Abstract

Executive Summary and Highlights of the Bilingual Program in School of Business, Soochow University

　　The School of Business (hereafter as SOB) at Soochow University (hereafter as SU) revolves around "promoting bilingual teaching" and " providing students with an international learning experience " as the twin pillars of the program. Several strategies have been evolved from the Ecctis certification and the EMI Standards of Good Practice, proposed by Oxford EMI experts, as well as five business management concepts - institutional management, teachers and teaching, students and learning, information to students and the public, and quality assurance. By familiarizing the stakeholders (teachers and students) with the use of English, the Program creates an environment in which the stakeholders will gain satisfaction from the process of experiencing EMI teaching and learning. With the stakeholders’ reviews of the overall EMI system based on feedback and continuous optimization of the program, we aim to produce and offer comprehensive English business education as a feature of our school.

　　To effectively implement various strategies and guide students in incorporating English learning with their academic majors and careers, SU has established a university-level "Bilingual Education Center" to coordinate and guide EMI's various businesses and to allocate resources alongside a "Center for Bilingual Education Promotion" in SOB, responsible for promoting and supporting the subordinate units in handling EMI teaching affairs and to offer guidance to business school students. Furthermore, through conducting EMI course study path guidance briefings, establishing an EMI information platform, and publishing e-newsletters, the SOB provides resources to assist students and teachers in understanding the benefits and prospects of professional English teaching and learning.

　　SOB was re-accredited by the AACSB in February 2022. As a mechanism to assure teaching quality, in addition to continuing the conduct of comprehensive classroom satisfaction questionnaires, SOB plans to introduce the AACSB course quality assurance mechanism (Assurance of Learning, AoL) into EMI compulsory courses in the 2022-2023 academic year. After confirming that the learning objectives of each course conform to the certification specification, these indicators will be further expanded to relevant EMI courses to optimize the teaching quality of teachers and improve the students’ learning effectiveness.

　　In the 2021-2022 academic year, SOB achieved the key performance indicators of bilingual learning set by the Ministry of Education. The following is a visualization of the highlights of the plan:

▼Achievement of Key Performance Indicators of Bilingual Program in School of Business, Soochow University

▋Students and Learning 

　　Expanding the target audience of all English learning as a foundation, SOB aims at creating "an international learning experience in the local classroom." In addition to English (1) and English (2) as the basic language courses, the SOB is collaborating with the Language Center to offer "English for Academic Purpose," "Practical Business English," "English for Practical Communication," etc. in the second semester of the 2021-2022 academic years. A total of 7 ESP courses were offered by the SOB, helping 389 freshmen fortify their academic English reading and application abilities, preparing them for EMI courses.

　　In addition to upgrading students' English proficiency through formal courses, SU also provides them with a variety of EMI self-study supporting services and resources, such as English self-study groups, English micro-courses, student communities, etc. Furthermore, SU also provides EMI course enrollment and English proficiency exam scholarships, combined with students’ associations with an international nature, such as AIESEC, Toastmasters, Model United Nations, etc., jointly organized international activities, the employment of outstanding students in business and English subjects as EMI teaching assistants, and the influence of independent and peer learning to stimulate students' learning motivation and to allow students to choose the most suitable English learning experience in a popularized, specialized, and elite environment.

★ Notable Highlights 1

　　The "Advanced English for International Communication" course of SOB aims to "cultivate business negotiation talents" and " strengthen students' international mobility." To achieve these goals, a series of business English units are planned, such as meetings, presentations, interviews, advanced reading, and advanced business listening, to enhance students' ability to using English. To connect language learning with international learning situations, we jointly hold the "Foreign Chinese Students x Soochow College Students Language Exchange Conference" with the Chinese Language Center, inviting 26 foreign students from the United States, Hungary, Germany, and the Czech Republic, etc., to participate in language exchange activities and seminars with 55 local students, so that students' horizons can be expanded on an international scale. Comparing the TOEIC test scores of the students before and after taking the course, the class average has increased from 625 to 761. All in all, 32% of the students have achieved CEFR B2 or above. This achievement will give students greater confidence in the subsequent application of English in business presentations, international studies, and job hunting.

★ Notable Highlights 2

　　SOB's "Product Design and Management" course collaborated with teachers from Japan’s Seinan Gakuin University , and the Netherlands’ Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, enabling students from Taiwan, Japan, and the Netherlands to jointly explore product design and entrepreneurship through virtual meetings and remote interactions. The course is concluded with a team presentation at the end of the semester. This course enables students to have ample opportunities to share ideas and interact with students of different nationalities, strengthening their ability to express thoughts in English. This innovative course was also featured in the Japanese national educational media, "University News." In the 2022-2023 academic year, Akita International University will join this transnational cooperative teaching team, and through inter-university alliances, multilateral academic and industrial issues will be addressed and discussed.

▋Teachers and Teaching

　　Through various incentives, such as EMI course teaching subsidies, online and offline EMI course development subsidies, and classroom teaching assistant subsidies, teachers are encouraged to offer EMI courses and develop innovative teaching methods. To assist teachers who are interested in taking part in EMI teaching to develop relevant teaching knowledge and support senior teachers to continue to improve their lecturing, SU has organized a total of 10 EMI lectures and workshops. Also, through offering monetary rewards to teachers who take EMI online self-study courses and create "EMI self-study group" online virtual teaching interactive communities, the university was able to bring 46 teachers from different colleges and departments together and share their inspirations and EMI teaching experience of taking EMI self-study courses. SU also uses this channel to understand the needs of teachers to implement EMI teaching and respond immediately.

　　In the 2021-2022 academic year, SOB had launched 67 EMI courses; now, in the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, the number of EMI courses offered by SOB has increased to 43, an increase of 115% from the 20 courses offered in the same semester of the past year.

★ Notable Highlights 3

　　Through the implementation of this plan, teachers from the School of Business, the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, and the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, despite their differences in academic background, have come together and established the "COIL English Teaching Group." In order to promote "teaching methods of professional subjects taught in English - experience inheritance and international cooperation," we invited teachers committed to EMI teaching from Kansai University (Japan), National Vietnam University (Vietnam), Chiang Mai Payap University (Thailand), and domestic colleges and universities in Taiwan to transnational seminars and special lectures. The practice could facilitate domestic and overseas teachers' cooperation in teaching materials, conduct joint teaching, and invigorate  students’ learning transnationally. In the future, the group plans to further develop the "English Teaching Students Learning Performance Evaluation Scale" suitable for SU to assist teachers in finding the key factors to improve the quality of EMI teaching, thus providing future students with a better EMI learning environment.