University College & Extension Services’ American Language Institute (ALI) is developing a new curriculum for Princess Cruises’ English Language Training course for employees. The partnership began earlier this year when the cruise line requested that a team of ALI consultants evaluate how well it was helping its many international crewmembers learn English.
In late July, ALI Academic Coordinator Nina Ito and Faculty Member/Curriculum Coordinator Christopher Mefford boarded the Golden Princess in Victoria, B.C. to spend four days on an Alaskan cruise interviewing crewmembers, observing ESL classes, reviewing the curriculum and observing the day-to-day operations of the ship.
After compiling a report and giving a presentation at the Princess Cruises corporate headquarters in late August, the team was asked to develop the new curriculum, which will be implemented on all 16 vessels by early next year. The curriculum will feature lessons in communication strategies, speech acts, vocabulary, pronunciation, and safety training and will include videotaped review lessons, which the crewmembers can watch in their cabins.
Mefford and Ito will also work with Princess Cruises to recruit, screen, interview, and hire ESL teachers, who will be given two-month renewable contracts and be assigned to conduct daily classes onboard one of the vessels. They are scheduled to hold a series of workshops to train the new hires in the use of their curriculum.
ALI officials hope that the project will lead to an ongoing relationship with Princess Cruises and serve as a model for University College & Extension Services (UCES) to create educational opportunities around the world.
ALI, the first California program to be accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), provides long-term and short-term programs designed to teach English as a Second Language. For more information, visit UCES’ American Language Institute Web site.