Message From the Language Center Director

Dear Student,

Welcome to the Language Center of Al Akhawayn University. Please study this document carefully. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask your advisor, or any member of the Language Center faculty or staff. We are here to help you; do not be afraid to ask.

The Language Center
The Language Center is situated in Building 8 with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. At the moment the Language Center offers English, French, Spanish and Berber Language courses to the students of the university. You will be enrolled in the Language Center Intensive English Program. Most Language Center courses will be taught in Building 4 (see Campus Map).

Your Studies
You will study English for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 hours per week in the classroom, depending on your TOEFL and Writing Placement Test scores. English classes take place both in the mornings and in the afternoons. See Curriculum Overview (page 6) and Course Descriptions (pages 10-24) for more details on the courses offered at the LC.

If you have been assigned all level 1 courses, you will have to work extremely hard to attain the necessary level of English in one semester of study; that is, you will have to obtain at least 90% if you want to pass out of the Language Center after 1 semester. In fact, most level 1 students will take the corresponding level 2 courses the following semester.

Students whose entry TOEFL scores range between 450 and 477 will take a fast track called Super-Intensive. These students study exclusively at the language center and they take 30 hours per week. Students who fail courses in the super-intensive program may repeat the same course or take the corresponding level 2. Unless you work extremely hard on your English, you will need more than one semester of study. Success without commitment is far from certain even for level 2 students. See Exit Requirements (pages 7-8) for further details.

If you do not successfully complete all your Language Center courses in two semesters, you may be required to leave the program and return once your level of English is high enough to follow regular courses without difficulty.

Facilities
There are two Language Laboratories in Building 4 on the first floor. The Audio Lab (AL) is equipped with cassette players in the student booths, a teacher console and a data show. The Video Lab (VL) has TV sets and cassette recorders in the student booths and a master DVD player, a VCR, and satellite TV controlled by the teacher console. These will be used in ALS classes and will be open for self-study in the afternoons. An assistant will be there to assist you.

There is a new state-of-the-art Multimedia Laboratory (MML) which offers an array of courseware programs, Internet access and digital video among other facilities. We will show you these facilities shortly and we hope that you will make good use of them.

There is also a Self Access Center (SAC) where you will be able to study and read in English. There are SRA guided readers, abridged novels, and TOEFL practice books as well as recent periodicals from the library. The SAC is in building 8, upstairs.

These facilities should allow you to improve your English to the required level quickly, so that you can begin your specialization in the near future. 

Language Center courses will give you a solid language base with which to pursue your further studies in English. So, take your Intensive English semester seriously. Study hard, both inside and outside the classroom, so that your English improves quickly to the necessary level. Your teachers and advisors will do their best to help you succeed, but ultimately you alone are responsible for your studies.

I wish you every success with your Language Center courses.

Dr. Moncef Lahlou
Language Center Director