Students have doubts about English-only classes
Beginning in September 2003, all courses in the TU's applied physics Master's program will be given in English. Although there are advantages to this%students learn to work in an international environment and the TU becomes more accessible to foreign students%many students and professors have their doubts about this switch to English-only.
Some students are worried that the level of education will decline and that their own study performance will suffer as a result of studying in a foreign language.
For the applied physics department, this academic year (2002-2003) is seen as a transition year, prior to the entire Master education program%s switch to English. "We have already received the first complaints," says Dr. Erik Lagendijk, educational director of applied physics. "Students are asking that teachers please switch back to Dutch again." It's uncertain whether all teachers are already teaching in English. What happens if in a particular class only Dutch students are present? Langendijk believes it is then okay to teach in Dutch: "It won't be too strictly enforced, will it?" Professor Diemer De Vries doesn't teach in English if only Dutch students are present: "I think it's very snobbish to keep talking in English then."
Audience
Runo Mijnarends is an educational commissioner for
the Association for Technical Physics (VvtP). He says that their club doesn't yet know what their position will be regarding teaching in English to Dutch students. "There are many arguments for and against it," he says, "but someone who teaches well in Dutch should also be able to teach in English properly." Mijnarends believes that this question of teaching in English to a Dutch audience will disappear in a couple of years, because many foreign students will be studying at the TU then. "Incoming students should have to do an entrance exam to test their English-language proficiency. Often, they aren't fluent when they arrive here." Lagendijk adds: "Especially Asians and East-Europeans speak English very poorly, and until now, as far as I know, no Americans or British people have come to the TU Delft
for the MSc. program." |
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