Online ESL

The Online ESL courses run under the AnyWhere ESL Program are designed to use technology to meet the growing needs of the ESL population in Ontario. The courses employ best practices and online resources to motivate learners that are at the intermediate level of language acquisition. The project will expand learning opportunities for learners who are unable to physically attend classes on a daily basis.

Two online courses will be offered with 210 instructional hours each delivered over 21 weeks at 10 hours per week and designed for learners at Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 and 6. Learners will undergo needs assessments at the beginning of the course to gauge their interest levels in different topics such as law, education, Canadian culture, health & safety, employment, banking and finance and many others. The learners’ experiences within the courses will then be customized to focus on their topics of interest to maximize motivation and retention levels. This design will combine the strengths of teacher-led instruction and shared learner experiences within a safe, secure online environment that enables participants to practice and enhance the skills necessary for effective communication in a Canadian English speaking setting.

The online study will include interactive materials such as:

• exercises and quizzes to practice the language, grammar, and comprehension,
• links to websites for reading information, 
• wiki and database activities for learner collaboration, and 
• forums to communicate with the teacher and classmates on weekly topics

A number of the learning activities will be automatically corrected with instant feedback to the learner, while more complex assignments will be marked by the classroom teacher and feedback given at a later time. The teacher will also facilitate the forums, monitor learner online engagement, provide feedback and support, and follow up with some assignments.
These courses are funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Ontario.

Program Information

• Courses language proficiency levels: CLB levels 5 & 6
• Start date: Monday, May 28, 2018
• End date: Friday, October 19, 2018
• Course Delivery: 10 hours per week for 21 weeks
• Students per class: 20
• Total hours per course: 210 hours
•  Each level (course) will include the following features      

      a) 20% teacher-led instruction in a form of a live webinar 

      b) 80% self- paced study which includes readings, interactive exercises, videos, and assignments. Learners have one week to complete a topic and

Technical Requirements

• Personal computer (PC or Mac)
• Webcam (Optional)
• Headset (headphone & microphone)
• Internet connection
• Email address

Eligibility Criteria

The Adult Non-Credit Language Training Program is funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) and offers English as Second Language (ESL) training programs for adult immigrants. New learners should know their language proficiency level to be able to choose the appropriate course level. If they don't know their level, they can either visit an assessment centre or use an online self-assessment tool such as http://www.clb-osa.ca/home. It is highly recommended that you visit your local assessment centre to undergo an assessment.
This tuition-free language training is available to eligible learners. An eligible learner is an adult immigrant currently residing in Ontario: 

1. Whose first language is not English and 
2. Who is eighteen years old, or an early school leaver, or has completed his/her high school diploma and is not a day school pupil enrolled in any publicly supported day school in Ontario; and

• Who is a naturalized Canadian citizen, permanent resident, Convention refugee or a refugee claimant; or 
• Who is a provincial nominee, or their dependent, who has been approved through the Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program but has not yet been processed to receive permanent resident status; or 
• Who is a temporary foreign worker, or their dependent, who has been approved through the Canadian Experience Class but has not yet been processed to receive permanent resident status; or 
• Who is approved as a foreign domestic worker admitted under the Live-In Caregiver Program