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Database of Teaching Sources

A database of selected, reviewed, tested, assessed and validated e-learning based language teaching sources addressed to Higher education students for the learning of 18 different European languages.

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IMED-KOMM-EU Interkulturelle medizinische Kommunikation in Europa- Deutsch für ausländische Ärztinnen und Ärzte

Date of Publication

not provided

Target Group

Lecturers
Students

Domain Area

Medicine & Nursing

Learning Scenario

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Target Language

German

Language of Instruction

Any language

CEFR level

B1
B2
C1
C2

Type of Material

Activity/task
Audio
Picture/Graphics
Reference resources (online Dictionaries/ grammar guides/phrasebooks)
Test
Video

Linguistic Features

Vocabulary
Prosody

Skills

Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Writing
Reading

Description

The online course "Deutsch für ausländische Ärztinnen und Ärzte" is aimed at medical students or doctors who wish to practise in Germany. It is a course offer coordinated by the IIK Institut für Interkulturelle Kommunikation e.V. within the framework of the LEONARDO ITP -Programme.
An advanced language level of at least B1+ is indispensable for successful work with the course. A deeper knowledge of German grammar is requested and is therefore not the main focus of the course, which is rather focussed on the acquisition of specific knowledge related to the everyday professional life of a doctor. The following topics, divided into 10 modules, are covered: 1. hospital (including organisational charts, departments, wards and areas), 2. anamnesis, 3. examination, 4. treatment, 5. communication with patients (including bad news), 6. medication (e.g. dosage forms, package inserts), 7. medical documentation (e.g. documentation of a medical history), 8. telephone conversations, 9. listening and reading comprehension (e.g. conversation between a family member and doctor), 10. speaking and writing (e.g. acting out a medical history conversation). With the exception of modules 9 and 10, all modules are programmed exercises that can be completed in self-study. The last two modules should ideally be worked through in a test centre (in group work), but can certainly also be worked through as an exercise on one's own.
The course convices through the use of texts and situations close to reality that cover all relevant areas of a doctors‘ professional activity.
The base of each exercise unit are written or spoken texts or visual material, that the course participant is supposed to internalise as well as possible. The student then has the opportunity to test the newly acquired knowledge in the form of a quiz. The acquisition of both technical and linguistic knowledge go hand in hand.
The modules can be worked on independently of each other, the student chooses the sequence freely.
All core competences of language acquisition (listening comprehension, writing, speaking and reading comprehension) are covered by the course offer. Students can choose from a wide range of authentic and professional audio and video material (e.g. patient information, anamnesis, physical examination, etc.).
Within the course, a wealth of additional material is provided. Links can be found under "further documentation". In addition to the course itself, a wealth of supplementary material in the form of podcasts, self-tests, blogs etc. can be accessed on the project's webpage.

Case study

For evaluation purposes, Falinar was used by a small group of students with a B2 starting level who had previously attended lessons covering health and tourism as topics of everyday language or who were completing an apprenticeship as a care worker. Although the project was conceived to support a blended learning approach and provides materials for both classroom and autonomous learning activities, the assessment focused on the latter, given the availability of materials on the website. The students were asked to work asynchronously on the assigned chapters in a self-regulated manner in addition to providing feedback on their learning experience. Since all participants met the language skills prerequisites described in the Falinar guidelines, they did not consider the assignment too challenging. The strength of the project certainly lies in providing a learning framework that primarily supports expanding lexical and communication skills in an LSP environment, which was also confirmed and appreciated by the students. They rated the topics and learning content positively and managed to successfully improve their vocabulary. However, they criticized the overall design as not very engaging and somewhat outdated. They also complained about some technical issues, e.g. page-content not showing up, video quality, the technical setup of the exercises. Moreover, the Italian and Korean students were unable to use the provided glossary because it is still limited to only four languages. The addition at least of English could considerably increase the possibilities for use. Of course, Falinar, as a media content and assignment resource, becomes more efficient and meaningful when integrated into a course environment that favours a modular teaching setup.

Guidelines

Before working with the course, it is recommended to take a look at the content overview of the language course (available as PDF file). Students can thus individually select modules that are particularly relevant to them according to their interests and needs. The modules of the course are independent of each other and can be worked on in any order. Registration is not required for full access to all materials. In the "Self-tests" section, a number of further links to quizzes and articles have been compiled. The "Youtube videos" section contains a compilation of useful videos on the subject of medicine, arranged by topic (e.g. anamnesis, digestion, asthma, etc.). The "Exams" section includes sample ECL tests for foreign doctors and nurses.

Further Information:
https://www.imed-komm.eu/node/796 (useful information in the context of the course, e.g. professional code of conduct for physicians working in Germany, patients' rights act, levels of care, health insurance, long-term care insurance)
https://www.imed-komm.eu/sites/default/files/uebungen/Inhalt%20IMED-KOMM%20Aerztekurs.pdf (content overview of the course)
https://www.imed-komm.eu/sites/default/files/anlagen/Glossar%20Aerztekurs.pdf (Glossary of the course)
https://www.imed-komm.eu/sites/default/files/uebungen/Aerztekurs.pdf (All exercises clearly summarized in PDF format)

Review

Category
Rate
Comprehensive approach
Capacity to match the needs of lecturers and students

5

Added value
The provided tangible improvements

5

Motivation enhancement
The capacity to motivate students to improve their language skills

5

Innovation
Effectiveness in introducing innovative, creative and previously unknown approaches to LSP learning

5

Transferability
Measurement of the transferable potential and possibility to be a source of further capitalisation/application for other language projects in different countries

5

Skills assessment and validation
Availability of appropriate tools for lecturers to monitor students’ progress and for students to assess own progress and to reflect on learning

4

Adaptability
Flexibility of the contents and possibilities for the LSP lecturers to adapt the contents to their and to students’ need

2

Usability
Assess the technical usability from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Accessibility
Assess the accessibility from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Comments:
Transferability of the course concept to other languages: each of the project partners (Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) offers an adapted version of the course in the respective national language. According to the project's internal statistics, adapted versions of the courses are also used in countries other than the original partner countries. The concept has also been transferred to other EU-funded projects (FALINAR).
Scope: The course offers a comprehensive, subject-specific range of exercises, which has the decisive advantage that it can also be worked on as far as possible in self-study. The large amount of authentic audio material allows students to become familiar with the German language in a subject-specific context in a relaxed atmosphere and at an individually determined learning pace.
Transferability of the course concept to other languages: each of the project partners (Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) offers an adapted version of the course in the respective national language. According to internal statistics of the project, adapted versions of the courses are also used in countries other than the original partner countries (over 80 countries). The concept has also been transferred to other EU-funded projects (FALINAR).
Website of the Teaching Source:
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