scholarly journals English as a Medium of Instruction in Learning Professional Skills for Engineers

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-44
Author(s):  
Adrián Peñate Sanchéz

In this article, we reflect on the variables to be considered when teaching in English a subject of the bachelor’s degree of Computer Engineering: “Learning Professional Skills for Engineers”. In order to make this study, we start from an analysis of the recent history of teaching in English at university level and the institutional context in which it happens. Three research questions are posed, with the intent to check what minimum conditions must be met to be able to teach this subject in English. The results lead us to conclude that the option of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) is not the appropriate one, taking into account both the linguistic and didactic training of the teaching staff and the language accreditation of the students. However, it is feasible to opt for the Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education (ICLHE) option.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-262
Author(s):  
Laura Haug

Abstract Integrated assessment evaluates language proficiency through tasks that require the test-taker to produce a written or spoken output based on listening or reading comprehension (reading or listening-into-writing or speaking). Since integrated assessment aims at reflecting the communicative and cognitive requirements of academic life and other professions, it is considered a means of assessment that is both authentic and valid. Examples of integrated tests can be found in high-stakes examinations at universities with English as the medium of instruction, and in the standardised high-stakes examinations offered by ETS, Pearson Education and Trinity College London. This report provides an example of integrated assessment in action by describing a currently used integrated test developed at the Language Department of the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Since 2018, this particular integrated test has served as the entrance examination for Biological Chemistry (EEBC), a bachelor’s degree course delivered entirely in English. By detailing the rationale behind the examination and the design process, this report aims to show that integrated assessment can provide a valid alternative to independent assessment at the tertiary level.


2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinne Hoff Kjeldsen

ArgumentTwo simultaneous episodes in late nineteenth-century mathematical research, one by Karl Hermann Brunn (1862–1939) and another by Hermann Minkowski (1864–1909), have been described as the origin of the theory of convex bodies. This article aims to understand and explain (1) how and why the concept of such bodies emerged in these two trajectories of mathematical research; and (2) why Minkowski's – and not Brunn's – strand of thought led to the development of a theory of convexity. Concrete pieces of Brunn's and Minkowski's mathematical work in the two episodes will, from the perspective of the above questions, be presented and analyzed with the use of the methodological framework of epistemic objects, techniques, and configurations as adapted from Hans-Jörg Rheinberger's work on empirical sciences to the historiography of mathematics by Moritz Epple. Based on detailed descriptions and a comparison of the objects and techniques that Brunn and Minkowski studied and used in these pieces it will be concluded that Brunn and Minkowski worked in different epistemic configurations, and it will be argued that this had a significant influence on the mathematics they developed for those bodies, which can provide answers to the two research questions listed above.


2016 ◽  

History of justice is not only the history of state justice. Rather, we often deal with a coexistence of state, parastatal and non-state courts. Interesting research questions emerge out of this constellation: Where are notions of just conflict resolution most likely to be enforceable? To what extent is non-state jurisdiction a mode of self-regulation of social groups who define themselves by means of ethnic, religious or functional criteria? How do state and non-state ambitions interact? This collective volume contains contributions exploring non-state and parastatal justice between the 17th century and the present in Europe, Asia, North America as well as from a global perspective.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59
Author(s):  
Marina Kirstein ◽  
Stephen Coetzee ◽  
Astrid Schmulian

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in South African accounting students’ perceptions of professional skills developed in an undergraduate accounting program. South Africa has a history of socio-economic inequality and racial injustice, leading to factors outside the classroom impacting educational outcomes. In particular, South African classes are heterogeneous, reflecting a diversity of race and language groups and students from differing schooling backgrounds. These differences necessitate differentiated instruction. Design/methodology/approach To explore for differences in perceptions, data were collected via questionnaires and differences between demographic variables such as school, race and language were considered, while controlling for gender. A focus group was also hosted to further explore findings. Findings Students from better quality schools agreed less strongly than those from poorer quality schools that the education program developed their professional skills. Students from better quality schools may have developed some of the professional skills during their schooling, requiring less to be developed at university. African students, though, agreed less strongly than white students from similar quality schools that they had developed professional skills. A focus group suggested that African students place less emphasis on professional skills development than on technical skills, given their lack of exposure to professional skills through mentors (parents, teachers, etc.) who never developed professional skills during their own compromised education under Apartheid. Originality/value Understanding the differences in the perceptions of professional skill development in a heterogeneous classroom can assist instructors in adopting differentiated instruction approaches to enable all students to develop professional skills. It could also assist future employers of these graduates to differentiate their development strategies during workplace training.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 126-134
Author(s):  
M. D. Karpachev

The article is devoted to the history of foundation of University in Voronezh. The idea of establishing a regional university appeared since the beginning of  the 19th century. This issue had already been discussed by Voronezh  society and the educational community. Nevertheless, the implementation of  this idea became possible only in 1918 when the Russian teaching staff of  former Yuriev (Derpt) University was evacuated from Estonia to Russia. This  relocation was not a random event since Voronezh was an administrative,  economic and cultural centre of Black Earth Region of Russia. In the early  XIX it had been planned that it would be one of the Russian cities where the  universities should be open. In 1879 the newspaper Novoe vremya published the article “Voronezh University” where the author raised the  question of establishing a University. In 1907–1908 the idea was  substantiated by an eminent geographer P. Semenov- Tyan-Shansky. And  only in spring 1918, when Yuriev was occupied by Germans and the  professors of Yuriev University were looking for a new location, the question  was settled at the governmental level. In autumn 1918 the first lecture was  delivered and the history of Voronezh University began.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lysle Hood

In the digital age, technology and digital media shapes virtually every aspect of our lives. Poetry, which has seen a surprising revival in recent years, is no exception. One of the most popular contemporary poets today is Rupi Kaur, made famous for her verse posted on the social media platform Instagram. This MRP seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) In what ways has the digital age effected contemporary poetry? 2) What role has digital media played in shaping the success and formal elements of Rupi Kaur’s body of work? This MRP begins by offering a brief history of poetry’s relationship with media and an account of how poetry is produced and consumed in the digital age. The core of the MRP is a case study of contemporary Insta-poet Rupi Kaur. Through qualitative visual and textual analysis, the case study considers: 1) Kaur’s poetry, 2) her Instagram content, 3) her readership, and 4) the criticisms of her work. As to the discussion, the analysis of the four categories reveals


Author(s):  
James Arvanitakis ◽  
Madelaine-Marie Judd ◽  
Shelley Kinash ◽  
Trina Jorre de st Jorre ◽  
Trish McCluskey

 Universities are both a source of employable graduates and careers. This paper examines universities as developers and employers of their own graduates from the perspective of employees and recruited positions. Research questions were: what do learning and teaching careers look like at universities, and; what are the occupational patterns, satisfactions and concerns of the staff in those careers? An autoethnographic account of employees’ career journeys (all of whom were employed in learning and teaching or closely related areas) from five different universities were shared, compared and contrasted. Two of these universities are profiled as having a large proportion of students from target equity groups and therefore have intentionally recruited learning and teaching staff to widen student participation. A desktop review of six months of university employment vacancies from these two universities was conducted. A consistent theme across the autoethnographic stories was a feeling of being an outsider. The authors’ hypothesis is that this is related to haphazard preparation for learning and teaching positions. Of the 322 university vacancies, 84% were for professional staff, 23% of which were in learning and teaching, with the most prevalent role being Coordinator. Fourteen per cent were for academic staff, 64% of which involved learning and teaching, and the most prevalent title was Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Key takeaways include recommendations for universities to intentionally enhance the employability of graduates who pursue learning and teaching positions within universities, and for prospective university learning and teaching staff to enhance their employability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-139
Author(s):  
Otabek Narziev

This paper provides the necessary information and analysis for understanding and considering the main research questions and discussions of the research. Notably, this section outlines the background to capital market formation and development in CIS countries through a brief history of the CIS; considers the necessity of capital market and its regulation in CIS countries; reviews the institutional and legal framework of capital market regulation, and analyzes certain problems of capital market development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Johan Prytz

The aim of this paper is to revise a standard narrative about governance of the Swedish school system in the period of 1910-1908. According to this narrative, the Swedish school system was centralized during this period. However, this narrative does not fit the history of Swedish mathematics education (years 7-9). The research questions are: where in the school system was change initiated and how was change enforced? On the basis of studies of syllabi, textbooks, teaching literature, teacher journals and reports from investigations and development projects, different modes of governance of school mathematics are identified. The main results are that textbook producers rather than national syllabi and exams were drivers of change in the period 1910-1960. Moreover, the centralized attempts to change school mathematics, prepared in the 1960s, were soon abandoned in the early 1970s. Thus, centralized governance of Swedish school mathematics, with the ambition to achieve change, was something that took effect relatively late and during a very short period of time.


Geografie ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-207
Author(s):  
Zdeněk R. Nešpor

The article introduces the field of necrogeography to Czech social geography and provides information on existing (nationwide) data sources. The author takes the issue of Protestant confessional cemeteries as an example, briefly outlines the history of these special types of burial fields (established principally from the end of the 18th century until approximately the mid-20th century), and provides a historical geographical analysis of their regional distribution in the Czech Lands. The article proves the impact of religious and geographical factors on the emergence (and eventual demise) of non-Catholic Christian confessional cemeteries and, at the same time, the research unveiled a number of important research questions to be addressed by Czech necrogeography in the future.


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