The current focus on diversity and inclusion amid calls to decolonize the German curriculum prompts us once again to examine what we understand to be "German" about German Studies. This article pursues this agenda by addressing a lacuna in our understanding and representation of migrants to Germany, specifically the presence, history,…

Learning to read English requires learning the complex statistical dependencies between orthography and phonology. Previous research has focused on how these statistics are learned in neural network models provided with as much training as needed. Children, however, are expected to acquire this knowledge in a few years of school with only limited…

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it aimed to determine whether the application of backward design model has any significant effect on improving the writing ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Second, the study sought to evaluate the superiority of backward design to conventional forward models in the improvement of the…

This concept paper outlines the steps in a process to integrate intercultural competence (IC) into course curricula in a way that is tailored to the program and course outcomes. The paper also provides guidelines and examples for how this could be implemented on the level of teaching, task and text design, and sequencing. Internationalised…

This article presents the foundations to design a curriculum that integrates music and drama as strategies for the teaching of English as a foreign language. Besides promoting interdisciplinarity, this curriculum seeks to improve the language level of those children attending continuing educational programs at any higher education institution. The…

The importance of learning outcomes (LOs) as a central component of LOs-based curriculum design has been emphasized by many higher education experts and researchers (Biggs, 1999; Adam, 2006; Kennedy et al., 2006; Biggs and Tang, 2007; Warnier et al., 2010). However, the important role played by program and course curriculum design in securing a…

In the research on "New Characteristics of Future Basic Education in China," Dina Pei formulates a "three-powered" model to theorize about the characteristics of future basic education in China. The three powers refer to the "Policy-making Power" of the local educational administration, the "Leading Power"…

A decade ago, Klapper (2003: "Taking communication to task? A critical review of recent trends in language teaching", "The Language Learning Journal" 27: 33-42) created the opportunity to reflect on the assets and limitations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in comparison with more established communicative language…

Hong Kong is linguistically complex and diverse with three principal languages: Cantonese, English and Putonghua. A substantial debate on the language policies governing the three principal languages has continued for more than two decades among policy-makers and educators. The political transition in 1997 has greatly affected Hong Kong society,…

The main purpose of this study is to fill a substantial knowledge gap regarding reaching a uniform group decision in English curriculum design and planning. A comprehensive content-based course criterion model extracted from existing literature and expert opinions was developed. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to identify the relative…

In their tenure as French teachers at the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, Illinois, the authors have continually sought an effective instructional model for their K-8 students. Their school is blessed to have a stable and historic French program for young learners, and each of their students is required to take French from kindergarten…

Many countries are challenged by the need to build both capacity and quality simultaneously in order to meet the accelerating needs of their society. Should what already exists be renovated, or should new institutions be created? Innovate from within or from without? Or perhaps some combination of both? In the U.S., postsecondary…

Higher education institutions across Europe are currently involved in a major process of reforming and restructuring as part of the Bologna process which stresses the role of competences and outcomes in curriculum design. This paper reports on the findings of a research project whose purpose was to assess the clarity and the appropriate…

The MLA Report on "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" has been criticized for focusing its proposals on large German programs. This article attempts to show how some of its recommendations can also be implemented in smaller language programs. These programs exist within a network of relations to other…

The commerce faculty at the University of Cape Town (UCT) offers a 1-year, postgraduate management diploma that is regarded as a mini-MBA. It appeals to a wide variety of mainly English-as-second language (ESL) students. In the past, core course diploma lecturers in marketing, tourism and leisure, enterprise management and sport management…