Origin

To assist students in acquiring the necessary skills for undertaking all-English professional courses and aligning with the English-medium instruction (EMI) across various academic fields, the Center for EMI Teaching Excellence introduced EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses aligned with CEFR levels starting from the 110th academic year. The EAP courses are designed to complement existing General English courses, focusing on enhancing students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to better meet individual needs. The ESP courses, on the other hand, aim to strengthen professional academic English skills related to the primary academic fields at the college, thereby preparing students for the EMI courses offered within their respective departments. The curriculum is designed progressively (intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced), with adjustments made according to students' proficiency levels. Traditional teaching methods are replaced by diverse pedagogical approaches that emphasize output capabilities and peer learning, including student-centered participatory learning, problem-based learning, group discussions, group presentations, and peer evaluations.

To broaden the reach of EAP/ESP courses, the Center integrated these courses with General English courses starting from the 111th academic year, requiring students to complete one General English course (3 credits) and one EAP/ESP course (3 credits) instead of the previous requirement of two General English courses (each worth 3 credits). This change aims to help students build a solid foundation in professional English before entering EMI courses. From the 112th academic year, the Center further diversified EAP/ESP courses with a practical skills-oriented approach, enhancing students' experience in English language output through a variety of domain-specific courses, thereby ensuring a smooth transition into all-English professional courses.


Features

✓ Course Planning: The curriculum is designed progressively (intermediate, high-intermediate, and advanced) and is adjusted based on students' proficiency levels. English textbooks are used, and all lectures, discussions, and assessments are conducted in English, with a focus on practical application and peer learning. Diverse teaching methods are employed, including student-centered participatory learning, problem-based learning, group discussions, group presentations, and varied assessments.


✓Course Structure: The curriculum is diverse and interdisciplinary, helping students build a strong foundation in language skills to smoothly transition into EMI courses.


✓Program Integration: Several EAP courses are required or elective courses within the "Elite General English Program" and the "Practical English Interdisciplinary Program."


✓Quality Control: A classroom observation system is implemented to ensure quality, promoting peer support and feedback in teaching, and establishing a robust teaching support mechanism.



Goals

  1. Develop students' academic and professional English skills.
  2. Enhance core knowledge learning through diverse teaching methods, improving analysis, critical thinking, judgment, comparison, creative thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
  3. Improve international communication skills and cross-cultural awareness.
  4. Strengthen presentation preparation, project reporting, and organizational skills.
  5. Enhance oral expression, public speaking, and debating skills.
  6. Learn to describe and interpret academic and professional data, charts, and visual representations.
  7. Foster teamwork, research, and independent learning abilities.
  8. Integrate extracurricular English enhancement activities (International Salon, English Writing Lab, Leap Write In, etc.) into the curriculum to help students achieve learning outcomes through participation in language activities.