Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

1. Intruduction

A syllabus, as stated by R. Carter and D. Nunan, is a plan designed to guide the teaching and
learning processes in a given schedule (Nunan, 2001). To this end, a syllabus must be
elaborated with efficiency, accuracy and proper planning if it is to be successful in its
endeavor. In the following essay, the syllabus of the English Immersion Program (EIP) in the
Dominican Republic (Programm, 2018) will be described and evaluated in all its dimensions
as a means to detail just how well constructed it is. Moreover, this paper will support its
findings with the written literature about the characteristics a syllabus should have.

As one of the countries English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs, the EIP has been
running in the country for over a decade, oriented for university students younger than thirty-
five years of age. The EIP has been implemented all over the Dominican Republic, and many
citizens are now bilingual because of this ten-month program. The course is divided by
levels, for a total of six levels: two basic, three intermediate and one advanced level.
Although students should commit to four hours a day, five days a week, they are also asked
to spend time in contact with the language after they finish the class, this is due to the
English immersion characteristic of the program.

The graduation rate of the program has been exponentially growing ever since it began its
operations in 2005, partly due to the demand in English fluency in the workforce of the
country. In November 2017, the national newspaper Diario Libre announced the graduation
of more than 15,000 thousand students from ninety-two centers spread out in the Dominican
territory (Libre, 2018). It is indeed undeniable that the EIP is yielding results and that the
country is flourishing thanks to it. The question that pops up though is just how this could
improve even further. To accurately answer this inquiry, the essence of the program must be
analyzed and worked on by looking at its syllabus with a critical view, this essence being its
syllabus. As said by the French author behind the acclaimed children’s book, The Little
Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” The syllabus is the
perfect plan to aid the programs in their vigorous work to achieve their stated goals.

According to James Dean Brown, analysis of the needs, goals and objectives, testing,
materials, teaching and the overall evaluation of the syllabus are the essential components
required for a proper approach to a program (Brown, 1995). These consist of data collection,
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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

needs analysis, goal orientation, testing events, tool, and material design, teacher evaluation,
and orientation, and the program criteria or checklist. If the syllabus contains and completes
the specifications for each of these subcategories, it will serve as a great asset for all those
involved in the process. This project intends to identify and analyze the elements Brown and
other authors strongly suggest as vital for any syllabus to achieve the purpose of guiding the
overall mission of their given course.

1. Literature review

1.1 Describing a Curriculum and a Syllabus

We cannot talk about the syllabus without first addressing the curriculum, as a syllabus design is
a critical component in the curriculum development, yet is not truly identical to it (Richards,
2001). In essence, curriculum development is the power core of everything related to education
courses and programs. Its mission is to address all the current needs students have, which it
accomplishes through its procedural planning. During the curriculum development, specific
objectives are made to answer the demands, courses are created to work and solve learning
difficulties, activities and materials are harnessed to ease the process, and an evaluation tool is
applied to verify the functionality of it all. These diverse components of the curriculum are
further detailed as follows.

1.2 Needs analysis

When devising the curriculum, the first task to partake in is the analysis and contextualization of
the needs presented by the educational community. To be able to create plans and design ways to
answer these needs, their deconstruction and comprehension is a must. The needs analysis takes
these aspects into consideration, organizing, defining and viewing the need at an objective and
subjective level. The context, the desires, the difficulties and the characteristics of the students
are all decisive factors when establishing the needs (Murray, 2014).

1.3 Goals and objectives

At a basic level, the goal and the objective are distinctly different in how far they reach, the goal
being a reasonably broad aim while the objective focuses on a singular accomplishment. When
developing such said goals and objectives in the curriculum though, these differences must be

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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

precise and structured. As stated by Dr. Radhika Kapur, this process of development is
multifaceted and methodical since it must adhere itself to all different aspects of formulation, yet
still maintain its identity (Kapur, 2018). What this means is that it must be evident how the
objectives are the specifications of the goals and how they intertwine to be able to answer all the
inquiries presented by the needs. Kapur knows that within these clarifications lie the proper
execution of the activities.

1.4 Testing

A fundamental structure and tool during the curriculum design is the testing process, in which
students and teachers alike are analyzed and tested in hopes of viewing their growth and general
comprehension of the activities and their set purposes. As stated by Shafaat Hussain and others,
the relevance of testing is indisputable, as it helps the overall institution directors, teachers and
students to frame their advancement and proficiency (Hussain, 2015). Making decisions that ease
the flow of the learning process is part of the testing aims. Whether it is to diagnose or find out
the level of achievement accomplished by a student, or even a placement decision, it is always an
effective procedure if done correctly.

1.5 Materials

Materials are all the elements used during the teaching-learning process. For a long time, books
were the most preponderant element of materials, since they were a source of content and also
served as a syllabus. Today there is a significant shift in the importance books once had, due
much to how accessible materials are online and how tools and programs have made the
conglomeration and organization of these materials a task anyone can do. In reality, as long as
the materials and activities connect with the goals and objectives described in the curriculum, it
will be valid in the growth of the learners (Murray, 2014). The materials must serve an auxiliary
purpose, not a leading one since the leading role is the goals and objectives job.

1.6 Teaching

Teachers are essential for the designing process of the curriculum. They are the data collectors,
the ones that validate, analyze and transmit the information and questions presented by the needs

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of the learning community to the designers of the curriculum. The teacher not only has the
responsibility of communicating all these aspects of the needs to the designers but also has to
make sure that the implementation of the program works. Richards states it perfectly by saying:
“Many things can be done to create a context for good teaching, but it is teachers themselves
who ultimately determine the success of a program (Richards, 2001, p. 209). The teacher’s role
may be a heavy one, but it is one only they can complete as they oversee and are part of the
entire processes work and transform.

1.7 Program evaluation

The program evaluation takes place after looking at all the previous elements into consideration.
Through this stage, the curriculum is taken apart and analyzed even further in order to see where
it rises and falls. The program evaluations main task is to see where the curriculum was able to
answer the needs and where it was not able to do so. The evaluation is the deus ex machina, the
scope that will give a spotlight to all the problems witnessed so that a solution can be worked
upon and improved.

Before the evaluation can even begin, it is clear its solutions will be temporary as newer
problems always arise. The evaluation process is neverending unless the program unless it
cancels for any tertiary reasons (Brown, 1995). Its real merit comes in the growth and
improvement of the program, not in its perfection. Now, through the program evaluation,
specific tasks are developed. These tasks focus on the comparison between the starting situation
and the results. Questions about the realization of the objectives, the development of the teachers
and students, the connection with the context, are all to be answered during this process.

1.8 Syllabus concept

Many researchers have studied the institutionality of education at the program level and more of
us, as teachers, have taught a subject adhering our practice to a syllabus created without
collaborating to its design (Abhakorn, 2017). Furthermore, a vast majority of teachers have never
heard of a syllabus and what it represents for a course. This situation brings the questions, what
is a syllabus and what is its purpose? These programs are thought to serve as a guide for the
institution, the teachers and the students. Nunan sees a syllabus as a selection of “grading and

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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

content” (Nunan, 2001). Considering this statement radical or absolute can raise doubts, but
looking at it closely, it makes sense.

With this concept clearer, defining the syllabus and its functions turns out to be a straightforward
task. A syllabus, in short, is the schematic or plan produced by the teacher in which the content is
defined, the methodology is decided upon, and the results are evaluated for future reference
(Breen, 2010). Think of the relationship between the two educational elements, like a car of
sorts. A vehicle, or curriculum, is filled with components that all work in harmony to get the
person from point A to point B, whereas the syllabus focuses on the direction of the wheels and
their material. The car can only work and travel through any roads if the wheels are set the
proper way, and made of the correct content. In short, both components depend on one another.

1.9 EFL Syllabus concept

An EFL syllabus is a plan structured to answer a specific language learning process.

Expectations for an EFL program or course are those of proficiency in one or all of the four main
competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing. EFL syllabi define all these skills as
communicative competencies. As long as the syllabus can accomplish dominance in one of these
four skills, it is a valid program from a communicative standpoint. A study held at the University
of Missouri, (Tarvin, 2014) addresses communicative competence as the ability one has to
communicate in a “culturally-appropriate manner” In consequence when designing a syllabus is
primordial to keep in mind what is the skill acquisition and expectation.

1.10 Parts and purpose of a Syllabus

The syllabus is a mini-curriculum, the reason being that they both require the same elements:
needs analysis, objectives, testing, materials, teaching, and evaluation. However, a syllabus
contains elements that address a more specific objective and centers further on the teacher’s
action and the student’s outcome. A syllabus changes with ease as long as the objectives meet
the requirements satisfyingly. An article posted on the Washington University Website suggest
three main questions that base the creation of a syllabus. Who are the students? What is the
learning expectation? How will the student's abilities be measured? (Washington, 2018)

The answers to these questions will offer a precise knowledge framework, a correct sense of the
teaching continuity, a basis for evaluating the appropriateness of the course, content, and
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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

materials (Breen, 2010). Breen also provides with a set of four more detailed principals that can
guide the designer of a syllabus to success. The synthesis of these principles (knowledge and
capabilities expected from the learner, appropriateness of the content, subdivision of the content,
and the sequence of the content), will provide with two primary objectives of a syllabus,
teacher’s teaching purpose and learning outcome of the students.

The teaching purpose understands the methodology teachers use to connect students with the
content; the learning outcome refers to the students learning achievements at the end of the
course. Institutions provide the teachers with the syllabuses, for instance, an institutional syllabus
expects the teachers to comply with the objectives observed in the document, but as referred by
Hadley in his investigation, a teacher’s expertise gives him/her the privilege to adjust the
methodology and purpose of the syllabus to what’s best for the learners (Hadley, 2018).

1.11 The EIP syllabus structure

The syllabus studied in this paper is one provided by the English Immersion Program in the
Dominican Republic, as mentioned in the introduction. Designed for the 160 hours, Intermediate
level, this syllabus structure is as follows:

The title, table with details of the course, time, beginning and ending date, course description,
course goals, student learning outcome, grading plan, grading areas are all included in this
syllabus. Other sections found in the document are the rules of conduct, program resources,
recommendations to maximize obtaining the objectives of the level, a procedure for student’s
complaints, and finally, a suggestion for the teacher's evaluation and inquiries about the program.

In more detail, these are some of the elements that each section provides.

a) The title includes the year and the level of the course.

b) The table mentions the level of the course, the course length, and the beginning and
ending dates.

c) The course description details the student’s participation in the class and what they
will achieve in it.

d) The goals indicate the expectations in regards to the students’ skills acquisitions.

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e) The students’learning outcome details the four communication competencies,

listening, speaking, reading and writing.

f) The grading plan provides the division of the total grade (100%) in sections of 10%
for participation in class, 20% for speaking evaluation, another 20% for homework
assignments, 25% for the completion of 80 hours of the program, and 25% for a full
exam that includes remaining units and a written test.

g) The grading areas detail how the previous grading percentages concerning the
participation, oral exam, homework and quizzes, and the mid-term and final exam.

h) The program rules of conduct offer a set of rules to be followed by the students to
keep the scholarship and finish the program.

i) Program resources describe the academic calendar; the lesson plans requirements, the
textbooks used during the level and the use of the computer lab.

j) A recommendation to the students includes complying with the academic guidelines,

the use of audiovisuals, reminder of active participation in class and the practice with
peers who speak the language. Finally, an attending reminder is part of this
recommendation.

k) Procedure for student’s complaints indicates the pyramidal process to complain if that
is the case: student needs to fill out a form, go to the website, talk to a supervisor and
lastly call a hotline.

l) The last section of this syllabus offers the teachers the possibility to give suggestions,
evaluation or address questions

Each one of these points is highly important and is of use when implementing the program in the
classroom. Nevertheless, some errors have occurred during the design of this syllabus. The most
significant mistake is that the needs analysis is not visibly present. This analysis must be explicit
in the syllabus, but in this particular program, it feels like guesswork. Only be being thoroughly
familiar with the source material, and the objectives, does one have an idea of what the needs
analysis intended to be.

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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

Moreover, the description centers itself on objectives rather than being a description of the
program, and this is the case of some of the statements presented in it. For example, “Students
will increase their vocabulary range beyond the most frequently used words… alternatively,
Students will use critical thinking skills (MESCYT, 2015)”. Instead, statements should address
the overall structure of the course and the methodology used.

Another point to consider in this syllabus are the goals described within it. In this section, and to
our understanding, the syllabus perfectly coincides with (Brown, 1995), as the goals are
relatively general and show a desire for the skills to be part of the achievements of the students at
the end of the program. Their structure and aim are visually connected with the activities in the
program but do not overstep into the specific territory reserved for the objectives.

The next section – student learning outcomes – represents the objectives. Brown defines them as
“particular knowledge, behaviors, and/or skills that the students will be expected to know or
perform at the end of a course or program (Brown, 1995, p. 73).” Some of the statements
continue to be general and unspecific as if they were goals. During their construction, targets and
outcomes must be devised with more scrutiny and decisiveness.

The program bases its methodology on the Communicative Approach as stated in one of their
documents on the web (MESCYT M. d., 2018). It is a very convenient mixture of methodologies
though since students are also forced to work under the English-Only-Policy (EOP), which is one
of the Direct Methods principals (Anderson, 2011). If they do not comply with the EOP, students
are threatened with expulsion from the program. Students are also involved in task-based
activities, and of course, with the Communicative Approach. The mixture of approaches
contradicts how students’ evaluation procedure takes place during the learning process because
the emphasis given to the tests neglects the importance that the Communicative Approach, the
Direct Method and the Task-based Approach (Anderson, 2011) give to the language in use.

Furthermore, teachers are well known to be the consumers of both curriculum and syllabus, and
even thou they participate in these documents’ designs they are not the leading voice of the
process. Most of the time they end up implementing the creation of the institutions and
government agencies and others (Nunan, 2001). Educational institutions create the primary
producers of syllabuses, but there are opportunities where teachers are the creators of the
programs they implement.
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Describing and Evaluating the English Immersion Program Syllabus in the Dominican Republic

2. Recommendation for improvement

Overall, the syllabus answers its demand regarding what it needs to address and how it addresses
it. The structure is procedural, and the different components are visible and easy to differentiate
between one another, even if the macrostructure was not in the document to visibly tell us where
one section ends and the other begins. The only time the syllabus fails to denote where a section
should be is with the needs analysis. In short, the most significant problems this syllabus in
particular has is its lackluster ability to describe what it wants to accomplish. There are hints as
to what orientation the syllabus had during its creation, but most of the goals and objectives are
either redundant or too open.

In future instances, the creator should keep in mind to adhere to the concepts and their true
meanings so as not to lose they critical ideas in which the syllabus bases itself. The syllabus
depends on connecting with a specific purpose and branching it out as clearly and as level as
possible. Even though the teachers are usually capable of creating a syllabus, new teachers need
detailed guidance, and this program is one known for accepting inexperienced language
instructors that cannot produce, critique and analyze syllabi patted down yet. The educators
would need a specific and nutritious syllabus that guides them in their task of aiding the students
in reaching their desired outcomes.

Another aspect to keep in mind is to be careful when adding components to the syllabus. The
requirements for any section to be part of the program is that they have an evident influence on
the achievement of the goals and the way the participants achieve these goals. The sections such
as the student complaints or rules of conduct may seem to have an impact on the learning
procedures but do not play a significant role in them in the long run. During the whole creation
process, it is adamantly suggested to keep in mind that the main focus of the syllabus is to
organize and leave room for improvement, to act as a checklist for the teachers and students.
Anything that negates this effect or takes attention away from should not take part in the creation
of the syllabus.

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3. Conclusion

Throughout this analytical process, the curriculum and syllabus have been deconstructed and
studied thoroughly to comprehend their tasks, essence and individual parts fully. Thanks to this
process, the critique and examination of the plan in question have been a straightforward and
direct process. As a teacher that has gotten the experience of teaching in this specific program,
viewing the syllabus from this standpoint has given light to the reason as to why many activities
did not reach the intended outcome.

To begin with, students and teachers alike may work in unison towards their goals, but the
syllabus is the coordinating tool that guides them through their work. The curriculum was
distinctly invisible to the teachers during the previous teaching experience. Without this tool, the
work realized attains a certain degree of completion, but it becomes a distorted means to an end.
It is imperative that the syllabus be present since the very beginning.

The syllabus for the English Immersion Program does have positive features in its divisions and
descriptions. The four communicative abilities, the evaluation processes, the goals, and
objectives are all written transparently, but they could have a more pronounced classification.
Some aspects should not be in the syllabus at all, such as the rules of conduct or the procedure
for student complaints since they do not add anything towards the scheduling or evaluative
aspects of the syllabus.

All in all, the syllabus analyzed provides a great deal of detail and order when constructing its
aspects, grading scales and direction. There are various levels in which it could improve and
grow, as all programs can. There is no definitive end to the correction process, and new
objectives and goals are bound to make their way into the program in the future, all in response
to the needs of the students and the observations of the teachers. If anything must stay in our
minds from this analysis is that the true necessities demand the most attention and that any other
desire or wants from the students or faculty will receive their answer or resolution at the most
opportune moment.

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