EL Fellow Program
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Country Nicaragua
City Managua
Host Institution Universidad Politecnica de Nicaragua
Project Description
The Universidad Politecnica de Nicaragua (UPOLI) would like to develop an ESL curriculum for each of the eight career tracks at the university. Seven of these careers will require three English courses, while the eighth will require six courses. The university's main goal is to provide the students with enough English knowledge to read technical documents and for students in the Tourist Administration Program to be able to communicate fluently in English. The EL Fellow will be asked to train six English teachers in curriculum development methods so that the coordinator and the English teachers will be able to develop an English program specifically oriented to each career. Since the national universities are struggling to improve the English curricula in their respective departments, UPOLI is going to invite two professors from each of the public and subsidized universities, including two from the Atlantic Coast (total of ten), to participate in this training. The EL Fellow will organize workshops and seminars to discuss revisions and inclusion of proper educational materials.
Project Objectives
This project aims to revamp English teaching programs. UPOLI, as a member of the National Council of Universities, wants to extend this opportunity to other Nicaraguan universities to provide all students with an English education that offers an international perspective and focuses on individual career tracks. This will make graduates competitive in the global economy. The training will also help evaluate and improve the professional competency of English teachers at Nicaraguan universities. UPOLI will strengthen links with the other Nicaraguan universities, integrate gender and ethnic diversity and assist local educators in their attempts to streamline all Nicaraguan university curricula, allowing for greater inter-collegial transferability. English language education has become a need for Nicaraguan professionals in all fields, especially after the approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Command of English will become a necessary and valuable skill in the future job market. Teachers trained under the EL Fellow Program will serve as multipliers, improving English teaching programs for UPOLI and five other Nicaraguan universities. At a minimum it will reach the 6,000 students of UPOLI and 20,000 students at all other Nicaraguan universities.
About the Host Institution
UPOLI was founded in 1967 as a technical institute by the Baptist Convention of Nicaragua. In 1982 this center was upgraded to university status. The Department of English was founded in 1992 with three English teachers that provided one English course under the general core of four careers. Since 2000 the university has installed an English Laboratory, contracted additional English teachers and started to improve the English programs. One English course is now included for each of the eight careers served by the university, including nursing. In 2005, UPOLI completed a curricula evaluation. The school began to include two additional English courses for each career and four additional courses for each career and four additional courses for the School of Tourism Administration. These developments were undertaken to improve the English command of all the students in the face of increased regional economic agreements, especially DR-CAFTA recently signed with the United States.
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