CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: SELECTED AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS FOR ENHANCING THE INTEGRATION OF CONTENT AND LANGUAGE

A growing number of lecturers worldwide are recording their lectures as podcasts (usually audio and video) for students - the term coursecasting has been adopted in academia. Technology and podcasting as a communication medium have made it easier for these teachers to collaborate, share and provide material in a portable format. Podcasting allows academics to extend their reach outside the classroom. This contribution will look at the particular case of the Brussels Faculty of Engineering (Bruface), offering Joint Master's programmes taught partially or fully in the English language between the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The challenges students face in such educational contexts are mostly language-targeted, where students report difficulties with note-taking, the introduction of key terms and terminology, and more importantly, the teachers' accent and rate of speech. Podcasting can bring a solution to this problem by enabling students to revisit the lecture outside the classroom, to focus on individual problem areas, and at the same time foster student learning and autonomy. The subject material used for podcasting may cover a variety of pedagogical objectives: abridged lectures, preparation material, supporting information, etc. The portability of videocasts makes it easier for students to review their courses. Foreign language lessons are also ideal for podcasts because students can listen to different accents, intonations, and speech patterns (native and non-native). Students listening to podcasts in a foreign language are able to hear and experience the language outside of the classroom thereby improving their overall language skills. By combining the advantages of using podcasts in the scientific field on the one hand to those of foreign language teaching, podcasts can be a beneficial tool for those who embark on Content and Language Integrated in Higher Education (CLIHE) contexts.