What is the Intercultural English Conversation Partners program?
Intercultural English Conversation Partners matches international students in the Spoken English Program with English speakers educated in the U.S. and associated with Ohio State University, most commonly undergraduate students. This program provides an opportunity for our students to develop language and cultural knowledge to help them teach more effectively as Graduate Teaching Associates.
Who are the international partners?
International conversation partners are graduate students working toward required English language certification to work as Graduate Teaching Associates at the university. Most of the students enrolled in our program are from Asia, but we also get some students from other parts of the world. All of our students have studied English for years, but many have had little opportunity to speak the language before they arrive at Ohio State.
What is the volunteer’s role?
Volunteers are quite literally “conversation partners” and not specialist language tutors. Our students are training to be TAs, so volunteers should also have some knowledge of the university and student life. Being a conversation partner is a way to learn something about the world’s cultures by getting to know someone from another country. It is also an opportunity to build English Lingua Franca (ELF) communication skills for participation in an increasingly interconnected world.
What is the commitment?
Conversation partners agree to meet with each other for one hour a week for one semester at a time and place convenient for them both.
Volunteer Sign-Up
If you are interested in being a volunteer for the Intercultural English Conversation Partners program, please fill out the form below:
Partners will be matched near the beginning of the semester, and we’ll send partners each other’s contact information. Contact sep-iecp@osu.edu with any questions.
