Constitution State News

University of Bridgeport issued the following announcement on March 24.

by Steven Rashba, Director of Modern Languages and the English Language Institute, University of Bridgeport

At University of Bridgeport’s (UB) English Language Institute,  we have made Research Writing the cornerstone of the program. Students  learn not only how to find and read articles at a challenging academic  level from University databases, but also how to summarize, paraphrase,  and quote the information so they can incorporate it into their work.  After all, one of the highest levels of the learning pyramid is  synthesizing information.

ELI instructors educate students about American-style academic writing by first introducing them to the UB library and its databases and demonstrating the various levels of reading  complexity. Students are also introduced to the importance and mechanics  of citing sources with a focus on APA format. Initially, students are  directed to databases with easier readability so they can build their  confidence before using more rigorous databases. Often, we have to break  their Google searching habits. However, students quickly discover the  advantages of using the library databases, especially the correct APA or  MLA citations displayed at the bottom of the article.

Research skills are important to teach for students’ college careers, helping to prepare them for their academic programs, many of which are research focused. However, they also transfer to graduates’ future careers, with skills that include:

• Building vocabulary
• Grammar structures
• Critical thinking

Furthermore, the skills learned in academic research apply to many different kinds of writing in the business world, including:

• Request for proposals
• Feasibility studies
• Analysis
• Copyright and patent-protection for new ideas and innovations

For these reasons and more, ESL students need to be taught research  skills as well as academic writing. Only then will they have continued  academic and professional success. Classes at UB’s English Language  Institute not only prepare students for the rigors of their academic  programs but also help them transform a language background weakness  into an acknowledged strength.

Steven Rashba, ARM, is the Director of Modern Languages and the  English Language Institute and currently teaches Advanced ELI 140  (Research Writing for ESL Students). Rashba has been affiliated with UB  for 23 years and is one of the world’s approximately 3.95 billion  bilingual (or more) speakers. A dedicated runner and cyclist, Rashba and  his students are active members of Greater Bridgeport Toastmasters and  Toastmasters International.

Original source can be found here.