Contact Information
Amy Rinaldo, Assistant Director of ELP, arinaldo@brandeis.edu
Anna Shur-Wilson, Assistant Director for the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Experience at IBS, annashurwilson@brandeis.eduIBS
English Language Programs (ELP) works with Career Services and Student Services at IBS to bring students additional language assistance through a series of workshops, individual tutorials, and language coaching sessions. The focus of ELP’s work is on the linguistic and cultural elements students must understand in order to communicate effectively in a business and academic environment.
While the work of ELP is largely geared toward English language learners, communication styles and organizing one’s ideas are challenges that all students face, so ELP is delighted to be able to offer communications skills workshops to domestic and international students alike.
WORKSHOPS
Recent ELP workshops have focused on formality and business writing, small talk and networking, professional and everyday vocabulary development, and interviewing. The purpose of these workshops is for students to receive resources for advancing their communication skills in various settings, receive immediate feedback, and feel satisfaction that their work is paying off.
The schedule of workshops is TBD. Please refer to the Student Portal for dates, times, locations, and workshop topics. Registration is required so reserve your spot through the Student Portal quickly as space is limited. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Amy Rinaldo.
In response to student requests, a limited amount of Brandeis IBS tutors will now be available to supplement the weekly ELP workshops for those who are in need of additional language support. This is an added resource; therefore those who apply for a tutor must be ready to commit to the following:
- Meeting with their designated tutor for a 50 minute weekly session for the duration of the semester
- Attending at least one ELP workshop a semester; attendance to these workshops is monitored
- Two no-shows to a tutoring session will result in dismissal from tutoring services
To request a tutor, please contact Anna Shur-Wilson or Amy Rinaldo.
Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis; completing an application is not a guarantee you will be placed with a tutor.
LANGUAGE COACHING
IBS students are eligible to sign up for one-on-one language coaching sessions with Amy Rinaldo, Assistant Director of ELP, throughout the semester. Students can choose any aspect of their English to work on during their sessions with Amy. Most students choose to focus on professional or academic writing, interview preparation, or networking skills. You can find Amy’s availability on the Student Portal. Please contact her to arrange an appointment.