The McGill Executive Language Program was designed to address the particular needs of CEOs, VPs, senior executives, or any other person holding a top management position. This results-oriented, top-quality language training program will permit you to:
- Improve your ability to interact in English or French in formal and informal social and professional situations
- Better understand English or French, and be better understood
- Use various techniques for efficient oral communication
- Increase your linguistic accuracy
- Develop a better intercultural awareness
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the local and national socio-professional reality
Main Levels of Language Instruction
Each of the three main levels below usually includes three sub levels (ex. Intermediate low, mid, high)
Elementary
The scope of the Elementary levels is to render learners functional in social and professional communication contexts.
Intermediate
The scope of the Intermediate levels is to render learners able to communicate with some degree of confidence and ease in a variety of social and professional situations.
Advanced
The scope of the Advanced levels is to render learners proficient in the use of the language including understanding subtleties, humor and cultural references.
While oral expression and listening comprehension constitute the main pedagogical objectives, reading comprehension and written expression are not excluded. The importance placed on each skill is illustrated in the chart below:
Personal Needs Analysis and Level Placement
Before the course begins, and by means of a telephone interview and a questionnaire, we will conduct a complete analysis of your language and communication needs for both your professional and social purposes. This will also allow us to assess your level of oral expression in the target language and to determine which course would best suit your needs.
Effective Pedagogical Approach
Our pedagogical approach underscores the importance of learner-control, learning in real-life contexts, flexibility in learning, freedom to choose learning resources and openness in discussing issues.
The McGill Executive Language Program uses a Blended Learning Model of instruction. This:
- Is a pedagogical approach that combines the effectiveness of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of external learning environments.
- Allows for improved pedagogy, increased access and flexibility, and increased cost-effectiveness (ex. travel costs/time).
- Comprises a combination of VIP Seminars (mini-group/individual face-to-face instruction) and VIP Inter-sessions (learning through social interactions online, or by other means (ex. telephone exchanges).
VIP Seminar Sessions = In-class learning
- Collaborative, learner-centered activities
- Task-based, problem-based and project-based pedagogy, including case-studies
- Use of multimedia resources for delivery of in-class instruction (ex. audio, video, text)
VIP Inter-sessions = Out-of-class learning
- Self-directed learning (establishing one’s own goals and agenda)
- Guided learning
- Discovery learning
- Combination of synchronous and asynchronous multimedia resources for delivery of out-of-class instruction (ex. cyber meetings)
This model provides a “blended” solution to participants whose time constraints would, otherwise, not permit them to engage in professional development activities.
Measuring Results – Evaluating Output
Results will be measured by means of periodic informal assessments through:
- Spontaneous discourse (especially useful in social situations)
- Making speeches and presentations
- Understanding different pronunciation/accents/discourses
- Breadth and depth of vocabulary, collocations, idioms usage
- Self-confidence and more risk-taking
- Linguistic accuracy
Regular and constructive feedback on performance will help participants keep track of their progress.