Innovation in Language Learning

Research demonstrates that while most any graduate student can successfully complete coursework, the most difficult stage and area of greatest student attrition is the dissertation where students must demonstrate their competence not just as successful learners, but as scholars able to contribute to the scholarly conversation. There is also evidence that language is an important factor in earning group membership. As hybrid and online delivery of graduate degree programs become an increasingly popular option for practicing professionals in every country, instructional design challenges are compounded by the need to help those adult learners further develop their language skills. Instead of relying on layman’s terms, the limited vocabulary acquired during undergraduate study, or even the professional jargon that marks one as belonging to a specific professional group, doctoral students must learn the language of scholarship, which is expected to structure their academic writing and discussion. 

This paper explores both the theoretical bases of considering scholarly discourse as an additional language skill and necessity for being accepted into the scholarly community. Following this, the paper investigates the development of scholarly language skills in students’ native tongues in the challenging environment of online and hybrid-delivery doctoral programs, concluding with best practices for such programs and areas for further research.