A partial clil experience in engineering education

Resumen

Language competences contribute to the mobility, employability and personal development of European citizens. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been regarded by EU institutions as an important instrument to foster European citizens’ bi- and multilingualism [1]. CLIL describes a pedagogical approach in which language and subject area content are learnt in combination. CLIL allows flexibility and different versions can be applied, such as partial or total, depending on whether it refers to an occasional or a full implementation [2]. CLIL main characteristics can be summarised as follows [3]: language scaffolding and the primacy of task (task-based learning). In engineering education English is regarded as a common lingua franca. This work describes the design and implementation of the partial CLIL approach in a module of Environmental Technology within an Engineering Course, during the 2019-20 year, in the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU. The goals were to research about the English language competences of the students, improve their academic and technical English skills and teamwork skills. A background questionnaire was used to gather information about the students´ English knowledge and qualifications. Then, the methodology applied consisted in the introduction of CLIL-based tasks, after students had worked on the module content in the instruction language, Basque in this case. The assignments were linked to the content of the main units covered by the module, that is, an introductory unit about sustainable development, water pollution, waste management and air pollution topics. At the end of the semester students were asked to complete a satisfaction survey. Almost 60% had an English qualification and around 40% have attained a B2 level which is an upper-intermediate level qualification. Students´ general attitude to the English-based initiative was positive and they were focused on the tasks. The survey results suggest that the tasks designed were quite appropriate in terms of the difficulty faced by the students in completing them.