Chiluwa Innocent E.
Professor Head of Department and former Dean, College of Leadership and Development Studies B.A., M.A., PhD
Languages and General Studies
Languages and General Studies
Overview
The Department started off in the 2002/2003 session as the Department of Language and Communication with eight (8) students. It later became the Department of English and Literary Studies. It was merged with the Department of French at the end of the 2008/2009 session, and ran two programmes - English and French, with German as a compulsory course for students of the French programme. When the French programme was discontinued in the 2012/2013 session due to insufficient student subscription, the General Studies Unit was integrated in the Department and is currently known as the Department of Languages and General Studies.
The Department offers a 4-year programme of eight semesters leading to the award of B.A. Honours degree in English, with specialization in English Language or Literature at the postgraduate level. Students are trained for a comprehensive appreciation of the relationship between language and literature as well as their application to everyday living. In the final year, undergraduate students may write their projects in either language or literature.
Vision
The vision of the Department of Languages and General Studies is to be a leading Department of languages that is committed to increasing the literacy level of Nigerians, Africans and the World in general.
Philosophy and Objectives
Philosophy
Our philosophy embraces the development of a curriculum that is based on a socio-constructivist framework that encourages an environment of teaching and learning that comes through interaction and collaboration. Hence, students are able to negotiate meaning and apply learning to real-life situations. Our students are viewed as excellent linguistic, cultural and pedagogical resources whose diversity of experiences serves to strengthen the curriculum and challenge notions of a single way of approaching language teaching and learning.
Our courses cover every aspect of English linguistics and Literature intended to produce very high caliber personnel in all aspects of language studies, literature and communication. This follows with the vision of Covenant University with regard to raising a new generation of leaders in Nigeria and beyond. It is expected that products of the programme will satisfy the needs for placement in the academia, the mass media, the corporate world and indeed all other fields where a high degree of proficiency in English and communication is required.
So far, this is evident in our students’ outstanding competence and performance in their careers.
Mission Statement
The mission is to empower solution providers that will impact practically and positively on the African society and the world at large, through enhanced development in language and communication.
Research & Development
Research Clusters
- A Mini-Dictionary of the Professions, Covenant University Central Research Committee 2007 till now.
- Course compacts and notes are effectively prepared using the most current sources around the world available in our Centre for Learning Resources where students have access to electronic learning resources from every corner of the campus. Lecture delivery is of highest standards, adequately in line with best practices. Specifically, teaching methods/strategies include guided instructions with ICT- based teaching aids (multimedia projector/power points); interactive sessions, tutorials, seminars, presentations and group work/projects.
Linkages and Collaborations
The Department maintains an active creative writing and performance classes for the students. Prominent names such as Dr. Sola Fosudo and others have visited the University to give students firsthand information on play-writing and acting. Our Town and Gown platform regularly hosts prominent writers and performing artists as well as media executives who motivate our students with their experiences and successes in the industry. Professor Ulrike Gut of the University of Muenster, Germany collaborated with some faculty members of our Department in the development of the CIE Corpus of the Nigerian English. Professor I. E. Chiluwa (HOD) is a visiting professor in the Department of English, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Admission Requirements
- To be qualified for admission for the B. A. English Programme, a candidate must have obtained O/L, SSCE/GCE/NECO credit level passes in Five (5) subjects, including English Language, Literature-in-English, Mathematics and any two relevant subjects. The 5 credit passes must have been obtained at not more than two sittings.
- The candidate must also sit for the current JAMB Examinations and obtain the prescribed cut-off marks or BRQ in the relevant subjects.
- In addition, the candidate must appear for and pass the screening exercise conducted by Covenant University for all candidates.
Graduation Requirements
To qualify for graduation, all candidates must have satisfied the examiners in all compulsory and required departmental courses, the specified number of electives, and general University-wide courses, having passed not less than 160 units.
Laboratories / Studios
The Multimedia Language Laboratory System
Smartclass+ Language Laboratory
The SmartClass+ Language Lab is a complete integration of:
Smart Class + eLearning + Multimedia Language Lab + eLibrary. This is All-In-One!
What constitutes a learning environment is changing – the “spaces” where students learn are becoming more community-driven. Our SmartClass+ support the versatility needed to create these “spaces.”
Smart Class:
Smart Classrooms are technology enhanced classrooms that foster opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating learning technology, such as computers, specialized software, audience response technology, assistive listening devices, networking, and audio/visual capabilities. Classroom Services leads the support, design, and planning for campus learning spaces.
Our Smart Class Solution is Group-Learning-Platform that enable remote viewing, listening and recording thereby making learning more interactive. Because we know that to learn is to understand and be able to apply what you have been taught, our Smart Class is optimized for easy and efficient learning to help teachers & students improve their teaching and professional development.
Multimedia Language Lab (MLL):
The desired career of any student demands smartness and self-confidence resulting in the spark of his face. Education as it is concentrate on giving knowledge and technical knowhow. There is much more it cannot compromise with in the molding of the overall personality development of the student. From campus to career, the entry point is generally the interview table. To be successful here the student needs the backbone of self-confidence. It’s the key to roam successfully at the interview and at the job. For this the most crucial ingredient is sound communication skill. Good communication involves the correct accent and free flow of words, right body language, and proper phonetics, rhythm, stress, intonation, and finally the style of speaking. All these together contribute to the caliber and personality of a successful student. Such a student boldly expresses himself at the interview and the job. Our language lab is the tool to inspire, teach, train and imbibe the quality of excellence in the skill of communication.
The most recent high-tech milestone is already in its triumph, rendering the easiest way of enhancing proficiency in the language handling process. The ultra specialty of MLL lies in its novel technique of linking a student and teacher through a PC. Present day teaching emphasize on speaking skills and phonetics besides the formal teaching of vocabulary, syntax and grammar. Here the oral/aural abilities of the student are to be improved. The student must be encouraged to speak, provided with a facility to access his own performance. Peucco MLL is wholly digitalized solution with flexible use of modern digital media files like MP3, WAVE and other audio/video files without any perceptible distortion or loss of clarity. With help of MLL the student can master themselves with any language. The tool of client/server architecture offers materials for student at all stages of language proficiency.
eLibrary:
This module provide a library service both for students and staff. Our eLibrary system is a library in which collections are stored in digital/electronic form accessible to students from their various devices. eLibrary users can select searches in the online catalog for titles, subjects or type keywords to describe an item they would like to find.
Our eLibrary Collections contain eDocuments all accessible simultaneously by all users. It offer the world’s largest collection of downloadable electronic books and audio files in MP3, WMV and other format.
Features of the Smartclass+ Language Laboratory
- Phonetics & Phonetizer
- Teaching and learning is simplified
- Focusing the attention of a large group on a single point
- Support Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
- Smart Class solution
- eLearning
- Multimedia Language Laboratory
- eLibrary
- Visual Lecture/Video Chat
- Stream Audio Files
- Broadcast Video Files
- Record Conversations (Record ongoing Lecture)
- Black Screen/unlock screen
- Lock/Unlock Mouse & Keyboard
- Shutdown Student Computer
- Kick Student
- Conference(interactive Teaching)
- Group Discussion
- File Upload/download
- Class Attendance
- Remote Help
- Remote Desktop View(RDV)
- Self-Study - Listen, Speak, Read, Write, Repeat & Record
- Dictionary
- Monitor & Control Student Computer
- Support various file format (.pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .doc, .docx, .mp3, .wav, .wmv, .mpeg, .mp4, .avi, e.tc)
- Audio Capabilities
- Multiple active audio streams
- Voice activation (VAD) for audio transmission
- Automatic Gain Control (AGC)
- Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC)
- CELT and Speex audio codecs
- Audio capture supported by DirectSound and WinMM
- 3D-sound positioning in DirectSound mode
With the above facilities, the Ultra-modern the Smartclass+ Language Laboratory system can be used to teach both phonetic and phonological aspects of the languages being studied in the Department. The multimedia facilities installed will enhance the interaction between the instructor and the students thereby making the study of language more qualitative, inspiring and rewarding.
Staff & Personnel
Languages
Professor CHILUWA, Innocent E.
Professor OGBULOGO, Charles
Dr OWOEYE, Samuel Tuesday
Dr. AWOGU-MADUAGWU, Edith
