Mission
To prepare international students linguistically, academically, and culturally to succeed in undergraduate and graduate programs at UA Little Rock.
IELP Objectives:
- To help students improve their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills that will enable them to succeed in university courses
- To enable students to participate actively in most conversational situations
- To introduce students to American culture in terms of a typical U.S. campus and community
- To foster international and intercultural awareness and understanding
- To assist UA Little Rock in recruiting international students who will contribute to the academic diversity of the campus
Summary Narrative
Improve student recruitment and yield processes
IELP faculty and the IELP director/transitions advisor work individually with each student during their final semester to help them enroll in programs at UA Little Rock. We assist students in submitting their applications, requesting evaluations of their previous transcripts, registering for tours and other recruitment events, and registering for the Accuplacer. We also provide whole-class lessons on the application and admissions process, as well as on what to expect when taking the Accuplacer. During AY23, 58% of all IELP students qualified for transition services, and 100% of those qualified students participated in transition activities.
IELP faculty and the IELP director/transitions advisor followed up several times throughout each semester with IELP graduates who are now enrolled in undergraduate programs at UA Little Rock with a goal of enhancing retention efforts by providing continued assistance in navigating university systems and processes as well as providing additional academic assistance if needed. During AY23, 18 IELP graduates were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs.
IELP enrollment dropped significantly during COVID-19 due in part to closures of U.S. embassies abroad and travel restrictions. IELP began exploring new markets to recruit locally and expanded our recruitment through local partners to meet the needs of the Little Rock community. During AY22, 65% of all IELP students were area residents (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, etc.) and 47% of all IELP students were enrolled through local partnerships. IELP enrollment in AY23 was an increase of 71% from AY22.
Create non-traditional student recruitment pipelines
IELP began exploring new markets to recruit locally and expanded our recruitment through local partners to meet the needs of the Little Rock community. During AY22, 65% of all IELP students were area residents (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, etc.) and 47% of all IELP students were enrolled through local partnerships. IELP enrollment in AY23 was an increase of 71% from AY22.
Enhance the sustainability of auxiliary services
The sustainability of IELP is dependent on enrollment, which has increased after expanding our local partnerships and local recruitment. During AY22, 65% of all IELP students were area residents (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, etc.) and 47% of all IELP students were enrolled through local partnerships. IELP enrollment in AY23 was an increase of 71% from AY22.
Enhance the recruitment, service, and engagement of and for UA Little Rock’s diverse student population
Our local partnerships ensure that populations of English language learners have access both to English language instruction and to meeting the English language requirement for undergraduate admission, especially for populations of students for whom admission might not otherwise be possible; specifically, refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, and local high school students who would not otherwise meet the English proficiency requirement prior to graduating high school. In AY23, 31% of all IELP students were refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees and 33% were local high school students.
Prioritize compensation, professional development, and work environment necessary to recruit and retain a diverse student affairs staff that is prepared to support a diverse student population.
IELP has experienced 0% turnover since 2017. All staff and faculty have a minimum of a master’s degree in a field related to teaching English language learners. The average number of years of experience among staff and faculty was 19, and the average number of professional development hours related to English language instruction, linguistics and language acquisition, instructional methodology, and international student recruitment was 61.
At A Glance
Fall and Spring classes
- Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, 17.5 contact hours per week
- 3 hours Cultural Language Enrichment per week
- 20.5 total hours of instruction per week
- 280 total hours of instruction per semester
Summer classes
- Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, 25 contact hours per week
- 4 hours Cultural Language Enrichment per week
- 29 total hours of instruction per week
- 275 total hours of instruction per semester
Class Levels/Proficiency Levels:
- Foundations
- Intermediate
- Pre-University/TOEFL Preparation
Personnel:
- 2 full-time instructors (also serve as transitions advisors)
- 1 full-time director (also serves as a 3rd full-time instructor and part-time transitions advisor)
IELP Admissions and Deferrals:
- Fall 2022 –34 admissions; 6 deferred to future
- Spring 2023 — 42 admissions; 8 deferrals
- Summer 2023 — 47 admissions; 4 deferred to date
IELP Students Served:
- Summer 2 2023 – 14 students
- Fall 2022 — 19 students
- Spring 2023 — 16 students
- Summer 1 2023 — 28 students
IELP enrollment in AY23 was an increase of 71% from AY22.
Assessment 1
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Access | Increase student access to transformative educational experiences that are affordable, versatile, and relevant.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Improve student recruitment and yield processes
Goal
Collaborate with local school districts to expand recruitment efforts of the existing partnership for high school students to attend IELP during Summer semesters.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational
Activity or experience being assessed
Local high school students’ recruitment and enrollment in IELP
Assessment artifact
Qualitative data from ESOL director (feedback/concerns/barriers from their recruitment conversations with students and their families)
Time period assessment was done
June 2023
Results
The recruitment process piloted in AY22 was the preferred method for continuation in AY23. That process entailed the IELP director providing program information and a streamlined application to the Little Rock School District ESOL Director, who then identified students whom the district would recommend and financially sponsor. The ESOL director met with students and parents/guardians to explain the IELP program, the partnership, and the enrollment procedures. The ESOL director helped each student complete the application and sent it to the IELP director for admissions processing. The IELP director was available to answer questions or meet with students if requested. Both the IELP and ESOL directors agreed this was effective because students and parents/guardians already had an established relationship with the ESOL director. However, there were some possibilities to streamline the registration process due to the high schools ending later in AY23 than in AY22 which were discussed and implemented (see continuous improvement process below).
Continuous improvement process
Due to local high schools ending later in AY23 than in AY22, both parties saw the benefit of streamlining the registration process so that students could begin in their assigned classes on their very first day of IELP rather than spending their first day taking placement exams. To alleviate this issue, in AY23 the IELP director coordinated with the ESOL director a time to visit each high school and administer the placement exams during a non-academic course block, such as during the students’ physical education or study hall time.
WHEN: Prior to Summer 1 2023
Continuous improvement process
The IELP director will discuss the benefits and challenges of visiting the high schools to administer placement exams with the ESOL director. Modifications may or may not be made as a result of that qualitative feedback.
WHEN: Prior to Summer 1 2024
Assessment 2
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Access | Increase student access to transformative educational experiences that are affordable, versatile, and relevant.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Enhance the recruitment, service, and engagement of and for UA Little Rock’s diverse student population
Goal
Enhance IELP students’ readiness for graduate-level coursework
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Learning outcome
CAS Domain: Knowledge acquisition/construction/integration and application
Activity or experience being assessed
Participation in optional test preparation instruction
Assessment artifact
TOEFL/GRE/GMAT scores, data from IELP Transition Advisors about students’ intended programs of study
Time period assessment was done
Throughout AY23
Results
During AY23, the overwhelming majority of IELP students intended to enroll in undergraduate programs and had not yet earned the prerequisite undergraduate degrees to enroll in graduate programs. The small number of students who intended to apply to graduate programs (exact number not included so as to limit personally identifiable information) and students participating in optional test preparation instruction did not provide a significant sample size at this time.
Continuous improvement process
Assessment data will continue to be gathered over 2-4 years before conducting data analysis, but with continuous monitoring of individual data to inform instruction.
WHEN: AY24 and beyond
Assessment 3
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Experience | Improve the student, faculty, and staff experience by cultivating an engaging campus community that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Prioritize compensation, professional development, and work environment necessary to recruit and retain a diverse student affairs staff that is prepared to support a diverse student population.
Goal
Update IELP’s professional development plan for AY23, AY24, and AY25 to adjust for the changing professional development needs of faculty post-pandemic
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational
Activity or experience being assessed
IELP faculty professional development
Assessment artifact
Individual and departmental needs assessment
Time period assessment was done
Fall 2022
Results
Faculty identified hyflex instructional strategies, facilitation of community building among students in hyflex classes, and middle school/high school learner development as the primary professional development needs for IELP faculty. The needs assessment process also unexpectedly included a conversation about areas where we could offer our experience and expertise to provide professional development to the campus community, with cultural and linguistics factors affecting international students in the classroom and trauma-informed teaching being the primary topics.
Continuous improvement process
Faculty took a more focused approach to professional development in AY23 and mostly participated in the primary needs we identified. Professional development was provided by ATLE, EnglishUSA, TESOL, NAFSA, the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, and the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. 3 faculty participated in a total of 183 hours of professional development, for an average of 61 hours per instructor. Additionally, the IELP director presented “International Students in the Classroom” to ATLE in Fall 2022, which focused on cultural issues such as instructional methods, conversation styles, feedback, and views on plagiarism that can impact student learning, engagement, and performance.
WHEN: Throughout AY23
Continuous improvement process
We will revisit our identified priorities at the beginning of Fall 2023 to determine if they are still relevant for professional development for AY24.
WHEN: Needs assessment results will be reviewed at the beginning of Fall 2023, with professional development occurring throughout AY24.
