THE INTEGRAL CROSS-CURRICULAR SYSTEM OF ACADEMIC COMMUNICATIVE TEACHING AT THE USA UNIVERSITIES AS AN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

KOZOLUP Mariya – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Foreign Languages for Faculty of Sciences Department, Lviv Ivan Franko National University, Universytetska str., 1, Lviv, 79000, Ukraine (forys_maria@ yahoo.co.uk)ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5892-6696ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-7927-2018DOI: https://doi.org/10.24919/2313-2094.7/39.123557To cite this article: Kozolup, M. (2018). Systema intehrovanoi dystsyplinarno-akademichnoi komunikatyvnoi pidhotovky studentiv v universytetakh SShA yak pedahohichna tekhnolohiia [The integral cross-curricular system of academic communicative teaching at the USA universities as an educational technology]. Liudynoznavchi studii. Seriia «Pedahohika» – Human Studies. Series of «Pedagogy», 7/39, 130‒144. doi: 10.24919/2313-2094.7/39.123557 [in Ukrainian].Article historyReceived: 1 March 2018Received in revised form: 18 April 2018Accepted: 10 July 2018Available online: 12 September 2018 Abstract. The paper aims at a complex study of American university system of academic and disciplinary-specific communicative education. Its objectives include: a) to trace the origins and foundations of the system; b) to analyze the structure of the system as an educational technology and present its model; c) to describe the main components of the system and their functional interrelations.The modern American cross-curricular system of academic communicative teaching (CCSACT) is a complex educational and administrative structure implemented in most American colleges and universities through Communication/ Writing across the Curriculum Programs (CAC/WAC); its main purpose being effective socialization of students into academic and disciplinary discourse communities through the acquisition of their language conventions (academic and disciplinary genres). The system that originated in the US higher education in early 70-ies of the XX century now comprises the following constituent components: conceptual, administrative, organizational, content, control, evaluative and corrective.Constructivist theory about a two-fold role of communication in the educational process, particularly that of a learning tool and a means of socialization into communities of practice, is foundational to CCSACT philosophy. Its methodology rests upon four underlying approaches to teaching communication: interdisciplinary, activity-based, genre-based and competency-based ones. The interdisciplinary approach presupposes the involvement of disciplinary faculty as representatives of respective discourse communities into the process of communicative teaching. According to the activity-based and genre-based approaches students master academic and disciplinary genres through their active use and meaningful interactions with experienced members of the respective communities in the context of disciplinary learning and research. The competency-based approach dominates communicative programs goal setting and determines the ways and methods of student evaluation and assessment.As an educational technology, CCSACT incorporates learning technologies of lower levels implemented through various writing and oral communication programs for undergraduate and graduate students as well as tutor and peer tutor development programs. The fact that cross-disciplinary system of academic communication teaching has spread beyond higher education and crossed the national borders of the USA gaining popularity across the globe proves its high efficiency and adaptability to various educational environments. Acknowledgments. Sincere thanks to the head of the Department of Foreign Languages for Sciences of Lviv Ivan Franko National University, in particular, Prof. Natalya Mykytenko.Funding. The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.