What is it about?
When COVID-19 started, I observed that people, including my students in the Faculty of Health Sciences in Türkiye, felt anxious and confused due to too much conflicting information. They urgently needed to access accurate and up-to-date medical knowledge to support their studies and prepare for their future roles as healthcare professionals. At that time, my favorite guiding texts included: 1️⃣ Chiolero, A. (2020). Covid-19: a digital epidemic. British Medical Journal, 368:m764. 2️⃣ Horton, R. (2020). Offline: COVID-19 is not a pandemic. The Lancet, 396(10255), 874. To address this need, I designed a new Medical English curriculum using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as part of an integrative approach. This helped students better understand COVID-19, improve their English, develop critical thinking skills, and build professional confidence.
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Why is it important?
Students felt more confident, informed, and able to think critically. They learned to filter misinformation and became more motivated in their studies. They also reported feeling emotionally stronger and more connected to their future profession.
Perspectives
This study shows that integrating medical content with English learning during a crisis can reduce student anxiety, improve professional skills, and promote lifelong learning. It highlights how educators can respond to students' real needs in times of uncertainty. I was among the people who did not allow COVID-19 disturb life through searching, learning and disseminating accurate information after discussing with my students.
Dr Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir
Bursa Uludağ University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Designing an Integrative Curriculum Using CLIL for Medical English Courses in the Faculty of Health Sciences During COVID-19, July 2023, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/s2055-364120230000050009.
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