9. English-language courses and full programmes

In a multilingual university setting, such as the University of Copenhagen, it is difficult to use English or Danish in isolation, especially when the use of more than one language can contribute to the quality of education.

Using English, completely or partially, in courses in Danish-medium degree programmes may be necessary when international lecturers who are in the process of developing their Danish language skills are expected to contribute to instruction in Danish-medium degree programmes because of their expertise in a particular disciplinary area. For more information on how international lecturers can contribute to teaching in Danish, see the Principles in Section 2.

On some courses, the inclusion of reading materials or cases in English is essential because these materials provide access to the latest international research or theoretical discussions in the field. In these cases, students are expected to read in English but participate in lectures and classroom discussions in Danish.

In addition to access to international research and theoretical discussions, English may also be included as part of the Danish-medium course or degree programme because students may need to develop disciplinary literacy in both Danish and English in order to be adequately prepared for their future careers in the field. By being exposed to materials and discussions in English and Danish, the students develop their discipline-specific terminology and literacy in the field in both languages. For more information on developing students’ disciplinary literacy, see Principle 7.1.

Finally, a decision may be made to offer a course completely in English in an otherwise Danish-medium program if international students are enrolled in the programme as part of the department’s internationalization strategy.

To maintain the high level of quality in the programmes, the introduction of English, completely or partially, in otherwise Danish-medium degree programmes must take into consideration students’ and lecturers’ English proficiency and academic literacy. The following list of principles, which originate from a set of recommendations for Nordic universities published by a pan-Nordic group of language educators for the Nordic Council of Ministers, may be useful during programmatic planning:

• Both lecturers and students must master the teaching language – otherwise the quality of teaching and students' learning will suffer.
• Both lecturers and students can and should be offered courses to support language learning.
• The reading material may well be in languages other than the teaching language.
• The teaching language may vary from one sub-element to another within the same study programme [sub-element refers to teaching activities such as lectures, group work, Q & A in seminars etc.].
• The teaching language during a specific element may also vary if the lecturer needs to change it to demonstrate a point, or if the students have different language backgrounds.
• Before the course starts, students must always be fully informed of the languages used and the language-related requirements.
• The parallel language skills students acquire during (elements of) a study programme should be made explicit, and credits awarded for them. Degree certificates and grades should specify the defined skills and competencies acquired in one or more languages during the course. (Gregersen et al. 2018, p.20-21).

Programme directors should be aware of the possible challenges that academic reading (and other language skills) in English may pose for students, so adequate support for developing students’ academic literacy in English may be provided. For more information about the types of support that can be offered, see Principle 7.1.

At CIP, we offer courses in reading skills in English for students and support for lecturers who would like to implement different activities to support students’ development of their reading skills in English. CIP also offers one-off workshops for both students and lecturers (e.g., at the beginning of the semester or before the semester start), collaborating with lecturers to implement reading support for students, or providing support for students in handling the disciplinary content throughout the semester, often in collaboration with the content lecturer.

If you’re interested in knowing more about what we offer at CIP and our prices, please contact us at cip@hum.ku.dk or by phone +45 3532 8639.