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Participating in the TESOL distance programs workshop are (front row,... |
Education’s ambitious plans for its TESOL programs
The Faculty of Education’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) online program has been the catalyst for the rapid spread of interest in the course.
The TESOL distance programs began at UOW in the 1980s and have grown from 37 students in 2004 to more than 180 since the programs went online in 2007.
The Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Paul Chandler, and the Faculty’s Associate Dean of Research, Associate Professor Lori Lockyer, recently welcomed tutors in the TESOL distance programs for a workshop.
Students undertaking the programs range in age from 22 to 72 and are spread across Australia, the Americas, Europe and Asia.
They are taking the Graduate Certificate and the Diploma or Master of Education courses in TESOL.
Tutors meet twice a year to discuss issues and plan subject changes and developments. And they themselves come from a range of backgrounds.
Dr Jenny Farrell previously worked for what is now the University of Wollongong in Dubai; Dr Judie Cross is a head teacher at TAFE; Colleen Causer is a consultant with the Department of Education and Training (DET) in Special Education; and Phil Chappell was a former principal of AUA, the main English language college in Thailand.
Co-ordinator of distance Programs, Dr Ken Cruikshank, said the majority of new enrolments for the programs came from word of mouth
“New programs will be advertised in the coming year and the Faculty of Education has set a target of doubling enrolments,” he said.