BALEAP PIM - Challenges and Tensions in Materials Design for English for Academic Purposes

This was a 1-day conference, held in Park Building in November 2024, for 68 participants. The event was a part of Professional Issues Meeting, or PIM, of the British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP), to which the University of Portsmouth belongs as an institutional member. BALEAP is also an accreditation body and carries out inspections and evaluations of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teaching provision on pre-sessional programmes offered by the university.

The November 2024 PIM conference focused on the Challenges and Tensions in Materials Design for English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

At our PIM we explored the challenges and tensions faced by practitioners in designing effective and appropriate materials for English for Academic Purposes programmes. Challenges faced by materials designers include the tension between disciplinary authenticity of the content and accessibility not only to students, but also to tutors, some of whom may have to switch gears from general English as Foreign Language (EFL) to EAP in a short period of time. Resolving tensions such as these requires a fine balance and careful decision making.