CURRICULUM DESIGN
Access is a two-year program that requires a minimum of 360 hours of instruction reasonably distributed over a two-year period. Intensive sessions are important opportunities to practice English language skills, build teams, gain confidence, and learn in a threat-free environment. They are also the place where the strongest memories of the Access Program are made and friendships are cultivated.
Another key element of the Access Program is to familiarize students with important features of U.S. culture and values. Students are encouraged to develop respect for and interest in other cultures, customs, and beliefs. Enhancement activities are designed to provide hands-on and interactive opportunities for students to engage in discussions, games, community service, and other activities related to U.S. culture and values. Three main elements of U.S. culture and values enhancement activities are included in the Access Program:
1) course topics relating to U.S. culture and values,
2) personal development,
3) community service.
Various components of the Access Program seek to foster personal development by working towards building balanced intellectual and emotional capabilities with students to better prepare them for future academic and professional endeavors. Students are introduced to topics including career development resources, available opportunities to pursue higher education, and additional U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.
The Community Service component is in place to increase the students' awareness of issues facing their respective communities while also gaining an understanding of the ways they can positively contribute to civil society.
The appropriate and approved textbooks for the Access Program are selected in consultation with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate. For Access Program at ICRDCE, Our World, level 5 by National geographic is used as textbook along with supplementary DVDs, workbooks and related materials provided.
ICRDCE has its own established system for monitoring and evaluating the progress of Access students. This includes administering a placement test (Initial) at the beginning of the Access Program and the same test at the end of the Access Program (Exit) to track the progress of the student's language acquisition. Aspects of student performance to be evaluated include listening comprehension, verbal communication, accuracy, and fluency.