. This advanced language
learning course introduces you to certain interpersonal and intercultural communication
ideas, helps you develop related techniques, and gives you real-world opportunities
to improve your participation and performance in classrooms, meetings, interviews,
presentations, and everyday interactions and relationships.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Advanced” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-095SL content, language skills, and communication abilities is
EMPATHIZE.
Successfully complete ESL-095SL, ESL-095G, and ESL-095WR, and then apply for the Credit
Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement College Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-095SL, ESLN-095G, and ESLN-095WR, and then apply for the
Noncredit Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement Certificate of Competency.
-
ESL-095WR & ESLN-095WR: Advanced Academic Writing - Credit or Noncredit
Do you want to use the intermediate English language skills you have developed and
move on to advance your potential to succeed in transfer-level English? Then enroll
in this advanced English language learning course, and get the help you need to enhance
your critical reading, dispositional thinking, and university writing abilities.
Not only will you will sharpen valuable academic skills and strategies to read, analyze,
understand, discuss, and write about stimulating social, cultural, ethical, and global
issues, events, and concepts in English, but you will also improve your ability to
understand and use advanced vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical structures.
Choosing to take this course will help you progress toward gaining mastery of North
American academic paragraph and essay writing.
This is one course in a three-course package at our “Advanced” stage of Academic ESL.
The Habit of Mind you will have the chance to focus on and develop as you work to learn, practice,
and acquire ESL/ESLN-095WRV content, language skills, and communication abilities
is INNOVATE.
Successfully complete ESL-095WR, ESL-095G, and ESL-095SL, and then apply for the Credit
Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement College Skills Certificate.
Successfully complete ESLN-095WR, ESLN-095G, and ESLN-095SL, and then apply for the
Credit Advanced English for Academic and Professional Advancement Certificate of Competency.
Required Textbooks
Each Academic ESL course may or may not use a REQUIRED textbook that each student
is responsible for purchasing and bringing to each class session beginning from day
one of instruction.
Without exception, each student MUST have their own textbook. This includes the online course access code that may accompany
the main textbook. It is expected that students who enroll in one of these courses
understand this requirement and will do what they need to do to procure or access
the financial costs associated with purchasing the textbooks and access codes. Students
who need financial assistance should meet with the ESL Counselor, Ms. Eva Padilla
to ask about textbook buying assistance.
Students can choose to purchase their textbooks through the LMC Bookstore - located in the Student Union Building, Level 1 - or via an online source such as
Amazon. When purchasing the textbooks via an online source, students MUST make certain to use the appropriate ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Textbook information can be secured by looking
up the textbook on the LMC Bookstore's website or contacting the instructor of the
course (instructor's emails can be found listed next the class on the Course Schedule Search).
A copy of every ESL/ESLN course textbook is also available on reserve at the Circulation
Desk in the LMC Library. Using their LMC Student ID Card, students can check out the books for the indicated period of time.
Textbook and all required materials information will also be provided on every course
syllabus that students will receive on the first day of instruction.
Learn more about General ESL
