Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education
From Theory to Practice- Selected papers from the 2013 ICLHE Conference
Edited By Robert Wilkinson and Mary Louise Walsh
Lecturers’ English proficiency and university language policies for quality assurance
Extract
Abstract The rapid increase of EMI programs across Europe has raised concerns regarding the oral linguistic competencies of non-native English-speaking lecturers and the implications for the quality of teaching. Consequently, lecturers’ English proficiency is under scrutiny and universities are developing language policies for quality assurance, which are enforced by implementation of internal assessment. This paper reports on a performance-based EAP certification test, Test of Oral English Proficiency for Academic Staff (TOEPAS) designed to respond to such policy at a Nordic university. This paper reports on a study that examines (1) the relationship between the university language policy and teaching in EMI programs, and (2) the ways TOEPAS’ formative feedback influences lecturers’ language development and content instruction. The research is based on 10 interviews with lecturers who took the TOEPAS. Lastly, drawing from the interviews, the authors discuss the general findings in relation to teaching EMI programs and university language policy. (150)
Keywords: quality assurance; EMI; staff language proficiency; testing; formative feedback study
1. Introduction
The present paper focuses on how the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) policy for quality-assurance of instructional programs in English, implemented through the Test of Oral English Proficiency of Academic Staff (TOEPAS), has influenced lecturers’ language and content teaching in EMI programs. The policy was a result of the university’s internationalization process, specifically the university’s endeavor to increasingly recruit international students for the Copenhagen Master’s of Excellence (COME) programs.
The increased recruitment of international students and academic...
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