By integrating existing administrative and instructional resources, the School of Business of Soochow University (hereafter referred to as SoB) has established a comprehensive on-campus EMI support system with the cumulative goal of promoting featured EMI courses and fostering bilingual talent cultivation. The project's highlights for the academic year 2022-2023 are outlined below.

1. International Talent Cultivation Program for the Semiconductor Industry

For many years, the School of Business and Thunderbird School of Global Management have collaborated on the "International Degree Acceleration Program." In December 2023, the two institutions signed the 3.5+0.5+1 and 4+1 degree cooperation agreements to further solidify their collaboration in response to the growing desire of students to pursue studies abroad in recent years. As a result, our institution's undergraduate and graduate students are now among the intended beneficiaries of this effort. 

On the basis of the existing academic collaboration, the School has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thunderbird and the StanShih Foundation to jointly provide educational opportunities specifically tailored for Taiwanese semiconductor and technology companies. In the future, the foundation will serve as a platform for industry cooperation, while the two institutes will provide systematic and customized training programs for international talents in language, cross-cultural communication and leadership, etc. The target beneficiaries will be extended from faculty and students on campus to the industrial sector, creating a multi-win situation.

2. Interactive English Learning Activities

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, the School of Business hosted a variety of learning activities, including English Corner and Enhance Your Pronunciation. All international and local students are welcome to join in the activities, which allow them to freely practice English oral skills and pronunciation in a casual environment. Students give positive feedback that the activity helps them enhance their English-speaking skills and lessen their anxiety of speaking in public. 

In addition, the Teaching Resource Center provides a micro-course called "English Board Game Fun". Experienced teachers are encouraged to lead students through board games. Throughout the course, students interact with their teacher and peers in English, with the goal of overcoming their anxiety of using English to communicate publicly and improving their English listening and communication skills. The Teaching Resource Center aids students in forming self-learning groups. Students are encouraged to create their own learning strategies, goals, and channels to learn English. Peer-to-peer encouragement has been shown to increase learning motivation. In the academic year 2022-2023, 19 English language study groups were formed.

In the academic year 2023-2024, the SoB will continue to co-organize the "Language Exchange" program with the university's Chinese Language Center. This program encourages international students to interact with local students and discuss cultural highlights from their own countries. It also brings international and local students closer together, broadening their global perspective. 

3. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Teaching Group 

The faculty members from our university's Schools of Business, Foreign Languages and Culture, and Liberal Arts and Social Sciences established the "COIL Teaching Group" with the objective of advocating for English Language Instruction (EMI). The task group organized a "University-wide English teaching seminar," inviting teachers from Kansai University (Japan), Hanoi National University of Foreign Languages (Vietnam), and Taiwanese universities specializing in EMI teaching to share their perspectives and experiences with EMI and COIL courses. By facilitating the exchange of teaching experiences and the development of additional instructional materials for COIL courses, the seminar effectively connected instructors from both domestic and international institutions. All of these contribute to the promotion of cross-border learning among students, which strengthens their English proficiency and broadens their international perspective.