The Centre of English Language started its online programme in 2004 by developing interactive materials delivered through the intranet. This was mainly for the students and employees. In 2005, CEL introduced an online component in the Business English courses.
In 2008 CEL piloted an academic writing module at the School of Nursing and Midwifery and since then has been steadily increasing the number of courses and has been catering to the increasing volumes of students at the School. In addition, CEL launched its first online course to external clients in 2012.
CEL’s online programme is pedagogically sound as it is constantly reviewed and revised using evidence based practices. The online English language courses have been designed to not only offer students opportunities to learn in new ways, but the asynchronous nature of the courses is convenient and allows self-pacing. The ultimate aim of the programme is to support English language learning by providing students the opportunity to learn through dialogues, collaboration, group interaction and participation, both online and offline. Hence, the use of both the asynchronous format and the blended learning approach cater to the different content, learner types and learning styles that the programme has been designed for.
