Century College - a gem we should pay attention to

Star Tribune Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:11:34 GMT
Century College pioneers high-tech lab that helps immigrants learn English

The lab is the White Bear Lake school's latest effort to help its booming population of immigrant students learn language skills they will need for academics and work. ... About 2,800 of Century's 12,000 students now are either immigrants, children of immigrants or members of minority groups; that number has doubled over the past five years. Other suburban colleges are seeing a similar trend and are eyeing technology to help students nail down English or tone down foreign accents so they can succeed in school and the job market. "You can go to different suburban colleges that were very homogenous a half-dozen years ago and there's a palpable change in the student makeup," said John O'Brien, chairman of the academic affairs officers for the Metro Alliance, a consortium of Twin Cities community and technical colleges that are part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). "It's an exciting change. But a lot of folks are coming here without strong language skills." That's where technology comes into play. There are more than 80 English-as-a-second-language programs within 20 miles of Minneapolis and of St. Paul, according to state figures. While many use tape recorders and even computers to help students learn to speak and read English, only Century College, the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Community and Technical College have digital language labs that take learning a step further for students and teachers. Gone are the days of students dictating sentences into reel-to-reel tape recorders and the teacher having to lug home dozens of tapes, said Kathy Matel, Century's student success coordinator, who spent several years getting the lab off the ground.

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