The English Language Teaching Unit

• The Office of the Head of the Unit has one Administrative Assistant
• Three staff members alternate as librarians for the Unit library
• There are four committees who help to carry out work of the unit
  • Academic Committee
  • Administrative Affairs Committee
  • English Club Committee
  • Four sub-committees currently working on syllabus design for ESP courses, study skills and pre-sessional courses

The Unit’s chief concern focuses on monitoring and developing the teaching of English in the different schools of the university as well as the TEFL programme in the School of Psychology and Pre-School Education. This is intended to be accomplished by adopting the following objectives:

• Capacity building of the Unit (qualifying staff, equipment, syllabus development and evaluation...) in order to enable it to perform its functions and achieve its objectives;
• To help new intakes adjust to university life and study;
• Carry out periodic evaluation of the standard of students in English and prescribe measures to improve it;
• To design, purchase and evaluate appropriate teaching material;
• To encourage staff members to attend and participate in workshops, seminars, conferences and courses in order to improve their proficiency and refresh their teaching methodology;
• To provide a platform for students of the university in order to practice and develop their language skills;
• To follow up on the TEFL specialization;
• To carry out periodic evaluation of the performance of the staff and to look after their welfare.

The Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) was established in 1983 with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education, the British Council and Ahfad University for Women to cater for the shortage of secondary school teachers. The British Council provided an expert who started the course and left for the Ahfad University to follow up. Thus, the real objective of the TEFL course was to train government secondary school teachers of English. The first batch started the program during semester two of the second year, TEFL went together with the other specialization of Kindergarten and Clinical Psychology. Students had five hours of English a week, which was not enough to cover all the necessary subjects for an English language teacher. Between 1988 and 1990 many courses were added such as different branches of linguistics and methodology and language testing.

Subsequently the idea of offering three different specializations in the School of Psychology was raised and TEFL became one of them. Students were grouped at the end of third year according to their grades and interest but the number of students joining the TEFL specialization continued to be small compared to the other two specializations. The number of contact hours continued to be 15 hours a week for three semesters with Teaching Practice and the Research Paper in the final semester.

Teaching

Presently the English Unit offers courses on five levels:

• The Pre-sessional course for the new intake in all the schools of the university, it is a compulsory English and study skills course for one semester.
• The general English language course (refer to Table 1);
• The Study Skills course for all schools of the university which is implemented in collaboration with the staff of AlHafeed Library and the Computer Unit;
• All the courses of the TEFL specialization (in 4th and 5th year);
• ESP courses for 3rd and 4th year in the schools of Management, R.E.E.D., Family Science and Psychology and Pre-School Education (to be introduced this academic year 2002-2003). Refer to Table 1 for more details.

All first year students have to attend a Pre-sessional Course for three months (150 hours) prior to their enrolment at the University.

Coordination

The English Language Unit coordinates language teaching programmes in all schools of the University. It encourages staff members to exchange information and experience and to carry out periodic review of their teaching material and introduce new and more efficient material. The Unit also coordinates assessment of students in different schools and carries out comparative studies like the Diagnostic test given to all 3rd year students in the university in July 2002.

The EnglishLanguage Club runs several activities aiming at consolidating the conversational abilities of the students and thus improving their English language proficiency.

Among the various activities of the English Language Club, the following come as central performances:

1. The Drama Society. The Drama Society aims at acquainting the students with the classic English plays i.e. Shakespeare besides other modern plays. Some of these plays are selected to performed on the stage at Ahfad (last year a play was staged during Women’s Week.
2. The Poetry Corner. Which aims at encouraging students to appreciate the beauty of English poetry; both classic and modern. Students are taught the techniques of English poetry and encouraged to write simple poems. Students also sing English songs as a way of practicing English verse.
3. The English Language Library. The Unit acquires a separate library that enables member students to borrow some English Literature books mainly short stories, plays and simplifies or abridged novels. Some content books and Language textbooks are also available.
4. Film shows. Reading of books are accompanied by film shows like the novel “Sense and Sensibility”, other films of interest to the students are also shown at the audio-visual room.

The English Language Unit coordinates with a number of institutes in order to achieve its objectives and develop its work such as:

• The Omdurman Education Zone for training TEFL students (teaching practice).
• The SVP (Sudan Volunteer Programme) which has provided Ahfad University with volunteer teachers for a number of years now. They have contributed towards developing the students oral skills and the establishment of the English Language Club.
• The British Council in carrying out a number of seminars , workshops, training courses for the staff in Ahfad and Britain, provision of books and reference material for students.
• The Ahfad Primary and Secondary Schools in carrying out demonstration lessons for students and for teaching practice.
• Other similar institutes such as ISETI, and SELTI for teacher training programmes, the Nileen University, Faculty of Education, University of Khartoum for supervising Post-Graduate students, The Open University and many other similar institutes.
  

The English Language Unit is currently working on more than one level in order to upgrade its status and improve the standard of English in the University as follows:

• A review of the qualifications of the staff and appointment of new staff members, plans are under way now to carry out a training course for teaching assistants and lecturers of English.
• A new textbook will be introduced in the general course one for the School of Medicine and the Schools of Pharmacy and another series for the first and second years in the other schools.
• A new syllabus for Study Skills is being designed for the coming school year, 2002/2003 accompanied by a new assessment system.
• A new syllabus for the Pre-Sessional was designed with a study skills component and the period of study was extended to become one semester.
• ESP courses are being designed for 3rd and 4th year students in four schools of the University.
• The Unit has formed an Advisory Committee to help in studying and formulating its plans like the plan of adding new English specializations.
• Plans to activate the English Language Club are under way and new activities such as staging plays, film shows

Amna Mohammed A. Bedri, B.A. (Honours), University of Khartoum (1977), Post-Graduate Diploma: Linguistics and Language Teaching, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh (1987), MA, TESOL, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh (1988), Ph.D. University of Khartoum (2000), Assistant Professor, Head of Unit. Joined AUW in 1996.

Abdel Khalig Hamadtuo, Diploma Gordon Memorial College (1943), University Fellow. Joined AUW in 1979
Boran Yousif Bedri, BA, University of Khartoum (1970) MA TEFL, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh (1988), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1997.

Amira Hamid El-Feel, B.Sc., W.T.T.I. Certificate (1972), Post-Graduate Diploma, TEFL University of Khartoum (1983),M.Ed., University of Khartoum (2001) Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1995.
Nagla Babalkier, BA, TEFL AUW (1995), MA, University of Khartoum, (2001), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1995.

Mohammed Kamal Ali Hamadtuo, B.Sc., University of Khartoum (1971), Diploma, Police Academy of Khartoum (1972), Diploma, University of Munchen, Germany (1976), M.Sc. Translation, African Institute of Translation, Khartoum (2002), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1984.

Khalafallah Abdel Gader, Diploma, English Language, Bakht Al Ruda (1967), BA. Omdurman Islamic University (1996), Lecturer. Joined Ahfad in 1999.

Osman Moh Elkhalifa, Dip., I.T.T.C., Bakht Al Ruda (1964), T.E.O., Leeds University, England, (1974). Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1993.

Abdel Rahim Moh Hammed, BA, American University, Beirut (1968), Diploma of Education, American University, Beirut. Lecturer. Joined AUW in 1996.

Fatma Awad Saeed, B.Sc., University of Khartoum (1963), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 2001.

Suhair Salah Al Mulaik, BA, University of Khartoum (1986), Post-Graduate Diploma Translation, University of Khartoum, (2002), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 2002.

Mohammed Hassan Dardig, BA, Omdurman Ahlia University (1997) Post-Graduate Diploma ELT, University of Khartoum, (2001), Teaching Assistant. Joined AUW in 2002

Mahmoud Abdallah, BA, American University, Beirut (1964), MA Administration, American University, Beirut (1978), Lecturer. Joined AUW in 2001

Mai Ali El Zien, BA, University of Juba (1995), Administrative Assistant, Joined AUW in 2000

Isam Hasoon, BA, London University, (1951), Post-Graduate Certificate, London University, (1957), Fellowship of Economic Development Institute, London, (1987) University Fellow, joined AUW in 1995.

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