It has never been more important for universities to support their students with academic English so that they have the necessary linguistic tools to participate effectively in the academic community as well as to contribute to the wider work of academia. Epigeum’s programme therefore seeks to challenge traditional EAP publishing by putting the ‘purposes’ of ‘EAP’ at the heart of the curriculum. Students will develop a more holistic approach to their English-mediated studies and become equipped with the requisite skills to develop their interactional competence in academic contexts – and beyond.

I am personally convinced – and I am speaking from experience – that we cannot take it for granted that home students and international students have an appropriate command of English, even though English has assumed the status of a global lingua franca and lingua academica… Students have to be enabled to assess where they are language wise and what they have to do in order to perform appropriately.

A high level of competence in academic English is fundamental in achieving desired student learning outcomes. English for Academic Studies is an initiative customised to empower students with effective language skills to meet the rigorous demands of their institutions. It is exciting to be involved in an initiative that taps into the breadth of accumulated experience amongst international language educators and that brings together best practices and perspectives in course design. It also presents a wonderful opportunity to harness technology and blended learning approaches to leverage on pertinent learning methods of digitally savvy learners who are tightly plugged to the global e-stage.