Intensive English Language Program (IELP)

What is IELP?

College of the Canyons’ Intensive English Language Program (IELP) is intended for English learners whose goal is to enter a university level course of study at College of the Canyons and then transfer to a 4-year university.

The curriculum addresses academic topics that prepare students to succeed in university.
IELP students are expected to engage in full-time study (20 hours of instruction a week).

2 Fall Sessions (8 week sessions)
2 Spring Sessions (8 week sessions)
1 Summer Session (8 week session)

Classes

Listening & Speaking
Reading & Vocabulary
Writing & Grammar
USA Culture

All classes are on campus.

Session Dates

2023 Fall Session 1: Aug 21 - Oct 12
2023 Fall Session 2: Oct 16 - Dec 7
2024 Spring Session 1: Feb 5 - Mar 28
2024 Spring Session 2: Apr 8 - May 30
2024 Summer Session: Jun 3 - Jul 25

Prospective Students

How to Apply

Please contact the ISP office for information on how to apply to IELP.

ISP Contact Us

Email: isp@canyons.edu
Phone: +1 (661) 362-3580

Open Office Hours:
Zoom Meeting ID: 661 3623 580

Click link to access the Duolingo English Test

Expected Costs

IELP Tuition, Fees, and Living Expenses

One Year Total	$25,000
Tuition and Fees (1 IELP 8-week session)	$2,340
Tuition and Fees (1 year)	$9,360
Books and Supplies (1 year)	$1,240
Living Expenses (1 year)	$14,400

Current Class Schedule

Class Location: Hasley Hall 233

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
9:30AM - 12:00PM	Writing & Grammar (J. Au)	Reading & Vocabulary (E. Ramirez)	Writing & Grammar (J. Au)	Reading & Vocabulary (E. Ramirez)
12:00PM - 1:00PM	Lunch Break	Lunch Break	Lunch Break	Lunch Break
1:00PM - 3:30PM	USA Culture (J. Au)	Listening & Speaking (N. Akel/E. Ramirez)	USA Culture (J. Au)	Listening & Speaking (N. Akel/E. Ramirez)

Class times are subject to change. Changes will be announced on the ISP website and the class syllabus.

Teacher Bios

Najla Akel

My name is Najla Yagan Akel. I was born and raised in Syria. In 2003, I moved to the United States. I currently live in Santa Clarita with my husband and three children.

My educational background includes an M.A. in TESOL from Southeast Missouri State University in Missouri, a B.A. in English literature, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in literary studies from the University of Aleppo in Syria.

My 20+ years of professional experience includes 12+ years of teaching English as a foreign/second language to students of various ages, English proficiency levels, and diverse cultural backgrounds, in-person and remotely, in Syria and the United States.

My greatest passion is to positively impact the lives of language learners by helping them learn a second or foreign language; fostering their motivation, assisting them in overcoming any obstacles they may encounter, and providing them with meaningful learning. Having experienced second language learning first-hand, I believe myself to have a strong affective and cognitive empathy with English language learners.

I have been working as an adjunct faculty in the ESL department at COC. I also teach in the Intensive English Language Program at COC.
Julie Au

I received my bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Studies from The Master’s University. I then went on to pursue a masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California (USC). My years of experiences include working with students from elementary to graduate school level. I love working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds, and I respect and appreciate the differences and uniqueness that each individual brings into the classroom.
Anna Glapa-Grossklag

I have taught at College of the Canyons since 2000. I earned my first MA in German literature and language, and my second MA in Linguistics and teaching English as a Second Language. My experience in teaching, interpreting, and translating includes three languages. When I don’t teach, I spend time with my husband and two teenage sons. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies.
Ernesto Ramirez

My name is Ernesto Ramirez. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, to Mexican immigrants who never had the opportunity to attend school a day in their lives. My bi-lingual and bi-cultural upbringing in the southland deeply influenced my aspiration to become a professor at a public institution of higher learning – a feat that I am still working to attain. I have taught numerous courses at different institutions of higher education in the United States. Formally speaking, I began teaching at College of the Canyons (COC) when I assumed a lead English and Philosophy subject writing tutor position from 2012-2014. I taught at California State University Northridge (CSUN) as an Instructional Student Assistant (ISA) for Political Science faculty from 2013-2014. At the graduate level, I served as an instructor in various capacities for the University of Florida (UF) where I am currently a PhD candidate in the discipline of Political Theory (2015-2021). I served, for example, as a Research and Teaching Assistant for the African American Studies department at UF from 2015-2018. In 2019, I taught multiple sections of an undergraduate course entitled What is the Good Life? for the College of Humanities at UF. In the Spring of 2020, I developed my own syllabus and taught my own course in accordance with my research interests which reside at the intersections of Ethnic Studies and the Political Theory of Empire. In addition to my in-person teaching experience, I am also certified to teach online and have carried out several English proficiency lectures and modules to students from various universities throughout China and Japan. I thus have broad experience writing my own lectures, teaching my own courses, and working with students of differing levels of academic preparation from various places all over the world. As demonstrated by my personal and professional experience, my teaching pedagogy remains grounded in forms of intercultural and global competence which orient my approach to and interaction with students from different cultures and backgrounds trying to learn a new language.
Katie Simpson

Katie Simpson has been an ESL instructor for the past nine years. She received her Bachelor's degree in French from UCLA, during which time she studied abroad in Paris, France at L’Université de la Sorbonne. While living in Paris, she taught English at a French elementary school where she cultivated her love for teaching English. After graduating from UCLA, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas where she received her Master's of Education in English Language Learning from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, she taught ESL at the College of Southern Nevada and was the site director and head teacher at a private English language school called the International Academy of English. After moving back to Los Angeles, she taught ESL at UCLA Extension while working in the International Services and Programs Department at College of the Canyons. While working in ISP at College of the Canyons, she developed a Study Abroad Pathway Course for Chinese EFL students studying at College of the Canyons in the future. She then moved to Anqing, China for the 2015-2016 school year to launch and teach this innovative pathway course. She moved back to Los Angeles in 2016 where she began teaching ESL at Glendale Community College and continued teaching ESL at COC. She currently lives in Santa Clarita with her husband and three-year-old son and teaches ESL at College of the Canyons in the ESL Department and in the Intensive English Language Program. She is honored to have the opportunity to teach at College of the Canyons and be part of ISP.