Return to: Departments and Schools

Ohio Program of Intensive English-OPIE
Gordy Hall 155
Phone: 740.593.4575
Fax: 740.593.4577
opie@ohio.edu
http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/opie 

Christopher Thompson, Chair
Gerard Krzic, Director

The Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) at Ohio University has been providing English language training to international students since 1967. OPIE is member of the University Consortium of Intensive English Programs (UCIEP; http://www.uciep.org/), a professional organization that oversees university-based intensive English programs in the United States. The mission of OPIE is to raise the proficiency level and intercultural fluency of non-native speakers of English to meet their linguistic, academic and professional needs at Ohio University. To achieve this goal, OPIE provides high quality language and cultural instruction and assessment staffed by well-trained professionals.

OPIE offers five levels of full-time English study and two levels of part-time English in its Bridge Program which combines English and academic studies. The following information describes each level with a typical TOEFL score and the minimum amount of time a student can expect to study English prior to beginning either part-time or full-time academic studies. Four quarters of study (40 weeks) is equal to one calendar year (i.e., Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters)

I. Full-time English Study Levels.

OPIE Level 35 (Beginning)

Students entering this level typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 349 or below. OPIE Composition: 2-10. Internet-based TOEFL: below 20. International English Language Testing System (IELTS): below 2. OPIE Placement Test: 44 or below.

Students at this level can expect to study 4 to 5 quarters (40 to 50 weeks) of English before beginning at least Part-time academic studies and Part-time English studies in the OPIE Bridge Program.

OPIE Level 35 classes in English as a Second Language are arranged on an individual tutorial or class basis if enrollment permits, as in the case of special or sponsored groups. Students at this level do not take academic courses.  Students receive instruction in beginning listening and speaking skills along with appropriate communicative responses, with out-of-class exposure to native speakers in the form of field trips and daily situational encounters.Appropriate phrases and structures for daily use are introduced along with the basic cultural elements that make beginning communication possible. Students are familiarized with the basics of the English alphabet and handwriting. Beginning level sentence patterns are introduced as well as the rudiments of English punctuation. Basic English literacy skills are introduced with materials appropriate for adult learners. AE 35 level courses are listed as 099 in the on-line catalog. 

OPIE Level 40 (Elementary)

Students entering level 40 typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 350 to 399. OPIE Composition: 10-25. Internet-based TOEFL: 20 to 31. IELTS: 2 to 2.5. OPIE Placement Test: 45 to 50.

Students at this level can expect to study 3 to 4 quarters (30 to 40 weeks) of English before beginning at least Part-time English studies in the OPIE Bridge Program.

OPIE AE 40 level classes are designed for preparing elementary-level students aiming at academic study.  Students at this level do not take academic courses.  Twenty hours of classroom instruction per week are augmented with structured and independent use of listening, reading, and computer labs.  Focus is on American English for effective communication both inside and outside the classroom. While grammatical structures and interactional listening/speaking skills are emphasized, reading and writing are gradually introduced along with study skills. This level is normally followed by Level 45, but may be repeated if necessary. AE 40 level courses are listed as 021, 022, and 023 in the on-line catalog. 

OPIE Level 45 and 47 (Intermediate/High Intermediate)

Students entering Levels 45 and 47 typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 400 to 450. OPIE Composition: 26-35. Internet-based TOEFL: 32 to 45. IELTS: 3 to 3.5. OPIE Placement Test: 51 to 65.

Students at this level can expect to study 2 to 3 quarters (20 to 30 weeks) of English before beginning at least Part-time English studies in the OPIE Bridge Program.

OPIE AE 45 and 47 level classes are divided into Intermediate and High Intermediate sections. Classes are designed for preparing students aiming at academic study.  Students at this level do not take academic courses.  Twenty hours of classroom instruction per week are reinforced with self-access in listening, reading, and computer labs.  Students develop fluency and accuracy in oral skills and pronunciation with focus on transactional activities and extended discourse.  Paragraph level writing competency is developed as students expand grammatical knowledge and explore the process of writing, and write longer pieces of text.  Reading comprehension and vocabulary acquire greater emphasis with more attention to academic vocabulary and text organization.  This level is normally followed by Level 50, but may be repeated if necessary. 

AE 45 and 47 level courses are listed as 026, 027, and 028 in the on-line catalog.

OPIE Level 50 and 50p (Advanced/Pre Academic)

Students entering this level typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 450 to 500. OPIE Composition: 36-44. Internet-based TOEFL: 46 to 61. IELTS: 4 to 5. OPIE Placement Test: 65 to 70.

Students can expect to study 1 to 2 quarters (10 to 20 weeks) of English before beginning at least Part-time academic studies and Part-time English studies in the OPIE Bridge Program.

OPIE Level 50 is divided into sections: Advanced (AE 50a) and Pre-Academic (AE 50p). Students at this level do not take academic courses unless given special permission. Twenty hours of classroom instruction per week reinforced with self-access in listening, reading, and computer labs.  Students incorporate understanding of grammatical structures, appropriate vocabulary, and organization into formally developed essays.  More emphasis is placed on rhetorical modes and developing editing skills.  Reading comprehension and lexical skill development is emphasized along with the improvement of reading rate.  Students learn to synthesize the various skills and strategies to which they have been exposed.  Listening and speaking skill activities rely more heavily on actual academic task simulation and university level expectations.  AE 50a and 50p level courses are listed as 031, 032, 033, and 034 in the on-line catalog. Special elective courses (e.g., American Culture, Stories in the News) at the AE 50 level are listed as 041, 042, 043, 044, 046, 047, 052, 053, 054, 057, 058, 062, and 066 in the on-line course catalog and are offered as needed.

II. Bridge Program (Part-time English and Part-Time Academic Study Levels).

AE 55 Level

Students entering this level typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 500 to 525. OPIE Composition: 45-50. Internet-based TOEFL: 62 to 70. IELTS: 5.5 to 6. OPIE Placement Test: Not Applicable.

Students can expect to study 1 to 2 quarters (10 to 20 weeks) of English before beginning Full-time academic studies.

OPIE Level 55 offers part-time support courses in English as a Second Language for students permitted to take one academic course.  Three hours of classroom instruction are provided four days per week (normally a single eight-hour course plus a single four-hour course in the student’s least developed skill area). Instruction is supplemented with self-access in listening, reading, and computer labs.  Students improve language skills as well as academic performance skills and study skills.  Language focus is on reading and writing with additional work in academically-related listening and speaking. 

This level is normally followed by Level 60, but may be repeated if necessary.  AE 55 level courses are listed as 051, 056, and 061 in the on-line catalog. Special elective courses (e.g., Grammar, Composition) at the AE 55 level are listed as 034, 064, and 065 in the on-line course catalog and are offered as needed.

AE 60 Level

Students entering this level typically have the following language test scores. Paper TOEFL: 525 to 549. OPIE Composition: 51-55 (low language demand majors such as math and science) and 51-59 (high language demand majors such as business, journalism and international studies). Internet-based TOEFL: 71 to 78. IELTS: 5.5 to 6. OPIE Placement Test: Not Applicable.

Students at this level can expect to study 1 to 2 quarters (10 to 20 weeks) of English before beginning Full-time academic studies.

OPIE Level 60 offers part-time support courses in English as a Second Language for students permitted to take two academic courses.  Two hours of classroom instruction are provided four days per week (normally a single eight-hour course). Instruction is supplemented with self-access in listening, reading, and computer labs.  Students improve language skills as well as academic performance skills and study skills. 

AE 60 level courses are normally followed by full-time academic studies but course may be repeated if necessary, or students may be required to take a single four-hour composition class if composition test scores fall below 50.

AE 60 level courses are listed as 051, 056, and 061 in the on-line catalog. Special elective courses (e.g., Grammar, Composition) at the AE 60 level are listed as 034, 064 and 065 in the on-line course catalog and are offered as needed. 

III. Chart of OPIE Levels and Length of Time for Studying English

The following chart summarizes the information above, including each level with the typical entry-level TOEFL score and the minimum amount of time a student can expect to study English prior to beginning either part-time or full-time academic studies. Four quarters of study (40 weeks) is equal to one calendar year (i.e., Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). 

Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) Levels & Duration of English Study Guidelines 

* Business College requires 580 TOEFL or 92 IBT.
TOEFL = Test of English as Foreign Language
IBT = Internet Based TOEFL
CBT = Computer-based TOEFL
IELTS = International English Language Testing Services
TWE = Test of Written English

IV. Program for Conditional Admission (PCA)

Ohio University offers the Program for Conditional Admission (PCA) for international students who have not achieved the required English language proficiency scores prior to arriving at the university. PCA students will be administered the TOEFL test upon arrival and if they do not achieve a TOEFL of 550 with sub-scores of at least 52 (including composition), they will be required to take English classes in OPIE.  Students receiving conditional admission can begin their academic studies after they have successfully completed required OPIE English courses. Successful completion can be attained in two ways: a) successful completion of required OPIE classes; b) attaining a score of 52 on all sections of the TOEFL and a score of 52 on the OPIE composition test after having attended OPIE classes.

V. Features of the OPIE

A. Program of Study

OPIE classes are small and instructors pay special attention to student needs. Participation and the practical use of spoken and written English are emphasized.

B. Conversation Partners Program

Non-OPIE students attending Ohio University are invited to become conversation partners for all full-time international students. Students spend at least one hour each week speaking English with their conversation partners.

C. Self-Access Day

On Wednesdays, OPIE students attend a variety of activities such as Wednesday Discussion to learn about the culture of America and the expectations of studying at Ohio University. In addition, students can work individually in the Language Resource Center (LRC), reading and listening laboratories or meet with instructors to work on individual needs. 

D. Language Laboratories

Four types of language laboratories are used by OPIE students. These include:

• Reading Laboratory. Students learn to increase vocabulary, reading comprehension and reading speed.

• Listening Laboratory. Students learn to improve pronunciation and listening comprehension.

• Pronunciation Tutoring. Students work one-on-one with a tutor to improve pronunciation and listening comprehension.

• Composition Tutoring. Students at the AE 50 level work one-on-one with a tutor to improve grammar and writing skills.

E. Elective Courses

In addition to English courses, OPIE offers special elective courses for advanced and bridge program students to study topics of personal interest. Sample topics include: Intercultural Communication, American Culture, Americans at Work.

F. OPIE Faculty

All OPIE instructors are professionally trained and experienced in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). All members of the faculty hold either a Ph.D. or an M.A. degree in either Education, Linguistics, or TESL. Teaching Associates (TAs) in the program are graduate students in the Department of Linguistics with prior teaching experience in teaching English to non-native speakers. These students are closely supervised by senior OPIE faculty.

VI. OPIE Policies

A. Credit/No Credit; Academic Probation 

OPIE expects all students to be active, prepared participants in classes.As it is important for non-native speakers of English to improve their English as quickly as possible in order to begin their academic studies, OPIE has the following regulations.

1. Credit/Non-credit Policy (Homework and Attendance Requirements): All OPIE students should complete 90% of homework assignments and attend 90% of all their classes for the current quarter of attendance. OPIE calculates the cumulative number of absences and homework assignments at the end of each quarter for each student. 
2. Any student failing to achieve 90% in one or both of these areas will receive a grade of No-Credit (NC) and be placed on Academic Probation at the end of the quarter. 
3. Students who are on Academic Probation should not make travel plans to leave the United States at the end of each following quarter until they know that they will not be receiving No Credit for a second time.
4. Any student who receives No-Credit for any two quarters (either consecutive or non-consecutive) will be dismissed from OPIE and Ohio University. 
5. International students who are dismissed or anticipate being dismissed should meet with an advisor at the Office of International Student and Faculty Services to discuss their immigration status.
6. Dismissed students can either: a) transfer to another academic institution or b) return to their home country.
7. Dismissed students who have transferred to another academic institution and desire to re-apply to Ohio University and OPIE should have completed at least 30 quarter hours of classes and achieved at least a 2.75 grade point average at the other academic institution to be eligible for re-admission. 

B. Academic Course Pre-registration for AE 50 Level and Above

All students who have achieved English proficiency at the AE 50 level or above can pre-register for either part-time or full-time academic studies for the following quarter based on their current level in OPIE. These students will be given an academic course form during the fifth week of each quarter to list their academic courses for the following quarter. On this form, students will prioritize each academic course according to a numerical ranking (1= most important class; 4= least important class). Students must submit the completed academic course form to OPIE by Friday of week 10 of the quarter.

If, based on end-of-quarter test scores and class performance, students must remain in full-time or part-time OPIE for further English study for the following quarter, they may need to adjust their academic course registration so they will not be registered for too many academic credit hours. Guideline are below:

• AE-60 level students, who take 8 hours of OPIE classes per week, are permitted to have a maximum of 10 academic credit hours, or two academic classes.
• AE-55 level students, who take 12 hours of OPIE classes per week, are permitted to have a maximum of 5 academic credit hours, or one academic class.
• AE-50 level students, who take 20 hours of OPIE classes per week, are not permitted to take any academic classes without special permission.

Please note that OPIE will not register students for their academic courses. Students are responsible for registering for academic courses on their own with the assistance of their academic advisor.

Students are responsible for adjusting their academic course registration if they have registered for too many academic courses, and thereby preventing registration for necessary OPIE classes.   This adjustment must be made by the day prior to the last day to add a class for the quarter without instructor’s approval (usually the start of the second week of each quarter). In the event that a student does not adjust his or her registration appropriately by this deadline, OPIE will adjust the schedule as necessary, starting with dropping any classes that conflict with the time of required OPIE courses. After this adjustment, if a student is still enrolled in too many academic classes, OPIE will drop the class (or classes) the student has indicated as least important on the academic form. Therefore it is essential that students indicate the importance of each class so that OPIE knows which class or classes to drop when needed.

The Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) at Ohio University has been giving English language training to international students from all over the world since 1967. For additional information on the Ohio Program of Intensive English, visit the Web site http://www.ohiou.edu/opie/, call 740.593.4575, or e-mail opie@ohio.edu.

Return to: Departments and Schools