A need-based evaluation of the EAP courses for the pharmacy students in the university of Asia Pacific (UAP), Bangladesh

Abstract

The quality and effectiveness of EAP courses offered to the students aspiring to study in the private universities in Bangladesh is a matter of increasing concern for the teachers and students alike. All the 56 private universities emerged in the country within a span of not more than two decades, use English as their medium of instruction. Students of most of these universities are sorely aware of the difficulties to carry on their studies due to limited proficiency and study skills in English. Although every university in Bangladesh offers English courses which are supposed to meet the required language needs of the students of various disciplines, it is time to raise question about the efficiency of these courses and the extent they actually address the needs of the students. This study focuses on the efficacy of the EAP courses offered to the students of pharmacy discipline at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP), a private university in Bangladesh. The study examines the content and structure of the EAP courses and explores the academic as well as work-related needs of the potential pharmacy professionals to formulate strategies that may reinforce the overall effectiveness of such English language programs. The study was based on a needs-analysis survey of 40 undergraduate level students of Department of Pharmacy and four teachers who teach the EAP courses at the same university. It is found from the study that the current EAP courses have major drawbacks in meeting learners' expectations and replicating the acquired language skills for both academic and professional purposes. It is recommended that the EAP courses could be further improved by incorporating materials relevant to the core subject and by putting more emphasis on writing and speaking skills, the two productive skills that are considered most important and difficult by the students concerned.