English Language and Academic Skills (ELAS)
All international students registered at the University can participate in the free English Language and Academic Skills (ELAS) series of workshops, which are designed to help you improve in areas such as:
- English grammar and pronunciation
- essay writing
- critical reading
- note-taking
- participating in seminar discussions
- incorporating sources in written work.
In addition to the taught workshops, you can book individual speaking or writing tutorials.
The ELAS workshops run alongside your degree studies in the autumn and spring terms, for five weeks on Wednesday afternoons.
Note that ELAS workshops do not carry academic credits and so do not contribute to the credits you need for your degree. If you attend at least 70% of an ELAS workshop series, you will receive a certificate of attendance.
By attending ELAS workshops you earn Employability Points (5 points per two hours up to a maximum of 20 points per workshop series – excludes individual speaking and writing tutorials). To claim your points, you need to log them on My Folio.
Which ELAS workshop series is right for you?
If you are new to essay writing in English then we recommend you join EDUC0001 Essay Writing. These workshops cover writing clearly structured introductions, paragraphs and conclusions, adding coherence and cohesion to your writing and incorporating sources.
To further develop your critical reading and writing skills we recommend you join EDUC0014 Advanced Writing and Research. Here you will develop strategies to navigate texts and find relevant information at speed, and gain confidence to question, analyse, evaluate and interpret source material, including identification of bias, unbalanced argumentation or generalisation within that source material.
Autumn term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 (weeks 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 of term)
Spring term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 26, 27, 28, 31 and 32 (weeks 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 of term)
To book: Sign up here.
To improve your English grammar at both sentence and paragraph level we recommend you sign up to EDUC0002 Grammar. These workshops explore identifying different types of sentences and constructing active and passive sentences using diverse verb forms, noun phrases and relative clauses.
For higher level English grammar workshops where you will identify and employ functional devices to produce complex, cohesive, objective, neutral, and persuasive text then sign up to EDUC0015 Advanced Grammar. Here you will also identify basic syntactical and morphological features of English and compare them with those of your first language.
Autumn term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 (weeks 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 of term)
Spring term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 26, 27, 28, 31 and 32 (weeks 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 of term)
To book: Sign up here.
If you have not previously delivered a presentation in English or need help structuring your presentations and want to improve your seminar skills, we recommend you sign up for EDUC0003 Seminar Discussion and Presentation Skills.
If you are more confident presenting your work and participating in seminar discussions but would like to further develop and enhance your critical and analytical skills, using techniques to engage and persuade audience, sign up to EDUC0016 Advanced Speaking Skills.
Autumn term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 (weeks 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 of term)
Spring term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 26, 27, 28, 31 and 32 (weeks 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 of term)
To book: Sign up here.
In our EDUC0004 Listening and Note-taking workshops you will learn how to make the most of your lectures and seminars by using tools to help you understand and make a record of all essential information.
Autumn term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 (weeks 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 of term)
Spring term dates: Wednesday afternoons in Weeks 26, 27, 28, 31 and 32 (weeks 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 of term)
To book: Sign up here.
Booking ELAS workshops
Before booking workshops, please check your timetable to ensure you are able to attend.
If you are having difficulty registering for our workshops, or you need further advice, please email globallearning@kent.ac.uk.
Booking ELAS tutorials
Individual speaking tutorials
Individual speaking tutorials give you the opportunity to refine your spoken accuracy, fluency, and pronunciation for seminars and presentations with an academic member of staff, who will give you advice and feedback on your speaking.
Tutorials are available all year. To book, please email globallearning@kent.ac.uk with the subject line 'Speaking tutorial'.
Individual writing tutorials
Individual writing tutorials give you the opportunity to discuss your academic writing with a member of staff from International Programmes, who will give you advice on the structure, coherence, and cohesion of your work. Please note: this is not a proofreading service.
Tutorials are available all year. To book, please email globallearning@kent.ac.uk with the subject line 'Writing tutorial'.
Other workshops
We also offer non-credit workshops in intercultural communication and competencies. Our Talking Cultures workshops run in Autumn and Spring and are open to all students.
In-sessional elective (credit-bearing) modules
Our in-sessional elective modules are credit-bearing modules that students on social science or humanities courses can choose to study as part of their degree programme.
Our Talking Cultures module explores cultural differences, stereotypes and prejudices and is designed to enhance intercultural awareness and communication.
If you would like to choose any of these modules, discuss your choices with your academic adviser.