ums.ac.id, SURAKARTA – Office of Collaboration and International Affairs (BKUI) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) organized a workshop on English Medium Instruction (EMI) for international classes at the Siti Walidah Main Building on Friday, January 20th.
In this workshop, BKUI UMS brought in Nurmala Elmin Simbolon, Ph.D., a lecturer from Pontianak State Polytechnic and a researcher in EMI methods. The training was aimed at all lecturers from 9 UMS programs who are involved in international programs.
Head of the International Program at BKUI, Wijianto, M.Eng.Sc., stated that the purpose of this workshop was to provide insights into effective teaching methods for international classes.
“We aim to demonstrate how effective teaching methods can be applied in UMS international classes, whether in English or other foreign languages,” expressed Wijianto.
During the training, Nurmala Elmin discussed several reasons for using English in teaching, including the impact of globalization and internationalization in higher education.
In Nurmala’s presentation, challenges related to the use of English in international classes were highlighted, including pronunciation issues between lecturers and students.
Diah Priayawati, a lecturer in Informatics Engineering, revealed difficulties in conducting discussions and exchanging ideas with students from Uganda due to pronunciation barriers.
This workshop marks the first of its kind organized by BKUI UMS, focusing on the delivery of teaching in English for international classes.
Wijianto added that if this program is expected to have a positive impact and provide a good experience for lecturers teaching in international classes, it may be conducted regularly in the future.
By offering workshops to lecturers, he hopes that students will be more motivated to learn foreign languages.
“By understanding the teaching methods that should be provided to students in international classes, it will undoubtedly motivate students to learn in foreign languages,” Wijianto hoped. (Maysali/Humas)