Abstract

Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College (BEST Program) at I-Shou University in Academic Year 2021

Achievements and Highlights

College of Medicine & College of Medical Science and Technology

With the help of the BEST Program, outstanding EMI teaching staff, a variety of EMI courses, and an English immersive environment, ISU draws up a detailed plan for a bilingual campus and bilingual education from the perspectives of students and learning, teachers and teaching, and supportive measures. The achievements and highlights in Academic Year 2021 are as follows:

I. Improvement in Students' English Proficiency Levels

A. Innovative EMI Courses

1. Comprehensive EMI professional courses: EMI professional courses at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels are offered to freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior students, respectively, so that they can keep improving their English proficiency levels while developing professional skills. The percentage of EMI courses is rising every year. In Academic Year 2021, a total of 594 EMI courses were offered by ISU, accounting for 12% of all courses, 152 of which (BS: 11.97%; MS: 13.25%) were offered by the College of Medicine and the College of Medical Science and Technology. 
2. In light of ISU's policy for offering innovative courses, the departments under both colleges have established 11 interdisciplinary EMI micro-credit programs, including the EMI Micro-credit Program in International Nursing, the EMI Micro-credit Program in Introduction to Health Care, the EMI Micro-credit Program in Health Communication, and the EMI Micro-credit Program in International Rehabilitation Medicine. 
3. The mechanism for learning quality assurance of EMI courses has been developed. A teaching survey for EMI courses has been specially designed and conducted. Each department discussed the quantitative and qualitative results of the survey and made improvement strategies to improve future teaching and learning outcomes. 

B. Diverse English Learning Opportunities and On-campus English Proficiency Tests

1. To create an environment where students can learn English anytime anywhere, ISU purchased TOEIC online practice tests in Academic Year 2021. With the practice tests ISU purchased before, both are used as a pre-test and a post-test for students taking freshman-level/sophomore-level general English courses. By so doing, course instructors can have a clear understanding of student learning outcomes and make adjustments accordingly.
2. In Academic Year 2021, faculty members of the Department of Applied English were commissioned to prepare lessons about analyzing TOEIC questions and useful tips. These lessons have been uploaded to ISU Moodle for all ISU faculty members, staff, and students to learn anywhere and anytime at no cost. Every semester the Foreign Language Center offers the TOEIC Elite Class to students who have a TOEIC score of 600 or more or whose English grade of the General Scholastic Ability Test is 10 or above to receive intensive training in English listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills for 27 hours. In Academic Year 2021, a total of 120 students completed the training, 67 of whom are from the two colleges.
3. To better understand students' English learning outcomes and make appropriate improvement plans for them, regulations for rewarding students who took English proficiency tests were made, in the hope that more and more students can learn English actively and take GEPT, CSEPT, TOEIC, or other tests to improve their competitiveness. Among all students who have taken English proficiency tests, the percentage of students reaching the CEFR B1 level or above has increased from 38.3% in Academic Year 2021 to 47.1% in Academic Year 2022, and the percentage of students reaching the CEFR B2 level or above has increased from 1.9% in Academic Year 2021 to 6.1% in Academic Year 2022.

C. EMI Teaching Assistant Training

To equip EMI teaching assistants with the skills required to help course instructors of EMI courses and improve students' English proficiency levels, four batches of EMI teaching assistant training were held in Academic Year 2021, with a total of 47 participants. EMI teaching assistants can participate in conversations during the class and facilitate the class in order to improve their English speaking skills and competitiveness in the future workplace. Students with perfect attendance will receive a certificate. With this certificate, students will be granted higher wages if they apply for being teaching assistants to the Center for Teaching and Learning Development. Among the 46 participants, 18 worked as EMI teaching assistants.

D. Diverse Immersive Activities

1. Companion Groups for Learning English: Composed of the students of the School of Medicine for International Students and domestic students from other departments, 22 companion groups were formed with a total of 88 participating domestic and international students, and participating students have more opportunities to practice their English speaking skills by means of regular gatherings.
2. English Short Film Competition and Graduate Students' English Presentation Competition: Students who participated in the English short film competition could train themselves in thinking and communicating in English to effectively convey the main message through their short films. As for graduate students who took part in the English presentation competition, they could put what they have learned into practice and polish their presentation skills demanded in the future workplace. 
3. Cross-cultural Exchanges and Events: To create a mini-global village on campus, ISU organized the ISU Cultural Festival, the FiGE (Foundations in Global Engagement) program, the selection of cultural ambassadors, trips for exploring local cultures, etc., to help students experience different cultures and expand their horizons. In 2021, ISU held the very first “TEDx-IShou University,” mainly organized by international students on the theme of “Breaking Through, Breaking Free.” In addition, in Academic Year 2021, three English Corner sessions were held, with a total of 125 participants, to help participating students overcome their fear of English through conversation practice, interactive games, mini-interviews, and role play. 
4. Bilingual Activities in Local Community: Students of the School Medicine for International Students conducted a variety of interactive bilingual activities at Heng Shan Elementary School with the teaching materials they designed. For example, they introduced human organs and their functions in English to these elementary students by playing catch with them. During the activities, a harmonious English learning environment was naturally created.

II. Enhancement for Faculty Members' EMI Skills

A. Professional EMI Training

To launch faculty EMI training, ISU has invited a specialist from Canada, who offers both face-to-face (Courses 1-3) and online EMI training courses. In Academic Year 2021, a total of 125 faculty members took the EMI training courses, 62 of whom are from the College of Medicine and the College of Medical Science and Technology. In addition, 5 EMI workshops were held by ISU for faculty members to sharpen their EMI skills by learning from others' experiences.

B. Incentives to EMI Courses for Faculty Members

1. The hourly pay for EMI courses is multiplied by 1.5. 
2. EMI courses are given priority for hiring EMI teaching assistants, and the working hours of these teaching assistants are increased as well.
3. Faculty members are entitled to an exemption from the faculty evaluation if they 1) have taken the EMI training courses offered by ISU (Course 1+3 or Course 2+3) and received a certificate of completion, 2) have passed the evaluation made by the EMI specialist and received a CEFR C1 certificate, and 3) have offered an EMI course for the first time and passed the final teaching survey.
4. Faculty members who have taken the EMI training courses offered by ISU will receive points under the faculty evaluation. 
5. Subsidies are granted to form faculty professional communities for EMI education with an eye to facilitating peer interaction and faculty development. In Academic Year 2021, a total of 16 faculty professional communities for EMI education were established. 

III. Comprehensive Supportive Measures

A. Bilingual Regulations and Documents

ISU has professional and experienced translators to translate Chinese regulations and documents into English or vice versa. Since 2010, more than 90% of ISU’s regulations and rules in connection with faculty members and/or students have been bilingualized. In addition, administrative systems students often use and more than 90% of signs on campus are also bilingualized, in order to create a bilingual learning environment.

B. Information to Stakeholders & Friendly Communication

1. In addition to the information about bilingual education on the web page of the Bilingual Education and EMI Center, ISU periodically releases ISU News in English on a specific Facebook fan page and Instagram page in order to disclose relevant information and facilitate bilateral communication.
2. To have a clear understanding of students' performance on EMI courses and English proficiency levels, the departments under the College of Medicine and the College of Medical Science and Technology held a teacher-student forum, respectively, to collect students' feedback for future improvement. In addition, external EMI experts were invited to share their experiences with the faculty members and students of the two colleges. In addition, to assess the implantation result of the BEST Program within the two colleges in an objective manner, a visit by external experts was conducted before the College of Medicine and the College of Medical Science and Technology made a presentation on the implementation result. And then, the external experts made comments and suggestions after a review, which will be an important reference for improvement measures and further implementation. 
3. ISU worked with a local radio station to produce a podcast program, inviting faculty members and students from the International College, the College of Medicine, the College of Medical Science and Technology, and the Foreign Language Center who taught or took EMI courses to share their English learning/teaching journey and what ISU has done to create a bilingual and international campus. 

C. Sharing of resources and inter-institution engagement

To build an EMI resource-sharing platform with other universities and colleges in southern Taiwan, ISU signed an MOU with National Kaohsiung Normal University for exchanging faculty members and teaching information and organizing academic activities together. In addition, ISU is part of the Southern Regional Resource Center for Bilingual Education, where universities and colleges in southern Taiwan attend exchange meetings regularly and exchange and collaborate with one another. 

D. Bilingual Education for Staff

English training courses at different levels are designed based on staff members' business and English proficiency levels. 5 advanced and 5 practical English training courses were offered with an attendance of 150 staff members. Participating staff members were trained for English speaking, listening, and writing skills to increase their English language skills.