engleski

English-medium instruction at the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka: Conditions, commitment and competences

In the last decades we have witnessed the widespread use of English in all domains of human achievement, among which in academia. There has been a noticeable increase in English-medium instruction (EMI) in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and beyond. The present study is concerned with EMI implementation at one of the constituent institutions of Rijeka University, i.e. the Faculty of Engineering (TFRI). A comprehensive analysis of the existing conditions, commitment and competencies of the teaching staff was carried out via a questionnaire and interviews with the management. The findings indicate a generally positive attitude towards EMI implementation on the part of both the teachers and the management. In fact, the management has expressed their intention to take concrete steps aimed at the internationalisation of higher education by, for example, ensuring financial support through applying for a project which will be initiated by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports within this academic year. The great majority of the teachers (76.4%) believe that EMI, i.e. an entire programme in English, could be implemented at TFRI in the foreseeable future, primarily at the graduate and postgraduate level, which also shows their commitment to the initiative. They feel confident regarding their linguistic, didactic and intercultural competencies needed for EMI implementation. As regards the potential problems, the only two identified seem to be the finances and the teaching load, which will require an in-depth restructuring and rethinking of study programmes. The general opinion seems to be that the assurance of timely and transparent information flow between teachers and the management is essential for successful EMI implementation.

English-medium instruction (EMI), Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka (TFRI), attitudes, conditions, commitment, competencies

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