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About SEE-U

SEE-U: Science and Engineering English Usage

 Making the subtleties of scientific English “visible” to learners.

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SEE-U is a project of the International Centre of Teaching and Learning at QMUL. SEE-U is an online teaching and research platform to provide STEM learners (STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) definitions of vocabulary according to specific scientific and engineering disciplines and subdisciplines. The platform provides relationships (“SEE-U relationships”) between vocabulary with subtle differences, such as “same word/different discipline”, “related words with similar meanings but very different usage in STEM” and others.

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Because of this, you will find that words are "repeated" in SEE-U: this is correct, because each entry will show a different meaning and usage. Often, the vernacular (everyday language) usage of a word will be shown in a single entry, even if there are several meanings, leaving the "repeats" for Science and Engineering usage.

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The fundamental premise behind SEE-U is that vocabulary that is particularly difficult for STEM learners might not be vocabulary that is strictly scientific, namely, which has a very specific scientific meaning, such as “mitochondria” or “sulphate”. In our experience, it is vocabulary which may have several meanings, usually including a meaning in “everyday, non-scientific” language, which causes learners most trouble. Some examples include a wide range of terms, such as “tough”, “error”, “formula”, “composition”, “tolerance”, “decay”, “populate”, “tendency”, “attack”, “corrosive”, “caustic” and many many others.

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This type of vocabulary is particularly problematic for learners as their meaning may not be specifically defined in textbooks, and will be used by teachers and experts with the assumption that meaning in a specific context is clear, when, in fact, it is not. The consequence of such assumptions is that learners will guess meaning, usually in a way detrimental to their understanding of critical concepts in their disciplinary journey. In summary, when learners say “I don’t understand”, this is essentially a language issue!

 

Our inspiration is Michael Swan’s “Practical English Usage” (Oxford University Press), arguably one of the most significant resources for English language learners worldwide. “Practical English Usage” recognizes that what distinguishes basic from fluent speakers (learners) of a language is much more than knowing the meaning of words. Fluent, extremely competent speakers can navigate through language choices; they know when to use one word or another of a related pair, which may be indistinguishable to basic speakers, and, critically, fluent speakers understand when vocabulary usage is incorrect. Therefore, Practical English Usage not only provides definitions of vocabulary, but critical disambiguation of related terms, and vitally, examples of incorrect usage, as well as correct usage. In doing so, Practical English Usage makes “apparent” (in a sense, “visible”) the subtleties of the English language to learners.

Our aim is to provide similar support for STEM learners, making subtleties of STEM English “obvious”, or “visible”. If you “see it”, you can learn it! SEE-U!

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SEE-U is not a dictionary - SEE-U is not a textbook

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The purpose of SEE-U is to provide awareness of STEM language using through comparing and contrasting STEM terminology. We aim to enable learners of Science and Engineering develop a deeper understanding of Science and Engineering that is aided by language, not impeded by it.

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While we show definitions of words, SEE-U is not a dictionary, and it is certainly not a scientific textbook. The focus of SEE-U is not the Science and Engineering behind the words, but the words themselves and how they are used.

 

SEE-U is maintained by volunteers and is based on a research project that intends to respond to learner needs. As such, SEE-U will always be work in progress. It is likely that our platform may contain some errors, hopefully mostly typos, although we try really hard to edit our content thoroughly. SEE-U should be seen as a guide to learn STEM language usage, rather than as an established compendium of scientific terms.

 

Because a lot of the terminology we target have subtle differences in meaning and usage, it will not be surprising if some of our assertions are debatable, even by experts, or if you feel there are better ways to convey our message. The reality is that scientists and engineers (we) do not normally debate the extent and precision of the language we use; we just use it. If you feel strongly about any of our content, do let us know; we will definitely consider it. 

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Please contact us if you have spotted anything that may need changing. We will welcome your input! SEE-U is a community platform! Join the SEE-U community!

Acknowledgements

 

The team behind SEE-U are grateful for the funding and strategic support, without which, SEE-U would not be possible, provided by: the International Centre of Teaching and LearningQueen Mary Engineering SchoolSchool of Engineering and Materials ScienceFaculty of Science and EngineeringQueen Mary University of London.

Contact us:                   Visit SEE-U:

see-u@qmul.ac.uk       https://see-u.org.uk/

or

g.cavalli@qmul.ac.uk

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