Choosing the Right Courses in Universities
Discuss About The International Journal Of Education Research.
People get enrolled in the colleges for accomplishing the required skills and qualification they need to build their careers. Apart from career they seek higher studies to gain necessary expertise, to learn about various cultures and to increase their social status. As per The Conversation (2015) choosing the right courses can be one of the important factors for life survival .The student should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of the educational institutions. They should explore different opinions as conveyed by their friends, families and teachers. They should not restrict themselves with what their classmates are discussing about. They should visit as many universities and the websites of their choice. They should even discuss with the student volunteers about their preferred courses. This will really help them to give a real picture of how the relevant course is taught and its future prospects in the university. It shall also help them in analyzing the cost and others factors associated with the chosen course. So, in this essay, the various aspects of two important courses which the students should choose in the university shall be discussed.
In the present era, the notion of education being a commodity and the universities becoming service providers, the students should be alert while choosing the appropriate courses for higher education. The students should insist that the universities should deliver the right service and the value for money. Since the chosen course is an important part of the student’s experience at the university. It should interest the student and challenge his current knowledge. The course should enable the students to advance their current understanding and teach new skills to them.
One such course is in the English language. Since it is an international language for education and business so many people around the world are studying and learning it. The students should equip themselves with the knowledge that the technology provides with the help of English. It has been widely spoken in today’s world and the students shall enter the workforce in the near future where proficiency in English will become mandatory in future. Higher education in English will commit to empowering the pupils with the adequate skills and knowledge so that they can confidently enter the corporate world. So, throughout the entire course of English, the professors attempt to equip the students with good command of English.
English Language for Higher Education
As per Malaysia University Portal (n.d.), there are two-degree courses available in this regard. The Bachelor of Arts (English Language Studies) and Bachelor of TESL (Teaching of English as a Second Language) are provided by the Malaysian Universities. As most of the Malaysians converse in English so it would be a bright prospect for the students to practice and sharpen their English speaking and writing skills in the education fraternity. It would also help them to become successful in the corporate world.
A degree in English literature and language is designed to encourage and teach the students so that they can efficiently read books, evaluate the theories, critique the pose and the verse and converse as well as write in English. The aim of these two courses is to motivate the students to think and analyze creatively in the English language. The degree focuses on literature and language equally (Darmi & Albion, 2013).
The degree course in English will permit the students to study the literary texts throughout history. It will help the students to study and assess passages, correlate texts to their cultural, political and social references. The course also comprises of evaluation of the spoken conversation, text speak, utilization of language in medical and legal contexts and advertising methods. The students will be trained to analyze the application of English language outside literature and it will include language-based communication in all forms and perspectives.
The eligibility criteria for entering into the two-degree courses are that the student should be qualified in high school or A-level qualification in English language or literature. Apart from these main qualifications, other subjects such as history and political science are also considered during the admission process. The course structure shall comprise of engaging students in groups or independently in the study.
The course also requires the students to devote their time in reading and research activities outside the class. They have to spend much of their time at home or in library. They can contact their professors and classmates for 10-12 hours per week in the initial year of their graduation. This time shall extend in the following years in proportion to increase in the syllabus contents. The rest of the time would be spent in conducting researches and studies independently for the projects as well as managing the reading list. It can consume 20-30 hours a week and is conducted even on university holidays.
Bachelor of Arts (English Language Studies)
The student is enrolled for studying 4 modules at a time and the degree has a strong focus on classical literature which implies that the student has to study a book in a week on an average. It would be an average schedule for the entire module. The student would be judged according to his passion for literature and his capability to read and understand the text quickly. It is necessitated as it would help the student to learn by engaging in criticism and assessing the texts during lectures and seminars ( Sattar, Lah & Suleiman, 2012).
The study of English will enable the student to stretch his independence of thoughts and assessment skills. They have to develop their understanding of the subject by assessing critical theories and journals with the key texts. The seminars and group discussions shall provide an atmosphere in which they can test their ideas on their classmates and gain a better understanding with the help of sharing of ideas and debates with their fellow mates.
The degree of English is based on assignments and the essays and papers are to be submitted frequently. The exams would be conducted at the end of each year. The pupils are also assessed on the basis of their contributions to group discussions and the assessment methodologies depend on the university conducting the examinations (Abidin, Pour-Mohammadi & Alzwari,2012).
The duration of degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English can be of three to four years and it takes one to two years to pursue Master of Arts (MA). The duration of the course is 6 semesters and it is a full-time course. The fees are 510 MYR. The faculty conducting this course is Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. The level of study is Bachelor’s Degree Level and the stream requirement is Arts or Sciences Stream. The study of English language can also be combined with other subjects like a dual degree or double major. The most preferred combinations can be English and history, philosophy, linguistics, education or with a second language. Thus the skills gained from pursuing degree in the English language can range from time management and organizing skills and enhancing the creativity skills. The planning and writing skills of essays can also be improved through this degree( Gobel, Thang, Sidhu, Oon & Chan, 2013).
The students who are enrolled in the English language can focus on areas like linguistics, literature or education. The degree enables the students to focus on many aspects of the subject such as history, grammatical skills or old forms of English. The students can also attend the courses which cover a specific time period. Creative writing can be yet another area within the program. The students who wish to teach English will be required to take additional education courses so that they can obtain a teaching license regarding the same (Musa, Lie & Azman, 2012).
Bachelor of TESL (Teaching of English as a Second Language)
The students who enter the English language program require a high school diploma, effective writing and reading skills and are required to complete general education courses. Some of the colleges and universities also offer the online degree programs in the subject area. The study of English language comprises of topics such as etymology and phonetics while the literature part of the courses pays attention to the writing styles throughout history. The course may focus on specific areas of literature such as African –American poetry, Shakespearean plays and the 20th– century novels. The inclusions of this course include the syntactic structure of the language, British literature, English grammar and its usage, applied linguistic and literature theory and expository writing and English composition.
The popular career options are English teacher, editorial assistant, reporter, copywriter, speech writer and managing editor or technical writer. A bachelor’s degree in English forms a good foundation for students who are applying for graduate or professional programs. Law schools have also become an option for many English graduates. A Doctor of Philosophy in English is also available in some of the universities. Some of the institutions allow the students to pursue their degrees online ( Thirusanku & Yunus,2014).
The other course is pertaining to Bachelor of TESL (Teaching of English as a Second Language). With the help of this course, the student can attain mastery in teaching English language and gives them the necessary skills required to compete in the international marketplace. The syllabus is a perfect blend of the theories and practices along with providing the opportunity to study the major characteristics of language sounds of English. The students will also be able to learn the teaching skills which are aimed to teach the language to children, teenagers and adults. This course enables the students to compare the grammatical framework of the language with other languages so that they can learn to recognize the typical mistakes committed by the non-native speaker’s . The course duration of the degree is 8 semesters in Malaysia and it is a full time course. The fees of the course are 865MYR. The faculty under which this course is conducted is named as the Faculty of Psychology and Education ( Zhiping & Paramasivam,2013).
The field of study is Teacher Training and Education Services and the stream requirements are Arts or Science streams. The eligibility criteria are STPM leavers, senior secondary and non-graduate teachers who are pursuing the Teacher’s Graduate Programs.
Degree in English Literature and Language
This course prepares the prospective teachers to work with kids and adults of all age groups. It offers personalized guidance to the students. It includes all the subjects from the education and English language fields. The students are also required to accumulate 120 credit hours if they want to become graduates (Omar, Embi & Yunus,2012).
The syllabus is targeted towards three main components. Firstly, there should be an evaluation of the foundation of education and informative knowledge of the students. There should be an enhancement of the syllabus and informative knowledge in TESL. The students shall improve their knowledge in English language and TESL. The curriculum is designed to improve the skills, expertise, and attitude of the students so that the intellectual interest of the pupil in the language can be developed and they can be guided towards academic success in their university (Souriyavongsa, Rany, Abidin & Mei, 2013).
This program is designed to give the academic and technical skills to the students in broader areas. It assimilates the teaching methods in English along with practicing the analytical technique of education. It teaches the students a wide variety of skills which are valuable for acquiring jobs in private, government and international educational institutions. It provides training to the students for current and future leadership accountabilities along with developing an organized understanding, communication skills and decision-making capabilities (Stromquist & Monkman,2014).
The aim of these two courses is to introduce the students with the basis of learning of English language. They nurture the prospective teachers who are respond to the needs of teaching and learning English as a second language. They enable the students to be competitive enough and to equip them with the proficiency of language and other necessary skills so that they can teach effectively (Shah, Ismail, Esa & Muhamad, 2013).
These courses expose the students to the issues in contemporary English education and the students are enabled to become responsible citizens with integrated personalities so that they can act as role models for the future generations (Pennycook, 2017).
The Bachelor of Education (Teaching of English as Second Language –TESL) is highly in demand amongst the employers in various industries. It provides the students with a complete knowledge of education by furnishing them with detailed understanding skills which are applicable to the workplace and are beneficial to the students. The possible career options in this field are a high school teacher, librarian, school administrator, guidance counselor, training and development specialist, social worker and instructional coordinator (Barnard & McLellan, 2013).
Eligibility Criteria and Course Structure
The financial incentives and grants for Malaysian and International students are merit scholarships for the top performers and 10% discount on tuition fees which is available through the student loyalty scheme.
As per Darmi & Albion(2013) As Malaysia is one of the countries in Asian continents which has adopted a bilingual system of education so its aim is to strike a balance between the national and international needs and challenges as stated through its linguistic educational policies. So, in the context of getting admission at the university level, the learners of English language are categorized as per Malaysian University Entrance Test (MUET). These results decide their enrolment in the undergraduate program. In this context, MUET is obligatory for pre-university students who are intending to undergo the undergraduate programs at public universities in Malaysia. It is one of the selection criteria for entrance in those universities (Grapragasem, Krishnan & Mansor, 2014).
According to the opinion of Saad, Yunus & Embi (2014) students experience good results, positive feelings and the capability to accomplish the tasks related to the usage of English in Malaysia. Also, they face certain challenges while learning the language and pursuing their degree in the English language. It includes lack of time due to their busy schedule and also they face problems in communicating. Improving the proficiency of the students over the English language in the curriculum of the universities is insufficient as English is considered as a second language in Malaysia ( Yamat, Fisher & Rich, 2014).
Due to lack of awareness about the subject in Malaysia, there are some of the suggestions to the students so that they can improve their English reading and writing skills. They can watch movies in English. Through this, they can understand the language in a better way so that they can get used to the conversational forms of the language. They should try to pick out words which are a synonym for the highly informal words. They can also read the vocabulary book of useful words and can initiate conversing in the English language with their classmates. They have to practice their English skills and expertise so that they can gain good marks in their exams. This will help them in securing better jobs and outperform the competition (Hiew, 2012).
They should also treat their entry scores with extreme caution while entering into the English language courses. They should focus on the reputation of the university before taking decisions to enter a particular university. They should analyze certain factors such as finding out the overall student experience studying in that university and the facility of student clubs and societies in the particular educational institution ( Muftah & Rafik-Galea,2013).
Skills and Opportunities Gained from Pursuing a Degree in English
The students should assess the opportunities provided by the university in the context of international exchange, work placements and internships. The good support services for pupils comprising of libraries, health services and sports facilities should also be evaluated by the student. They should prudently analyze the various student guides which are available on the website of the university. They should develop skills such as the ability to deal with changes, understanding the context and communicating effectively.
They should evaluate the real value of the university in the context of providing real education for life. They should look for a place which provides them with opportunity to push themselves in the intellectual and social context. It should give them an opportunity for their personal growth and expansion (Le, Kho & Chng, 2013).
Hence to conclude, it can be said that students should prudently choose the university for pursuing the degree courses in English. As university offers the highest level of education as well as the valuable degree to the students so that they can build their careers. The students attend English courses in universities as they get new experiences and it gives them the opportunity to increase their expertise and skills. The English language courses provided by the universities gives the students to have an as stable job.At the colleges and universities, the students can learn new skills for their careers and increase the opportunities for better prospects in future.
References
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Barnard, R. & McLellan, J.(2013). Codeswitching in university English-medium classes: Asian perspectives (Vol. 36). Multilingual Matters.
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Darmi, R. & Albion, P.(2013) . English Language in Malaysian Education System: Its Existence and Implication. 3 rd Malaysian Postgraduate Conference (MPC2013) .Retrieved June 27th , 2018 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279867616_ENGLISH_LANGUAGE_IN_MALAYSIAN_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ITS_EXISTENCE_AND_IMPLICATION
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