2015 conference on advancing global competence and english medium instruction national cheng kung...
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2015 Conference on Advancing Global Competence and English Medium Instruction
NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
TAINAN
TAIWAN
Global Industry-oriented EMI Courses in
Human Resource Management and Business Administration
At National Taiwan Normal University.
Dr. C. Jeremy SykesAssociate Professor
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
Dr Jeremy SykesEd.D. Harvard Administration, Planning and Social Policy
Cert. of Advanced Graduate Study, Harvard, Organizational Behavior
M.A.T. Wesleyan University, Connecticut, English Teaching
Ms.T.E.S.O.L University at Albany, New York
• * Vice President for Charter School Program Evaluation, New York State
• *Executive Director for Instructional Programs, Nassau County, NY:56 School districts, 200,000 students. (18 years)
• *Adjunct Associate Professor: New York University, Hofstra University• Organizational Behavior
• (Principals’ and Supervisors’ Certification Academy)
Presentation• The Purpose of the Study• The Case Study Group• Research Procedures• Classroom observation• Areas of Inquiry• Preliminary Observations
Purpose of the Study To examine two well established EMI Courses at NTNU strengths and weaknesses of these courses from the perspective of the professors and the students
To extract points for consideration when instituting new EMI courses
To examine how EMI courses are viewed by the Human Resource Director of a major Taiwanese Corporation
The Case Study Group
Head: Dr. Jeremy Sykes, Associate Professor, National Taiwan University of Science and TechnologyCo-Heads:
Simon Wu, C.O.O, Chun Shin CorporationJudy Tai, Specialist, ETS Taiwan
Research Procedures
3 hour course observations:International Branding (MBA Program: Graduate Institute of Management)
Compensation Management (Graduate Institute of International Human Relations Development).
1 hour interview with the professors 1 hour student focus groups Student survey using Likert Scale questions and written
responses 1 hour Human Resources Director Interview.
Classroom Observation
1. Interaction between Professor and students2. Professor’s pedagogy3. Code switching4. Apparent level of student comprehension5. Student participation and engagement 6. Interactions between students7. Classroom activities8. Student assignments and assessments
Areas of Inquiry• Nature of the course: # students? Required course? Mix of Taiwanese
and foreign students? Language proficiency requirement?• Teaching Strategy: Needs analysis? Code switching? Content
knowledge vs communicative competence? Methods of interacting with students in class?
• Assessment: Content as well as English competence? • Adjustments: Reduced content because of EMI? • Perspectives: Student and professors’ perspectives about teaching
and learning in an EMI class• Human Resource Manager’s perspective on the value of EMI
instruction
Course 1:EMI in Human Resource Management at NTNU: Compensation ManagementAll courses in this program are required to be taken in English
Professor Yeh:Professor background: M.A. Instructional Design- USA; Ph.D. TaiwanStudents: 23; 6 International/17 Taiwanese; Program: MA 36 creditsLanguage Requirements: no prerequisites; but must pass university entrance exam which includes a university created English section; must write thesis in English. Must meet university policy of a TOEIC (or equivalent TOEL or IELTS) score of 800 to graduate.
EMI in Human Resource Management Courses at NTNUHISTORY OF THE PROGRAM: The Graduate Institute of International Human Resource DevelopmentThis program was created 12 years ago as an Independent Graduate InstituteIt was the first all-English program at NTNU.
GOAL: Recruit International students from diplomatically related countries. Until 8 years ago, most students relied on Taiwan government scholarships to attend. Since 2012 there has been a trend of students applying on their own.
Course 2: EMI in Business Administration Courses at NTNU: BrandingElective English course in a Chinese Language ProgramProfessor Shen-ChengProfessor background: BA NTU in Psychology; Ph.D. Columbia University
Students: 23: 55% International, 45% Taiwanese Program: MA 36 creditsLanguage Requirements: no prerequisite test score in English; International students must be studying Mandarin. All students must pass university entrance exam which includes a Mandarin Chinese section and a university created English section; must write thesis in English. Must meet university policy of a TOEIC (or equivalent TOEFL or IELTS) score of 800 to graduate.
EMI in Business Administration Course at NTNU: BRANDING
HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM: Graduate Institute of Management MBA Program. This program was created 6 years ago. It is a Mandarin Language Program, with English elective courses.GOAL of the Program :Recruit Taiwanese MBA students primarily for work in Taiwanese banks and in government.Goal of English elective courses: to recruit Taiwanese and International students who can study together and obtain employment in either Internationally oriented Taiwanese Corporations and publishers, or with International Corporations. University Goal:expansion of dual university programs at NTNU: Munich Business School; University of South Carolina
ASSESSMENT
In both courses assessment is on content, not on English.English is considered to be a tool. English is assessed only if it is incomprehensible.
Q: Does Studying in English make it harder to get a good grade?Taiwan Foreign
• Class: MBA: BRANDING • Class: HUMAN RESOURCES: COMPENSATION
5no
4a little
3a lot
2big affect
1would've had much
better grade if it'd
been taught in Chinese
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
5no
4a little
3a lot
2big affect
1would've had much
better grade if it'd been taught in Chinese
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Q: Does Studying in English make it harder to understand the professor’s lectures?Taiwan Foreign
5no 4
min
or 3
hard
er2
muc
h ha
rder
1
bette
r if t
he le
ctur
es w
ere
in C
hine
se
0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%
0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%
• Class: MBA: BRANDING • Class: HUMAN RESOURCES: COMPENSATION
Q: Does Studying in English make it harder to learn the content of the course?Taiwan Foreign
• Class: MBA: BRANDING • Class: HUMAN RESOURCES: COMPENSATION
0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
Q: Is it worth the effort to combine studying the subject matter in this course while also learning English?
Taiwan Foreign
• Class: MBA: BRANDING • Class: HUMAN RESOURCES: COMPENSATION
5yes
4harder but I'm
happy to
3 2 1rather in Chinese
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
120.0%
5yes
4harder but I'm happy
to
3 2 1rather in Chinese
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
Q: Do you like studying the information in this course in English?Taiwan Foreign
• Class: MBA: BRANDING • Class: HUMAN RESOURCES: COMPENSATION
5
very
hap
py4lik
e 3O
K
2
pref
er n
ot in
Eng
lish
1
don't
like
in Eng
lish
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
5very
happy
4like
3OK
2prefer not in
English
1don't like in
English
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Preliminary Observations1
1. Organizational Origins make a difference: Graduate Institute v/s elective program: differences in motivation
2. English used as a tool only3. Use of Chinese only in very limited circumstances4. Course content not compromised. 5. Positive Benefits of EMI: multi cultural; learn two things-subject
and English; preparation for global work6. Negative side of EMI: for Chinese Students– tend to stick to
content. Loss of higher level thinking and analysis.
Preliminary Observations2
6. Pedagogical structure: lecture and case studies7. Class room segregation: foreign students v/s Taiwanese students8. Case studies need to be structured with more in class interactive
activities9. Overall need for more interactive activities in-class: emphasis on
communicative activities for Taiwanese students.10. Voluntary selection of professors
Establishing an EMI Context is Crucial
Key Principles:• Choice not Force
e.g. Electives must be offered in BOTH English AND Chinese• Don’t just switch current course offerings to EMI instruction: EMI courses need to be
part of a program focused on globally oriented employment
e.g. defined admissions and graduation requirementsEnglish• English entry level setting could help class management• Teachers must be recruited voluntarily• Teachers must be provided with support in classroom and digital pedagogy• EMI teachers must be given special status and opportunities to meet and share notes
and ideas.
EMI and ESP Support
EMI Professors can benefit from support in:A. Online Resources for Students
* Content vocabulary acquisition
* Student presentation skills
* Pronunciation practice
B. Increasing Student Interactive Communicative Competence
*Case study group process out of class
*Student presentation activities with class in class time
*In-class group communication activities (e.g. Chats, venture capitalist
exercise, returning employee negotiations, etc.)
AUO Corporation Human Resource Director Perspective
English may not be considered an asset for entry positions located in Taiwan.
BUT if someone wants to advance, they will need to locate to company branches overseas, or to major Chinese cities like Shanghai, or to company headquarters. There English is essential.. And not just simple English, but English for negotiation.
WE NEED CANDIDATES WITH CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, BUT EVEN MORE, CANDIDATES WHO CAN TAKE RISKS AND THINK ON THEIR FEET!
CONCLUSION: EMI INSTRUCTION IN TAIWAN MUST FOCUS ON HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS IN COMMUNICATIVE CONTEXTS.
