Abstract
The following is a summary of the University’s implementation and highlights for the 2021-22 academic year as part of the Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College.
Ⅰ. Measures to improve students’ English proficiency
1. To grasp the level of students and adjust the teaching plan in a timely manner:
In the 2021-22 academic year, the Language Center implemented this program by testing the English proficiency of each freshman student at the beginning of each semester through the English proficiency diagnostic platform developed by the Center. Through the test results, each teacher can clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the students in the class (30 areas) and adjust the teaching direction. If a student needs special counseling, we provide individual counseling services to provide them with appropriate assistance in their English learning.
2. Teachers and students are prepared to face the challenge with a positive attitude:
Using English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in the English class is a great challenge for both teachers and students. For teachers, their English skill is on different levels, which means that they need to spend more time preparing additional materials and teaching aids to meet the challenge as well as to adjust their teaching style in response to student feedback. As for the students, all-English classes require not only more effort in English to sharpen their listening and speaking skills, but also to adapt to the changes in the curriculum, and to cultivate a positive attitude towards EMI classes through adequate communication between the Language Center teachers and the students, so that they do not become resistant to EMI classes.
3. Multicultural international cooperation to establish an immersive language learning environment:
In order to provide students with more opportunities to be exposed to English and to hear the accents of different countries speaking English, the Language Center has invited a number of foreign teachers to teach at the University, providing a cultural perspective of different countries and offering international cooperation courses to enable students to interact with students from other countries (such as Japan and Indonesia) and to establish an English-speaking environment.
Ⅱ. Measures to support course instruction
1. To improve the teachers’ knowledge and skills of EMI teaching, and to gradually improve support measures for EMI courses:
In the 2021 academic year, 8 EMI training courses were conducted, 16 teachers were subsidized to take the online training courses on EMI developed by Cambridge Assessment English, and 2 courses were co-taught in English by professionals. In addition, 20 teaching assistants were trained to assist in the professional courses and English courses taught in EMI to improve the quality of the courses, and 5 teachers were subsidized for the development of teaching materials and other teaching expenses required to offer courses taught in EMI in order to strengthen their motivation.
2. To establish an incentive and assistance mechanism to motivate students to take EMI courses:
In terms of incentive system, the University has established the “Regulations Governing the Issuance of Certificate of Proficiency in EMI Courses” to issue “Certificate of Proficiency in EMI Courses” to graduates of master and bachelor programs starting from the second semester of 2021 academic year. The University has also set up incentives for students to participate in ESP or EAP online open courses offered by universities and colleges in Taiwan and abroad and enroll in an off-campus full EMI course. In terms of assistance mechanism, the University has set up a peer tutoring and remedial teaching mechanism to strengthen academic counseling for students outside of class time and reduce students’ worries about the passing rate of classes. Through a combination of incentives and academic assistance, students would be more motivated to take EMI courses.
Ⅲ. Development of International Academic Affairs
1. Enhancement of international exposure, improving the environment for EMI promotion and pursuing internationalization:
The University’s first participation in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, which ranked it 601-800 in the world, demonstrates the University’s achievements in a number of areas, as well as its increased international exposure, a robust environment for EMI promotion, and commitment to internationalization.
2. Admission of international students for the first time in the dual-enrollment program, expanding the enrollment of international students to strengthen the promotion of EMI:
The University has actively interacted with its sister universities and established recruitment exchange opportunities with their faculty through video conferences, and a number of departments have signed a memorandum of understanding with Universitas Diponegoro, a sister university in Indonesia, for the admission of 3+2 dual-enrollment international students to study at our university in the 2022 academic year. This is the first time for our university to admit international students under the 3+2 Dual Enrollment Program. It is expected that the number of international students will increase significantly in the future, which will enhance the international atmosphere of the campus.
3. Expansion of close links with sister schools, establishment of long-term cooperation, and increase of international interaction opportunities for faculty members and students:
The University will continue to hold academic seminars with sister schools in Japan to increase the opportunities for interaction with faculty members and students from sister schools, maintain two-way academic exchanges, and strive for more opportunities for exchange students to study at the University. This model will be used as the cornerstone for organizing seminars and academic exchange meetings with sister schools in new southbound countries.
4. Setting up a database for international admissions:
The university has set up a database for international admissions, for example, a website for international admissions in full English, a video for admissions in full English, and presentations by our international students on our environment, location, and welfare system, as well as their experiences and experiences while studying in Taiwan, to provide comprehensive information necessary for international students who wish to apply for admission.
The University’s methods of completing the self-evaluation are also described as follows:
Ⅰ. Establishment of KPI items to evaluate the effectiveness of accomplishing the goals.
The University has set up quantitative KPI items based on the strategies to promote the four major areas including faculty, students, curriculum, and international academic affairs. Monthly management meetings have been held to monitor the progress of each KPI item, and the effectiveness of each item has been reviewed based on its implementation to ensure that the execution direction is in line with the strategies of the plan. The KPI implementation status of this plan is shown in the attached table.
Ⅱ. Feedback mechanism for review of outcomes:
For each grant project, a corresponding questionnaire or report has been provided for students and faculty to fill out and provide feedback, and the feedback is used to make adjustments and improvements. At the end of the second semester of the 2021 academic year, the University conducted an awareness-raising session on the EMI program and learning resources with out-of-state students and students actively involved in internationalization, as well as a seminar and questionnaire survey to understand the learning status of students who received the EMI program grants this academic year and their suggestions for EMI grants, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation and feasibility of continuation. 96.3% of the respondents expressed a positive attitude toward taking EMI courses, and 100% of the respondents indicated that EMI courses with language proficiency support would increase their willingness to take EMI courses. This will be the future direction of implementation.
