The Department of English Language Teaching (DELT) – Applied Sciences center is responsible for catering to English language requirements of the faculty students in liaison with both the main DELT and the FAS.
The Department of English Language Teaching (DELT) of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (RUSL) is the successor of the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), which in turn replaced the unit that conducted the Diploma in English program offered by the North Central Province Affiliated University College.
At present, the DELT serves all six faculties of the university in preparing the undergraduates, who have different levels of proficiency in English, to enhance their English skills and to follow their courses in the English medium where necessary. English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of the university are aimed at improving both Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) of the undergraduates which in turn prepares them to function in an English using work environment both inside and outside the university.
The DELT also serves the community outside the University by offering two extension courses in English:
- Advanced Certificate in English
- Diploma in English
Additionally, steps are also underway to offer a degree in ELT both to the internal students and to the interested outside community. A unique avenue offered by the DELT-RUSL to internal students is the opportunity for selected students from all six faculties to follow a Diploma in English (Internal) course free of charge. The course, which started as a weekly taught course, is now offered in the Module and Distance Learning mode because of the busy schedules of student time tables.
English language teaching programs of the Faculty of Applied Sciences begin with an intensive course in English which is conducted before the commencement of the academic year for the first-year students. The duration of the course is decided by the faculty depending on the time of enrollment of the students. After that, in the first-year first semester, a non-credit compulsory foundation course in English for Science is conducted for all the students. They should obtain at least a grade of “C” to be eligible for awarding the degree. The course is aimed at recapping the students’ knowledge of language structure; improving reading, writing, listening, & speaking skills; developing science vocabulary; and helping the students to comprehend science discourse in the English medium. During the second semester of the 1st academic year, an ongoing course in English is conducted on a remedial basis at present. Steps are underway to replace this course with a two-credit optional course in Academic English.
In the second academic year, the faculty DELT cell offers a course in English for Professional Purposes. This course is offered as an Inter Disciplinary Course (IDC), and it bears the weight of 02 credits. The credit value of this course is used in computation of GPA depending on the study programme. The course is aimed at improving the language skills of the students in order to prepare them to work in an English using work environment, inside and outside the faculty. Assessment is done both summatively and formatively including the online mode.
