The Great English Debate (continued)

The TU is certainly trying. All TU faculties now have English-language ‘faculty guides’, full of information about programs, courses and exams. Special social introduction events for foreign students were held this month, and a student mentor program has started to help guide new foreign students through their first months in Delft.

However, the TU Ombudsman’s 2005 Annual Report included various complaints he received from foreign students last year, the majority of them relating to problems with English-language education. “We aren’t there yet,” said TU Executive Board member Paul Rullmann. “But the fact that we’re experiencing these problems is a sign that we’re becoming more and more internationally-orientated. And that’s great. But if we’re still experiencing these problems in three years time, then yes, something has gone wrong.”

Despite such ‘glass half full’ optimism, Ushphal Thind, a foreign MSc student, objects: “Saying ‘we aren’t there yet’ gives the impression that we current students are test rabbits paying 10,000 euro per year for the privilege of being involved in TU Delft’s international experiment.” Thind does add however that he’s seen “a noticeable improvement in the TU’s ‘internationalism'” during his two years here.

Responding to foreign student complaints about lectures given in Dutch that were supposed to be given in English, Oras student political party member, Fleur van den Bosch, said: “If the TU’s Master’s degree programs are to be given in English, then the question is how many foreign students are present in the lecture hall. We’ve only heard of a few cases where the rules were broken, but we’ll meet the Ombudsman to discuss the complaints he received.”

Architecture instructor Dr. Bernard Leupen teaches courses to foreign students and can imagine that some students feel frustrated: “Not every teacher has sufficiently mastered English, especially for technical subjects. But some students . Dutch and foreign . also have difficulty following the lectures in English.”

Speaking and working in a foreign language certainly ain’t easy for student or teacher. In addition to general problems relating to English proficiency, some teachers have such strong accents when speaking English that students struggle to understand them, and some teachers have such poor grasps of English grammar that the readers they write for students are virtually unreadable.

“Pronunciation’s definitely a problem that tends to be ignored,” says Guodong Zhong, a second year MSc student from China. “Some teachers have such strong accents that it’s really hard to follow them. Most foreign students, and especially those from China, aren’t fully proficient in English themselves when they arrive here, so we have high expectations and hope our TU lecturers will speak English perfectly all the time. Unrealistic obviously, but that’s our hope and perhaps why we’re sometimes so disappointed.”

Sara Fernandez, an MSc from Spain, agrees: “Many foreign students arrive here with average to below-average English, because it’s usually the first time we’ve used English in ‘real life’.” She also says the manner of speaking can be problematic: “I remember one lecture I was really interested in, but the teacher spoke so fast that I didn’t understand anything.”
Readers

Joyce Wong, an MSc student from Canada, says foreign students shouldn’t be so harsh with the TU and its professors about English. “I think it’s very laudable that the TU teaches its Master’s programs in English. This was one reason I chose the Netherlands over France or Germany, because I could study in English. I actually find the level of English here better than I expected.”

Wong says the grammar must improve, though: “Especially for teachers who write their own readers. Bad grammar and spelling is really difficult to follow. As a native English speaker, I have troubles enough deciphering badly written readers, so I can just imagine how non-native English-speaking students must feel!”

Fernandez agrees: “I repeat, my English isn’t perfect either, but in some readers I’m constantly highlighting the grammatical errors, which makes studying even more difficult.”

Peter Hegi, the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences’ Master’s program coordinator, admits that lectures at his faculty have been given in Dutch instead of English. “But it happens less often now.” Hegi understand why students complain. “You pay 8,000 euro to come to TU Delft to follow English-language lectures, and if occasionally they are given in Dutch, you feel cheated.”

But to this, Thind replies: “Any fee-paying foreign student who feels cheated after sitting through a lecture given in Dutch that was supposed to be in English without strongly protesting…well, they deserve to be cheated.”

With all the talk of good and bad English, Wong says it’s the feeling of rejection that can hurt most: “It’s not the ‘lack of’ English that bothers me, it’s more the attitude. One teacher told me right from the start that he didn’t see the point of speaking or teaching in English, and that’s when I don’t feel very welcome at the university or in the Netherlands. But having said that, I also have one teacher who doesn’t speak English well, but he’s so enthusiastic, and that makes the learning process better for me.”

The TU is certainly trying. All TU faculties now have English-language ‘faculty guides’, full of information about programs, courses and exams. Special social introduction events for foreign students were held this month, and a student mentor program has started to help guide new foreign students through their first months in Delft.

However, the TU Ombudsman’s 2005 Annual Report included various complaints he received from foreign students last year, the majority of them relating to problems with English-language education. “We aren’t there yet,” said TU Executive Board member Paul Rullmann. “But the fact that we’re experiencing these problems is a sign that we’re becoming more and more internationally-orientated. And that’s great. But if we’re still experiencing these problems in three years time, then yes, something has gone wrong.”

Despite such ‘glass half full’ optimism, Ushphal Thind, a foreign MSc student, objects: “Saying ‘we aren’t there yet’ gives the impression that we current students are test rabbits paying 10,000 euro per year for the privilege of being involved in TU Delft’s international experiment.” Thind does add however that he’s seen “a noticeable improvement in the TU’s ‘internationalism'” during his two years here.

Responding to foreign student complaints about lectures given in Dutch that were supposed to be given in English, Oras student political party member, Fleur van den Bosch, said: “If the TU’s Master’s degree programs are to be given in English, then the question is how many foreign students are present in the lecture hall. We’ve only heard of a few cases where the rules were broken, but we’ll meet the Ombudsman to discuss the complaints he received.”

Architecture instructor Dr. Bernard Leupen teaches courses to foreign students and can imagine that some students feel frustrated: “Not every teacher has sufficiently mastered English, especially for technical subjects. But some students . Dutch and foreign . also have difficulty following the lectures in English.”

Speaking and working in a foreign language certainly ain’t easy for student or teacher. In addition to general problems relating to English proficiency, some teachers have such strong accents when speaking English that students struggle to understand them, and some teachers have such poor grasps of English grammar that the readers they write for students are virtually unreadable.

“Pronunciation’s definitely a problem that tends to be ignored,” says Guodong Zhong, a second year MSc student from China. “Some teachers have such strong accents that it’s really hard to follow them. Most foreign students, and especially those from China, aren’t fully proficient in English themselves when they arrive here, so we have high expectations and hope our TU lecturers will speak English perfectly all the time. Unrealistic obviously, but that’s our hope and perhaps why we’re sometimes so disappointed.”

Sara Fernandez, an MSc from Spain, agrees: “Many foreign students arrive here with average to below-average English, because it’s usually the first time we’ve used English in ‘real life’.” She also says the manner of speaking can be problematic: “I remember one lecture I was really interested in, but the teacher spoke so fast that I didn’t understand anything.”
Readers

Joyce Wong, an MSc student from Canada, says foreign students shouldn’t be so harsh with the TU and its professors about English. “I think it’s very laudable that the TU teaches its Master’s programs in English. This was one reason I chose the Netherlands over France or Germany, because I could study in English. I actually find the level of English here better than I expected.”

Wong says the grammar must improve, though: “Especially for teachers who write their own readers. Bad grammar and spelling is really difficult to follow. As a native English speaker, I have troubles enough deciphering badly written readers, so I can just imagine how non-native English-speaking students must feel!”

Fernandez agrees: “I repeat, my English isn’t perfect either, but in some readers I’m constantly highlighting the grammatical errors, which makes studying even more difficult.”

Peter Hegi, the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences’ Master’s program coordinator, admits that lectures at his faculty have been given in Dutch instead of English. “But it happens less often now.” Hegi understand why students complain. “You pay 8,000 euro to come to TU Delft to follow English-language lectures, and if occasionally they are given in Dutch, you feel cheated.”

But to this, Thind replies: “Any fee-paying foreign student who feels cheated after sitting through a lecture given in Dutch that was supposed to be in English without strongly protesting…well, they deserve to be cheated.”

With all the talk of good and bad English, Wong says it’s the feeling of rejection that can hurt most: “It’s not the ‘lack of’ English that bothers me, it’s more the attitude. One teacher told me right from the start that he didn’t see the point of speaking or teaching in English, and that’s when I don’t feel very welcome at the university or in the Netherlands. But having said that, I also have one teacher who doesn’t speak English well, but he’s so enthusiastic, and that makes the learning process better for me.”