Introduction to EMI
This course is for university level teachers who teach their specialist subject through the medium of English and communicate with international students from a range of countries. You will be introduced to the key principles of EMI and share experiences with other tertiary level teachers. You will develop a portfolio of ideas and techniques, reflect on best practice and identify development goals.
Course Dates
This course will run twice in 2023:
- 23rd January 2023 – 19th March 2023
- 27th March 2023 – 21st May 2023
Price
£500
Structure of the course
This is an 8-week course, with 5-6 hours of study time required each week. Participants can organise their own time within each week. There will two live synchronous sessions during the course, which will be arranged at a time agreed with all course participants. These sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
The course links theory with practice and aims to build awareness, confidence and skills. There will be two study units each week. Each unit will include a mix of reading, videos and interactive and reflective tasks. There will also be discussion and small group tasks each week making use of discussion forums and providing the opportunity to collaborate and learn from each other.
Who is the course for?
Teachers in a Higher education setting who are starting to deliver their subjects through the medium of English.
You should have a minimum language level of high B2 on the Common European Framework
Digital learning platform
The course will be accessed through Edinburgh College Moodle, with live synchronous sessions taking place on Microsoft Teams. Participants will need to have a computer with access to the internet to complete the course.
Course Content
| Unit A | Unit B | |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |
Introduction to the course In this unit you will familiarise yourself with the Moodle platform, learn how to communicate with other course participants and share your own objectives for the course. |
Introduction to EMI In this unit you will discuss your own EMI context and consider the drive towards internationalisation in your own institution. You will also share your concerns and beliefs about EMI. |
| Week 2 |
Role of English in Internationalisation In this unit you will consider the role of English as a lingua franca in education and consider your own and others’ beliefs about world Englishes. |
Building cultural capacity In this unit you will consider how comfortable you are communicating with those from different cultures, where cultural misunderstanding may cause barriers to learning and how you can build your own capacity for working in a multicultural setting. |
| Week 3 |
Giving effective lectures In this unit you will look at how to ensure students can follow your lectures. You will look at language for signposting and supporting students, and techniques for supporting understanding using multi modal input. |
Questioning techniques In this unit you will consider the different types of questions you can use in your teaching and how these can support your students to understand and also contribute in lectures and seminars. |
| Week 4 |
Languages for seminars In this unit you will investigate the range of language functions needed for effective seminars and also how to structure a seminar to support students’ understanding and ability to contribute. You will look at different types of task you can use in small group settings. |
Effective 1-1 interaction In this unit you will focus on active listening skills to ensure you are always following what a student is saying. You will look at ways of clarifying understanding and the role of 1-1 interaction in your own context. |
| Week 5 |
Building academic vocabulary In this unit you will consider different areas of vocabulary that your students may struggle with and focus on supporting students to build academic vocabulary and subject specific vocabulary. |
Supporting academic writing In this unit you will consider the features of academic writing and how you can provide a framework to support your students in their academic writing. |
| Week 6 |
Providing effective feedback In this unit you will identify the features of effective feedback. You will consider the role of culture in feedback and develop a framework for providing self, peer and tutor feedback. |
Supporting students In this unit we will review the different methods we have discussed for supporting students in your lectures and seminar. We will also consider other areas that your students may need support in, and consider the role of the tutor and institution in this. |
| Week 7 |
Practical Task You will plan and record an EMI session and upload to the Moodle platform. |
Peer feedback You will gather feedback from other participants on the course and reflect on your own session. You will also provide feedback to other course members. |
| Week 8 |
Current research and resources in EMI In this unit you will explore current trends and case studies in EMI. You will also evaluate some resources and share with the group. |
CPD and action planning You will review the course and consider which areas you feel you need further development on and consider how to do this through a self-evaluation task. |
