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EMI Programs in a Vietnamese University: Language, Pedagogy and Policy Issues

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English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in Asia-Pacific

Part of the book series: Multilingual Education ((MULT,volume 21))

Abstract

English medium instruction (EMI) programs, where discipline content is taught through English, have been mandated in a number of Vietnam’s universities as part of the government’s National Foreign Languages 2020 project and their Higher Education Reform Agenda. The aim is to promote international exchange, increase revenue, raise the quality and prestige of educational programs, and provide a well-qualified, bilingual workforce for Vietnam’s rapidly-developing economy. Three main types of program are delivered: those from overseas institutions that are delivered onshore by overseas staff; overseas programs taught under franchise by local staff; and domestic programs that are informed by offshore curricula but modified for local requirements. But as with many Asia-Pacific countries, Vietnam’s EMI drive has been beset with issues at the macro- (governmental), meso- (institutional) and micro- (classroom) levels. Policy on EMI is mandated and regulated in an ad hoc fashion; institutions struggle to adapt programs designed in Anglophone countries to local requirements; classroom academics wrestle with increased preparation loads, the limits of their own English language proficiency and that of their students. This chapter examines these issues, providing illustrative detail through a case study of EMI implementation at a Vietnamese higher education institution. Recommendations are then made for improved implementation and practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of English for Specific Purposes, Foreign Trade University, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Huong Thu Nguyen

  2. School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Ian Walkinshaw

  3. English Department, Hue University of Foreign Languages, Hue, Vietnam

    Hiep Hoa Pham

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  1. Huong Thu Nguyen
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  2. Ian Walkinshaw
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  3. Hiep Hoa Pham
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Correspondence to Huong Thu Nguyen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Ben Fenton-Smith

  2. Griffith English Language Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Pamela Humphreys

  3. School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Ian Walkinshaw

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Nguyen, H.T., Walkinshaw, I., Pham, H.H. (2017). EMI Programs in a Vietnamese University: Language, Pedagogy and Policy Issues. In: Fenton-Smith, B., Humphreys, P., Walkinshaw, I. (eds) English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in Asia-Pacific. Multilingual Education, vol 21. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0_3

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