E-Learning Materials for Bilingual Study Programs

This article focuses on the development of web-supported learning materials for subject-related foreign language teaching in bilingual study programs in higher education. Such programs represent a synthesis of foreign language learning and the acquisition of knowledge and play an ever increasing role in establishing an open European university area. Current educational policy leans heavily towards the national language as that of learning and instruction. This puts pressure on institutions of higher learning to offer subject-related foreign language courses of study in a range of foreign languages other than and in addition to English. The traditional general foreign language course cannot meet these new demands. For these reasons recommendations for the conception and use of multi-media materials for content-based foreign language programs are formulated. They are based on the goals of the university-specific foreign language certification system UNIcert®, goals that are valid across different languages and institutions. Like UNIcert®, the web-supported materials are intended to meet the demands of contemporary didactics appropriate to a university context and replace the widespread, traditional concept of instruction in university education. On the one hand, selfguided, intrinsically motivated autonomous learning is to be made possible through the integration of subject-related texts as well as didactic components specific to foreign language teaching and learning in digital form. On the other hand, appropriate components for classroom instruction are to be developed.

25.02.2007 | Karl-Heinz EGGENSPERGER (Potsdam)