UK university launches language course for India's future engineers

LONDON: The University of Birmingham is starting a new three-week online free training for engineering students across India that will help them improve their technical English language skills.

Birmingham's new MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is based on real first-year modules at the University, the university said in a release yesterday.

The University's Electrical Engineering: Sensing, Powering and Controlling course aims to support students for whom English is a second language in mastering many of the key terms and concepts in Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering.

The MOOC is aimed at direct entry students planning to attend Birmingham to study in the discipline of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, but the content is helpful to any student planning to start in the first year of any engineering discipline.

The three-week course runs from November 13 and has been developed by the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

It is led by Tim Jackson, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering.

"This is a great opportunity for students whose first language is not English to brush up their language skills and get to grips with the key terms and concepts associated with engineering. The course will be delivered in English to help students to gradually develop their language skills," Jackson said.