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International Students and Academics

  

ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS & FACULTY


International STEM scholars

This intensive, two-week professional development program is designed for non-native English speaking faculty and graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to help them think, speak and write as global professionals. The goals of this program are for participants 1) to learn effective best-practices for presenting and publishing in English and 2) to improve their skills in oral communication and academic writing. Register now for the September 17-28, 2012 program. Learn more. For additional information, dowload program brochure and class schedule or contact ICIC directly at (317) 274-2555 or icic@iupui.edu.

  

IUPUI International Faculty

ICIC is uniquely positioned to offer language and intercultural communication training to non-native English speaking faculty on the IUPUI campus. Prompt referral to ICIC for assessment and language assistance can often improve communication with colleagues and students and significantly enhance professional development. Once a needs assessment is conducted, training may focus on accent modification; research, presentation and publication skills; or simply intercultural communication skills.


International Postdoctoral Faculty Orientation

In 2002, Dr. Ulla Connor and Dr. Aymérou Mbaye of ICIC, in collaboration with Dr. Gene Halleck, Oklahoma State University, conducted research on the previously overlooked issues of the socialization and language needs of international postdoctoral researchers. The center’s ability to articulate the needs of these learners, combined with its previous experience in tutoring international postdocs and international faculty, allowed ICIC to develop an outstanding pilot training program in 2005. 

Due to the success of the pilot program, the center offered training to postdocs in 2006-2007, focusing on oral communication, research writing, grant proposal writing, and career development. ICIC continues to offer this unique program.  

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS 

International medical professionals face unique cultural and communication challenges. ICIC provides accent modification and pronunciation training, language and intercultural assessment and training as well as courses in research writing and presentation skills for medical residents at many hospitals, including those in the St. Vincent and IU Hospital networks. Course materials for medical professionals focus on medical terminology and common patient scenerios.  Click here for more information on training for healthcare professionals.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS & TEACHERS

Short and long-term English training and cultural immersion programs


For more than ten years, ICIC has created short-term and long-term English training and cultural immersion programs for professional and academics groups of all kinds.  ICIC’s in-depth language and culture training is often the key building block that allows them to pursue further study in their chosen field—bringing important professional skills back to their home countries.

Government officials have focused their time in the U.S. learning English for business purposes—allowing them to better represent their countries in the international arena.  ICIC’s in-depth language and culture programs also provide important leadership training for young people.

ICIC also specializes in training teachers.  Faculty members from international universities follow a rigorous schedule of academic reading, writing, listening and speaking classes.  In Indianapolis, on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus, where ICIC is located, they meet with professionals in their field of expertise and participate in local cultural activities.

Functional English language skills are practiced in real-life professional and academic settings under the guidance of experienced teachers.  Learners practice spoken and written language in group and individual settings with access to up-to-date computer and technological support.

Some of our programs:

IUPUI/ICIC-Tsuda College
Women in Leadership Intensive Summer English Program
College women from Tokyo, Japan, participate in this three-week, total immersion, summer program in Indianapolis each year.  This successful program, now in its twelfth year, combines English classroom instruction with distinguished guest speakers and activities to help students develop their leadership skills.

IUPUI/ICIC-Hakuoh University  
Intensive Summer English Program
Thirteen college students from Oyama City, Japan, partipate in this two-week intensive summer program. Students are immersed in the English language and culture through homestays, classroom work, and an overnight trip to various sites in Amish country in northern Indiana.

IUPUI/ICIC-Institut National Polytechnique
Intensive ESP Program
Twenty-two university students from Côte d’Ivoire participated in this three-week total immersion Indianapolis fall program in 2001. The students were from the capital city of Abidjan and were enrolled in a five-year degree program studying various aspects of business. After graduation, many have assumed management positions in African or international companies.

IUPUI/Purdue University/USAID 
Professionals from Afghanistan
In October 2007, ICIC began a training program for thirteen English and Agriculture Department faculty from universities in Kabul, Afghanistan. This program was funded by USAID and facilitated by Purdue University and World Learning. Students received daily instruction in academic reading and writing, and academic listening and speaking. During the spring 2008 semester, students audited Economics, English, and Chemistry courses. They also took monthly site visits to agricultural businesses and participate in cultural events in Indianapolis. All students stayed with American families for the entire program which ended in June 2008 when the students moved on to graduate programs at Purdue.

Professionals from Mali
As part of a USAID-funded program, ICIC prepared four agriculture scientists from Mali to take the TOEFEL exam in order to begin graduate level agriculture studies at Purdue University. The students took intensive English courses at IUPUI for six months and enrolled in content-area classes while living with host families in the area. They plan to earn graduate degrees in agriculture to help them in their food science research in Mali.

PREPARING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS

ICIC can help your graduate school reach out to a new segment of potential students - those who have the motivation and academic ability but don’t yet have the top-notch English skills to excel in the U.S. university setting.

ICIC’s online trainings can also help prepare high-level non-native English speakers for the intense reading and writing curriculum they will encounter in graduate school programs. Courses build academic skills, enhance language development and familiarize students with your school’s specific curriculum.

Custom-designed courses

ICIC instructors will design a training program using the actual textbooks and course materials used in your specific course of study. Students will learn vocabulary needed for their future coursework, and develop the analytical, reading and writing skills they will need  to be successful. Programs can be designed using the software and course management system already in place at your college or university, so students will be familiar with it and ready to hit the ground running when their regular classes begin.


A case study—MBA Program Preparation

ICIC instructors recently designed a program to prepare international students for the challenges of a U.S. university-based online MBA program. Course instructors used authentic business school texts, including Harvard case studies, to give students reading and writing practice and help them develop the analytical skills they would need for future MBA courses. 

Students learned reading strategies needed to master typical MBA  course assignments, including textbook chapters and case studies. They also developed their grammar skills through weekly writing assignments and optional computer labs. Live online meetings were held to answer students’ questions and review assignments.  

Successful students significantly improved  their English proficiency, increasing both their reading and writing speeds by an average of more than 25 words per minute. They were also far better prepared for the challenges of an online degree program after their training with ICIC.