Prof. Dr. Thieme, what are you doing in your innovation professorship?

The topic of my teaching innovation professorship deals with EMI (English Medium Instruction) as a possible and sensible pedagogical concept for implementing English-language courses in the nursing and healthcare professions and in particular in the primary qualification nursing degree course.

Against the backdrop of increasing academization and professionalization, the development and expansion of an international network of cooperation partners is necessary in addition to a strong national network. Increasing internationalization of theoretical and practical learning and study locations therefore also requires students to develop their language skills in addition to acquiring specialist and academic expertise.

The implementation of courses in English is very demanding in terms of planning, organization, implementation, management and quality assurance. The high-quality implementation of English-language courses is associated with an increased expenditure of time, during the course of which difficulties can arise in the transfer of knowledge. Difficulties and obstacles may arise in the implementation of English-language courses due to a lack of a suitable pedagogical concept. English Medium Instruction (EMI) is a pedagogical concept in which subject-specific content is taught in contexts in which English is not used as a first language. EMI is therefore suitable in higher education in modules and courses (other than English itself) in countries where English is not the first language of the majority of the population.

How could other teachers, students and researchers (at OTH) benefit from your projects?

The primary goal is initially to develop English-language courses with EMI in the primary qualifying nursing degree program in order to enable students to engage in international discourse and read English-language literature in addition to acquiring subject-specific English skills for the professional care of patients, residents and clients with a migration background. A further goal is the transfer of English-language courses with EMI to other degree programs within Faculty S. EMI can be used across faculties. EMI is particularly suitable in the higher education sector, where English is not the native language, in order to enable both national and international students at OTH Regensburg to gain English skills through subject-specific content. Workshops on EMI with the experiences and evaluations from the courses of Faculty S are also interesting for colleagues from other faculties.

What motivated you to want to realize a teaching innovation?

The academization and professionalization of the nursing and healthcare professions has been with me for many years. Since the Nursing Professions Reform Act and the associated establishment of primary qualifying nursing degree courses in the higher education sector, students need not only professional but also language skills in order to be able to communicate with patients, residents and clients with a migration background. Since the academization of nursing in Germany is still lagging far behind in international comparison, students of nursing and health sciences need not only language skills for patient care but also an international discourse with colleagues in nursing and health sciences. English-language courses and the resulting increase in competence could create a good basis for international discourse. By examining EMI within the teaching innovation professorship, the question of whether EMI is a concept that is suitable for implementing English-language courses can be answered.

In September 2023, I was able to take part in intensive language training for professors in Cambridge for a few weeks and get to know EMI as a pedagogical concept. The intensive language training convinced me to use what I learned in Cambridge in my own courses, to investigate it scientifically, to accompany it and to evaluate it. The teaching innovation professorship now offers me the opportunity to work intensively on answering this question and to collaborate with the Teaching and Didactics Service Center.

How high do you rate the innovation content of your LIP?

Very high, as topics such as internationalization, internships abroad and English-language courses have not yet been implemented very much in the nursing degree course. The implementation, scientific monitoring and evaluation of courses with EMI enables professional care for those in need of care with a migration background and successful international discourse by increasing the language skills of nursing and healthcare students.

Why do you see potential for the EMI concept in nursing in particular?

Primary-qualifying nursing degree courses are still quite new; the new Nursing Professions Act has only made it possible to study nursing as a primary qualification since 2020. In the meantime, the primary qualifying nursing degree course has been firmly established at OTH Regensburg, but the topics of internationalization and internships abroad have not yet really been implemented. In addition to specialist skills, successful international networks also require students to have language skills, which can be consolidated through courses taught in English.