Teaching

ELI 994: College Teaching in the U.S.: Pedagogy, Culture, and Language is a GSI preparation courses for graduate students who are expected to be appointed as GSIs in LSA. 

ELI 994 is run by the English Language Institute (ELI), a program within LSA, that  serves members of the University of Michigan community by providing English for Academic Purposes courses and resources, GSI preparation, and TESOL courses that prepare students to teach English as a second or foreign language.

More information about the course can be found on the ELI 994 page, as well as the International GSI Program page.

ELI offers ELI 994 in the Summer and Winter semesters.

Summer ELI 994

• The Summer ELI 994 course is for students who will be a GSI in their first semester/year at U-M.
• This course is a 3-week intensive course held from mid-July to mid-August each year.
• For students who are required to attend the Summer ELI 994 course, the University provides a living allowance of $45 per day. The University also provides housing in a designated University facility; students who choose not to live in this facility are not eligible for a housing alternative or housing payment.
  

Winter ELI 994

• The Winter ELI 994 course is for students who will be a GSI after their first year at U-M. (These two courses are not interchangeable).
• This course is a 10-week course for currently-enrolled students.

These two courses are not interchangeable.

Students should contact their department's graduate office for more details on the language evaluation, ELI 994, and the OET.

Any LSA graduate student who does not have a 4-year undergraduate degree from an exclusively English-medium university is required to complete ELI 994 and the OET.

Departments work closely with the English Language Institute (ELI) and nominate students who must complete this requirement.

Department staff identify whether or not the student's four-year undergraduate institution was taught exclusively in English by consulting the World Higher Education Database. If the institution did not teach exclusively in English, the department staff will work with ELI and nominate the student to participate in ELI 994.

Graduate students can be waived from ELI 994 and/or the OET based on their undergraduate institute, initial evaluation conducted by ELI, and overall success in ELI 994. 

The ELI GSI Advisor may grant a waiver of ELI 994 and the OET after the student has been nominated for the course. Waiver recommendations are given on a case-by-case basis. This is based on review of the student's previous experience with English in the U.S. and may include:

• Successful classroom teaching experience with undergraduates at an English-medium university, substantiated by documentation such as student evaluations and/or a supervising professor’s evaluation memo.
• Educational experience at the undergraduate level, e.g., exchange programs at U.S. colleges or universities.
• Educational experience with U.S. high school students, e.g., high school/secondary school exchange programs.
• Other educational experience at English-medium schools, for example, education at U.S. or international schools.
• Work experience with U.S. undergraduate students, for example, college residential advisor.

Please note: 

Even if a student receives a waiver for ELI 994 and/or the OET, the department may determine that the student is still required to complete ELI 994 and/or the OET.