ERIC Number: EJ1184547
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1750-1229
EISSN: N/A
Embedding Communication in the Disciplines: A Tale of Two Faculties
Jaidev, Radhika; Chan, Peggie
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, v12 n3 p199-211 2018
English is the medium of instruction in all Science and Engineering undergraduate programmes at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Therefore, students who do not meet minimum proficiency requirements are placed in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses to help them improve. Other generic, domain-specific and workplace communication courses are also offered as core courses or electives so that most students take at least one such course before they graduate. The strong focus on communication skills training for NUS students is aimed at equipping them with academic writing and speaking skills, in general, and workplace interaction skills. This paper, however, discusses the "embedding" of communication skills training within the content curricula of two modules in electrical engineering and one module in a special science programme in NUS as a pedagogical strategy to 'enculturate' [Prior, P. 1998. "Writing/Disciplinarity: A Sociohistoric Account of Literate Activity in the Academy." Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates] students into the academic and professional discourse communities of their disciplines. These three implementations are unique, firstly, because they 'include' all students in the cohort in the training, regardless of whether they have taken EAP or other communication courses [Wingate, U., and C. Tribble. 2011. "The Best of Both Worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies Writing Pedagogy." "Studies in Higher Education" 1-15. iFirst Article]. Secondly, content and communication lecturers collaborate closely with one another and with students to co-construct the latter's deeper engagement in their disciplines.
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Language of Instruction, Second Language Learning, English for Academic Purposes, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Engineering Education, Science Education, Work Environment, Elective Courses, Communication Skills, Curriculum Development, College Faculty, Interdisciplinary Approach
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Singapore
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A