CLA Academics

Check the timeline for information on when to enrol and when the lessons will take place:

• Timeline for CLA Academics – First semester

See the timetable for the days and times of lessons:

• Timetable for CLA Academics – First semester

The CLA Academics courses are reserved for Departments that internally select participants (faculty, researchers, doctoral students, post-doc fellows and TA staff).
CLA Academics modules are divided into two tracks that differ in objectives:

1. AcES (Academic English Skills)

The course is aimed at acquiring skills in written and oral communication for academic writing and participation in international conferences and conventions. Teaching activities focus on written and oral production. Syntactic and lexical peculiarities of the register of academic English are explored. No course book is used. AcES does not prepare for language level certification.

Classes are divided into two levels ascertained through the mandatory, online placement test:

- Upper Intermediate B1++/B2
- Advanced B2+/C1

There is a maximum of 17 participants in each class.

Each course includes 50 hours of classes, 24+2 in synchronous mode online and 24 in asynchronous mode on the CLA platform containing activities, exercises and study materials.

Completion of 70 percent of the activities is required: classroom attendance, assignments, work on the CLA platform, which will be monitored and verified by the teacher. Participation fees are charged to the department.

Participants who have completed the activities and passed the final assessment will obtain an Open Badge certification of the skills acquired.

2. Language Empowerment for Academics (LEA)

The objective of the course is to improve communication skills and fluency within the participant's specific academic areas (comfort zone), and to acquire skills outside of them (colloquial language), in order to achieve a more confident and complete mastery of English at an advanced level and to acquire and expand knowledge of English, of academic and non-academic registers, and to attest possession of C1 level.

Classes are divided into two levels ascertained through the mandatory, online placement test:
- B2+
- C1

There is a maximum of 16 participants in each class.

Each course includes 50 hours online, 26 in synchronous mode and 24 in asynchronous mode on the CLA platform containing activities, exercises and study materials.

This course will end after two courses for those entering with B2+ level and after one course for those entering with C1 level.
Completion of 70 percent of the activities is required: classroom attendance, assignments, work on the CLA platform, which will be monitored and verified by the teacher. Participation fees are charged to the department.

The CLA C1 Certificate will be issued after passing the profit test at the conclusion of the course. There are no additional fees for the test and certificate.

Enrollment stages:

1. Applicants receive an email communication with instructions for taking the placement test.
2. Applicants enrol in the courses

CLA Academics, AcES and LEA courses, require minimum entry levels, ascertained by entrance tests.

Those with a different entry level may enrol in the CLA Language Courses with fees 

If the minimum number of enrollments for a course is less than 8, there may be changes to the schedule. Interested parties will be contacted by the CLA Academics office.

A waiting list will be activated if the maximum number of enrollments per class is exceeded.
The waiting list is valid for the first two weeks of the course in case of dropouts.