Events
Would you Like to Present?
In the spirit of professional academic practice, we would like to invite you to submit a proposal for an event such as a webinar or talk. Perhaps you would like to share your knowledge and experience of an in-sessional context. To host an event please complete THIS FORM
Upcoming Events
16th May 2024, 1-2pm
Title: Stepping Up, Standing Out: Supporting international postgraduate students to make the most of their year in a UK university
on Zoom
Alison Leslie, University of Leeds
Abstract
Evidence shows that international PGTs often struggle to match expectations and experiences in academic socialisation and success, resulting in them feeling marginalised and lacking the academic literacy to study at a UK university (Mittelmeier et al, 2002). My experience of delivering in-sessional provision at the University of Leeds highlights these barriers, as does data from a three-year research project I am currently undertaking. This webinar shares the findings of the project, which supports international PGTs in stepping up to make the most of their time at the University academically and standing out as valued members of the University community. Participants will learn what constitutes effective academic support, what is most needed and when, from the perspective of international PGTs.
Bio
Alison Leslie is a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at the University of Leeds and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She leads the in-sessional provision for the School of Sociology and Social Policy. Her research interests include inclusive and global education and she is currently collaborating on a Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence project on student education.
14th June 2024, 1-2pm
Exploring Models of In-sessional Provision in EMI Contexts
on Zoom
Angela Hakim, Lecturer in English at Iowa State University
Abstract
Universities around the globe are faced with the challenge of supporting students in developing the necessary academic literacy to successfully communicate within their disciplines and within the academy more broadly. In English-medium educational institutions, EAP practitioners are at the forefront of universities' efforts to provide this support, which is often delivered through in-sessional provision (Tibbets & Chapman, 2023). There has been some relatively recent growth within EAP research and scholarship to highlight examples of in-sessional provision in the U.K. and Australia (e.g., Edwards et al., 2021; Fenton-Smith et al., 2018; McGrath et al., 2024; Murray, 2022; Wingate, 2015), yet the contexts in which EAP practitioners design and deliver in-sessional provision continues to diversify and expand globally to include both longstanding and emerging English medium instruction (EMI) contexts. Examples of in-sessional practice in these newer EMI contexts are needed for EAP practitioners who may see their remit shift to include these EMI contexts and for English language teaching practitioners who may see their roles change to include teaching EAP and training EMI lecturers. These examples are also valuable for gathering additional evidence in support of institution-wide, embedded in-sessional provision, which has often faced significant institutional obstacles (Wingate & Hakim, 2022; Wingate, 2022). This presentation will explore characteristics of EMI which may impact in-sessional provision, outline varying models of in-sessional provision used in these contexts, and discuss two case studies of discipline-specific, embedded in-sessional provision that have been adopted in distinct educational settings in Japan and Lebanon. The presenter will conclude with a discussion of insights that can be drawn from explorations of in-sessional in EMI contexts and implications for EAP practice, management, and research.
Bio
Angela Hakim is a Lecturer in English at Iowa State University where she teaches writing and serves as the Interim EAP Course Director. Before starting as a Lecturer at Iowa State, Angela taught foundations writing at the University of Arizona where she continues as a Visiting Research Scholar in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. Angela has over ten years of experience teaching EAP in the U.S., U.K., and Lebanon. She is also a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist. In this role, Angela consults on EAP needs analyses, curriculum development, teacher development, and EMI lecturer training.
Angela completed her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Writing Studies at King’s College London. Her research focuses on models of academic literacy provision across English-medium instructional contexts, second language writing, genre-based pedagogies, and faculty (staff) development. In addition to teaching, she is currently co-leading one research project focused on foundations writing instructors’ pedagogical content knowledge and instructional practices and another project examining curriculum embedded academic literacy provision in U.K. universities. Her work has been published in the Journal of Second Language Writing, ELT Journal, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, and the International Journal of English for Academic Purposes: Research and Practice.
Past Events
29th February 2024
Meet the Authors of A Guide to In-Sessional English for Academic Purposes
Neil Tibbets and Tim Chapman discuss their published book, A Guide to In-Sessional English for Academic Purposes' and consider how this area is so often occluded. Their focus is on the logistics and contexts in which provision is developed as well as the impact and implications of in-sessional practices on universities, EAP, and EAP practitioners.
Q&A Meet the Authors of A Guide to In-Sessional English for Academic Purposes
In-Sessional SIG AGM
For those of you who were able to attend our In-sessional SIG event on 29th February 2024 with Neil and Tim, we hope you enjoyed the event. We would love to hear how you found it, so if you haven’t done so already, please click here to leave feedback. On the feedback form, you can also indicate interest in presenting at one of our events.
15th November 2023 What Makes In-Sessional In-Sessional?
At the inaugural event of the BALEAP In-sessional SIG, we discussed the question ‘What makes In-sessional In-sessional?’, discussing areas such as pedagogies and practices, EAP theory and practice, in-sessional set-up in different institutions and the differences between in-sessional and other forms of EAP. This was followed by a discussion on the nature, purpose and direction of the SIG.