The Effectiveness of English Language Courses as EFL in Undergraduate Level at Jahangirnagar University (Published)
This paper reports on an effectiveness of English Language Courses as EFL at the tertiary level, offered to first year undergraduate students of some departments of Jahangirnagar University. It aims to establish the case for using evaluation as a means for curriculum development. Currently, the EFL course is considered important for Bangladesh in general, and Jahangirnagar University students in particular, since our graduates face problems not only in coping with the demands of their respective academic disciplines. (e.g. the majority of academic texts are in English) , but also in finding suitable employment because of their lack of English skills. Since the newly introduced EFL course is still in its developmental phase it is necessary to find out the effectiveness to evaluate it and to see whether it fulfils student needs and course objectives. Datas for this study are collected from undergraduates who are currently studying EFL and some other who have recently completed their courses. This investigation reveals that students are not much benefited in learning English. There are number of limitations, which make these EFL courses ineffective. The investigation concludes with several implications and suggestions for those concerned for EFL learning.
Keywords: EFL, Effectiveness, Jahangirnagar University, Tertiary level, Undergraduates
Dynamic Roles of ESL Teachers in Fostering Effective Autonomous Learning (Published)
‘How to motivate English language learners’ – is an age old question; yet, it is even more necessary to figure out how to encourage ESL learners to take charge of their own learning. In Bangladesh, English is taught as second language, but the pathways to success in teaching English to the Bangladeshi learners are rather challenging as there are no specific formula. Thus the paper tries to explore whether and to what extent diverse roles of teachers can enhance students’ acquisition of second language through autonomous learning. This study combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods where research paradigm is pragmatic. Finally, the paper shows that dynamic roles of teachers at tertiary level in Bangladesh can certainly be successful in implementation of autonomous learning among students enabling them to take responsibilities of learning in their own hands for getting prepared to face the challenges of the competitive world outside the classroom
Keywords: Autonomous Learning, Bangladesh, Dynamic role of teachers, English as Second language, Successful Implementation, Tertiary level