The mission of the Centre for English and Additional Languages (CEAL) is to enhance the English language and thinking skills of its students, and to provide language support to help students succeed in their academic studies through core and elective courses as well as co-curricular language activities. Within the context of a liberal arts education, CEAL further offers a range of additional language courses (such as Japanese & French) which also introduce students to new cultures. In addition, CEAL provides students with independent learning opportunities to develop their potential for life long learning and for success in the global workplace.

The CEAL achieves its mission through:

PROVISION OF QUALITY TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

• The design of relevant and interesting courses of English language skills development based on the needs of students, sound language teaching principles and aimed at developing effective thinking and communication in English
• Delivery of courses using effective and motivating teaching methods by excellent teachers who are devoted to assisting students in their language learning inside and outside the classroom
  
• Developing and implementing assessments that are valid and reliable measure of language proficiency/ ability in particular area
  
• Providing high quality feedback to students on their language ability and proficiency
  
• Assisting students to develop their analytical and communicative skills in relation to specific assessment tasks and to transfer these skills into other contexts
  
• Deploying evaluation processes to ensure quality teaching and learning

PROVISION OF PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

• Providing individual consultation sessions for students whose needs require one-to-one teaching and support, identifying areas of weakness and assisting students to understand how to address these, including referring them, as appropriate, to other resources
  
• Provision of friendly and efficient administrative support to students, including advice and assistance on academic matters
  

PROVISION OF LEARNING RESOURCES

• The provision of quality self-access individual and group learning opportunities through various live and on-line initiatives
  
• Developing and acquiring professionally presented, interesting and relevant print, audio and visual learning materials for classroom and self-access learning

CREATING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS

• Providing an effective and enjoyable learning experience for its students in a professional and friendly environment
  
• Initiatives to enhance exposure to and use of English outside the classroom
  
• Cultivating and socializing students in effective study habits and techniques as a basis for developing general and specific academic skills

BECOMING A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING

• Creating and maintaining a culture of continuous professional development among the staff, with regular monitoring and evaluation of all of its operations for the purpose of improving quality in all processes of teaching and learning
  
• Contributing to knowledge about language teaching and learning in higher education, by means of activities in and outside the University which develop and extend theory and practice in the field of English language teaching and learning
  
• Making a contribution to Hong Kong by assisting in encouraging and supporting English language teaching, learning and use in society

 

The CEAL runs several programmes which offer additional help and encouragement for language enhancement.

Examinations
The CEAL provides help for students preparing for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination in the form of a one-credit course (LCE303) lasting 7 weeks.

Consultations
Students are encouraged to set up their own learning programmes. Consultations are available to provide guidance and to suggest materials and learning targets.

Discussion Groups
Discussion groups aim to develop oral fluency and improve students’ confidence when speaking English so that they may be better prepared to cope with the demands placed on them in their university careers and future professions.

Workshops / Seminars
Workshops are held regularly on different topics, and students are encouraged to participate actively. Topics may be of general interest or related to students’ immediate needs such as job application skills.

E-portfolios
The e-portfolio platform - a recent development is a learning tool encourages students to prepare electronic portfolios to showcase their language skills in English whereby their progress in language enhancement is also tracked. Student can avail of the benefits of the e-portfolio through e-portfolio workshops and support provided by the CEAL.