Open AccessDeveloping disciplinary discourse in a first-year engineering course: The DELNA initiative
Author(s) -
Faye D'Silva,
Penny Kinnear
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
discourse and writing/rédactologie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2563-7320
DOI - 10.31468/dwr.909
Subject(s) - discipline , context (archaeology) , face (sociological concept) , english language , literacy , pedagogy , medical education , english for academic purposes , mathematics education , higher education , psychology , sociology , political science , medicine , geography , social science , archaeology , law
First-year students in higher education settings tend to face ongoing challenges with variations in discursive practices and genres within their discipline. Within this context, a Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment (DELNA) was administered to first-year engineering students to assess the strengths and needs of their ability to navigate academic language. The purpose of this paper is to report on our initiative to support student’s development of academic literacy, specifically their disciplinary language proficiency through the implementation of pedagogical support activities.