English for Higher Education Professionals

The English for Higher Education Professionals course is an intensive professional training course that aims to help participants express themselves more confidently and accurately in English in international HE settings.

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Course Overview

The English for Higher Education Professionals course is an intensive professional training course that aims to help participants express themselves more confidently and accurately in English in international Higher Education settings while also getting the opportunity to experience and explore the charm and vibrancy of modern day Dublin.

Who is it for?

The English for Higher Education Professionals (HEP) course is an intensive professional training course for academics and administrators working in Higher Education Institutions who need English to regularly interact effectively with students and colleagues.

Format

This English for HE Professionals course can be organised as either a one-week or two-week course and consists of 20 classroom-based sessions per week, plus an extensive cultural and social programme led by your teacher trainers.

20 lessons of group tuition / week
1 lesson = 50 minutes
Course Duration: 1 week or 2 weeks
Level: Upper-intermediate (B2)
Course Location: Dublin

2024 Dates

Spring 2024	Summer 2024	Winter 2024
11th March – 23rd March	1st July – 13th July	9th December – 20th December
25th March – 6th April	29th July – 10th August

Course Aims

Manage communications and participate in meetings with students more effectively.
Be able to better decode and respond to oral and written messages (cross-cultural communication).
Demonstrate increased control and flexibility over a range of grammatical structures and functions to communicate ideas for a range of academic purposes.
Gain awareness of Irish culture and society through topical, interactive lessons.
Establish contacts between teachers from a variety of education systems and facilitate future networking.

Methodology

This is a practical course which uses real teaching and learning tasks. Teachers completing the course will return home with immediate, practical ideas to implement in their own work and / or teaching practice.

Participants are expected to actively participate in the workshops, reflecting on their own beliefs and practice, and sharing thoughts, ideas and expertise in pair work, small groups and with the class as a whole.

During the course participants will also take part in a range of afternoon activities where they will be encouraged to develop their language skills in a more informal environment outside the classroom and further enhance their knowledge of contemporary Ireland.

Course Themes and Sample Timetable

The English for Higher Education Professionals course has three main components:

Communicating in International Contexts
Language Skills for Higher Education *
Irish Life and Culture (including focus on language development)

The Language Skills for HE component has two distinct strands. One for academics, and a distinct one for administrators working in HE to reflect their different professional duties and tasks.

* Language Skills for HE – Academics Strand

Planning and Delivering Lectures
Language for Seminars (Explanation, Supporting Evidence)
Research Writing

* Language Skills – Administrators Strand

Language for Client Services (Clarification, Mediation)
Organising and Conducting Meetings
Email Writing

To ensure your course meets your development objectives, the schedule of sessions on every course is drawn up and agreed with each group of participants and Erasmus Plus coordinators on the basis of pre-course training needs analysis questionnaires.

Week One (Sample)	Session One 9am to 10.40am	Session Two 11am to 12.40pm	Afternoon Activity
Monday	Course Orientation. Communicating Beyond Words – it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Non-verbal communication	Dublin’s Parks, Squares and Public Spaces	Orientation tour of the city
Tuesday	Getting the Right Message – politeness, hedging, directness, dealing with uncertainty	The Higher Education System in Ireland	Visit to Trinity College Dublin and The Book of Kells
Wednesday	Enhanced Academic Writing Using Corpora	Ireland, the EU and Brexit, The Border and a Border Poll	Walk and Talk Tour – Local History
Thursday	Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Education – What’s happening, where is it going, how does it affect teachers and learners, how can we use it?	The CEFR / An introduction to IELTS – what it is and what it isn’t	Visit to MoLi – Museum of Literature Ireland
Friday	Student Motivation and Wellbeing	Reflection on learning. Looking ahead. End of course feedback and Irish Coffee	Free afternoon (Option: join our Film and Fluency Club)
Saturday	Full day excursion to Howth

Follow Up

Participants on the course are encouraged to keep in contact, sharing materials and experiences when back in your own classrooms. Follow-up contact is made with the participants three months after completion of the course to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the classroom activities presented and on how your teaching practice has been developed. The course trainers are available for follow-up advice and support at all times.

Price List

1 - week training course

€450

Programme includes materials, excursions and activities.
Additional Fee: Homestay Accommodation: €265 for one week of host family accommodation (single room, half-board) + €65 placement fee

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2 - week training course

€890

Programme includes materials, excursions and activities.
Additional Fee: Homestay Accommodation: €530 for two weeks of host family accommodation (single room, half-board) + €65 placement fee