Language Profile
The School uses a proven, effective, task-based approach to learning. Communication is the central feature of language acquisition, but each lesson is aimed at the development of all language skills including speaking, listening, writing, and reading. All teachers speak foreign languages, but make a point of using only Ukrainian in class, even at lower levels, because this results in faster, more fluent language acquisition.
Courses cater to students of all levels, and course materials are customized to accommodate individual needs. Academic credits are transferable to most North American, European, and Australian colleges and universities.
All courses in Ukrainian language are structured in accordance with the level specifications defined in the European Council document Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Learning, Teaching, Assessment and their correlation with ACTFL levels.
CEFR
ACTFL
Programs and the method
The Ukrainian language curriculum and syllabi, teaching methods, and most of the teaching aids used during the courses have been developed by the staff of the School of Ukrainian Language and Culture. The School is a leading institution in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language. As a result of methodological studies and the extensive practical experience of our teachers, we have worked out our own method of teaching Ukrainian, which is of an eclectic character. For many years we have been strong advocates of the communicative approach in foreign language teaching, never hesitating to teach functional grammar – even explicitly and cognitively – if our students needed it.
Effective communication in Ukrainian is impossible without a firm grammatical foundation. We emphasize the need of parallel work on developing all language skills, including writing. Among the applied methods special mention should be placed on our task- and project-oriented approach, which focuses on social interaction and teamwork.
All teachers at the School are qualified professionals with extensive experience in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language. Their backgrounds include teaching groups as well as working on an individual basis with students of different levels. They present interesting and challenging level- appropriate lessons. Students are consistently taught and encouraged to use what they learn in conversation, ensuring that Ukrainian learned in the classroom can be applied in an everyday setting.
Grades
The final grade for all language courses is a result of the following scores:
Common reference levels: according to Common European Framework of Languages.
All the on-campus and online courses at SOUL can be credit-bearing once they are pre-approved to be such. For this purpose, the student needs to apply for credits before the beginning of the course and discuss all the requirements with the instructor and academic director of the SOUL.
This process will allow the student to earn university credits which are typically recognized and counted toward the student’s qualifications by their home institutions. SOUL follows the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and awards 1 credit for a 30-hour module (15 contact hours + 15 hours of individual work).
At the end of the course, official ECTS documents are mailed to the student’s home institutions, to be verified by the appropriate registrar, and the credits transferred appropriately to the student’s transcript.
