Is English not your first language? Do you feel like you need extra support with your English? Then ELAS is your answer. 

English Language for Academic Study (or ELAS) is the University’s program for all students whose first language is not English. They provide workshops, drop-ins, one-to-one tutorials, and ‘time to write’ sessions throughout the academic year to helps students develop their English.

Now this all sounds very abstract, so let’s change that. I went to one of the ELAS workshops so I can tell you more about what it’s like from my experience. Read on to find out more!

There are various types of ELAS workshops available to book, both online and offline, which can focus on essays, speaking and listening, reading and writing, academic style and grammar, and topics. This time around, I came to the ‘Developing Academic Style and Vocabulary’ workshop, held in the MAH Resource Centre in Arts A.

 ELAS sessions can get fully booked; I was told that booking for in-person workshops can get competitive! In-person workshops have a maximum capacity for 18 people, but some people do drop out before the sessions. On the day, we had about 8 students in the room from all different degrees and disciplines, from Life Sciences, Business, to MAH.

Think of the workshop as your typical seminar – full of discussion, engagement, and practice questions. The tutor will introduce the aims of the workshop, and then briefly present the topic.

You’ll then be asked to answer questions from the board or on worksheets, and to discuss your answers with your fellow peers. There is a lot of opportunity to mingle with other students, and is great way to meet new people, especially for international students.

 The workshop lasted for 2 hours, with lots of material, tips and extra resources, group discussion, practice questions being covered. Through the activities, I was able to apply my already existing knowledge, learn new things, and meet fellow students!

The tutor was very nice, welcoming, and patient, and this was reflected in the comfortable atmosphere of the room. We’re all there to learn, so there’s no question too small, or no discussion too out of place.

Byung Su from the Life Sciences department said, ‘I learned from not also tutor and material, but also other students. Some classmates have brilliant idea and lots of experience, so I always enjoy talking with them.’

With how engaging and welcoming the session was, I can really see how ELAS workshops can really benefit students who need this extra support. And I wasn’t the only one who thought this.

I was able to speak to the other students joining the session on their experiences with ELAS. Some of them have joined ELAS before, while others were first timers (there’s no right or wrong time to start!).

All the students generally agreed that the workshops were very helpful, and that the plan on joining more sessions. The workshops provided extra support in the areas they feel they struggle with, and teaching was very clear, concise, and easy to understand. The interactive style of the workshops also made the experience more enjoyable and encouraged students to engage more with the material and other students.

Students have told me how they have benefitted from ELAS in their studies, and how it has improved their academic English. 

Roma from the Business School told me that, ‘‘I have been improving a lot, you know. I have started reading particularly better, [and] the understanding part has improved.’

Karina from the Business School commented that, ‘I did gain new pieces of knowledge, know-how, and useful tips about academic English which actually helped me through my assessment period last term.’ 

Kian from the… remarked, ‘I think to myself, why I didn’t use (ELAS), because if I used it, I think now I [will have more] experience in writing, vocabulary, listening, reading, anything…’

So that was my experience with ELAS. Are you interested in joining now?

For more information on ELAS, you can visit the ELAS Canvas page, which you should already be enrolled to if English is not your first language. Alternatively, you can contact elas@sussex.ac.uk.

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