English Language Instruction for Staff
Instruction
English instruction is free to Merit* and Professional and Scientific** employees. The goals of the instruction are to help employees communicate more effectively on their jobs to facilitate cultural awareness and to offer them training that may be necessary for their professional advancement.
* For a definition and more information about Merit jobs, please visit this page of the Compensation and Classification website: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/classcomp/merit/index.html
**For a definition and more information about Professional and Scientific jobs, please read this page of the Classification and Compensation website: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/classcomp/prof/index.html
Trained Instructors
Two professionally-trained English as a Second Language instructors teach employees one-on-one, in small groups, or in larger classes. They do not have to speak employees' native languages in order to teach them English. These instructors have years of experience helping people improve their basic workplace English, pronunciation, conversation, grammar, professional writing, presentation skills, and more.
Individual and Small-Group Tutoring
Instructors are available to meet with employees one-on-one or in small groups so that tutoring can focus on specific, short-term needs. For example, teachers can work with employees for a short time to practice a presentation for a conference, edit a paper, or learn new vocabulary. Instructors can also work with an employee for an extended time to try to improve the employee's overall English ability. For tutoring, most employees choose to meet one or two times a week for an hour on their own time (during lunch breaks, before or after work). Employees may request English tutoring for themselves or their supervisors may request it for them. Employees must discuss with their supervisors whether they can meet during work hours. For more information or to request English instruction, please contact Staff Language and Culture Services to make an appointment. During this appointment, the instructor and the employee (and supervisor, if applicable) will discuss the employee's language background and needs.
Topic Specific English Classes
Staff Language and Culture Services will begin offering group English classes for employees that are Speakers of Other Languages. More information will be coming soon. Until then, if you would like to request a class or arrange for a class to be taught by one of our instructors, please contact Staff Language and Culture Services about your needs.
Corinne J. Stanley, SCLS Facilitator
(319)335-5822
corinne-stanley@uiowa.edu
English Conversation Group
Staff Language and Culture Services hosts an English Conversation Group every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Anyone wishing to practice speaking English in a small group may attend. You do not have to contact Staff Language and Culture Services in advance.
The goal of the conversation group is to provide employees, especially research staff, with a regular opportunity to speak in English with native speakers. Topics of conversation vary, and usually revolve around whatever that day's attendees are interested in discussing. In the past, we have talked about subjects (serious and fun), such as skiing, favorite foods, research in bacteriology, natural disasters, religion, traffic, the weather in Iowa, women's rights, and more. We are open to suggestions of topics that the people attending would like to discuss or avoid.
More about the location: The group is presently meeting in MELROSE CONFERENCE ROOM 6. The Melrose Conference Rooms are on the fifth floor of the Pomerantz Family Pavilion. They are located near Elevator L, but are not within the Melrose Dining Room. For a map showing the location of the Pomerantz Family Pavilion, please visit: http://www.uiowa.edu/~maps/p/pfp1.htm
Last updated December 2012