English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU)

The aim of the ELTU of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is to make English available, accessible and eventually familiar, to all students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Applied Sciences. It stands ready to help the students of the Medical Sciences Faculty and the students of the Management and Commerce Faculty if and when the need arises.

In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which has been recognized by the ELTU as being the faculty most in need of assistance in English, an unprecedented drive is initiated this year to increase the number of hours the students are exposed to English. Students are given English instruction/exposure two hours each working day (from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.), in both semesters in the first year, based on the theory that it is input that will make the greatest difference in making students familiar with a second language. They are given three credits each in both semesters.
The goal of our courses is to make English relevant to the lives of students and to make them use this language in their everyday life. The syllabus is designed giving equal weight to the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Along with English, our syllabus has been designed to give students insights about cultural norms, personality development and academic skills development, for the overall aim of the ELTU is to create a confident user of English proud of his or her own culture and language, while being able to utilize a second language to the maximum effect. The ELTU finally aims to make a good scholar able to meet the challenges of the world successfully.

Internal Tests and the UTEL Benchmarks

The ELTU evaluation criteria follow the UTEL (University Test of English Language) banding.
The first semester course (ELTU 1101) is designed to make students achieve UTEL Level 4.
The second semester course (ELTU 1201) is designed to make students achieve UTEL Level 5.

Nationwide UTEL test

A standardized test is administered annually to all students of the University system in Sri Lanka by the UGC and the Ministry of Higher Education. The test is designed to evaluate all four language skills and is done at two levels. Level one is an online examination covering reading and listening. Candidates who pass level one are eligible for level two which is a speech and writing test. Successful candidates will be awarded a certificate by the Ministry of Higher Education and the UGC. The ELTU strongly encourages students to sit this examination.

Contact

For further details, contact the ELTU on 0112802499 / 0112758633