The Research Medical Library will be offering two online courses for non-native Speakers of English. These courses will be offered on the Study@MDAnderson platform. Both will be self-study and self-paced, but you will have access to an instructor, Dr. Mark Picus, if you have questions or need help.

To enroll in one or both of these courses, please fill out this enrollment form . When your enrollment form is received, Dr. Picus will send you a link to join the course.

Please read the following descriptions of the two courses and contact Editing Services if you have questions about enrollment.

Listening Comprehension

In this course, students will improve their understanding of spoken American English in a variety of contexts. A variety of videos are presented; some are followed by quizzes to test comprehension, and some have comprehension questions embedded directly into the videos. Students listen to everything from casual conversations to news stories to academic lectures presented by speakers with different accents. The videos are arranged by topics (including the arts, basic and applied sciences, language and culture, popular TV shows – including “Friends”!) The videos range from intermediate to very advanced, and the level of each lesson is noted.

Pronunciation

This course covers every aspect of standard American pronunciation through instructional videos, quizzes, and a variety of other activities designed to improve spoken English. Students will progress, in order, through seven modules:

1. Vowels, Consonants, and Syllables
2. Reduced Sounds
3. Linking Sounds
4. Practicing Difficult Sounds
5. Word and Phrase Stress
6. Thought Groups and Intonation
7. Intonation Patterns

This course covers the same curriculum as the classroom Pronunciation 1 & 2 courses, but students who have taken those classes previously are welcome to enroll in this online course as a refresher or for more practice.