A poor command of English, the world’s franca lingua, puts many Malaysian graduates at a disadvantage. With employment opportunities aplenty, they face the frustration of being unable to meet the level of English proficiency required in today’s global marketplace. This is where INTI’s Laureate English Improvement Programme makes a difference in ensuring students grasp the ability to articulate in English as an essential skill.
The Laureate English Improvement Programme is designed by Laureate International Universities, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge ESOL and the Bell Educational Trust to provide an outcome-driven learning experience and to encourage student autonomy in learning. Students will be guided to communicate effectively and be well-equipped with the requisite language competencies for their higher education and beyond.
 |
 Rob Cummins |
The programme’s Touchstone course offers the first truly blended learning solution for English language learning. Touchstone is available completely online with a full range of digital materials and collaborative tools. The Touchstone Online Course content maps out every step right down to the level of individual exercises. Additional materials such as video explanations of grammar points are available; enabling students to conduct self-study. With Touchstone, learning is communicative: video role plays and voice tools allow students to practice all language skills without a teacher; collaborative: the use of Web 2.0 collaborative tools such as blogs and wikis allow students to work together outside the classroom; and autonomous: students can learn effectively on their own
“Studies have shown that Laureate English Programme students at universities in Turkey, Italy, Peru, Brazil and Japan were more engaged in their English language studies than they had been with traditional materials,” said Rob Cummins, Director of English Programmes for INTI International University and Colleges. “They were enthusiastic about their online experience and found the content to be interactive and captivating.”
Cummins, who has been in the English language teaching industry for over 12 years, has spent the past two years with Laureate International Universities in collaboration with Bell Educational Trust in a quality assurance and teacher training role across all of Laureate’s universities throughout Latin America. He has worked as a Teacher, Director of Studies, Academic Director, Teacher Trainer, IELTS / BULATS Examiner and Business Language Consultant and been employed by The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, EF English First, the British Council and other organisations. His latest assignment before joining INTI was setting up a new English department for a Laureate institution in Milan, Italy.
“I want to create as many learning opportunities as possible for students to study English. These initiatives will include blended learning with an interactive online package for teaching English complemented with strong face to face interaction in the classroom. Strong English competency is an important pre-requisite for any graduate seeking employment in the global community, to reach higher levels of success in the workplace and to enjoy increased career mobility as they take up positions locally and abroad. The Laureate English Improvement Programme will ensure that our students reach the international standard for English proficiency,” said Cummins.
Students of INTI benefit not only from its over 25 years of experience and strong track-record, but also gain from the global synergy and resources that Laureate International Universities provides. INTI is part of Laureate, the world’s largest private education network with a presence in 29 countries, with more than 60 accredited universities and 130 campuses, serving more than 740,000 students globally.
For further information on the Laureate English Improvement Programme, please call 03-5623 2800 / 04-6310138.