Courses & Resources
ICELDA’s language development services include the design of language courses and resources for specific purposes.
ON THIS PAGE
(A) Academic literacy
A lack of proficiency in the languages of teaching and learning has a detrimental effect on study success in higher education. As a consequence, students do not complete their studies in the minimum prescribed time. An important explanation for successful study lies in the level of preparedness of first time entering students to meet the challenges of handling academic discourse, also referred to as academic literacy (see definition).
ICELDA has developed a number of tools and resources (such as course materials and online support mechanisms) to help students and learners cope with the language demands of education. Our interventions and resources attempt to bridge this gap.
Skryfhulp Afrikaans (Online writing support)
SADiLaR-KU Leuven: This project is aimed at affording students the opportunity to get online support with academic writing, especially in Afrikaans since there are many other English online tools. Three South African partners, as well as one international partner, are involved. The main purpose of the project is to design, implement and refine an online writing tool and repository of texts (corpus) and other resources in both Afrikaans and English, with the aim to extend this to African languages as well.
To access this online tool, Skryfhulp Afrikaans, please follow the link: https://saf.schrijfhulp.be/login.php
Username: skryfhulp
Password: Afrikaans
WIReD ((Writing, Information Literacy and Reading Development)
NWU: WIRed is a complete academic literacy course offered online for open and distance learning (ODL) students, or in a blended fashion for contact students.
WATCH our 3 min. introductory video!
Various short courses
Various short courses are offered, including TEFL, English for International Students, Spoken English, Written English, German, French, Setswana, Sesotho, Afrikaans, Technical Writing, Business Writing, as well as preparatory courses for IELTS and TOEFL.
Choosing the right intervention
Our academic literacy tests can help us make informed decisions about the placement of students on appropriate courses.
To learn more about our substantial contribution in the field of language assessment, click the button to Our Tests page.
Word lists and glossaries
SADiLaR Language Resource Repository
- UP-CText-NWU-Department of Arts and Culture: Multilingual word lists and glossaries exist for hundreds of subject disciplines. The most recent is a multilingual academic word list. To access this and other resources, please visit the SADiLaR Repository: https://repo.sadilar.org
- UP-UCT (Department of Higher Education): Multilingual glossaries for 16 subject-fields plus an Academic Word List. Available at http://oertb.tlterm.com/
(B) Professional communication
NWU-UAntwerpen: Nursing on the Move, a European co-funded project co-ordinated by the University of Antwerp. Eight partners with medical, academic and training backgrounds were engaged in an intensive collaboration to develop tools for e-learning and on-the-job communication for the nursing profession. Participants were from Belgium, Austria, Finland, Italy, South-Africa, Spain and Sweden. The outcome was a range of innovative tools for multilingual e-learning for the nursing profession.
Prof. Tobie van Dyk and Dr Marilize Pretorius were both involved in the project as ICELDA project associates. Prof. Albert Weideman supervised Marlize’s Master’s dissertation which provided the initial theoretical justification for the project.
Some publications
- Pretorius, M. (2015) The theoretical justification for the design of a communicative course for nurses: Nurses on the Move. Master’s dissertation, cum laude, University of the Free State.
- Van de Poel, K.; Van Dyk, T.J.; Gasiorek, J. & Blockmans, I. (2015) A needs analysis for communication by pharmacists in a multilingual setting: First steps towards syllabus and materials design. SPIL Plus, 44:189-212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5774/44-0-184
SU–NWU–InterCulturate: Medics on the Move is a multimedia, blended learning tool for (pre-)professionals in multilingual South-African medical clinical contexts. The materials have been shown to have a positive effect on learner engagement and self-efficacy.
The South African MoM-team was led by Kris Van de Poel and Tobie van Dyk with financial support from ICELDA and the research unit for Applied Language Studies at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
Some publications
- Van de Poel, K. (2013) Taalontwikkeling vir mediese studente. Language development for medical students. Bloemfontein: MoM-ICELDA.
- Van Dyk, T. & Van de Poel, K. (2013) Medics on the Move. Basiese Afrikaanse grammatika. Bloemfontein: MoM-ICELDA.
- Van de Poel, K.; & Fourie, Christine. (2013). A critical approach to the development of blended medical communication training materials. SPIL Plus, 42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5842/42-0-149
- Fourie, Christine. (2018) Metacognition in healthcare communication training: a critical analysis of blended second language learning. PhD thesis, University of Antwerp.