Academic professor of Dalhousie University will participate in three international events of the Faculty of Engineering: "the key is to understand that linguistic diversity is part of internationalization."

October 8, 2019

In 2018, Dalhousie University (Canada) signed an agreement with our University and Faculty to offer academic training on development of English courses for engineering academics. The agreement seeks to support the Faculty in strengthening training courses with a focus on English Language and learning methods.

Since November 2018, professors Iván Derpich, Diego Vasco, René Garrido, Cristina Villamar, José Luis Salazar, Felipe Castro, Miguel Maldonado and the English coordinator of the Faculty, Soraya Abarca, have carried out the online modules of the "Professor Training Program for Teaching in English.” In January 2019, they participated in the final stage of this training –in-person module, in charge of PhD Shazia Nawaz from Dalhousie University.

Professor Nawaz is PhD in Education from the University of Exeter with an extensive curriculum in teaching English globally and developing curricula in that language. Her interests of research are focused on curricular internationalization and interculturality within university contexts.

Nawaz is back in Chile to continue this process with 15 academics from the nine departments of the Faculty of Engineering, but this time including students and teaching assistants in order to expand internationalization scope. "It is about understanding English as a medium of instruction, which allows acquiring intercultural tools to internationalize the curriculum, and that is the route Usach is taking", said the academic who is participating in three important events of the Faculty of Engineering and continues with the training of the Dalhousie program.

Open Class for students: "Generation Z at USACH and Internationalization of Curriculum. English class taught by PhD Nawaz, Dalhousie University, Canada. Application link: https://forms.gle/CVUyUvEuFJBJjLdr7  October 10, at 1.30 am in the Mechanical Engineering Auditorium.

Conference: “Strategies for Internationalization of Curriculum: An All-Encompassing Approach for Higher Education Institutions”. October 16 at 11.30 am. Auditorium B, Espacio Isidora Aguirre, Vice-Rectory of Outreach and International Affairs: https://forms.gle/B24A3HLVks661hFr5

Workshop: “Strategies for Internationalization of Curriculum”. October 16 at 4 pm. Sala de Reuniones B, Espacio Isidora Aguirre, Vice-Rectory of Outreach and International Affairs: https://forms.gle/Gj6JShtePqvn5bno6

For the PhD professor, all students have the right to be international ones, regardless of the political, social or cultural conditions they have. "If we take curricular internationalization, the contribution is reflected in the exchange of perspectives for the academic and student world. This allows us to understand the world differently and contributes to the linguistic and cultural diversity", she said.

The work that PhD Nawaz has developed is based on three main pillars: academic, student and administrative. "We are creating a learning community with these three sectors. The Faculty of Engineering has an immense potential; I have met enthusiastic professors who are being prepared for this challenge. However, we have to focus more on students; I have observed they hesitate to participate. It is very important to create such learning community, where academics can share these experiences and students can use English language as a medium of instruction."

"I have been in classes where there is a very good interaction in English between the student and professor, but it is necessary to take the leap towards the total confidence of the student. That is the critical moment to address that situation. The key is to understand that linguistic diversity is part of the internationalization process and that will provide students with the means to achieve the goals they have.”

This Nawaz’s second visit is intended to strengthen the USACH-Dalhousie alliance for the Faculty of Engineering by promoting the summer and winter English courses in Canada, so graduates can feel more prepared to take classes in English with the 15 USACH academics who are being trained in Content and Language Integrated Learning (Content and Language Integrated Learning). This methodology will be applied in 15 engineering courses, which will be available for the first academic semester of 2020.

On this matter, Nawaz commented that this experience of international cooperation has allowed the creation of a management model with other partner universities, which she calls "the Chilean model", an active follow-up of training programs that not only include a transfer of methodologies, but also an exchange of theoretical and practical experiences between both institutions.

Written by Macarena Polanco

Translated by Alexandra Cabrera