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The primary stakeholders, or those who are accountable for the design and implementation of the ESL program (Russ & Preskill, 2009), include the College of Arts and Sciences staff and faculty, the Office of International Admissions, course and curriculum designers, and the faculty who teach the ESL courses. The secondary stakeholders include the international students, the Office of Institutional Research staff, and the staff of the Registrar office who proctors the placement exams. Finally, the tertiary stakeholders include international applicants, as potential future participants, the Vice President for Student Affairs, who oversees the Office of International Admissions, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who manages the College of Arts and Sciences, including the
ESL faculty.

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1. What are the placement and completion rates of the students enrolled in the ESL courses?

2. To what extent does the ESL program prepare international students for future classes?

3. What is the effect on future English course grades as a result of participating in the program?

4. What are the retention and graduation rates of the students who completed the ESL program?

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International student enrollment at United States colleges and universities is currently on the rise.  Total student enrollment increased to an all-time high of 819,644 in 2013, which was an increase of seven percent from the prior year (Redden, 2013).  These students face many challenges when they enroll in a new country.  The majority of these challenges arise when English is not their primary language.  To be effectual in the United States, the students must receive the proper support to assist with their English
proficiency and adjustment to the new culture (Andrade, 2006).  English as a Second Language, or ESL
programs, are crucial to the academic success of the students.  Research has shown that most ESL educators share common goals within their program, and as Dehghanpisheh (1987) explained, they include “producing students whose listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English allow them to succeed in their university classes and compete on an equal basis with American students” (p. 577).

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Wilmington University, a mid-size private university in New Castle, Delaware, has also experienced major international student enrollment increases in recent years.  At the end of the academic year in 2014, total international enrollment increased 37% to an all-time high of 1,015 students, which is an increase of 100% from two years prior (Wilmington University, 2014).  The majority of students are travelling from India and while some of them have marginal English in their vocabulary, many of these students have had no formal English training.

The ESL program at Wilmington University starts with a placement test, a requirement of all entering international students (Wilmington University, n.d.).  Subsequently, an interview is scheduled with an admissions associate so they can personally gauge the student’s readiness for college courses.  The test and interview results are combined and the students are then placed in one of four ESL courses.  However, students applying as a transfer student from an institution where English was the primary language spoken will have the opportunity to receive a waiver from ESL courses.  These students could potentially enroll
directly in college-level academic courses, pending the results of the traditional placement exam taken by all incoming domestic students.  The four ESL courses offered include two at the intermediate level and two at the advanced level.  The intermediate courses focus on grammar and writing while the advanced courses focus on vocabulary, and speaking (Wilmington University, n.d.).  Once the student completes the required ESL course(s) they are expected to take the traditional placement exam to be placed in college-level courses.

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                                Wilmington University ESL Program Review

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                                Wilmington University ESL Program Review

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Dana Eggleston
EDUC 804 - 911 Fall 2014
November 10, 2014