Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Master of Arts and Certificate Programs

Program Review
2017 – 2018
Table of Contents

A. Mission and Values p.4

B. Contribution to Strategic Plan p.6
C. History p.8
D. Curriculum p.10
E. Assessment p.21
F. Admissions p.22
G. Advising and Retention p.26
H. Careers p.30
I. Students p.33
J. Faculty p.41
K. Governance p.45
L. Staff p.47
M. Facilities, Technology, and Resources p.47
N. Conclusions and Goals p.48

Appendixes
A.1 SOE Strategic Plan and Mission
D.1 TESOL Syllabi
E.1 TESOL Exit Surveys
E.2 TESOL Entry Surveys
E.3 MA Field Project Samples
F.1 TESOL Brochure
F.2 TESOL Admission Trends
G.1 Graduation and Retention Data
J.1 Faculty CVs
J.2 BLUE IME Department Report fall 2017
K.1 SOE Organizational Chart

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 Acknowledgements

The MA TESOL Program wishes to thank several individuals for their assistance
in preparing for this program review. The MA TESOL Program coordinator wants to
specifically thank Laura Hannemann, Director of Assessment, who worked tirelessly,
collected data, formatted the program review document, coordinated the site visits, and
advised the program coordinator in every step of the program review. and provided
invaluable advice and assistance. The MA TESOL program would like to also thank MA
TESOL program current students and alumni who answered the survey questions and
participated in meetings with the program reviewers. Finally, the MA TESOL Program
also wishes to thank the program reviewers, Dr. McCall and Dr. West, who accepted
our invitation to review our program and share their expertise in improving our MA
TESOL program. The MA TESOL program also would like to thank Dr. Shabnam
Koirala-Azad, the dean of the School of Education, and Associate deans, Dr. Michael
Duffy and Dr. Cheryl Jones-Walker for their continued and consistent support of the MA
TESOL Program.

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 A. Mission and Values
University Mission
The University of San Francisco is a Jesuit Catholic university in the heart of San
Francisco. The university, which embodies Jesuit values, is guided by the following
vision:
The University of San Francisco will be internationally recognized as a
premier Jesuit Catholic, urban university with a global perspective that
educates leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world.
Informed by this vision, the university approaches education using the following mission
statement as its compass:
The core mission of the university is to promote learning in the
Jesuit Catholic tradition. The university offers undergraduate, graduate,
and professional students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as
persons and professionals, and the values and sensitivity necessary to be
men and women for others. The university will distinguish itself as a
diverse, socially responsible learning community of high quality
scholarship and academic rigor sustained by a faith that does justice. The
university will draw from the cultural, intellectual, and economic resources
of the San Francisco Bay Area and its location on the Pacific Rim to enrich
and strengthen its educational programs.

Mission of the School of Education

The School of Education (SOE) mission is to act collectively and leverage our
resources in ways that are driven by our Jesuit mission and responsive to our
constituents’ needs in order to have measurable impact in schools and communities,
particularly for those most affected by injustice. [A.1, SOE Strategic Plan and Mission]
The SOE offers certificate, master’s and doctoral programs in six major areas:
Counseling Psychology, International and Multicultural Education, Learning and
Instruction, Organization and Leadership, Catholic Educational Leadership, and
Teacher Education. Many of the SOE’s master’s and credential programs are also

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offered at our branch campuses. Currently the SOE has branch locations in Pleasanton,
Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa.
The SOE is committed to supporting academic and professional programs, and
applied research and community activities which seek to improve the quality of
education and psychological and support services provided to children, youth, and
adults. All activities of the School seek to link instruction, research, and service in a
manner which reflects the intellectual, ethical, and service traditions of a Jesuit
institution: to honor education as an instrument for the full growth of individuals, and to
commit to further standards of excellence in academic and service programs. The
pervading philosophy implicit in the School’s planning and developing efforts affirms
hope in the human effort to achieve a better society and demonstrate a commitment to
ameliorate social conditions that are obstacles to justice for all.
The School is particularly dedicated to providing programs responsive to the
needs of the diverse populations of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The School
prides itself on its commitment to address social inequities at the local and state levels,
as well as those impacting the nation and international communities. This commitment
is reflected in programs that prepare students to assume leadership roles in a variety of
settings, including public, private and independent schools, colleges and universities,
mental health and counseling centers, human services and government agencies, and
even corporations.
Overall, the School seeks to realize its mission through offering academic degree
and credential programs at the graduate level, and through collaborative and dual
degree programs with other colleges and schools of the University. Academic and
professional programs are complemented by programs of research and service
sponsored by centers and institutes of the School.

Mission of MA TESOL Program

The mission of the MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages) Program is to prepare students to be knowledgeable, compassionate,
skilled, resourceful, and competent TESOL professionals in the local and global

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communities and to teach ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages), EFL
(English as a Foreign Language), VESL (Vocational English as Second Language),
ESP (English for Specific Purposes), EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and SDAIE
(Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English) to children and adults who are
English language learners. Furthermore, our MA TESOL program is committed to train
graduates with skills to become teacher trainers, administrators, curriculum developers,
and assessment specialists.

B. Contribution to Strategic Plan

Please review the full Strategic Plan included as appendix A.1, SOE Strategic Plan
and Mission. The TESOL program contributes to the plan in a variety of ways. We will
use this section to highlight some of the most prominent ways:

Strategic Plan Goal:

Goal I: To provide our target student population with the highest quality academic
experience and professional preparation that are in the service of social justice,
particularly regarding student services and support.
Activity IA1: Increase the racial/ethnic diversity, and other dimensions of
diversity, of the students in all degree/credential programs.

TESOL Contribution: The TESOL program consistently matriculates a large number of

international students, which directly contributes to the SOE goal of increasing the
diversity within all programs. As of Fall 2017, international students comprised 6% of the
entire SOE student population. Within the TESOL program, 37% of students were
international students.

Goal II: To prepare professionals (researchers, educators, leaders, counselors,

advocates) to work effectively with underserved groups.
Subgoal IIA: Offer degree/credential programs that are mission-driven and

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responsive to needs.

TESOL Contribution: The TESOL program is continually reviewing and updating its
program delivery models in an effort to best meet the needs of our diverse potential
student body. Please see section D, Curriculum, for a full description of our seven
delivery models. These include partnerships with the University of California, Berkeley
Extension and the University of Santa Cruz, credential options, and a strand designed
for international university partnerships. Our graduates work to help address the critical
role of language in schools that serve students in a variety of ways around the world.

Subgoal IIB: Support the ongoing development and success of professionals

post-graduation.
Activity IIB1: Develop and offer effective career services for current students.

TESOL Contribution: The Priscilla A. Scotlan Career Center at USF serves the entire
student body, but its services are particularly focused on the undergraduate population.
The SOE student body primarily uses the center for resume help. As such, each
program within the SOE is responsible for augmenting the University services. The
TESOL Program Coordinator has taken a particularly active role in this regard, with a
focus on helping every TESOL student secure post-graduation employment. The
Program has developed partnerships with international and local colleges and
secondary schools, as well private language schools. The TESOL Coordinator also
encourages students to attend professional conferences in the field to expand their
networking opportunities for professional development and employment. For more
information, see section H, Careers.

Subgoal IIIB: Support partnering schools, organizations, and communities in their

own capacity building.

TESOL Contribution: The many partnerships cultivated by the TESOL Program

Coordinator serve not only to help our students secure employment post-graduation, but
also to help our partners deliver on their mission. We provide our partners with a funnel

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of highly effective language teachers, leaders, and practitioners who are prepared to
help address critical language issues across a variety of contexts.

C. History
MA TESOL program is part of the International and Multicultural Education (IME)
Department, housed in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. The
International Multicultural Department began in the mid 1970’s as the Multicultural
Education Program. The first program director was Dr. Jose Llanes, followed by Dr.
John Tsu. The program was initiated to take advantage of federal funds available for
promoting bilingual education in Filipino, Chinese (Cantonese), Spanish, and
Japanese. Thus, all faculty members were originally on grant money. In addition,
another grant was obtained for the training of teachers, administrators and counselors in
the areas of adult, bilingual, and vocational education. Title VII grants became also
available for the doctoral studies of potential bilingual educators. From the beginning,
the department evolved, changing along with federal legislation and with the needs and
goals of the School of Education and the University of San Francisco.
The first major change was from program status to department status. At about
the time this happened, the faculty successfully grieved their soft money, term
appointment status, and several were granted tenure track positions. The first
department chair was Dr. Dorothy Messerschmitt, who developed the first Master’s
degree in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). When the Bilingual
Vocational Education grant was terminated and bilingual teacher training in Japanese
and Cantonese was discontinued, the focus of the department shifted toward doctoral
level training, bilingual credentials for teachers in Spanish and Filipino, and master’s
degree in Multicultural Education and TESL. Ultimately, the credentialing aspects of the
program were integrated into the Teacher Education Department, the department’s
name was changed to the Department of International and Multicultural Education.
In 2002, Dr. Alma Flor Ada, long-time IME faculty member, developed a new
Master’s degree program in Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults,

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before her retirement in 2004. In 2004-2005, the department underwent a program
review process, leading to two recommendations: 1) shaping a new vision for IME given
many retirements, and 2) strengthening its international focus. As a result of these
recommendations, the MA in Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults was
discontinued, and Drs. Susan Katz and Shabnam Koirala-Azad created a new MA and
EdD. concentration in Human Rights Education in 2008. This concentration became so
popular that the department developed a new Master’s degree in Human Rights
Education (MA HRE), leading to the hiring of Dr. Monisha Bajaj from Teachers
College/Columbia University as its Director. Currently, the department offers three
master’s degrees (MA IME, MA HRE, and MA TESOL) and the EdD degree.
Based on the 2005 program review, the IME Department took efforts to deepen
the international component of the program in several dimensions. Most importantly, it
created a new tenure-track position in Global Studies in Education, leading to the hiring
of Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad, who developed new courses with a global focus. Also,
the IME sponsored a summer international immersion program in Ecuador from 2011-
2013, under the direction of Dr. Susan Katz, which involved training indigenous
teachers of English and in which several MA TESL students participated. Earlier in
2002, the MA TESL program initiated the “MA TESL Xiamen Project” to work with
English teachers in the People’s Republic of China, leading to Chinese teachers
receiving their MA TESL from USF. However, due to external factors, this program did
not continue despite much interest on both sides.
In the 1990s the MA TESL program was offered at the USF Cupertino Branch
campus and continued for several years. In 2003, in partnership with the University of
California in Santa Cruz, the School of Education started to offer the MA TESL program
in our San Jose campus, but this program was closed in 2014. In 2013 an online
TESOL program was launched. Dr. Brad Washington coordinated the online program.
The online program was suspended in spring 2016 due to budgetary constraints.
The program changed its name from TESL to TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) in 2013. Dr. Stephen Cary, the former TESOL Program
coordinator, retired in in 2014, and Dr. Brad Washing left USF for another job in 2017.

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 More recently, in 2015, the MA TESOL program was launched in our Orange
County Branch in Southern California. The first cohort of this program will graduate in
May of 2018. Additionally, the program is planning on re-launching the San Jose branch
location in the fall of 2018.

D. Curriculum

MA TESOL Program Details

The TESOL program, housed in the International and Multicultural Education
Department, is dedicated to understanding formal and informal education within its
sociocultural, linguistic, and political contexts around the world. The program critically
addresses the role of language in schools and communities in the United States and
around the globe.
The MA TESOL is a practitioner-oriented and degree-providing program which
offers a comprehensive coverage of linguistic theory and practical application of applied
and sociolinguistic theories. Students also learn to examine the intersections of
language, culture, power, and inequality. Our program equips students with the
knowledge and strategies they need to be highly effective social justice language
teachers, leaders, and practitioners across various learning contexts in the U.S. and
abroad.
The Master of Arts in TESOL has seven different strands/options. The first is a
fairly standard degree in the field. The second is a degree with an emphasis in
Educational Technology. The third strand combines the TESOL MA with either the
Preliminary Single Subject or Multiple Subjects teaching credential. The fourth and fifth
is in partnership with other universities- UC Berkeley Extension TESL Certificate
Program and UC Santa Cruz TESL Certificate Program. The sixth strand is a 15 unit
TESOL Certificate Program launched in the fall semester of 2017. The seventh strand is
an intensive TESOL Certificate Program designed for partnership with universities

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overseas. Thus, the strands/options for our perspective students to consider are as
follows:
1. MA TESOL
2. MA TESOL with an Educational Technology emphasis
3. MA TESOL & Single / Multiple Teaching Credential
4. MA TESOL with Partnership with UC Berkeley Extension
5. MA TESOL with Partnership with UC Santa Cruz
6. TESOL Certificate in Two Semester
7. TESOL Certificate Intensive for Overseas Universities

Please see Appendix D.1, TESOL Syllabi for the syllabus for each TESOL course. The
detailed course structure for each option is provided below:

Option # 1: MA TESOL Courses

Foundations | 9 credits
All TESOL students must take:
• IME 603 - Applied Linguistics (3)
• IME 632 - Structure of American English (3)
And 1 of the following courses:
• IME 602 – Linguistic Rights and Bilingual Education (3)
• IME 610 – Sociology of Language (3)
• IME 611 – Language and Culture (3)
• IME 631 – Research in First and Second Language Acquisition (3)
• IME 634 – Assessment/Testing of Second Language Proficiency (3)
• IME 668 – Discourse, Pragmatics and Language Teaching (3)

Methods | 9 credits
• GEDU 603 – Methodology of Educational Research (3)
• IME 630 – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Theory and Practice (3)
• IME 633 – Preparation and Evaluation of TESOL Materials (3)

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Social and Cultural Studies | 3 credits
Students select 1 course from the following list:
• IME 604 – Global Perspectives on Education and Decolonization (3)
• IME 605 – Re-Conceptualizing Multicultural Education (3)
• IME 606 – Critical Analysis of Urban Schooling (3)
• IME 612 – Critical Race Theory and Praxis (3)
• IME 613 – Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Competency (3)
• IME 619 – Gender and Globalization (3)
• IME 620 – Human Rights Education: Pedagogy & Praxis (3)
• IME 624 – African American Educational History in the United States (3)
• IME 627 – Pan African Language and Culture (3)
• IME 635 – Latinos and Education (3)
• IME 639 – Cross Cultural Literacy (3)
• IME 640 – Immigration and Forced Displacement (3)
• IME 647 – Technology and Diverse Learners (3)

TESOL Field Project | 3 credits

• IME 638 – TESOL MA Thesis / Field Project (3)

Electives | 6 credits
Courses to be selected in consultation with the adviser.

Option # 2: MA TESOL
MA TESOL with Educational Technology Emphasis
The MA TESOL with an emphasis in Educational Technology follows the same
principles and vision as our MA TESOL program with an emphasis on bridging
technology and real world connections. We prepare language educators, leaders, and
professionals with expertise in web-based teaching methods, interactive information
resources, digital media and technology. The final project must demonstrate the

12
student's ability to combine Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with
Educational Technology.
The program consists of 11 courses for a total of 33 credits with specific courses in the
area of educational technology

Foundations | 9 credits
All TESOL students must take:
• IME 603 - Applied Linguistics (3)
• IME 632 - Structure of American English (3)
And 1 of the following courses:
• IME 602 – Linguistic Rights and Bilingual Education (3)
• IME 610 – Sociology of Language (3)
• IME 611 – Language and Culture (3)
• IME 631 – Research in First and Second Language Acquisition (3)
• IME 634 – Assessment/Testing of Second Language Proficiency (3)

Methods | 9 credits
• (Any 3 Unit ETK Course) – Number/Title (3)
• IME 630 – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Theory and Practice (3)
• IME 633 – Preparation and Evaluation of TESOL Materials (3)

Social and Cultural Studies | 3 credits

Students select 1 course from the following list:
• IME 604 – Global Perspectives on Education and Decolonization (3)
• IME 605 – Re-Conceptualizing Multicultural Education (3)
• IME 606 – Critical Analysis of Urban Schooling (3)
• IME 612 – Critical Race Theory and Praxis (3)
• IME 613 – Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Competency (3)
• IME 619 – Gender and Globalization (3)
• IME 620 – Human Rights Education: Pedagogy & Praxis (3)
• IME 624 – African American Educational History in the United States (3)
• IME 627 – Pan African Language and Culture (3)

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• IME 635 – Latinos and Education (3)
• IME 639 – Cross Cultural Literacy (3)
• IME 640 – Immigration and Forced Displacement (3)
• IME 647 – Technology and Diverse Learners (3)

Additional ETK | 9 credits

Courses to be selected in consultation with the adviser.

TESOL Field Project | 3 credits

• IME 638 – TESOL MA Thesis / Field Project (3)
The MA TESOL program Option # 1 can be completed in 18 months or in two
years as follows:

18 Month Plan
Fall Spring Summer
Year 1 1. IME 632 1. IME 630 1. IME 611
2. IME 633 2. IME 610 2. GEDU 603
3. IME 634 3. IME 603

Year 2 1. IME 638

2. IME 647/ elective

2 Year Plan
Fall Spring Summer
Year 1 1. IME 632 1. IME 630 1. IME 611
2. IME 633 2. IME 610
3. IME 603

Year 2 1. IME 634 1. IME 631

2. GEDU 603 2. IME 638

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 Option # 3: MA TESOL
MA TESOL & Single/Multiple Teaching Credential
Students start in the preliminary teaching credential program in the Teacher
Education Department and complete all requirements for the Single/Multiple Subject
Credential. Then students complete 5 additional courses or 15 credits (listed below) of
TESOL Coursework to earn the combined master's degree and credential.
• IME 632 – Structure of American English
• GEDU 603 – Methodology of Educational Research
• IME 630 – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Theory and Practice
• IME 633 – Preparation and Evaluation of TESOL Materials
• IME 638 – TESOL MA Thesis / Field Project

Option # 4: MA TESOL
MA TESOL in Partnership with UC Berkeley
Extension TESOL Certificate Program
UC Berkeley Extension TESOL Certificate Program courses have
content equivalent to the following USF courses:
• IME 603 Applied Linguistics
• IME 611 Language & Culture
• IME 630 TESOL-Theory and Practice (Methods of Teaching ESL/EFL)
• IME 632 Structure of American English
• IME 698 TESOL Elective
To complete an MA TESOL, UC Berkeley TESL Certificate students
must take the following 5 USF courses (15 semester units):
1. GEDU 603 Methods of Ed Research (3 units)

15
 2. IME 610 Sociology of Language (3 units)
3. IME 633 Preparation & Evaluation of TESOL Materials (3 units)
4. IME 638 TESOL Field Project (3 units)
*Note: GEDU 603 is a pre-requisite and should be taken one semester prior to
IME 638
5. Any ONE of the following courses:
• IME 612 Critical Race Theory and Praxis (3 units)
• IME 639 Cross Cultural Literacy (3 units)
• IME 668 Discourse, Pragmatics, & Language Teaching (3 units)
• IME 634 Assessment/Testing of Second Language Proficiency
• DML 601 Digital Media Literacy (or other approved DML class) (3 units)

Option # 5: MA TESOL
MA TESOL in Partnership with UC Santa Cruz
Extension TESOL Certificate Program
UCSC Extension TESOL Certificate Program courses have content
equivalent to the following USF courses:
• IME 603 Applied Linguistics
• IME 611 Language & Culture
• IME 634 Assessment and Testing of Second/Foreign Language Proficiency
• IME 632 Structure of American English
• IME 698 Asian Americans: History, Culture, , Issues
ALL UCSC TESOL Certificate Courses (24 quarter units) would be accepted for
transfer to USF for a total of 14.07 semester units. Admitted students would then
complete the following 16 semester units at USF to complete the MA in TESOL
degree.
To complete an MA TESOL, students must take the following 5 USF
courses (15 semester units plus 1 Directed Study Course, 1 unit, a total of
16 courses):
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 1. GEDU 603 Methods of Ed Research (3 units)
2. IME 668 Discourse, Pragmatics, & Language (3 units) or ME 610 Sociology of
Language (3 units)
3. IME 633 Preparation & Evaluation of TESOL Materials (3 units)
4. IME 630 TESOL Methods: Theory and Practice
5. IME 638 TESOL Field Project (3 units)
*Note: GEDU 603 is a pre-requisite and should be taken one semester prior to
IME 638
6. IME 698 Special Topics: [To be determined] (1 unit)

Option # 6: TESOL Certificate

TESOL Certificate Courses
Students interested in earning a TESOL Certificate must complete the following five
courses. Students who wish to continue in the USF MA TESOL program can transfer
those five courses and take five more courses to earn their MA degree in TESOL.

• IME-632 – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

• IME-630 – The Structure of American English
• IME-634 – Assessment/Testing of Second Language Proficiency
• IME-603 – Applied Linguistics
• IME-633 Preparation and Evaluation of ESL/EFL Materials

TESOL Certificate Courses would be offered over 2 semesters as

follows:

Fall Semester: 3 courses (9 units)

IME 632 The Structure of American English
IME 633 Preparation and Evaluation of ESL/EFL Materials
IME 634 Assessment and Testing of Second/Foreign Language Proficiency

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 Spring Semester: 2 courses (6 units)
IME 603 Applied Linguistics
IME 630 Methods of Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages: Theory and Practice

2 Semester TESOL Certificate Plan

Fall Spring
Semester # 1 1. IME 632 Semester # 2 1. IME 603
2. IME 633 2. IME 630
3. IME 634

Option # 7: Intensive TESOL Certificate Program

TESOL Certificate Intensive for Overseas Universities
Option # 7 is designed to be offered intensively overseas or at the USF main campus
for international students as follows:

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 USF International TESOL Certificate
Three Week Intensive Program: 140 Hours of Instruction
WK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
#
1

A Opening Advanced Methods of Methods of Methods of

M Ceremony ESL Teaching Teaching Teaching
(9-10 AM) Methods Listening Speaking Vocabular Excursion
Overview of & Lesson Comprehension (9-1:00 PM) y Day
ESL Methods Planning
(10:15-1 PM)
(9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) All Day
(9-1:00 PM)
An Second Second Second
Overview of Lang. Language Language Excursion Excursion
Language Acquisition Acquisition Acquisition
Day Day
Acquisition Theories Models: The Models: The
P Natural
(2-6 PM) All Day
Theories Micro Automaticity
M Micro Teaching Teaching Approach Model
(2-6 PM) (2-6 PM) Micro Teaching Micro Teaching
(2-6 PM) (2-6 PM)
WK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
#
2

Methods of Methods of Methods of Methods of Using

Teaching Teaching Teaching Teaching Cooperative Excursion
Reading Writing Pronunciation Grammar Group work
A Day
(9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) in ESL
M All Day
classes
(9-1:00 PM)
Assessmen Assessing Assessing Assessing Excursion
P t Vocabular Listening & Reading & Day Excursion
M Strategies y& Speaking Writing (2-6 PM) Day
in ESL Grammar Micro Teaching Micro Teaching
(2-6 PM) (2-6 PM) All Day
Micro Teaching Micro
(2-6 PM) Teaching
(2-6 PM)
WK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
#
3

Sheltering Sheltering Fundamentals Fundamentals Teaching Micro

A Strategies/ Strategies/ Of Material Of Material English Teaching &
SDAIE SDAIE Development Development Through Portfolio
M Presentatio
(9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) (9-1:00 PM) Songs
(9-1:00 PM) n
9-1:00 PM
Teaching Teaching Communicativ Communicativ Excursion
English English e e Day Closing
P Through Through Language Language (2-6 PM) Ceremony
Videos Story Telling Teaching Teaching
M (2-3 PM)
Micro
Micro Teaching Micro Teaching Micro Teaching
Teaching
(2-6 PM) (2-6 PM) (2-6 PM)
(2-6 PM)

19
 • Both the contents and the schedule are flexible and modifiable. We can tailor the
contents to meet the needs of the trainees.
• All classes are one-hour (50 minutes of instruction and a 10 minute break).
• Lunch break is from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, Monday Through Friday. Saturday lunch will be
served in the excursion site.

Online Program (no longer offered)

USF School of Education also offered an online MA TESOL program that began in
January 2013 and ended in summer 2017. There were 33 units in the program. Here
are the courses that were required in the MA TESOL Online program.

• IME 603: Applied Linguistics (3)

IME 632: Structure of American English (3)
IME 634: Assessment Strategies for TESOL (3)
IME 668: Discourse, Pragmatics & Language Teaching (3)
IME 630: TESOL Theory and Practice (3)
IME 633: Preparation and Evaluation of TESOL Materials (3)
DTTL 601: Digital Media Literacy (3)
DTTL 641: Cyberculture: Building Online Learning Communities (3)
IME 647: Technology & Diverse Learners (3)
DTTL 650: Digital Media Storytelling and Communications Media (3)
IME 638: TESOL Research Project (3)

MA TESOL Student Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, The MA TESOL students will be able to:

• Understand the structure of the English language (phonology, morphology,

syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse)

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 • Demonstrate an understanding of language variation and cross-linguistic
differences
• Demonstrate Knowledge of first and second language development and the
development of bilingualism/multilingualism
• Use theory as a lens for thinking critically about social inequities in local/global
contexts.
• Be a knowledgeable consumer of educational research
• Be skillful in a wide range of instructional materials, approaches, and methods for
learners at different stages of development and from differing cultural and
linguistic backgrounds
• Use a wide range of assessment tools including informal/formal, individual/group,
formative/summative instruments
• Design, implement, and assess K-12, post-secondary, community programs
focused on multicultural language/literacy education in English

E. Assessment
As a unit, the School of Education has previously struggled to sustain processes for
direct assessment of program learning outcomes. A number of factors have contributed
to this, such as turnover and lack of staff positions dedicated to assessment support. To
address this issue, a Director of Assessment was hired in January 2016 to lead
assessment processes across the school. Currently, all programs are in the process of
editing or developing three key components of the assessment process: program
learning outcomes, a curriculum map, and an assessment plan for direct assessment of
each PLO. This work will be completed by the end of the spring 2018 semester. To be
clear, all programs have had learning outcomes and curriculum maps in the past. This
work is focused on ensuring these components are up- to-date and compliant with
accepted best-practices in assessment. The TESOL program has been focused on
completing program review this year and will take up completing this assessment work
in the fall of 2018. Given that there is only one lead faculty member for the entire

21
TESOL program, working on program review while also developing new direct
assessment procedures would have sacrificed quality across these projects and the
general operations of the program.
That said, the TESOL program conducts assessment in a variety of ways. When
students matriculate, they are sent the student Entry Survey. This survey includes
information about the quality of the admissions process and the background of
matriculating students. When students graduate they are asked to complete the Exit
Survey. This survey includes information about program effectiveness, student
satisfaction, and learning outcomes. [E.1 TESOL Exit Surveys, E.2 TESOL Entry
Surveys].
Students in the TESOL MA Program are assessed through coursework and formal
processes such as the MA Field Project/Thesis culminating project. This culminating
project requires students to demonstrate the successful application of the program
learning outcomes. [E.3, Field Project Samples]

F. Admissions
The School of Education has the following application requirements of all students
including those specific to certain programs.

1. Completed online application with non-refundable $55 application fee.

2. One set of unofficial transcripts from each university/college previously attended.
For U.S. applicants, the degree must be from a regionally accredited
university/college. An applicant with a pending degree must provide official
verification of expected degree completion from institution's Registrar or school
official. An undergraduate degree is required to apply to a master's program.
Once the students are admitted, they will need to submit official transcripts prior
to enrolling.
3. Applicants must have earned their degree from an accredited institution. They
must provide a background of academic preparation and/or professional
experience that demonstrates their ability to pursue graduate level programs.

22
 4. MA and Credential applicants are expected to have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
5. Two current, signed letters of recommendation, noting suitability for graduate
work.
6. Current résumé.
7. A Statement of Intent — Applicants should address the following prompt in their
application: Outline the purpose for seeking admission to the specific School of
Education graduate program being chosen; include career and academic goals.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS MUST ALSO SUBMIT:

• Copy of passing scores for one of the following:

TOEFL (TEST of English as a Foreign Language)
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
PTE (Pearson Test of English)
must be submitted. Passing scores are listed below:
• TOEFL* (Note: The USF TOEFL code is 4850.) - 580 (paper test) or 92 with no
sub score lower than 20 (iBT: Internet-based test) for master's applicants
• IELTS - 7.0
• PTE - 62
Recruitment:
The Office of Admission and Outreach (OCO) offers significant support to all
programs at the School through targeted outreach, participating in graduate fairs, and
tabling at relevant conferences, and TESOL faculty also participate in recruitment efforts
primarily through Open Houses, local graduate fairs, emailing prospective students and
hosting them in their classes, and through recent efforts to send letters to
undergraduate professors who have written letters of recommendation for students
applying to the TESOL. [F.1, TESOL Brochure]
In addition to the above recruitment efforts which are applicable to all programs
within the School of Education, the MA TESOL program makes the following extra
efforts to recruit students for the program:

23
• Offers extra Information Sessions and recruits undergraduate students from the
main USF campus (Hill Top) twice a year.
• Offers extra Information Sessions at our Downtown Campus twice a year.
• Recruits students from UC Berkeley Extension TESOL Certificate Information
Session in the spring and fall Information Session by informing the perspective
UC Berkeley TESOL Certificate about the articulation agreement between USF
and UC Berkeley Extension TESL Certificate Program.
• Recruits students from the graduating class of UC Berkeley Extension TESL
Certificate Program in the spring and fall semester.
• Recruits students from CATESOL State, Regional, and Chapter Conferences by
renting a booth in the publishing hall of the conference and distributing MA
TESOL brochures, meeting with perspective students, and answering questions.
The MA TESOL coordinator is usually accompanied by two to three student
ambassadors in these events.
• Recruits students from TESOL International Conference by using the same
techniques mentioned above.

24
Figure F.2 TESOL Admission Trends

While the MA TESOL program is still one of the largest programs in the School of
Education, there has been a drop in enrollment and yield in the last year. Nevertheless,
the program is still the right size, and MA TESOL courses are rarely canceled due to
low enrollment. While we have been successful recruiting students from within
California and the entire United States, the number of international students has
declined due to the following reasons:

1) Due to political climate, nation-wide, there has been a drop in international

students, who comprise a sizable portion of the TESOL student group

25
 2) The University spent a lot of resources advertising the online program. When
the online program closed, TESOL no longer benefited from those
advertisements
3) There has been significant change within the program – losing one full-time
professor, closing of the online program, opening and then closing the OC
branch.
4) Faculty - One FT faculty for the program (across 2 locations) Load/capacity
issues
5) Scholarship issues – full admission scholarships are rarely given to MA
TESOL students. In past four years, only one partial ($1400.00- one thousand
and four hundred dollars) and one single course admission scholarships were
given to MA TESOL students. In the fall of 2017 1.47% of TESOL MA
students received aid. As one point of comparison, in the same semester
24.39% of the IME MA population received financial aid.

G. Advising and Retention:

The program reaches out to the MA TESOL students and advises them as follows:

• Group advising for new students in the Fall and Spring Orientation Sessions before
classes start. In these orientations, students are told about the schedule of courses, the
availability of courses they can take, their adviser, the number of courses they can take,
and the sequence of courses.
• Group advising is also done via e-mailing the students. After consulting the department
chair and MA TESOL coordinator, the program assistant e-mails new students and
recommends possible choices of courses for them.
• Currently, one full-time MA TESOL faculty, Dr. Popal, and one adjunct TESOL faculty,
Dr. Garcia, do all the advising for MA TESOL students. About 26 advisees are assigned
to Dr. Garcia and the remaining MA TESOL students are advised by Dr. Popal.

26
• MA TESOL students are contacted by their advisers via e-mail or in person in the courses
that they take and they are encouraged to make an appointment with their advisor and
meet with their advisor individually. During the individual advising sessions, the adviser
provides a plan for the program completion based on student status (International or local
students), load (part-time or full-time student), and the student enrollment on one of the
seven strands. Here are two examples of advising sheet- one for our regular MA TESOL
student and one for MA TESOL student with an emphasis on DTTL/EKT:

• Name: Jing Chai (Mia)

MA in TESOL
Planning Grid
•
Fall Intersession Spring Summer Fall Spring
2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2019

1. IME 634 Nothing 4. IME 603 6. IME 611 8. IME 620 10. IME 638
2. IME 633 5. IME 630 7. GEDU 603 9. ETK 614
3. IME 632

27
 Name: Hande Yildiz

MA in TESOL with Emphasis in DTTL/ETK

Planning Grid

Spring Summer Fall Spring Fall Spring

2018 2018 2018 20119 2019 2020

1. IME 610 3. IME 611 5. IME 634 8. ETK 603 10. ETK 614

2. IME 603 4. ETK 602 6. IME 633 9. ETK 604 11. IME 638

7. IME 632

28
Figure G.1, Graduation and Retention Data

The MA TESOL Program is satisfied with the graduation rates and the reason for the
fluctuation is the students plan for the completion of the program. Some students are on
a two-year track, others are on 18-month track, and the transfer students who take less
courses finish in one year.

29
 H. Careers
TESOL students can embark on careers as English language teachers, teacher
trainers, program directors, curriculum developers, private tutors and consultants across
a variety of contexts.

Graduates of the TESOL program are prepared to teach in the following settings:
• International institutions
• English in The workplace / businesses (ex. Google, Samsung)
• Private language schools (ex. ELS, St. Giles, Kaplan)
• Non-profit organizations (ex. Berkeley Public Library, Refugee Transitions)
• U.S. Government (ex. Peace Corps, Teach for America, Fulbright)
• K-12 public schools (with teaching credentials)
• Local community colleges
• Private and public universities
• 21st century schools and education technology
• Online education and distance learning
• Administration and program development
• Home schooling
• ESL textbooks and materials publishing company

Although we don’t have an official person or office to help our graduates with resume
and cover letter writing and placement services, the TESOL coordinator consistently
and continually helps our graduates with these services. Because of his efforts, our
students have been able to find employment the following twenty community colleges in
the Bay Area and surrounding cities:

Institution Location
College of Alameda Alameda
Laney College Oakland
Merritt College Oakland
Berkeley City College Berkeley

30
 San Francisco City College San Francisco
Skyline College San Bruno
San Mateo College San Mateo
Chabot College Hayward
Los Positos College Livermore
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill
Contra Costa College San Pablo
Canada College Redwood City
Ohlone College Fremont
Los Madonas College Pittsburg
San Jose City College San Jose
Mission College Santa Clara
Ever Green College San Jose
West Valley College Saratoga
Cabrillo College Aptos
Sacramento City College Sacramento

For example, at the College of Alameda eleven ESL instructors (Jack Flood, George
Irving, Amanda Price, Denise Urdang, Alex Wyman, Jeff Moran, Yi Guan, Emma
Donnelly, Jenny Lemper, Stefanie Ulrey, and Karah Parks) out of a total of 15 ESL
instructors are former USF MA TESOL graduates. Similarly, all five (Alex Lopez, Clair
Yao, Greg Sugajsky, Dream Wei, and Mahsa Tavakoli) of the Intensive English
Program at Skyline College are former graduates of the MA TESOL program.
In addition to community colleges, the MA TESOL coordinator has established
partnership with private language schools and refer our graduates to private schools
and Intensive English Programs in the California State University system. Here is a list
of private school where our former grades have been referred and found jobs:

31
 Organization Location
English Language Services (ELS) Oakland
International and Intercultural Center (IIC) San Francisco
Silicon Valley Intensive English Program San Mateo
St. Giles San Francisco
Kaplan San Francisco
English Education First (EF) San Francisco
Embassy English San Francisco
Advance English Academy San Francisco and Berkeley
American Academy of English San Francisco
CISL San Francisco San Francisco
ILSC San Francisco
EC English Language Centers San Francisco

The MA TESOL program has also established partnerships with overseas schools.
Here is a list of contacts and schools in other countries that we refer our students to:

Organization Location Website

Westgate Corporation Tokyo, Japan Westgatejapan.com
Dipont Education Shanghai http://edugatechina.com/programs/summer-
Management Group soccer-and-english-camp-marin/
Exploring Wonders in China http://www.thebridgesuccess.com/
China, Teaching
English in a Chinese
University
Kyangpook National Daegu, South http://en.knu.ac.kr/main/main.htm
University (KNU) Korea
Teacher’s College
Chungcheongnamdo Daejeon, http://www.cne.go.kr/english/main.do
Office of Education South Korea

32
 I. Students
The MA TESOL student body is very multicultural and multilingual. Most of our
international students come from China, but we also have had students from Korea,
Taiwan, India, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Russia, Mexico, and Greece. The
native English speakers in the program are 99% white. There is a lack African American
student representation in the program, which follows national trends.
Figure I.1, TESOL Student Ethnicity Trend

33
 Student Profiles

Chaiyeon Sylvia Lee (Graduated December 2017)

Title of MA Thesis/Field Project:

Teaching EFL/ESL College-level Learners through

Current Global Topics: Integrated Lessons for
EFL/ESL Teachers

1. Why did you choose the MA TESOL program at

USF?

I chose USF because of its quality education in

TESOL MA program and its diverse population of
students who share a broad spectrum of life
experiences. Moreover, its convenient central location
and teaching weekends schedule added tremendous
values in choosing USF

2. What were/have been the highlights of your MA

TESOL program at USF?

Working with highly supportive faculty members and

enthusiastic peer students highlighted my USF
experiences, because they inspired me to continuously develop myself as an effective
TESOL teacher. In addition, serving as a SOE Student Ambassador was a valuable
experience which provided me with an opportunity to share the feeling of pleasure and
joy networking with other students in the School of Education who have common
passion and interests in education.

3. Did your MA professor(s) help you with jobs referral, resume writing?

My adviser, Dr. Sedique Popal, helped me write my resume and cover letter and
referred to jobs and prepared me for job interview.

4. Please write anything else that you want the program reviewer to know.

TESOL MA in USF fulfilled my goal to be a TESOL expert equipped with both linguistic
theory and practical applications. Courses in MA TESOL are so practical and effective
that I can apply what I have learned to an ESL classroom almost immediately.

34
Gregory Sugajski (Graduated May 2016)

Title of MA Thesis/Field Project:

From Culture Shock to Cultural

Adaptation:

A Workbook for International Students

1. Why did you choose the MA TESOL

program at USF?

I chose the MA TESOL program at USF

because the school’s program is highly
regarded and carries a great reputation
within the academic field I was
interested in pursuing. I entered the
program with the stated intention of
acquiring a comprehensive and
intensive grounding in the framework of
teaching English as a Second
Language, and I was highly rewarded.

2. Did your MA professor(s) help you

with jobs referral, resume writing?

I found a job position at a private language school while still at USF, and after
graduation was lucky enough to find a full time position at a local university, and so
have not needed professional references from my professors. However, my professors
have offered to provide them as necessary. Furthermore, I still receive emails from
former professors that alert me when potential job prospects at various universities
appear.

4. Please write anything else that you want the program reviewer to know.

It is my firm belief that my experience in the USF MA TESOL program has positively
impacted my personal and professional career. The program is ideally situated and
provides a comprehensive and effective framework for anyone who is willing to work
hard and wants to become a fully realized TESOL/ESL instructor.

35
Mahsa Tavakkoli (Graduated in May 2017)

Title of MA Thesis/Field Project:

Enhancing International Students’ English

Proficiency and Cultural Competence in
Academic Settings: A Handbook for Teachers

1. Why did you choose the MA TESOL

program at USF?

I got accepted in a PhD program in San Diego

at the same time that I got accepted at the
USF. The reason that I picked USF was the
diversity of the professors. I saw pictures of
Dr. Popal, Dr. Washington, and Dr. Koirala.
These professors represent rich cultural
backgrounds and they are profound
educational resources for us. That is why I
chose USF.

2. What were/have been the highlights of

your MA TESOL program at USF?

The highlights of my MA are having the chance to get to know great professors and
classmates, building friendships, knowing myself more as a teacher and scholar.

3. Did your MA professor(s) help you with jobs referral, resume writing?

Dr. Popal helped me with job referral, resume, cover letter and reference letter for
employment. He has been one of the reasons that I graduated. He motived us during
these two years and he provided all the resources that we need to be successful.

36
Clair Marie Yeo (Graduated in December 2015)

Title of MA Thesis/Field Project:

Supplementing ESL Classroom Activities with

Social Media for Young Adult Learners

1. Why did you choose MA TESOL program at

USF?

I started at USF as an undergraduate student and

really liked the small class sizes and learning
environment that USF provided.

2. What were/have been the highlights of your MA

TESOL program at USF?

My professors (Dr. Popal, Dr. Garcia, and Dr.

Washington) were the main highlights for me. Not
only did they share their knowledge of ESL
theories, techniques and their own experience in
the ESL world with me, they guided me through my
educational journey in the MA TESOL program at USF by giving me advice, helping me
to shape my field project, and preparing me for future job prospects.

3. Did your MA professor(s) help you with jobs referral, resume writing?

My MA professors helped me with job referrals and were happy to be a reference for
my employment.

37
Sabrina Irvin (Graduated in December 2002)

Title of My Field Project:

Power Point Presentations for

Beginning ESL/EFL classrooms

1. Why did you choose MA TESOL

Program at USF?

I chose to enroll at USF in the TESOL

program because it was the only
university that accepted all my
undergraduate credits that I had
previously earned in my country of
origin. I also chose USF because it
offered small classes and a very
supportive academic environment.

2. What were/have been the highlights of your MA TESOL program at USF?

. What I remember the most about my experience in the program is the fact that I
always got help from my professors, no matter what I needed or when I needed it. I will
never forget the time when I called one of our program coordinators late in the evening
because I was having technology-related questions and my message was answered
within 20 minutes. I also liked the fact of having small groups as it helped me share my
thoughts more frequently and openly. My most favorite memory though, was having Dr.
Popal as my professor as he made the classes very engaging and fun.

3. Did your MA professor(s) help you with jobs referral, resume writing?

I was lucky to find a job right after graduation and the USF professional center
helped me with my resume writing and my cover letter. As soon as I started working I
realized that the TESOL program could have been improved by offering more
opportunities for students to practice teaching ESL at different levels and schools. I was
only able to observe two different teachers but didn´t get a chance to either prepare any
teaching materials or practice in front of a real class. This became a real issue for my
professional development as the school that hired me did not offer a mentor program at
the time. I think if I had had the opportunity to practice teaching ESL in a classroom that
would have made my transition to work easier. Overall, my experience at USF was very
fruitful and enjoyable.

38
Martin Rodriquez (Graduated in December 2016)

Title of My Field Project:

Motivating the Immigrants from the

Central Coast of California to Learn
English as Their Second Language

1. Why did you choose the MA

TESOL program at USF?

I did a lot of research about different

private and public schools, but none
of them could accommodate my
schedule. I even took classes
online, but I did not finish them all.
They were time consuming and I did feel that I was learning a lot. I feel more
comfortable being in the classroom listening to my professors and participating in
discussion. I found out that other grad schools offered classes on weekdays. I could not
take those courses because I had to work full-time. Once I found out that USF offered
courses on the weekends, I applied. I also saw excellent comments about the schedule,
the program and the professors. I applied several times and finally was accepted. I
think that it was one of the best decisions that I took. I was teaching during the
weekdays and I was able to drive from Watsonville to San Francisco early in the
morning on every other weekend.

2. What were/have been the highlight of your MA TESOL program at USF?

The classes are on weekends and some classes are offered late in the afternoon- 7:00
PM on week days. This was an excellent schedule for me because I was able to work
and come to school at the same time.

3. Please write anything else that you want the program review to know

I thank USF MA TESOL program for all the support that it provides to the
students. I am proud that I made the right decision and studied at USF. One of the
things that I like about USF is its helpful librarians who are there to help 24/7. I worked
on my assignments and the librarians supported me. They communicated with me by
chatting, phone, and even text messages. All in all, I liked 90% of my; the only
suggestion I have is to extend the MA Thesis/Field Project length.

39
 Stacy Wenzel

1. Why did you choose the MA TESOL

program at USF?

I selected the USF for a few reasons:

I decided to complete the reading certificate

program at an institution that also had a
strong TESOL program. USF is considerably
farther from my home than a similar
program, but I was willing to invest in the
extra travel time because I felt (and still do)
that the education at USF is significantly
stronger than the other program I
considered. The other program I considered
cost a similar amount of money and also has
small classes.

I was interested in USF because of the small

class size and commitment to social justice.

2.. What were/have been the highlights of your MA TESOL program at USF?

The highlight of the TESOL program was taking classes with Dr. Popal. His knowledge,
organization, positivity and enthusiasm were the primary reasons that the program was
so valuable for me. He finds the right balance between exposing students to a wide
range of topics and also making sure that students master and remember key concepts.
I work with a colleague who also completed the program, and we both remember similar
concepts from our classes with Dr. Popal. Dr. Popal uses research-based techniques to
help students understand, synthesize and remember concepts. One effective technique
he uses is to give a short (ungraded) quiz at the beginning of about 50% of the class
sessions. Having to recall information without looking at notes and then reviewing
immediately after is an effective study technique that I learned about independent of my
classes with Dr. Popal.

3. Please write anything else that you want the program reviewer to know.

This review is about the TESOL program. I also want to comment how much I
appreciated the support from Dr. Popal and Dr. Maniates as I considered switching from
the Masters in Teaching Reading to the Masters in TESOL. I am passionate about both
subject areas, and this was a difficult decision for me. In the end, I decided to obtain my

40
Masters in Teaching Reading and the TESOL certificate. I am so grateful for the time
and energy that both professors contributed to my decision, and I am happy with my
decision. They both helped me select classes that met my goals. Also, the staff (Yunuen
Gutierrez, Peter Cole and Lisa Klope) at USF were so helpful. I feel that the staff
(teaching and non-teaching staff alike) uphold the values and mission of USF.

I refer to the positive impact that Dr. Popal had on my experience in the TESOL
certificate. Dr. Maniates was equally instrumental to my success and learning at USF.
Both professors are phenomenal. I cannot believe the good fortune I had to be able to
benefit from the instruction, mentorship and support from these professors.

Lastly, I am grateful that Dr. Maniates and Dr. Popal encouraged me to seek learning
outside the university as well as within USF. Both professors encouraged me to attend
conferences. Attending the international TESOL conference and a local CATESOL
conference were instrumental in my learning and research. If the professors had not
encouraged me to attend conferences, it would not have occurred to me to do so.

J. Faculty

The MA TESOL program currently has one full time term faculty member, Dr.
Sedique Popal, who also coordinates the program. There are also three adjunct
professors- Dr. Luz Garcia, Dr. Yi Guan, and Dr. Kenneth Van Bik. Faculty vitae can be
found in Appendix J.1, TESOL Faculty CV.
All faculty members hold doctorate degrees in linguistics and/or education. The
MA TESOL faculty is ethnically, racially, religiously and linguistically diverse and they
represent different communities: Chicana/Latina (Dr. Luz Garcia), Far East Asian and
Muslims (Dr. Popal), and South East Asians (Dr. Guan and Dr. Van Bik). There are two
female and two male faculty.

Teaching
Our MA TESOL professors are excellent teachers and researchers, with
expertise in the courses they teach. They have extensive experience in conducting
research and teaching: the program coordinator has international teacher training
experience. He has traveled to South Korea 13 times in the past seven years and has

41
taught and train teachers in China, Germany, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Three other
professors have both taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and have trained
teachers at local universities in the Bay Area. All of our professors are committed
teachers who love working with our students. In fact, Professor Popal has been
recognized more than once for being an outstanding adjunct instructor (before he
gained full-time status).
USF uses a teaching effectiveness survey called Blue, which is electronically
sent to every student in every semester. The program consistently receives higher
scores than the average of the School of Education. For the purposes of this report, we
are including the most recent Department report from fall 2017 (J.2, BLUE IME
Department Report fall 2017). In terms of teaching assignments, the coordinator
consults with the faculty about their teaching preferences as well as School and
Department needs and discusses their interests in the light of the program’s needs. In
addition, course enrollment is another factor that is taken into consideration.

Courses Taught in SOE by MA TESOL Faculty

• Sedique Popal
o Sociology of Language
o Applied Linguistics
o Language and Culture
o TESOL Theory and Practice
o Structure of American English
o Preparation and Evaluation of TESOL Materials
o Research in First and Second Language Acquisition
o Assessment and Testing of Second Language
o TESOL MA/Thesis Field Project
o Dissertation Proposal Development
o Dissertation Research and Writing

• Kenneth Van Bi

42
 o Sociology of Language
o Applied Linguistics
o Language and Culture
o TESOL Theory and Practice
o Research in First and Second Language Acquisition
o Assessment and Testing of Second Language
o TESOL MA/Thesis Field Project

• Yi Guan
o Research in First and Second Language Acquisition
o TESOL MA/Thesis Field Project
• Luz Garcia
o TESOL MA/Thesis Field Project

Research
The following chart shows areas of research and interest of the MA TESOL
faculty:

Faculty Rank Areas of Research and/or Interest

Sedique Popal Assistant Professor • Applied Linguistics

• Curriculum Development
• Language and Culture
• Sociolinguistics
• Spoken Dari Dialects
• Pidginization
• Language and Social Identity
• Language Maintenance and Language
Loss
• Code-Switching and Code-Mixing

43
Ken Van Bik Adjunct Professor • Continuum of the Richness of Languages
and Dialects in Myanmar
• Language Change
• The Syntax, Morphology, and Culture of
Hakha Lai
• Historical Linguistics
• Sino-Tibetan Languages

Luz Garcia Adjunct Professor

• Mexican American Women:
Testimonios of Academic Success
Beyond the Baccalaureate Degree
• Mexican American Males in Higher
Education: A Qualitative Study
• Student Motivation in High School
• Literacy Practices in an English as a
Second Language Discourse
Community in Sonoma County

44
 K. Governance

The School of Education leadership team is comprised of the Dean and two
associate deans:

Dean of Education: Since 2017, Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad is the Dean of the School of
Education. She has been a faculty member within the School of Education for twelve
years and served in the Associate Dean role for the last three and a half years. As
faculty, she introduced a comparative framework to educational research and
scholarship in the School of Education, she served as the department Chair of the
Department of International and Multicultural Education and co-founded the first
graduate program in Human Rights Education in the United States. As Associate Dean,
she oversaw academic affairs, fiscal operations, admission, external relations, and other
strategic initiatives. Dr. Koirala-Azad also contributed to development initiatives by
securing one of the school's largest gifts for student scholarships. Dr. Koirala-Azad
brings with her a strong record of commitment to the advancement of the School of
Education and a deep understanding of its mission and operations. Dr. Koirala-Azad’s
research explores social and educational inequities through a transnational lens.
Through ethnography and participatory research, her work critically examines the
experiences of South Asian students and families in schools and society, as they
experience shifting identities and navigate through structural inequities in various
geographic, social and political spaces. By examining their realities in both home and
host country contexts, she offers new ideas for transnational social action and highlights
methodologies that directly address concerns with power and representation. As a
mother-scholar, she is also interested in scholarship with an asset-based understanding
of how mothering enriches careers in academia

Associate Dean for Academic & Administrative Affairs and Director of McGrath Institute
for Jesuit Catholic Education: Dr. Mike Duffy is an Associate Dean and Director of the
McGrath Institute for Jesuit Catholic Education. His research areas include; Catholic
social thought, Mission and Identity in Jesuit Higher Education, Catholic Identity, Justice

45
programming in Catholic Schools, Social analysis through international immersion
programs and service learning activities

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and School Partnerships: Dr. Cheryl Jones-Walker
is an Associate Dean and Associate Professor in the Teacher Education Department.
She began her professional career as a fourth grade teacher in the Bronx, NY, and she
continued teaching in a Boston area independent school and then internationally in
Gabon, Central Africa. Prior to doctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate
School of Education, she worked at the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston, a
non-profit organization committed to improving urban K-12 education. Cheryl is on leave
from Swarthmore College where she has an appointment as an associate professor in
the Educational Studies and Black Studies.

TESOL Governance:
The MA TESOL program is part of IME Department whose professors share a
commitment to collective decision-making, and to a consensus process that fosters
inclusion and active engagement of all department members. IME Department utilizes a
horizontal leadership model to ensure that all professors feel included in the decision-
making process and that department responsibilities are shared by all and are not solely
the responsibility of the chair. The IME faculty and staff share a great pride in the
department’s commitment to and success in using consensus building. It has helped to
build a remarkable sense of community and collegiality in the department. We have a
high degree of confidence in our governance structure and processes.
The IME Chair term is two to three years, and rotates among department
members based on how long they have been in the department. Although the chair
sometimes invites members to do particular tasks, and is responsible for keeping an
eye on the equitable distribution of labor, almost all work within the department is
decided collectively, as needs are announced and faculty members volunteer to
address them. (K.1 SOE Organizational Chart).

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 L. Staff

The IME Department has one Program Assistant, Yunuen Gutierrez, who is an
essential member of our community and greatly contributes to the smooth operation and
development of the Department. As a native to the SF Bay Area, Yunuen brings her
knowledge of the local context along with her expertise in the areas of TESOL and
education more broadly to our department. She is a phenomenal support to our faculty
and to our students who rely on her for communications and department updates, as
well as general navigation of IME and SOE. An important part of her responsibility in the
department is to support doctoral students towards graduation. While Yunuen’s primary
appointment serves the IME department, she also fulfills duties for the Institute for
Catholic Education Leadership (ICEL).

M. Facilities, Technology and Resources

The university’s campus support for technology seems to meet the MA TESOL
Program’s teaching needs. All of our TESOL faculty use some form of computer
medium for teaching. Many use Google Slides/PowerPoint to conduct their lectures,
Canvas to post important course content and facilitate online interactions, and integrate
multi-media into their teaching. These technology-assisted pedagogical tools have
enriched the teaching experience for those who use them. Professors who utilize
learning software are adequately supported. We have no current plans for increasing
technology use in the classroom.
Generally speaking, we provide our students with solid training in online
secondary research skills, and adequate training in conducting primary research via
computer technologies. The computer hardware and software, as well as the technical
support, provided by USF adequately support our needs.
Library
The department is for the most part satisfied with Gleeson Library’s services,
especially with the enhancement of access to electronic holdings over recent years.

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 Few faculty members report relying exclusively on the somewhat modest holdings of the
library alone, but instead make much use of interlibrary loan and electronic holdings,
which extend the library’s reach. The electronic journal holdings (that represent our
interdisciplinary fields) are adequate at this point, and we do not expect resource
difficulties as long as they are maintained at their current level.

Facilities
The current instructional and research/creative work facilities are for the most
part adequate for Departmental needs. The full-time TESOL professor has adequate
office space in the School of Education, and the adjunct professors use the conference
rooms to meet students during their office hours.
The last couple of years have seen improvements to the School of Education
building, such as creating a faculty area where we have our mailboxes and seating. In
addition, the school created a “Learning Commons” as a study space for students,
curriculum resource center, and meeting area. The intent behind both of these spaces
was to help build community among faculty, students, and staff. In response to IME
student complaints about insufficient meeting and/or gathering spaces, we have made
several rooms available as “writing rooms” for both Masters and Doctoral students to
use on Teaching Weekend Saturdays.

N. Conclusion and Recommendations

As this self-study indicates, the MA TESOL program has continuously and
consistently maintained its status as one of the largest programs in the School of
Education despite a nation-wide decline in international student population. The
program has initiated and sought other ways to make up for the drop of the international
student population which comprised a sizable portion of MA TESOL students. The self-
study also shows that because of the program reputation as a practical and practitioner-
oriented program, local community colleges, private schools, Fulbright, and schools,
colleges, and universities abroad hire our graduates and request that we refer our

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graduates to them. Evidence of our success also lies in having our former students in
the position of leadership in the community colleges, state universities IEP (Intensive
English Programs), and private schools in the Bay Area and around the country.
Another evidence of success is the scholarship, currency, and leadership of our
graduates in TESOL conferences and conventions statewide and locally. In the TESOL
Chapter Conference on February 3, 2018, six presenters were USF MA TESOL current
and former students.
The program review also shows that the MA TESOL Program often seems
separate from the rest of the IMA department. More discussion needs to take place to
address this issue and/or create a separate department for MA TESOL program.

Plan for the Future:

A. Curriculum:
Even though the MA TESOL courses give students a very solid foundation, in
language acquisition theories, sociocultural issues, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic
language acquisition models, second/foreign language testing and assessment, and
curriculum develop and publishing, the program does not give them practicum
experience. Students who do not have any teaching background prior to entering our
MA TESOL program experience difficulty handling their teaching assignments. Including
a core practicum course will greatly enhance the effectiveness of our program.

B. Faculty:
Because of the retirement and personnel changes, the program has only one full-
time, term faculty. To coordinate the program more efficiently and effectively, there is an
immediate need for a permanent, tenure- track faculty with a doctorate degree in
applied linguistics and hands-on ESL teaching experience, teaching adult learners of
English as second/foreign language. Currently, the only full-time faculty has to teach
three courses, advise about 60 students, chair dissertation committees, attend faculty
meetings, participate in faculty retreats, recruit students from TESOL and CATESOL
conferences, present in all Open Houses, Info sessions, and Q&A sessions, and

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coordinate the Hill Top and branch compasses MA TESOL programs. As result of all
these responsibilities, there is a lack of representation of TESOL faculty in school wide
committees.

C. Recruitment Scholarships:
While the SOE has a limited number of recruitment scholarships, they are
primarily given to IME and HRE students. In the past four years, only two MA TESOL
students were granted scholarships. The program should be given its own allocation of
recruitment scholarships/budget to incentivize new students to choose MA TESOL
program in the school of education.

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