Core Curriculum: Full-Time Intensive Program
The curriculum consists of three proficiency levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced. In any given session, the appropriate courses will be offered for the proficiency levels represented in the enrollment. Classes are limited in number of students. As a general rule, the lower the proficiency level, the lower the number of students per class. Classes meet 4 periods each day, Monday through Friday. Each student has classes with emphasis on the following (see weekly schedule listed below):

English Structure (Grammar)
Writing/Composition (Rhetoric)
Reading and Vocabulary
Listening and Conversation

Students also have elective classes. Available electives vary from term to term; recent offerings have included photography, Internet English, American movies, music, and art. Provision is made for TOEFL preparation, and classes assist students in pronunciation, test-taking strategies, U.S. culture orientation, and university study skills. Daily assignments are given for all classes. Listening comprehension students may practice each day with audio tape materials checked out from Institute instructors. Students must bring recorders or purchase them after arrival.

Objective and subjective quizzes and examinations are given regularly for grading purposes. The A, B, C, D, F grading system is used. All grades are recorded on the ELI Certificate of Attendance, issued to each student at the end of the term. The faculty also presents special certificates and awards to students selected for outstanding academic and cultural contributions to the program.

Life in East Tennessee:
The University of Tennessee is one of the few state universities located in a large city. With a population of more than 500,000, the Knoxville area supports entertainment and cultural events, museums, and art galleries. Knoxville often ranks among the nation’s top ten cities in surveys on quality of life.

The city is perhaps best known for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a model of 20th-century government and private industry cooperating in the production of hydroelectric power and, more recently, nuclear power.

For students who want to get away from the city, the outdoor recreational activities and scenic beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and six TVA lakes are within an hour’s drive.

The climate of the area makes for easy living. The temperatures range from 40.6 F. (4.7 C.) in January to 78.2 F. (25.6 C.) in July. The elevation is 900 feet.