The suitability of the modular curriculum to offer/learn skill-based modules in efl undergraduate classes

The modular curriculum was introduced three years ago across all state-owned higher education institutions of Ethiopia. The rationale behind using this curriculum is that students should develop their language skills rather than their knowledge about the English language so that they can effectively attain their communication needs. To this end, related courses are formed into clusters with the aim of giving students sufficient time to exercise specific skill areas. In the modular approach, most of the courses are designed to be covered through the whole semester while few are on blocking basis. In practice, instructors offering skill-based courses as well as students majoring in English are oftentimes observed expressing their complaints about the limitations of the newly introduced curriculum. This study aimed at examining the suitability of the modular approach to offer/learn skill-based modules in EFL classes at Mekelle University. The subjects of the study were students in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and instructors teaching English courses in the same Department. Questionnaire, focus group interview and classroom observation were the three data gathering tools used. The result of the study shows that language skill developing courses are less suitable to present through the blocking mode in terms of employing student-centred instruction, continuous assessment and practice-oriented lesson delivery. To improve the outcome of the modular approach, all the skill-focused modules should be revisited and redesigned considering the theories and the nature of language skill development in areas where English is considered as a foreign language. Also, technology should be in place to assist the classroom teaching learning process.