English Language Programs

ELP at Heller

English Language Programs holds tutorial hours every week throughout Fall and Spring semesters for students at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

ELP tutorials help students develop their skills in all areas of language, including analytical writing and critical reading, as well as pronunciation, listening and speaking. Available to all Heller students, this free ELP service provides a safe space to work with highly trained language specialists. 

Fall 2023 consultations will be offered in person and online, presenting an opportunity to work on Analytical Writing and/or Oral Communication skills from the convenience and safety of your own workspace. To make a 30- or 60-minute appointment, please contact Dr. Scott Moore or Ms. Angela Tribus Ramos.  

Academic Writing Support

Dr. Scott Moore, Associate Director of ELP, leads the writing sessions and helps students with academic papers (including individual course assignments and larger thesis projects), application materials and professional writing. Every session is individually tailored to student goals and needs, and students may choose to focus on any aspect of the writing process.

Dr. Moore helps students to develop critical-reading and note-taking strategies; strengthen argument, analysis and structural logic; learn academic citation practices; and/or advance sentence-level editing and revision techniques. When focusing on the latter, Dr. Moore works with students on grammar, mechanics, word choice and sentence structure, and encourages the development of greater self-editing ability. In a given session, students can expect to improve a particular piece of writing (or prewriting) and to work toward increased future autonomy.

Academic Oral Communications Support

Angela Tribus Ramos, Associate Director of ELP, leads the oral communications sessions and works with students in their areas of expressed need, most commonly pronunciation, presenting in English and interview skills. Subtopics include articulation and clear pronunciation of specific phonemes (sounds); syllable and sentence stress; tense; syntax; question formation; small-talk and networking for field-specific contexts; interacting with professors, peers, and PhD committee members; preparation for participation in class or group discussions; and summarizing key information.

Many students also choose to use oral communications tutorials to prepare for course presentations or professional development opportunities such as competitions and conferences. Support for these tasks includes attention to content, organization, volume, clarity, body language, eye contact, enthusiasm and audience engagement. Ultimately, these sessions are designed to help students become more confident and competent in a variety of speaking contexts, both spontaneous and planned.

We look forward to working with you!