International GSIs in LSA: ELI 994 College Teaching in the U.S.: Pedagogy, Culture and Language

In the Winter term, ELI 994 is designed for prospective graduate student instructors who are currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Michigan, whose language skills should enable them to qualify for LSA teaching assignments by the Fall term after the Winter course, and who are being considered for classroom assignments in LSA departments.

This 10-week GSI course is required for all LSA graduate students who:

• did not receive an undergraduate degree from a U.S. college or university, or

• did not earn an undergraduate degree in a university in which English was the medium of instruction.

Note to prospective GSIs:

If an LSA department considers you a prospective GSI, they submit your name to the ELI and you receive an Enrollment Memo via e-mail. The memo briefly describes the program and contains links to procedures and information. Upon receipt of your Enrollment Memo, you must click on the hyperlinks so you can complete the various pre-course procedures by the specified deadlines.

Questions? Please contact ELI’s GSI Advisor Brenda Prouser Imber at prousimb@umich.edu.

In Summer, ELI 994 is a 3-week full-time Intensive course for new LSA graduate students who are expected to teach in their first semester. Per the GEO Contract housing and a living stipend are provided for students enrolled in Summer 994. Summer 994 takes place in person on U-M central campus in Ann Arbor.

Testing: ELI 994 participants are required to take the GSI OET after completion of the program. Test appointments are scheduled by participants’ department  during the two weeks following the end of the ELI 994 program. The GSI OET test is administered by Michigan Language Assessment. Click here for more information.

Questions? Please contact ELI’s GSI Advisor Brenda Prouser Imber at prousimb@umich.edu

This fun and intensive course is designed for graduate students new to the University of Michigan whose undergraduate education was not primarily in English and who are nominated for GSI teaching positions in the College of Literature, Science & the Arts in their first year.

Before the course

ELI 994 participants are invited to join a group of University of Michigan students for an optional campus tour on the day before the course begins. This tour includes all the classroom buildings where the Summer ELI 994 course meets, plus lots of other useful destinations on Central Campus.

When the course starts

The first day of ELI 994 begins promptly at 9:00 am, with an orientation on the 10th floor of Weiser Hall. Participants receive an orientation to the course and begin to get to know each other.  Breakfast and lunch are provided, and participants receive a University orientation from the U-M International Center which includes a required visa check-in. Students will receive their living expense stipend checks at the orientation.

Interpreting the course schedule

The ELI 994 schedule includes several different kinds of sessions:

1. Practice Teaching.  Each participant in ELI 994 has five opportunities to teach in front of real undergraduate students during this course. Each practice teaching event is videotaped, and participants receive feedback from their instructor, the undergraduates they teach, and experienced GSIs.
2. Language and pedagogy.  These sessions are designed to enhance the English language skills needed for specific teaching contexts and to provide participants with a range of tools to effectively teach undergraduates in the University of Michigan’s College of LSA.
3. Pronunciation.  An ELI pronunciation expert works with participants to enhance their ability to speak clearly and comprehensibly in lab and classroom settings.

Where the course takes place

ELI 994 takes place on the U-M Central Campus. All U-M classrooms are equipped with wireless internet connections.

• Online UM Central Campus Map

Meals

Meals are not provided during the course, except on the first day, when lunch is provided. After the first day, “Lunch break" means that there are no course activities and that there is time for lunch or relaxation.

Extracurricular Program

Our optional Extracurricular Program offers a variety of activities including shopping trips, informal sports events, movies and lunchtime English conversation gatherings. Most events are free.

Arrival

• How to get to Ann Arbor from Detroit International Airport

Housing

University housing for participants will be provided, a single room for each student, at Couzens Hall, on U-M central campus. Check in is on July 16, and check out is on August 12. After August 12 994 students are responsible for your own housing (the Fall '23 semester begins August 28, so there is a gap period between the end of 994 and the beginning of Fall '23).

Summer 994 students can opt out of the Couzens Hall housing, but if you do you are responsible to find your own housing. If you are opting out of the provided housing at Couzens Hall you must inform us by June 30.

• Couzens Hall Summer Living Guide

Questions about housing? Contact Neal McKenna, at nxm@umich.edu

University Health Services (UHS) Information

• Location
• Hours
• Emergency and after hours
• For all emergencies, dial 9-1-1

Campus and City Life

• MCard (UM student ID)
• Campus Maps
• International Center
• UM bus schedules
• Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti city bus schedules
• Ann Arbor Visitor's Bureau
• Ann Arbor Observer

Here are links to additional information about ELI's year-round GSI program and campus partners

• ELI courses for GSIs
• The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT)
• Practice answering questions from undergraduates (video activity, requires UM login)
• U-M-isms
• Information about the UM fight song - "The Victors"