English language use ‘most significant internationalisation trend for HE’

Times Higher Education, 01/05/2014, Chris Parr

According to the interim findings of a report by the British Council and the University of Oxford’s Department of Education, English is increasingly becoming the lingua franca for education institutions across the word – from primary schools to universities. University administrators tend to regard English as a Medium of Instruction, or EMI – a facilitator to attracting financially lucrative international students and a way to improve their institution’s position in global university rankings, the report says. Lecturers, meanwhile, are more idealistic, saying it could improve the exchange of ideas and promote better relations between countries. Although institutions believe they can improve both financially and academically as a result of EMI, the report also finds that examinations and assessment are a ‘problematic area’. Ernesto Macaro, Director of the Department of Education at Oxford, is quoted.