Article Preview
TopEnglish Language Center At Rtu Riga Business School
In 1991, RTU founded RBS in partnership with State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and University of Ottawa to provide a North American style MBA degree taught entirely in English. In order to prepare candidates, the English Language Institute at SUNY Buffalo established the RBS ELC. ELC provides English language instruction at seven levels according to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and most of the courses carry academic credits that can be counted towards a degree. In addition, ELC serves general public as well as corporate clients as a provider of non-formal education.
Although different in content, level, and volume, all ELC courses follow the same principles. Students take a placement test before registration to avoid mixed-ability groups. Course syllabi and core coursebooks are standardized to ensure gradual progression through levels. Criteria for students to complete a course include attendance, participation, homework, and tests. Two different SETs are administered during the course: a short early course evaluation during class 5 of a course, and a more detailed one at the end. The main parts of both SETs comprise Likert-scale questionnaires, as these offer an efficient way to measure opinions and are commonly used in language programs to evaluate students’ attitudes and perceptions (Wesely, 2012). In addition, open-ended questions encourage students to suggest ways to improve a course.