griffith bridging english

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Introduction

Griffith Bridging English, developed by Griffith English Language Institute (GELI), is an enabling course for domestic students wishing to meet the Senior English requirements for entry to Griffith University. The course incorporates a high degree of flexibility and responsiveness to cater to students with a wide range of educational backgrounds and experiences. Students engage in guided online learning where they explore key concepts in Senior English and academic skills in preparation for weekly face-to-face tutorials which focus on the critical and creative application of these skills and concepts.

The five dynamic and interactive online modules have been designed to develop and refine language and academic literacy skills to build a foundation for academic success in a university context.

The Challenge

Most bridging courses are run as a series of intensive workshops, often full-time in the weeks before the start of the university semester/trimester. However Griffith University identified a growing need for an accessible course which enabled domestic mature age students who wanted to go to university but had previously failed or missed the opportunity to complete high school to demonstrate that they could meet achievement standards for Senior English (high school English in Queensland).

Given the profile of the cohort, many of whom are working, have family responsibilities or part-time commitments, the Griffith English Language Institute aimed to design a blended learning course with a substantial online component that students could complete prior to attending a tutorial class. 

The development team was seeking a platform that had robust analytics that would enable instructors to analyse student responses before face-to-face tutorials so that they could discuss student answers and expand on and apply the course material.

Solution

In collaboration with the Smart Sparrow Learning Design Studio, the Griffith University team was able to produce five online modules covering approximately 50 hours of learning time within the 110-hour bridging course.

The course is delivered in a blended learning mode and utilises a flipped classroom approach. Students engage with the interactive online modules prior to the weekly tutorial to learn key concepts in a flexible, responsive and self-paced manner. The online learning activities have been designed to scaffold student learning and prepare and motivate them for active and confident engagement in face-to-face class learning. This ensures classroom time is maximised for interactive and collaborative activities that clarify concepts and contextualise knowledge through application, analysis and problem solving.