Aligning English for Academic Purposes with College Writing Expectations: Insights from One Canadian College

Abstract

Canadian colleges and universities vary drastically in the nature of their academic offerings. Universities typically provide academic programs spanning undergraduate, graduate, and professional domains. In contrast, colleges predominately deliver applied and technical programs leading to certificates, diplomas, apprenticeships, and associate degrees, as well as some select undergraduate degrees. While numerous studies have investigated writing requirements at the university level, there is a dearth of research focusing on the Canadian college context. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the types of writing assignments commonly used at the college level, as well as the skills necessary to complete these assignments. The ultimate goal was to use the findings to better align our college-based English for academic purposes (EAP) program with the specific writing demands encountered in college programs. Data for this study were collected through two main methods: document analysis and interviews with lecturers. The document analysis entailed a review of course outlines from first-year communication courses across all schools within the college, while the interviews were conducted with seven faculty members who taught these courses. The results of our small-scale qualitative case study demonstrate that the college learning environment requires a distinctive type of writing that integrates both industry-specific and academic elements, a phenomenon we term applied academic writing. This finding not only holds implications for the refinement of the EAP curriculum at our own institution but also holds valuable insights for EAP practitioners in applied learning environments.