English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) is the usage of English for teaching in schools and universities that are not English-speaking institutions during these courses attended by non-native English speakers. This method is very pivotal for developing the students' communication skills in English and also for the international academic collaboration.
What are the benefits of using EMI in education?
The advantages of utilizing EMI in the educational process are that the students have a good command over the English language, which could, therefore, lead to their better chances of employment in the global job market. Besides, EMI can also provide graduates of the English language with a much wider range of academic resources, considering that most of the materials are published in English. To illustrate, students from countries where English is not the primary language can learn about science more efficiently with the help of EMI, since they can work with research papers and engage in global forums.
What challenges do students face in EMI programs?
English medium instruction (EMI) program students regularly face challenges that are often linked with the language barrier which can to some extent block their understanding of the complex subjects. The students may also feel anxiety and diminished self-confidence when they are involved in the discussions in English during the classroom. As a case in point, a student who is studying engineering in an EMI environment may fail to learn the technical vocabulary, and as a result, his academic performance and participation may be affected negatively.
How does EMI affect teaching methods?
The teaching methods in EMI classroom have to integrate language support strategies like scaffolding and interactive learning techniques, which is therefore a thumb rule for them to adopt. In order to better accommodate students to decipher subject content through the language-focused activities, teachers may need to change their lesson plans. A good example is that a math teacher using EMI could involve pictorial representation showing a group of students and working together on both language and other necessary mnemonics.
What role does EMI play in higher education globally?
English as Medium of Instruction (EMI) is used extensively in attracting international students and building multicultural societies in higher education across the world. Universities that provide courses in English can have a larger pool of students, thus improving their image and competition. For example, numerous European universities have been using the EMI as a way to get more enrolled students from countries where English is not the native language, which in turn, leads to hosting a variety of different students and implementation of cross-cultural exchange.