EL Fellow Program
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Country Burkina Faso
City Bobo Dioulasso
Host Institution Polytechnic University of Bob Dioulasso
Project Description
The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso (UPB), founded in 1995, has with the help of a former EL Fellow, established a new English program for teachers, students, and administrative staff. Previously independently acting and uncoordinated English teachers in the various faculties came together as a team. They worked on materials development for both general English and ESP. UPB supported this effort with a significant investment in audio-visual and computer equipment for the English program, including a laptop computer and projector as well as video equipment for making short film clips for the generation of English lessons. UPB has even gone a step further by establishing a salaried position for a local faculty member to fill the position of manager of the English Program. This is a critical moment to lend support to UPB in order to establish and maintain the sustainability of this fledgling English Program. West Africans, particularly those in technical fields, increasingly recognize the importance of English. Prior to 1995, the technical departments now making up UPB had been at the University of Ouagadougou, where English training was available. With the creation of the Polytechnic University in Bobo-Dioulasso, these university technical students no longer have the same opportunities for learning English. The first EL Fellow project carried out at UPB in 2005-2006 successfully created and launched a program to overcome this serious handicap. A renewal of the project is needed now to build on the successes already achieved so that momentum is not lost. The EL Fellow will work with the UPB English Program Manager to develop course modules primarily for students and secondarily for faculty and implement them, taking advantage of the equipment purchased for the English Program. The EL Fellow will be a key player in providing guidance on methodologies and techniques for teaching ESP, a major need at UPB due to its technical focus. The EL Fellow will directly affect the sustainability of this program by training the Manager and helping him coordinate the efforts of the various English instructors in the various faculties. The University's administration would like the EL Fellow to also focus on networking across the various faculties of UPB to more effectively assess their ESP needs and assist the Manager in addressing them. UPB is currently in the process of setting up high speed Internet connections to all the facilities on campus. Another key area they perceive the EL Fellow can have a significant impact is in the development of computer-assisted learning modules/activities that the English Program Manager and English instructors can be trained on and can then sustain and develop to address future training needs of the various academic departments.
Project Objectives
Placing an EL Fellow at UPB will improve English of technically oriented students. This objective will be particularly addressed through the development and teaching of ESP courses and training the English Program Manager and local English teaching staff the appropriate techniques and methodologies concerned. With the exception of an American Corner, there is no other Embassy presence in Bobo-Dioulasso.
About the Host Institution
The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso is a public institution of higher learning established in 1995 by the Burkina government with the goal of decentralizing higher education in the country. It is located in Burkina Faso’s second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, about 4 hours driving time southwest of the capital, Ouagadougou. The UPB has a technical emphasis and offers degrees in rural development, computer science, engineering, health, and other fields. Currently there are about 2,000 students enrolled at UPB in the various faculties.
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