English majors and language learners who have a high school diploma or GED may be a bit intimidated by the daunting task of mastering the language.
But the new E-4 English majors program, which is aimed at boosting students’ knowledge of English by 15% a year, could prove a boon for them.
Students taking the E-5 and E-6 English classes will have an average of 13 hours of homework per week, which they can add to for the final grade, according to the American Psychological Association.
The classes are being offered in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The program, developed by the APA’s Office for Educational and Cultural Affairs, has been criticized by some in the field as overly restrictive.
“The E-3 language classes were a lot more challenging than they should have been,” said Matthew Lipschultz, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.
“I don’t know if the teachers have the skills to do the work in a day.”
But for the APAC, the program is part of a larger effort to increase the number of college students learning English.
That includes programs for the first time designed to prepare students for the work of English majors, such as the Advanced English Learner program, or ALLE, which was created by the College Board.
Students in the new program will get a “general education” (GED) in English and study the topic with a teacher who can work with them in a class setting.
It is also part of the APACT’s “English to Beginners” program, designed to increase students’ confidence in learning the language and prepare them for college.
In its latest report, the APPA also warned that the E3 and E4 language classes “may be particularly challenging” because students are not fully prepared for college, as the E4 class is designed to be a one-hour course.
The APA has been lobbying Congress for the E5 language classes, which have been criticized for being too time-consuming and costly.
