Program Description

LEAP courses are designed to help students develop the English skills they need for the American university classroom. In addition, the courses include the practical English needed for everyday situations. Instruction in LEAP is interactive. Students practice English through a variety of activities such as pair, small group and whole class discussions, individual and group presentations, impromptu speeches, interviews and surveys outside class and much more. Courses in all five levels focus extensively on academic reading and writing, but also listening, note-taking, speaking, and pronunciation.

LEAP courses do not carry university credit towards an academic degree. However, students receive letter grades (A-F) in each class that help determine their promotion from level to level in the program. At the end of each term, students can print their grades through Wings Express or order an official transcript from the Registrar's Office.

TOEFL Waiver

Students in LEAP Level 4 earn the TOEFL Waiver to Wright State University upon completing Level 4 successfully. To get the TOEFL Waiver, graduate-intending students must take two LEAP courses, Advanced Reading & Writing and Advanced Academic Skills, in which they must earn grades of "A". They must also take one graduate-level course in their major, for credit, in which they must earn a "B". Undergraduate students must take the two LEAP courses, in which they must earn grades of "B" and a General Education undergraduate course, for credit, in which they must earn a grade of "C". For students who have successfully completed Level 4, many WSU graduate and undergraduate programs will waive the TOEFL/IELTS tests. Students may have to meet additional WSU admissions requirements. Select this link to find out the admission criteria for available programs: http://www.wright.edu/ucie/student/.

Faculty

All LEAP faculty hold Master's degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), linguistics or a related field and have experience teaching English as a Second Language at the university level. Most instructors speak other languages and have had experience living and working abroad.

Length of Study

LEAP offers three instructional terms each year: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

As of August 27, 2012, Wright State University, as all other Ohio universities, is on a semester system. LEAP follows the university's academic calendar with a 14-week term + one week of exams. Summer Term is slightly shorter with 10 weeks of instruction. For WSU's Academic Calendar, please see www.wright.edu/registrar/academic-calendars.

Program Levels

LEAP offers five levels of instruction: Pre-LEAP (Beginning), Level 1 (High Beginning), Level 2 (Low Intermediate / Intermediate), Level 3 (High Intermediate), and Level 4 (Advanced).

Hours of Study

LEAP classes meet Monday through Friday any time between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Classes typically end by noon on Fridays.

Optional extracurricular activities are scheduled during late afternoons, evenings, and weekends.