Abstract
1. Institutional Strategy and Management
- Academy of English Empowerment
The Academy of English Empowerment (AEE) was established in order to implement “The Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College (Best Program).” The AEE consists of 3 divisions: Curriculum Division, Professional Development Division, and Research Division.
- College of Management
In 2021, National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) and the College of Management (CM) formulated a plan to promote BEST (Bilingual Education for Students in College) and EMI (English as the Medium of Instruction) practices in the eastern region of Taiwan. With the aim of providing high-quality EMI courses and continuously enhancing EMI practices, CM, under the support of the EMI program, established incentive reward programs for EMI teachers. In the 110th academic year, there were 24 teachers who received these rewards. In August 2021, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, an International Bachelor's Program in Accounting and Information Management was added to the syllabus.
2. Teachers and Teaching
- Academy of English Empowerment
AEE has cooperated with the University of Cambridge and the Queensland Institute to provide online EMI certificate courses for EMI teachers. A total of 34 teachers have earned the Cambridge EMI certificate and 12 teachers have earned the Queensland Institute EMI certificate. AEE has also provided 100 accounts to “Future Learn" online courses for EMI teachers and teaching assistants to enhance their English proficiency skills. In addition, AEE has organized 5 EMI workshops and 6 English mentor activities for teachers and students.
- College of Management
In the 110th academic year, CM offered a wide range of EMI courses, including 66 EMI courses and 3 online EMI courses, involving 6 departments across the college and bachelor program in management science and finance. By 2021, CM had 32 EMI lecturers, representing 50% of all the CM faculty staff and 10 of them participated in related EMI training. The EMI Teaching Center established a community for EMI teachers and TA training, which has successfully reached the KPI target for the number of TAs trained and teachers participating in the community.
3. Students and Learning
- Academy of English Empowerment
AEE has made a concerted effort to support student professional development through various initiatives. These include 4 online "International Couch Surfers" events and 34 "Let's Talk About" sessions that give students the opportunity to boost their spoken English skills and connect with international students. Additionally, AEE has partnered with the Language Center to offer 7 ESP Listening and Reading online courses and 9 ESP Speaking and Writing online courses to help students enhance their English proficiency. There are also scholarships and application fee subsidies available for students who successfully pass CEFR B2 English proficiency tests.
- College of Management
During the 110th academic year, 3.7% of sophomores and 9.62% of seniors at CM achieved an English proficiency level of B2 or higher. Additionally, 5.73% of sophomores and 30% of freshmen took at least 20% of their credits in EMI courses. Although only 26 students in the E1 level achieved this before graduation, the goal of having a certain percentage of students taking EMI courses was met in other levels and is expected to continue to increase. The number of students in the EMI Line community reached 27, and 179 students took EMI courses both in China and abroad, which met the target.
4. Information to Students and the Public
- Academy of English Empowerment
The AEE website posts information about English language courses, events, and scholarships, and informational meetings were held to promote scholarships and class observation opportunities. The "EMI Laurel Seed Teacher Community" and "Cambridge EMI Certificate Community" were established to give EMI teachers a space to share their teaching and learning experiences.
- College of Management
CM has set up the "EMI Teaching Center" website to encourage students to utilize the school's resources for international exchange purposes. Moreover, students can go to "e-Learning@NDHU" website to find information on EMI courses.
5. Quality Assurance
- Academy of English Empowerment
"Midterm Course Feedback Investigation" and "Self-Assessment" have been conducted for EMI students and teachers respectively, and will be repeated every semester. The results are analyzed in order to improve EMI teaching and learning.
- College of Management
In order to reach the objectives of the BEST Program, the CM committees collected and analyzed feedback from teachers, faculty and students on the status and progress of EMI curriculum integration and implementation in the first and second semesters of the 110th academic year. In April 2022, the collegiate outcomes of learning assessment mechanism was conducted and in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence the effectiveness of EMI student learning was assessed.
6. Sharing and Collaboration
- Academy of English Empowerment
AEE has organized 2 online EMI forums focused on "English, Bilingual and EMI Education" and invited EMI teachers from different universities to give plenary speeches and engage in discussions. Teachers from the Pan-Pacific University League were included in the invitations. The purpose of these forums to facilitate sharing and collaboration between NDHU and the Pan-Pacific University League, provide opportunities for teachers to learn from a diverse group of participants from different universities and professional backgrounds was thus achieved.
- College of Management
The EMI Teaching Center supported teachers in offering 3 online EMI courses, and at the end of the 110th academic year, 20 lecturers were invited to share their experiences in launching and teaching the courses with their colleagues.
7. Other Initiatives for Enhancement
- Academy of English Empowerment
AEE has established policies for scholarships, incentives, meetings, as well as guidelines for sending teachers and students abroad for EMI training, with the aim of boosting their English proficiency, teaching and learning motivation, and expanding their perspectives.
- College of Management
The target for teacher and student attendance at international events during the 110th academic year was met. Despite the ongoing pandemic, we anticipate this number will increase in the next academic year.
