EMI MOOCS FOR UNIVERSITY LECTURERS

Abstract

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) at higher education institutions (HEIs) is gradually becoming more and more important and has a unique range of issues clearly different from those of EAP and ESP. EMI in higher education can facilitate the growth of the National Higher Education export potential and help each and every HEI move up the university rankings due to the growing numbers of international students. There is clearly a need for more university courses taught in English and EMI in higher education has already been discussed extensively in a number of international scholarly journals promoting globalization and internationalization of higher education. A small-scale investigation has been made to find out what kind of professional support is currently available for university faculty teaching and lecturing in English. This investigation has been limited to massive open online course (MOOC) platforms and international teaching qualifications providers. A brief outline of the research findings with an overview of the EMI-related MOOCs targeted at university faculty is offered with a detailed comparative analysis of the following MOOCs: “English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics” developed by the University of Southampton on the FutureLearn platform and “English for Teaching Purposes” developed by the Open University of Barcelona on the Coursera platform. The comparative analysis will cover the following variables: syllabus statement, course content, methods and techniques, assessment, resources and some learning outcomes. This paper is aimed at the university faculty who are already teaching their disciplines through English or will be working in academic international contexts in English with international cohorts of students in a global classroom.