ESL 320 Conversation Seminar
ESL 320 CONVERSATION SEMINAR
English Language Institute
The Chat Room
Fall 2007
Each fall and spring semester, the English Language Institute (ELI) enrolls over 70 students from different countries who study English as a second language in the Intensive English Program (IEP). The University at Buffalo also enrolls over 4,000 international students each academic year, many of whom are registered for ELI’s English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.
By signing up to be a Chat Room partner, you can help these students not only with their conversational English skills but also with their cultural and personal adjustment to the University at Buffalo.
The Chat Room is open Monday – Friday. Chat sessions start 2:30, 3, 3:30, 4 and 4:30 p.m. and meet for 60 minutes each. As a Chat Room partner, you will need to complete 30 chat sessions between September 10 – November 16. (3 sessions/week for 10 weeks)
In addition to completing 30 chat sessions, you will be required to:
• Attend an orientation meeting on Thursday, August 30 at 12 noon in room 376
Baldy Hall.
• Submit a journal or a 5 page paper by the end of the semester focusing on your weekly experiences as a Chat Room partner, what you have learned and/or your overall evaluation of your Chat Room experiences. Details will be discussed at the orientation meeting and later in the semester.
Becoming involved as a Chat Room partner will help you learn about other cultures as well as your own. Being a Chat Room partner should provide you with the beginnings of a true international education experience. Many good friendships have resulted from this program and students often say that this program is a highlight of their studies here at U.B.
