Section 10: Establishing panlinguistic perspectives on academic language
Daniel Walker (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences) & Dr. Martin Wichmann (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
German- and English-language study programmes require targeted (academic) language support. The significantly lower academic success of international students further supports this. This language support should go beyond general language courses, considering the complex communicative requirements of studying in higher education.
We welcome contributions that relate to individual sub-skills or oral and written forms of communication in studies (e.g. lectures, seminar discussions, presentations, exams, term papers) and science (e.g. exposés, lectures, scientific articles). To date, there are especially few works available on oral communication. Contributions on the professionalisation of foreign language teachers (“How do I design a course offering support on writing exams?”) and on language and university didactic guidance for lecturers (“How do I design a lecture that is also aimed at international students?") are also of interest.
The aim of this section is to bring together the various concepts and contributions from the two areas of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and German as a foreign (academic) language. Interesting questions include:
- Where are there overlaps and where can we learn from each other?
- What materials are used?
- What are the conceptual reference points and what is the (methodical) procedure?
- What offers are being developed to professionalise teachers and how are lecturers bring prepared for teaching international students?
We also welcome contributions on how this language support is embedded into the language centre portfolio and how this is presented externally.
Contributions in English and German as well as cross-linguistic contributions and those from other foreign languages are welcome, provided they are related to study programmes offered in the corresponding language. Contributions can range from best practices to more conceptual and theoretical.
The following presentation formats are welcome:
- Talks (25-minute presentations followed by 10 minute-discussions)
- Workshops (40 or 80 minutes; please specify desired duration in your proposal)
- Moderated discussions (40 minutes)