English for Academic Purposes practices in Rwandan higher education

A language of instruction is an enabling tool that facilitates the learning of content subjects.It is a means by which learners grasp and reflect on the content in order to convert information into knowledge. This book aims to investigate the extent to which the one year English language course that the National University offers prepares students to cope with content subjects through the medium of English. In this regard, it starts with analysing students’ needs in terms of the English language knowledge and skills they need in order to function effectively through the English medium of instruction. Then, it analyses the one year English course materials to consider the extent to which they address the academic preparation of students on the course. Furthermore, it investigates students’ and teachers’ perceptions about the helpfulness of the course. it finally proposes an adjustment of the course towards English for Academic Purposes. This book is mainly useful for both English and content subjects teachers and learners in contexts where English as a foreign language is used as the language of instruction.