Welcome to The English Lab

By completing the guided and independent components of this course, the student will be able to speak, write and make presentations in professional-level English more effectively, with fewer technical errors and with more confidence, using vocabulary and situations most relevant to their industry and interests.

General Information

This private, customized 12-hour course meets via the Internet two (2) times per week (Google Meet or MS Teams) and is completed in eight (8) weeks. To offer the most flexibility and convenience, classes may be scheduled weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. AST, subject to availability.

Orientation, Planning & Scheduling (phone call)

Prior to starting the course, the student participates in a 15-minute phone call in English with the teacher. The purpose of this call is to informally assess the student's current level of proficiency, experience, level of comfort and goals, as they relate to English.

During this phone call, the student is asked to talk about - in English, to the best of their ability - their current job, tasks and responsibilities. They are also asked to talk about some hobby, activity or interest outside of work.

The meeting schedule - two (2) times per week, 45-minutes each class for eight (8) weeks - is also discussed and established during this phone call. The student is strongly encouraged to choose days and times they know are generally quiet and calm for them.

Structure of the Class Meetings

In the class meetings, the student is engaged in conversation about general topics - how their day is, was or has been so far - always with the purpose of stimulating appropriate conversation.

Conversations may also be about procedures at work (how to do certain tasks, why they are done) and conversations related to the student's personal interests and hobbies outside of work.

Skills from the online lessons and quizzes are also reviewed and practiced in the class meetings, as well as the reading, writing and presentation projects in the course, described below.

The English Lab: Lessons & Quizzes

There are forty (40) lessons and quizzes in this course. The student should complete five (5) lessons per week (5 x 8 = 40), or work at their own pace to complete the 40 lessons in eight (8) weeks.

At the bottom of each lesson is a multiple-choice quiz. These quizzes have between 15 and 40 items. As you complete the quiz, click CHECK to see if your choices are correct or incorrect.

Do not click COMPLETE and CONTINUE until you are ready to mark the lesson as completed. Even after it is COMPLETED (solid black circle), the lesson and quiz may still be accessed and repeated.

If you have two (2) or more errors in any quiz, you should review that lesson and repeat the quiz. The student may repeat all lessons and quizzes unlimited times while they are enrolled in the course.

The platform keeps a record of overall progress, which appears as percent of lessons completed. The platform does not save your test or quiz scores. When you exit the platform, the score is erased.

Writing Assignments

Students should expect to complete at least two (2) writing assignments during their course. Writing assignments are usually a maximum of three (3), well-organized paragraphs, which include additional revisions or drafts by the student as needed.

Students are reminded to use English when communicating with the teacher via text message or WhatsApp. Students are also encouraged to submit any recent emails or short reports they have written in English, if they do not divulge any confidential or sensitive information. These may be used in place of short essays. 

Listening & Reading Assignments

There are two (2) listening & reading comprehension assignments in this course. These assignments usually consist of reading material, or watching short videos (assigned by the teacher, appropriate for level & interest), reading related transcripts or summaries, and discussing them with the teacher.

Student Presentations

Students should expect to prepare and deliver two (2) short, 8- to 10-minute presentations or ‘talks’ during their course. Topics for these presentations or talks are chosen by the student and planned with the teacher.

Often, students do a talk or presentation related to a work topic, and a talk or presentation related to a hobby or activity (like a ‘how to’ presentation). Visit The English Lab on YouTube click HERE for examples of previous ‘how to’ presentations by students.

Completing the Course, Certificate of Completion

The student successfully completes the course and receives a Certificate of Completion by completing the assigned & scheduled contact hours.

Students must also complete the assigned written and presentation assignments, diagnostic & learning outcomes tests, and complete the assigned lessons and quizzes.