EQUAL CHANCES THROUGH UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: FACILITATING LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG STUDENTS IN MEDICINE, NURSING AND NUTRITION THROUGH ELEARNING
Authors: Cretu Ioana , Colibaba Anca cristina 
Published: February 2023

The paper explores the potential benefits of using Blended Learning (face-to-face and online) to teach languages to students at university level by analyzing the experience gained at “Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi in partnership with EuroEd Foundation Iasi, within the wider context summarized below.

While many Romanian students today begin their bachelor studies with a relatively high level of competence in at least one foreign language (most commonly English), it is important to acknowledge that this is not always the case. In fact, students may feel at a disadvantage compared to their colleagues and objectively have less chances to access scholarships etc. specifically due to not having had the same opportunities to learn a foreign language such as English in their past. Therefore, in order to provide all medical students with equal chances at academic and professional success, some may require additional opportunities in transversal areas such as language learning, ICT etc. For example, medical universities in Romania attempt to provide all their students with compulsory language instruction in their first year(s), making it optional later on. However, putting together groups with students of similar language levels and needs often proves to be an impossible administrative mission, the typical outcome of that being mixed-level groups of students who more or less want to study the same language.

In our case, a solution was found in order to provide adequate additional support to students whose entry language level was less than B2 / independent according to the Common European Framework of Reference. For the past two academic years, the face-to-face language instruction of junior students in Medicine, Nursing and Nutrition according to the core curriculum has been supplemented with optional activities using the ELSTI language training package online.

The ELSTI platform (http://www.eurobusinesslanguageskills.net) is the main result of a series of EU-funded projects involving EuroEd Foundation also from Iasi and, as it stands today, it provides courses of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish for levels A2 and B1. All the courses, sub-units, explanations, situations, tasks, tests and self-assessment tools are calibrated to fit the CEFR descriptors while serve real life communicative functions set in a business context promoting cultural awareness. In addition, they are accompanied by personal development and motivational modules.

While students were recommended the content, instruction and activities related to the language they were studying in class, all students had free access to all the other online language courses as well. The online work was student-centered in the sense that, once logged on, students could decide which units/exercises to solve in which order, the entire process being driven by the students’ own goals, interests and preferences. As is turned out, this form of increased flexibility and controlled freedom deliberately embedded in the courses added significantly to some students’ motivation to continue well beyond set requirements, as well as to their overall enjoyment, autonomy and empowerment. Concurrently, the classroom experience could be targetted more clearly towards teaching and learning English for medical purposes.

The statistical analysis takes into consideration attempts, times and scores for using grammar and vocabulary support independently, solving reading and dialogue-based tasks, playing games and simulations, etc. by each user, thus providing insight into how the students chose to engage with the different e-contents and instructions within and beyond the language they were studying in class. The quantitative data to which we are referring in this paper has been collected from over 500 students at UMF Iasi and indicates how popular, difficult, motivating etc. the various types of online language exercises are among students for whom language is not their main interest but rather a vehicle. Nevertheless, the online activity reports contain ample evidence of how these students have valued this opportunity of gaining skills in transversal areas such as foreign languages, but also cultural awareness, personal development and ICT.