Developing a scientific writing course for EFL graduate students of computer science

Abstract

Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education (ICLHE) is a relatively new term that refers to programs and courses in tertiary schools with “explicit and integrated content and language learning aims" (Unterberger & Wilhelmer, 2011, p. 95). It has drawn conceptual frameworks from a variety of fields, including content and language integrated learning (CLIL), communicative language teaching (CLT), second language acquisition (SLA), and content-based instruction (CBI) (Gustafsson & Jacobs, 2013; Jacobs, 2015). This study investigates the development of an ICLHE scientific writing course for graduate students majoring in computer science at a Korean science and engineering school. In order to achieve the research goal, semi-structured face-to-face and email interviews were conducted with the course instructor, the content professor whom the instructor collaborated with for course development, and 15 students who have taken the course. In addition, content analysis of course materials and course evaluations was carried out. Results show that the course was highly successful: the content professor showed a high level of satisfaction with students’ progress in their development of discipline-specific writing skills through the course, and students’ course evaluations averaged 4.83 out of 5.00. The instructor himself was satisfied with the outcomes of the course. However, he experienced difficulties in developing expertise in discipline-specific writing styles and collaborating with the content professor who tended to have time constraints. The study thoroughly examines the steps that the instructor took for the course development and makes suggestions for the successful maintenance of the course. It further attempts to propose an ICLHE development model of a scientific writing course for computer-science majors.