Learn English for Academic Purposes (LEAP)

Three students in conversation

Learn English for Academic Purposes (LEAP) is designed to help international students at the University of Salford with their academic English skills.

 

Learn English for Academic Purposes

What is Learn English for Academic Purposes?

Learn English for Academic Purposes (LEAP) is a programme which is designed to help international students at the University of Salford with their academic English skills.

LEAP offers: 

  • free online English Language workshops
  • free online skills workshops
  • 1-2-1 tutorials
  • help and support.

About LEAP

LEAP gives you the opportunity to develop your academic English language skills, so that your academic work is of a higher quality. Our online workshops are student-centred and interactive, allowing you to practice your skills.

Depending on the online workshop you choose, you will develop academic fluency for:

  • speaking
  • listening
  • reading
  • and writing.

You will do this through a combination of tutor input, discussions, and practical activities with students from a range of disciplines across the University.

Our online workshops, which are usually 30-40 minutes in length, take place via Microsoft Teams. At the end of your workshop, you will have the opportunity to ask your teacher workshop-specific questions, and for extra practice materials. If you are based on campus, you can also benefit from dedicated learning space in the Language Resource Centre, on the 9th floor of the Maxwell Building.

There are no formal assessments on our LEAP course, but there are a lot of informal activities which take place in each session so that you can monitor your progress and receive feedback from your LEAP tutor.

LEAP is delivered by passionate, highly qualified, and experienced English language lecturers who make sure that every session is enjoyable and valuable. Our sessions are also accredited by the British Council to provide you with the assurance that you are receiving the highest level of teaching and support.

Our online workshops run at various times throughout the week in trimesters one, two, and three, and are open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The workshops focus on challenges that are commonly encountered by international students adapting to the requirements of academic study in the UK.

Benefits of LEAP

English language competency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking enhances the quality of your academic work, which is crucial for success during your study at the University of Salford.

Highly competent English Language communicators are more highly valued by employers in whichever country you plan to work in when you graduate.

LEAP helps you interact with people from different backgrounds and enables you to make new friends. This will have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing.

Our LEAP sessions are designed to be interactive and help you practice your academic skills, so that you can communicate more effectively with your peers, tutors, and wider academic communities.

Discover more about our LEAP programme
The Learning process

How will I Learn?

Depending on which online workshop you choose, you will cover a range of topics.
Our current online workshops are listed below and are bookable through Advantage by clicking on the workshop title. If a session has no remaining spaces, you can email LEAP@salford.ac.uk to register your interest.
The only thing we ask is that you attend all online workshops that you have booked onto (unless you have a valid reason for absence, such as illness).

Should you know beforehand that you will be absent, please cancel your tutorial slot on Advantage, so that another student can make use of it.
LEAP workshops are added on a regular basis, so keep checking back to see what’s new!

What topics do we cover?

Academic Listening

  • Note-taking Systems
  • Note-taking Skills

Academic Reading

  • Reading Skills
  • Understanding Writer Stance
  • Reading Critically

Academic Writing

  • Hedging and Cautious Language
  • Linking Ideas
  • Paraphrasing
  • Citations
  • Referencing
  • Signposting Ideas
  • Planning and Organising Written Work
  • Synthesising Ideas
  • Thesis Statements

Academic Speaking

  • Presentation Essentials
  • Effectively Using your Voice
  • Engaging your Audience

Study Skills

  • Academic Word Lists
  • Useful Websites for Academic English
  • Understanding and using Teacher Feedback
  • Understanding and using Assessment Documents
  • Learning Independently: Vocabulary
  • Learning Independently: Grammar
  • Writing Effective Emails

Dissertations (Structure and Language)

  • An Overview
  • Introduction Section

Literature Review Section

  • Methodology Section
  • Findings Section
  • Discussion Section
  • Conclusion Section

Dissertations (Presentations)

  • Introduction Section
  • Referring to Literature
  • Methods and Procedures
  • Results and Discussion
  • Handling the Conclusion Q&A
  • Understanding and preparing for the Oral Defence
  • Networking at Conferences

1-2-1 LEAP tutorials

If you have questions about your own work or you would like help about a particular problem, our 1-2-1 tutorial slots are bookable through Advantage. Tutorial slots are added on a weekly basis, so please check back here if the sessions are fully booked up.

Our 1-2-1 LEAP Tutorials can be used to improve your English Language skills, to practise your speaking and presentation skills, to discuss feedback on your essays, and to plan and structure your assignments. Please upload any attachments of the work you would like to discuss beforehand. 

Instructions for Online Appointments:

  • You should aim to log in to the tutorial 5 minutes before the scheduled start time.
  • Please log in from a quiet location and use headphones to reduce background noise. 
  • Your tutor will call you via Microsoft Teams, at your scheduled tutorial time.

Instructions for Face-to-face Appointments:

  • Please arrive to your location 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.

The only thing we ask is that you attend your 1-2-1 tutorial once you have booked onto it (unless you have a valid reason for absence, such as illness). Should you know beforehand that you will be absent, please cancel your tutorial slot on Advantage, so that another student can make use of it, and email leap@salford.ac.uk, so that we can inform your tutor to rearrange your 1-2-1.

Courses we offer

Bespoke LEAP Courses

The LEAP team may be able to offer bespoke courses to Programme Leaders who request them for their students, as part of their academic programme.

Please contact LEAP@salford.ac.uk for more information.


LEAP Practical Academic Writing Course

(LEAP) is offering a new five-week course on practical Academic Writing skills for all students whose native language is not English.

If this is something you are interested in, please book your place using the links below. Please only book onto one slot.

Places are limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to cancel your place, please email LEAP@salford.ac.uk.

LEAP online workshops

  • LEAP Webinar Programme
    • Academic Reading: 1.0. Reading Strategies. [Online]

      Starts: 9 Oct 2024, 3:30 pm
      Finishes: 9 Oct 2024, 4:00 pm
      Remaining places: 13
      This 40-minute online LEAP session will help international students improve their academic reading, focusing on selecting and applying different reading strategies depending on the task.
    • Academic Listening & Note-taking. (Online)

      Starts: 9 Oct 2024, 4:15 pm
      Finishes: 9 Oct 2024, 4:45 pm
      Remaining places: 11
      This 30-minute online LEAP session will discuss a range of note-taking tips and techniques to help international students improve their academic listening skills.
    • Academic Writing: 9.0. Thesis Statements. [Online]

      Starts: 10 Oct 2024, 12:15 pm
      Finishes: 10 Oct 2024, 12:45 pm
      Remaining places: 16
      This 30-minute online LEAP session will help international students improve their academic writing, through having a better understanding of thesis statements.
    • Academic Communication - Writing Effective Emails (Online).

      Starts: 11 Oct 2024, 12:15 pm
      Finishes: 11 Oct 2024, 12:45 pm
      Remaining places: 18
      This 30-minute online LEAP session will help international students improve their written communication skills, focusing on the features of effective emails at university.
    • Reading Critically. (Online)

      Starts: 11 Oct 2024, 1:15 pm
      Finishes: 11 Oct 2024, 1:45 pm
      Remaining places: 7
      This 40-minute online LEAP session will help international students improve their academic reading, focusing on developing a critical approach to reading by questioning and evaluating the ideas contained in a source.
    • Academic Reading: 2.0. Understanding writer stance. [Online]

      Starts: 15 Oct 2024, 1:15 pm
      Finishes: 15 Oct 2024, 1:45 pm
      Remaining places: 17
      This 30-minute online LEAP session will help international students improve their academic reading, focusing on differentiating between information presented as fact and as author opinion.
    • Academic Writing: 8.0. Synthesising Ideas. [Online]

      Starts: 16 Oct 2024, 12:15 pm
      Finishes: 16 Oct 2024, 12:45 pm
      Remaining places: 17
      This 30-minute online LEAP session will help you improve your academic writing, through better integration of sources into your own work.
    • Academic Writing: 2.0. Linking Ideas. [Online]

      Starts: 16 Oct 2024, 12:30 pm
      Finishes: 16 Oct 2024, 1:00 pm
      Remaining places: 17
      This online workshop is aimed primarily towards international students who would like to enhance their Academic English skills.
    • Academic Writing: 3.0. Paraphrasing. [Online]

      Starts: 18 Oct 2024, 12:30 pm
      Finishes: 18 Oct 2024, 1:00 pm
      Remaining places: 15
      This online workshop is aimed primarily towards international students who would like to enhance their Academic English skills.
    • Academic Writing: 4.0. Citation. [Online]

      Starts: 18 Oct 2024, 1:15 pm
      Finishes: 18 Oct 2024, 1:45 pm
      Remaining places: 18
      This online workshop is aimed primarily towards international students who would like to enhance their Academic English skills.

    Workshops

    LEAP online workshops

    Check out our checklist of online workshops.

    Further help

    Extra support outside LEAP

    Terms and conditions

    All LEAP sessions are bookable through the Advantage system. Sessions are completely free of charge for current University of Salford students!  Please attend every session that you have booked onto, unless you have a valid reason for absence (in which case please cancel your booking via Advantage).

    Please be aware that we may have to cancel, suspend, or terminate a session if any circumstances beyond our control prevent or delay its delivery (including but not limited to staff shortage) or if participant numbers fall below a sustainable/viable level. By completing your booking, you are deemed to accept these terms and conditions.

    Contact us

    Please email any queries you have to the LEAP administration team: LEAP@salford.ac.uk.
    We aim to respond to all queries as soon as possible.

    Leap feedback survey

    Have you attended any of our LEAP sessions? We would love to hear your feedback!