Looking to build on the successes of its world-class English language teaching, English Australia member college, Macquarie University English Language Centre, has launched Asia-Pacific’s first ever English Medium of Instruction (EMI) Centre.
EMI has grown exponentially in the past 10 years with more and more higher education providers incorporating the English language into their academic curriculum. This process often involves delivering courses or programs entirely in English in contexts where English is not the majority language spoken. However, moving to this educational model may present considerable challenges, and it is here that Macquarie’s EMI Centre aims to meet a growing need.
Challenges such as ensuring academics have the skills and support to not just use English for research but to teach their content can be significant, and the EMI Centre is looking at tackling this issue. This is just one of the issues that an institution may face when implementing EMI, to say nothing of developing the English language proficiency and academic preparedness of students in an EMI context.
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The EMI Centre’s approach is unique in that it looks at not just improving English language proficiency but expanding the teaching skills of its clients. The Centre has brought together academics and professional staff from Macquarie University’s School of Education, Department of Linguistics and its English Language Centre, as Centre Director, Dr Pamela Humphreys, explains, “yes we’re supporting them to deliver and teach in English, but we’re bringing along methodology and good pedagogy to build in success as well”. |
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Dr Pamela Humphreys, |
The Centre is also providing advice and experience that an institution will need to successfully transition to and implement EMI policies, including appropriate ways of measuring and evaluating the success of an EMI program. This expertise will be vital, especially in supporting academics as they move to EMI delivery.
Language training and support for those delivering content instruction in English may well be an exciting growth area for ELT practitioners, particularly post-pandemic. This area may also provide an interesting way of diversifying into consultancy services beyond the traditional ELICOS streams. We wish Macquarie University ELC the best of luck with their EMI Centre.
