English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate

The English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate course is for students with a (minimum) high-intermediate level of English. It is designed to help international students develop the academic skills necessary for success in undergraduate studies at an American university while strengthening their English proficiency.

Ideally, prospective students have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to come to the United States to study for a bachelor’s degree. The total length of time required to complete the course is approximately 4 weeks. Students should expect to spend about 5-7 hours per week working with the materials and assignments.

The course is made up of 4 modules:

• Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking
• Writer’s Workshop
• Reading and Note-taking
• Capstone Project

Each module consists of video lessons, opportunities for practicing English and academic skills, interactive discussion boards with classmates, and graded activities. All courses are asynchronous, which means that the lessons and their activities can be completed at any time of day or night, provided that all course assignments are completed by the final day of class.

MEET YOUR RICE PROFESSOR

Dr. Rachel Kraut, Ph.D.

Dr. Rachel Kraut is the Director of Innovative Academic Programs, Language Programs, and an adjunct professor at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University. Her research interests lie in language program administration, language teacher training, program evaluation, language assessment, and online language learning.

Alice Llanos

Alice Llanos has a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the University of South Florida. She has 20 years of experience working with students of all ages and backgrounds. The majority of Alice's experience has been in the Intensive English Program at Rice University where she teaches academic English to adults in face-to-face and online classes and creates materials and courses for the online ESL program.