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Intercultural Communication Center Overview of ICC Language Program
All ICC classes, whether the focus is on speaking, writing or culture, are designed to help nonnative English speakers improve their command of academic fluency and their understanding of US academic culture.
Overview
Classes
Workshops
Seminars

Warner Hall 308
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890
Office: (412) 268-4979
email: eslhelp@andrew.cmu.edu

  Getting Started at ICC

Students attend a brief Language Support Check-in to get recommendations for appropriate ICC work and to be added to our email list for ICC updates.

Choose from 37+ offerings at ICC: 

Classroom Work:

Individual Work:

Current schedule of all services

3 ways in which students utilize the ICC program

  International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Preparatory Program
Who What
For students preparing for the ITA test, for success as a TA and (possibly) for a future career in academia. Students focus on the skill areas they most need to develop in preparation for the ITA test (as per ICC feedback). Many students, especially those with lower fluency (e.g., 18-23 on iBT Speaking or "Restricted II" or "Not Qualified" on the ITA test), find they need to attend 25-35+ hours of ICC work for several semesters before making significant improvement in their language.

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  ITA Support Program
Who What
Required for ITAs who placed into one of the restricted categories, and are allowed to TA only for prescribed jobs. ITAs with restricted scores are required to participate in the ITA Support Program for a minimum of 15 hours during the semester they TA. This provides a scaffold to help compensate for language gaps while still handling specific, limited TA assignments. ITAs who want to develop the fluency to move to a higher level typically need many more hours of language work (35+) for several semesters (refer to ITA test feedback forms for individual student recommendations).

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  General Support for Academic Communication
Who What
For any nonnative speaker who wants to improve aspects of academic English fluency. Students attend workshops and seminars as needed to develop various aspects of academic fluency (e.g., pronunciation, fluency, grammar usage, presentation skills, academic writing).

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