Development of the Academic Resource Centerat Miyazaki International College
March 22, 2014
In response to a request from the Dean and Assistant to the Dean, the English faculty atMiyazaki International College (MIC) established a working group to develop a vision for aviable, functioning Academic Resource Center (ARC). This document contains a statement ofthat vision as well as a plan of action for the next two years.
PurposeThe purposes of self-access programming need to be meaningful and readily apparent to bothstudents and faculty. They should be seamlessly integrated with the curriculum so that thetwo are mutually supportive. Finally, there must be something about ARC offerings which
compels students to use them; why study the Academic Word List, do extensive reading, orlearn about grammar points in the ARC if these things can be done more naturally elsewhere?
Though the ARC could gradually increase in variety of programming over time, we view theinitial purpose of the ARC as being to address learners’ linguistic needs in an individualizedway.
MIC attracts students with a broad range of language abilities. In any yearly intake, students’initial TOEIC scores range from as low as 200 to over 750. This vast range of proficiency
poses a substantial challenge for providing classroom instruction that meets all students’needs. Learners who could benefit from individualized attention beyond that which isavailable in the classroom include those who:lack fundamental, prerequisite knowledge for the streamed English and Academic
Writing classes (and the Reading courses beginning in 2015);

are of low English proficiency and enrolled in English-medium content courses;need to improve their TOEIC score for entry into the upper division, the Teacher
Certification practicum, or employment purposes;

wish to improve specific aspects of English during either the academic year or vacation
periods; orare of exceptionally high proficiency.

We view a second purpose of ARC programming as being to promote learner autonomy sothat students become better at goal-setting, developing plans of study, identifying their own
strengths and weaknesses, and monitoring goal achievement.
Programming
We envision the ARC as offering learning experiences ranging from informal drop-ins tocredit-bearing online courses. Below is a general overview of several program types which
could run out of the ARC.
Classroom Referral and Informal Drop-Ins
We see the ARC as being equipped with a full range of up-to-date, photocopiable
English-learning resources in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, TOEIC, and functional
language use. There would also be a catalogued selection of online resources in these same1

areas as well as in reading, listening, and speaking, and these resources would be easily
accessible both on and off campus.
Some of these resources would be organized according to learning objectives for existingcourses, and classroom teachers could refer students to make use of them. Students withpersistent problems using modals of advice, as one example, could be referred to the ARC
with a brief description of the problem, and ARC personnel could orient the learners torelated resources and assist as needed. This process would be systematized so that ARC
personnel could prepare for students before their visit, and classroom teachers could know theoutcome of the learning experience.
In addition to classroom referrals, students could also make free use of ARC materials with orwithout assistance from ARC personnel. To encourage such use, each incoming cohort could
be given a thorough orientation to the ARC, and programming could be advertised aroundcampus and online.
ARC as Writing Center
The ARC could also function as a writing center. Rather than being a place where students
get entire pieces of writing "checked" before submitting them to classroom teachers, however,
we envisage the ARC helping students become more autonomous in their writing.
In an orientation session, students would initially learn to use a checklist or rubric to identify
ways to improve their own work. They would then independently go through their writing. In
this process, they would consider such things as organization, lexis, grammar, and content,
and they would identify specific areas to discuss with ARC personnel in a subsequentappointment. During this appointment, students would take the lead in asking for help withthe specific points identified through use of the rubric.
Credit-Bearing, Mixed-Mode Courses
The ARC could also offer a variety of credit-bearing courses. Such courses would make useof online resources for teacher-guided self-study in areas such as vocabulary, grammar,listening, pronunciation, and extensive reading. In these courses, students might initially meetwith ARC personnel to go through the course syllabus, determine appropriate goals, and learn
to use the learning resource. Course requirements would include regular use of the resource,periodic assessment, and at least two follow-up one-on-one consultations with ARC
personnel. The purposes of these consultations would be to find out whether learners areexperiencing difficulties using the resource, to provide feedback on student progress, and toprovide structure to the experience. Assignments could be checked online and, like any otherclass, would be required to earn credit.
Such courses could stand alone, be optional for some students in a class, or be co-requisitewith a regular class. Here are three examples of how this might work: upper division students
who wished to continue systematic study of vocabulary could do so by enrolling in astand-alone ARC vocabulary course; or students in the streamed English program who lackprerequisite knowledge of English grammar for even the lowest level could be required totake an appropriate ARC class to develop this knowledge; or students in the new readingclasses could possibly take extensive reading quizzes in the ARC after having completed thereading elsewhere.
Student Tutor Program2

Students who have been identified as having particularly high English proficiency could be
recruited to act as tutors for students of lesser ability. For recruitment, a program could be
developed to give TC students the opportunity to be tutors in order to gain experience in therole of educator; similarly, it may be possible to request that teachers of the career education
courses promote the program as a way of improving a resume. The tutors could be assigned
to staff the ARC alongside MIC faculty or, to a lesser extent, during times when no membersof faculty are available. They could provide informal assistance with school work as well as
support with some of the resources described above. These tutors would be given anorientation to help them understand the various resources in the ARC as well as the role ofthe ARC in promoting learner independence.
Programs to Be Piloted in 2014
Several programs are scheduled to be piloted in 2014. They include:
The use of the ARC as a writing center as described above.

An online study of vocabulary for upper division TC students. For this program, students'
vocabulary knowledge will first be assessed. In consultation with ARC personnel,students will then set learning goals. These goals could include focused study ofhigh-frequency words, academic vocabulary, or terms needed for success on the TOEIC.
Students will then be oriented to the use of Quizlet.com, a website where a number ofself-study vocabulary resources at various levels have been prepared for MIC students.
ARC personnel will monitor student use of the resource, consult with each learner
periodically during the semester, and assess learning.

An online study of listening and pronunciation, also for upper division TC students. For
this program, students will be oriented to use of the English Central online learning
resource. Learning goals will then be set and, like above, periodic consultation andassessment will round out the program.

Staffing
Substantial faculty involvement is needed to establish and maintain quality self-accessprograms. It must also be considered that expertise in this kind of programming will only
develop with time and experience. For these reasons, it is preferable that the same member offaculty be consistently assigned to the ARC and with few or no other teaching obligations.
This allotment of teaching resources would be equivalent of up to six teaching assignments
per year. With some creativity, this is possible without the addition of a new faculty member.
First, the English classes, which currently run on a half-semester system, could be converted
to a semester system. This would free up three or four teaching assignments each year
because in the fall, when second-year students are off campus, just three or four sections ofEnglish would be needed instead of the seven which currently run. This option will come up
for discussion among the English faculty later this year anyway; with the addition of theReading classes next year, the English program will be comprised of three separate courses
each semester, and making them all similar in format would make the system easier tounderstand and administer.
Second, the addition of the new English teacher in the Department of Liberal Arts in thespring of 2014 has led to increased staffing flexibility. This is evident by the fact that for thefirst time in several years, we are able to assign one member from this department to the ARC
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in each semester.1
Finally, we could be more flexible with the format of the Bridge English course for students
who have not met the upper division TOEIC requirement. This course currently requires one
teaching assignment each semester. However, when staffing is limited, it could be run out ofthe ARC in a partially online format, perhaps meeting face-to-face one hour per week. Tying
this course to the ARC would be consistent with the purposes of ARC programming
discussed above. Moreover, decreasing the amount of face-to-face instruction would be offset
beginning in 2015 when students in this course will also have available to them a fullcomplement of English, Academic Writing, and Reading classes.
Proposed Course of Action
In the development of ARC programming, it may be beneficial to adopt a philosophy thatseeks to begin by doing a small number of things well and then builds on these core programs
over time. We therefore suggest the following timeline, or something similar to it:2014 Allocate one or two teaching assignment to the ARC in each semester; these would
include faculty from either department.
Staff the ARC during lunch and late afternoon hours primarily with faculty members
assigned to the ARC and to a lesser extent with other faculty members.

As described above, pilot the writing center, vocabulary course for TC students, andlistening and pronunciation course for TC students.

Possibly propose the establishment of credit bearing courses (to begin in 2015) based on
the pilot programs.

Develop self-access resources which (a) specifically address objectives in the English
program or (b) address basic knowledge which is considered prerequisite for the English
program; prepare to pilot these resources in 2015.

2015
 Trial the assignment of one member of faculty to the ARC with few or no other teachingassignments.
Staff the ARC with the person assigned to it.

Begin a small number of credit-bearing courses.

Pilot the self-access resources for the English program which were developed in 2014.

Pilot a system of peer tutors as discussed above.

In the fall, assess all ARC programming and determine whether to continue with fulltimestaffing.

An approach such as that outlined above is aimed at incubating success but, should thedecision be made to discontinue fulltime staffing, only calls for a substantial staffing
commitment of one year.

This does not include the ARC-related work of Professor Murray, which is through theDepartment of Education.
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