1. The state of ESP teaching and learning in Western European higher education after Bologna

Abstract

Background: Student support services are a broad and important concept in education, each of which is related to a speci c set of hypotheses related to the subject. This lack of theoretical and conceptual ambiguity has led to poor understanding and communication between researchers and policymakers and problems in comparing studies in different elds. The purpose of this study is to explain the student support system in virtual learning environment for medical education. Methods: This study was a qualitative research. An extensive search in scienti c databases was carried out based on predetermined strategies, and 53 documents were reviewed from 1996 until 2019. Data were analyzed based on Hugh McKenna's nine-step approach. Results: According to the literature review, determining the support services of students in virtual learning, providing academic and non-academic services is the responsibility of students' cognitive, emotional and social needs. These services lead to greater student participation in the process of self-learning and academic achievement, which is done at three levels: (pre-program, learning process and postgraduate support services). Student support services were categorized into conceptual areas (level, dimensions, and purpose) and the relationship between these conceptual areas was identi ed. Conclusions: Based on the ndings of this study, student support services in virtual learning can be divided into two categories: academic and non-academic with relevant subcomponents. It is recommended that educators and policy makers use these results to facilitate student support for different types of virtual learning.

Using exemption examinations to assess Finnish business students' non-formal and informal learning of ESP: a pilot study

“…Key components in the development of HE have been the consistency and comparability of the qualifications provided by HE degrees and corresponding increases in European cooperation, networking and mobility. This accumulated transparency and comparability of HE degrees has in turn also contributed to the need for more comprehensive recognition of prior, non-formal, informal and lifelong learning (Räisänen and Fortanet-Gómez 2008). In Finnish HE the principle is adhered to by institutions validating and assessing learning acquired in either formal or non-formal and informal learning environments.…”

EMI Lecturer Training Programmes and Academic Literacies

“…Implementation of EMI in Europe tends to be embraced as a means to integrate English and discipline-specific communication at university level, often at the expense of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (Arnó-Macià & Mancho-Barés, 2015;Räisänen & Fortanet-Gómez, 2008). Given the burgeoning number of EMI programmes, it is important to study how ESP research and pedagogy can lead to a more informed approach to EMI.…”

Higher Education Institutions without Foreign Language Continuity

“…The need for continuous FL instruction is especially dire in environments where an FL is not present naturally (Hansen, 2001;Scarino, 2003;Schmitt, 2010), however, as a rule, gaps occur at the primary/secondary and secondary/tertiary interface in FL instruction (Purvis & Ranaldo, 2003;Scarino, 2003;Cunningham, 2004;ECML, 2010). Problematically, it is often assumed that university entrants possess good general knowledge of an FL, usually English, which is then only to be enhanced with communicative language competence and specialized vocabulary within a specific academic, occupational or professional domain (Räisänen & Fortanet-Gomez, 2008a). Quite often such is not the case, and, worse, one of the most persistent problems in higher education is the gradual attrition of FL competence due to an FL discontinuity (Yoshitomi, 1992;Ecke, 2004) that is manifest most visibly in the form of declining grammatical competence and writing skills (Klapper, 2006;Skela et al, 2009).…”