What could the future of innovative curriculum design and flexible academic delivery look like at George Brown College? For inspiration, we would like to highlight the School of ESL & Immigrant Education’s redesigned ESL Part-Time Program.
Curriculum Times A-Changin’
Under the leadership of Luba Pazyuk (ESL Con-Ed Coordinator), Anna Bartosik (Faculty Curriculum Developer), and Ana-Marija Petrunic (Chair of the School of ESL & Immigrant Education), an ambitious curriculum redesign began in Winter 2022.
ESL students had been asking for hybrid study options, additional program flexibility, and clear pathways to balance complex life demands and to succeed in the economy and society. All students have diverse individual circumstances, family and caregiving responsibilities, employment demands, and health and well-being needs.
However, in addition to those, newcomers and international students often have settlement needs, community integration challenges, and/or employment barriers in Canadian labour market that they are navigating. Many are internationally trained professionals who require English language skills as a critical bridge to success in Canada.
Considering student needs as well as sector developments, what emerged from the curriculum redesign process is a high-quality and high-impact learning experience that is attracting and retaining newcomers and international students.
Program Makeover
Accelerated
The redesigned curriculum is condensed into six-week sessions, allowing students to achieve their language goals much faster than was previously possible (completing up to six levels per year instead of three). The accelerated study, in turn, speeds up students' continuous learning or their entry into the workforce.
Hybrid
Each course contains 50 instructional hours and is delivered with a combination of:
- Synchronous F2F: meaningful face-to-face interactions with peers and expert instructors on campus;
- Synchronous Online: engaging biweekly live online classes where students practice their English skills using technology; and
- Asynchronous Online: weekly asynchronous mini sessions that provide students with flexibility in learning while practicing time management, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
Pathways
Equivalencies are clearly mapped for prospective and current students, allowing them flexibility to shift across English for Academic Purposes (EAP) full-time and Continuing Education ESL part-time George Brown programs as their life circumstances shift. At a glance, students can also understand how their George Brown ESL learning level corresponds to Canadian and international language testing systems (CLBs, TOEFL, IELTS, CEFR).
By mapping these internal and external pathways, students are empowered to navigate their studies and career steps with greater ease and confidence.
Win-Win Scenario
With a greater number of intakes each year, the redesigned ESL Part-Time program improves the student experience by facilitating quick entry and progression through their program. The hybrid delivery mode provides students with community-building, digital skill-building, and scheduling flexibility as they develop the language skills to succeed in further academic study or the workforce.
Beyond the transformed student experience, the new ESL Part-Time program supports the College’s Strategy 2026 in enabling diversified student recruitment, increasing student persistence and retention, and accelerating post-secondary program conversion.
To learn more about this curriculum transformation and other innovation within the School of ESL & Immigrant Education, please reach out to program Chair, Ana-Marija Petrunic.
