Speakers
Description
Over the past two decades, the development of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) programs has gained rapid momentum in Vietnamese higher education institutions, leading to immeasurable benefits for students in terms of higher language proficiency, improved professional communication skills and better career prospects. However, a large proportion of instructors in business programs are still underprepared in many aspects of EMI education due to a lack of specialized training and cultural factors. Through this qualitative study which includes a questionnaire survey and interviews of 20 faculty members and five administrators in Hanoi University of Industry, the authors identified the key areas of weaknesses in the university’s regime of teacher training including language proficiency, EMI pedagogy, feedback and assessment, disciplinary communication skills as well as material development. The study also proposed several short-term and long-term measures to improve the overall quality of teachers’ training to improve their preparedness for EMI education, namely: enhanced institutional support, comprehensive in-service training (language and pedagogical skills), peer observation and feedback, resource development for curriculum design.
Keyword: EMI, teacher training, business majors, higher education
Biography
Tran Viet Kien has been an English teacher at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) since 2015. He teaches English to students of various majors and proficiency levels. He graduated from the MTESOL program offered by Hanoi University - Victoria University in 2017. Between 2016 and 2022, he engaged in various course design efforts at HaUI, with a focus on blended learning courses for English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) programs. He is part of several development teams whose work results in two textbooks for HaUI students. In 2020 he took up an administration position in the department of academic affairs, which affords him a fresh perspective on academic program development. His research interests include authentic materials, blended learning, authenticity in language teaching and materials development.
Nguyen Viet Hang currently lectures at the School of Languages and Tourism, Hanoi University of Industry. She holds a Master's degree in English Studies (Hanoi University, 2020), following her Bachelor's degree in English Language Teacher Education. Her research interests lie in blended learning, program development and evaluation, and EMI.
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