EMI and me

Before I started European Studies in Maastricht, english as a medium of instruction was already a method that I was familiar with. I went to primary school in Singapore and most subjects were taught in English, such as Science, Maths, Art etc. Every Singaporean student needed to choose a mother tongue, because Singapore has 4 official languages. Depending on your ethnicity, your mother tongue would be selected. Because my parents are Chinese, my mother tongue in Singapore was Mandarin and that was the language I had to learn in school. During those classes, the golden rule was that only Mandarin is allowed and English was not tolerated in that classroom. Hence, the medium of instruction for Chinese class was Mandarin.  Continue reading EMI and me

Back to basi…English!

For someone who has been learning English from the age of 7, it is quite hard to imagine not being able to communicate in that language let alone not studying in English. Since as long as I can remember I have been studying the peculiarities, grammar and pronunciation of the English language and because I was so interested in it, English as a medium of instruction (EMI) is not necessarily anything new for me. However, the more I get acquainted with this language that I’ve know since childhood the more I start questioning the advantages and disadvantages of it is a language of instruction.

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My English Medium Instruction experience…

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When I started looking for studies for after High-school, Maastricht almost directly caught my interest. This was not only because of the beautiful city, but also for its international environment.  I originally went to Maastricht’s Open Day to get information for the law study, however I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I would have. When we walked out of the faculty, my mother saw a sign with an arrow and the name European Studies. The name sounded interesting so we decided to go and listen to the presentation. After the presentation I knew for sure, this was my study!

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MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION

According to the British Council, teaching in English becomes a “Galloping Global Phenomenon“. English-Medium-Instruction (EMI) became introduced in many institutes of higher education in the last decade. Universities in countries in which English is not the native language nowadays seem compelled to offer English programmes or certain tracks in which EMI is commonplace. The increase of Bachelor and Master programmes taught in trough the medium of English in European universities in a general non-English speaking environment is huge.

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Studium auf Englisch – Ja oder Nein?

Studieren auf Englisch – das ist längst nichts Besonderes mehr. Englischsprachige Studiengänge sind im Trend und es gibt sie mittlerweile in vielen Ländern und Fachrichtungen. Ich selbst studiere nun seit drei Jahren European Studies an der Universität Maastricht, einen komplett englischsprachigen Studiengang, und habe generell positive Erfahrungen mit English Medium Instruction (EMI) gemacht. Allerdings habe ich auch einige Nachteile dieser Art des Lehrens erlebt, wie die Fokussierung meines akademischen Vokabulars auf die Englische Sprache.

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My experience with English Medium Instruction

. . . and the frustrations and rewards that it can bring

From 10 year old me, a two year crash course, and EMI . . .

English Medium Instruction is a concept that I got to experience from very early on. The secondary school I entered was a bilingual one, where students would begin being taught content courses in English from grade 7, with an increasing number of subjects being taught so in the following years. Continue reading My experience with English Medium Instruction

“Learning by doing” (or by EMI)

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English in higher education

There are a number of reasons which could explain the spread of English, its role as a lingua franca and its importance on a global scale. Particular phenomena ( the -ization group) such as colonization, globalization and Americanization could shed some light on the influence of English and its ability to immerse itself into numerous cultures and societies. English is an integral part of our interconnected world and it has managed to reserve a VIP spot as the main language of instruction in higher education institutions in countries with a different native language.  Continue reading “Learning by doing” (or by EMI)

English Medium Instruction: Wie viel Englisch vertragen wir?

Weltweit bieten immer mehr Universitäten englischsprachige Bachelor- und Masterstudiengänge an. Besonders verbreitet ist dieses Phänomen in den Bereichen Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaft, aber auch Naturwissenschaften und Medizin ziehen zunehmend nach. Dabei werben Fachhochschulen und Universitäten mit Internationalität und ausgezeichneten Chancen auf dem weltweiten Arbeitsmarkt. Doch wie viel Englisch vertragen wir eigentlich? Als deutsche Studentin in den Niederlanden habe ich selber die Erfahrung mit einem englischsprachigen Studium gemacht, und habe dabei viele Vorteile aber auch Nachteile erkannt. Wie passend, da doch heute der Welttag der Englischen Sprache ist.

Continue reading English Medium Instruction: Wie viel Englisch vertragen wir?