The Community English Program offers both Integrated Skills English Classes and English Classes for Specific Purposes, which are available for any individual who is 18+ years old and who is learning English. No documentation is required. All classes are free of charge.
English Language Classes
These fun and interactive classes take place during UAB’s fall, spring, and summer semesters. Classes are offered in-person for Spring 2023.
Health and Safety Guidelines
All CEP teachers and students must follow UAB's Health and Safety Guidelines when on campus.
- COVID vaccinations are encouraged
- Masks are optional inside the Education building and classrooms
- Wash hands frequently
Spring 2023 Registration and Placement Testing
Spring 2023 flyer
Registration Dates: December 19, 2022 - January 16, 2023
Placement Test instructions
Spring 2023 Class Schedule
- ALL CLASSES ARE IN-PERSON
- ALL classes meet from Thursday, February 2 - Thursday, April 27, 2023
On-Campus English Classes (Night)*
| Integrated Skills | Conversation Table | Birmingham Culture Class | |
| Topic | Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing | Relaxed conversation practice | Explore culture of Birmingham |
| Levels | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2, 3, 4 | 4 |
| Day | Thursday | To be announced | To be announced |
| Date | Feb 2 - Apr 27 | ||
| Time | 7:30 - 9:00 PM |
UAB Campus
*Education and Engineering Complex
1150 10th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35233
Note: Due to construction, the parking lots have changed - please see below for detailed parking instructions
OFF-Campus English Classes (Day)*
| Advanced Reading | TOEFL Preparation | |
| Topic | Reading strategies to improve fluency and comprehension | Learn vocabulary, test-taking strategies, take practice tests |
| Level | 4 | 4 |
| Day | To be announced | To be announced |
| Date | ||
| Time |
*Birmingham Public Library
Southside Branch
1814 11th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
English Classes for Specific Purposes
This program offers free additional 8 to 12-week English courses for advanced levels (4 & 5). Registration and placement tests take place on selected dates. The availability of each class varies each semester.
- TOEFL Prep Class
- IELTS Prep Class
- Writing for College and Workplace
- Advanced Listening and Speaking
- Advanced Pronunciation
Questions? For more information, contact: UAB Community English Program: uabcep@gmail.com
English conversation classes are a well-established tradition within UAB’s international community, having taken place on campus for over 20 years. In 2011, these classes moved from the Smolian International House to the School of Education. Now hosted by Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the English classes serve as a lab school for the master’s program in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Classes are taught by graduate students being trained to become ESL teachers and by community volunteers.
During the past few years, classes have been attended and taught by participants from over 40 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, St. Vincent, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yemen.
UAB's Community English Program is offered at no cost to the participants. This free service is available thanks to the wonderful instructors (graduate students and community volunteers) who dedicate their time and talent for helping others to learn English.
Driving and Parking Instructions
Due to construction at UAB, parking has changed for the Spring 2023 semester.
Click here for printable instructions and a map.
- From University Boulevard: colored blue on the map
- Turn south onto 11th Street South, between the soccer stadium and the softball stadium.
- After passing the softball stadium, turn left into the parking lot marked F1.
- Park as close as you can where the building forms a 'V' shape. The Education Building is the right-side section of the building.
- From 10th Avenue South: colored purple on the map
- Across from the School of Education building, on 10th Avenue South, turn away from the building onto 10th Street South.
- Then turn an immediate left onto 11th Avenue South.
- Then turn an immediate left onto 11th Place South at a white, empty building.
- Then turn left into the parking lot marked Lot 60. The parking lot has a triangle shape.
Handbook for Online English Language Instructors of Adult Learners
To support Community English Program teachers in learning to teach language online, the CEP coordinator and teachers collaborated during summer 2020 to compile this useful handbook that illustrates a framework for online instruction and provides informative links.
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Summer 2022 Community English Program Teachers
- Integrated Skills Level 1: Ellie Zhou, Katie Carothers
- Integrated Skills Level 2: Ellen Lathrop
- Integrated Skills Level 3: Leo Liao
- Integrated Skills Level 4: Evan Hudson
- Academic Writing Class: John Chen
- Conversation Table: Evan Hudson
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Fall 2021 Community English Program Teachers
- LEVEL 1: Gengyn Liao, Elizabeth Krebbs
- LEVEL 2: Erin Ayres, Hangyu Zhou
- LEVEL 3: Jiaxu Chen, Evan Hudson, Ellen Lathrop, Lara Wheeler
- LEVEL 4: Karen Bishop, Gary Key, Katie Carothers, Shirley Castillo
- LEVEL 5: Laura Dabbs (Advanced Speaking and Listening)
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Previous Community English Program Instructors
Summer 2021 CEP Teachers (online classes only)
- Sarah Allison
- Katherine Carothers
- Abby Codding
- Evan Hudson
- Gemma Kim
- Betsy Lake
- Courtney Martinez
- Christen Nelms
- Robyn Nichols
- Sally Anne Perz
Spring 2021 CEP Teachers (online classes only)
- Balqees Al Bimani
- Katherine Carothers
- Laura Dabbs
- Gemma Kim
- Betsy Lake
- Christen Nelms
- Robyn Nichols
- Vivian Peng
- Sally Anne Perz
- Athina Stavrou
Fall 2020 CEP Teachers (online classes only)
- Sarah Allison
- Taylor Ausbon
- Christen Nelms
- Robyn Nichols
- Vivian Peng
- Maria Sisco-Calderon
- Athina Stavrou
- Kristin Williams
Summer 2020
No classes were offered.Spring 2020 CEP Teachers
- Balqees Al Bimani
- Lisandra Carballoza Quesada
- Laura Dabbs
- Cecilia Garnier
- Madasyn Goolsby
- Lantong Huang
- Gemma Kim
- Patrick Mackin
- Courtney Martinez
- Christen Nelms
- Katie Nguyen
- Vivian Peng
- Athina Stavrou
- Jason Zhang
Fall 2019 CEP Teachers
- Balqees Al Bimani
- Mohammed Al-Qahtani
- Erin Baxter
- Eva Chang
- Anna Clinkman
- Laura Dabbs
- Alder Feroce
- Cameron Herrington
- Lantong Huang
- Oscar Lin
- Courtney Martinez
- Christen Nelms
- Katie Nguyen
- Vivian Peng
- Athina Stavrou
- Jason Zhang
Spring 2019 CEP Teachers
- Sezgi Acar
- Mohammed Al-Qahtani
- Chih Hsin Chang
- Ana de Souza
- Lantong Huang
- Yuehui Huang
- Pui Ki Tsang
- William Navarro
- Christen Nelms
- Thu Nguyen
- Sridevi Ram
- Matthew Spearman
- Meghan Walker
- Jiaxuan Zhang
Fall 2018 CEP Teachers
- Sezgi Acar
- Chih Hsin Chang
- Ana de Souza
- Yuehui Huang
- Pui Ki Tsang
- Thu Nguyen
- Sridevi Ram
- Ashley Reiner
- Holly Smith
- Matthew Spearman
- Guli Tuerxan
- Meghan Walker
- Jiaxuan Zhang
Summer 2018 CEP Teachers
- Caroline Chadwick
- Katelyn Howard
- Yuehui Huang
- Pui Ki Tsang
- Peg Lawrence
- Huvanya Pillay
- Parth Purohit
- Sridevi Ram
- Ashley Reiner
- Matthew Spearman
- Charlotte Steiner
- Puiki Tsang
- Guli Tuerxan
Spring 2018 CEP Teachers
- Alex Bautista
- Ashley Brantley
- Caroline Chadwick
- Katelyn Howard
- Yuehui Huang
- Courtney Jeffries
- Laurel Keel
- Peg Lawrence
- Thu Nguyen
- Huvanya Pillay
- Parth Purohit
- Sridevi Ram
- Matthew Spearman
- Guli Tuerxan
- Christiana Williams
Fall 2017 CEP Teachers
- Ashley Brantley
- Caroline Chadwick
- Katelyn Howard
- Courtney Jeffries
- Laurel Keel
- Peg Lawrence
- Sarah Langcuster
- Patrick Mackin
- Patricia Merritt
- Thu Nguyen
- Huvanya Pillay
- Parth Purohit
- Matthew Spearman
- Guzainuer Tuerxan
Spring 2017 CEP Teachers
- Kimberly Gibson
- Cody Head
- Peg Lawrence
- Patrick Mackin
- Ashley Reiners
- Haley Stevenson
- Samantha Strong
Fall 2016 CEP Teachers
- Maggie Bell
- Robert Bullard
- Shay Chambless
- Madi Dominescy
- Jennifer Keith
- Patrick Mackin
- Amy McConnell
- Rebecca Ramaiah
- Ashley Reiners
- James Rivas
- Haley Stevenson
- Samantha Strong
- Gonul Uguralp Cannon
- Kathy Zomorrodian
Summer 2016 CEP Teachers
- Robert Bullard
- Christine Cox
- Josephine Cox
- Angelica Jaimes
- Brian Rice
- Xinyu Zhai
Spring 2016 CEP Teachers
- Claudia Benuelos
- Robert Bullard
- Shay Chambless
- Candace Cooper
- Josephine Cox
- Christina Dennis
- Rebecca Denson
- Hannah Gentry
- Crystal Jeffries
- Laura Johnson
- Jennifer Keith
- Lizzy Lanham
- Yasmin Oliveira
- Brian Rice
- James Rivas
- Steven Rowlett
- Ki Shin
- Holly Smith
- Nicole Thorp
- Gonul Uguralp
- Ashley Wallace
- Xinyu Zhai
- Kathy Zomorrodian
Fall 2015 CEP Teachers
- Donna Ali
- Nadia Barajas
- Robert Bullard
- Emily Burleson
- Monica Cantwell
- Shay Chambless
- Josephine Cox
- Alex Goldner
- Laura Johnson
- Jennifer Keith
- Kellie Kema
- Linda Lehe
- Yasmin Oliveira
- Michael Rosato
- Steven Rowlett
- Ki Shin
- Gail Smith
- Holly Smith
- Lauren Smith
- Blaine Thompson
- Xinyu Zhai
- Kathy Zomorrodian
Interactive learning techniques are fun and help students improve their communication skills.
Classes are taught by graduate students learning to become ESL teachers.
