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An academic English language intervention for first year engineering students

A history of segregation, inequality and inappropriate decisions regarding language policy in the South African education system could be blamed in part for the low language proficiency levels displayed by students who enter university education for the first time (Weideman & Van Rensburg, 2002). As a result, the development of academic literacy with specific reference to academic English is becoming increasingly important in the context of tertiary education in South Africa. This article describes an initiative by the University of Pretoria (UP) to address this situation through the establishment of the Unit for Language Skills Development. The article further discusses the English for academic purposes (EAP) course that was designed for first year engineering students. It commences with a brief discussion of the testing instrument used to test levels of language proficiency at the UP and then presents the test results for first year engineering students. The article further expands on the consultative process as well as specific design principles used in the development of the course. Amongst others, the use of engineering-specific material was emphasised. Specific reference is made to the incorporation of authentic material from one of the more generic engineering subjects, 'Innovation', that deals with creative problem solving.