Examining a Teacher Education Course in English for the Medium of Instruction with 5Is

Policies requiring English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI) are sprouting at many universities in Asia and Europe. In many cases, challenges arise for students because they are using English as a Second Language (ESL), rather than their primary language, for learning. Furthermore, faculty members need to use English to teach even though for many of them English is also not their primary language. Intensive English Language Centers which exist at many universities help students to bridge the language gap through ESL instruction or by offering adjunct courses. Far less attention and far fewer resources, however, have been given to faculty members who need to teach in their second language, English. Hence, policies requiring EMI have created a growing but largely unsatisfied need to prepare such faculty members to use English in their teaching. English For the Medium of Instruction (EFMI) has been proposed as a term to describe such teaching while “5Is” is proposed as a way of looking at the course development cycle. At a university with an EMI policy in Hong Kong, a course in EFMI was recently launched; in this presentation, the “5Is” will be discussed in relation to that course. Audience members will learn about the EFMI course in Hong Kong as the presenter stencils the 5Is - Identify, Invent, Implement, Investigate, and Improve - over the course development cycle, providing explanations and samples of different “Is” along the way. Participants will also be invited to discuss EMI and EFMI at their universities.