Bridging the gap : utilising self-access learning as a course component

The use of self-access centres by independent learners is only one of the ways that such important institutional learning resources may be used. The SAC can also be exploited by class teachers and course co-ordinators to supplement teaching and reinforce course objectives at the individual level. This may help to bridge the gap between independent language learning and total teacher control and may be particularly valuable for students whose past experiences have lead them to expect a great deal of teacher direction. In this article we describe how self-access learning was integrated as part of a classroom-taught course in Business English and evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. From the lessons learnt from our experiences, we consider the implications for improving the effectiveness of other integrated self- access learning projects.