Experiences and Challenges of an English as a Medium of Instruction Course in Taiwan during COVID-19

Shih-Ling Lin, Tzu-Hsing Wen, Gregory S. Ching and Yu-Chen Huang
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Shih-Ling Lin: Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
Tzu-Hsing Wen: Office of Teacher Education and Careers Services, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung City 403454, Taiwan
Gregory S. Ching: Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
Yu-Chen Huang: Bachelor’s Program in Educational Leadership and Technology Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-21

Abstract: Recently, Taiwan’s higher education has been impacted by COVID-19 and the necessity of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). In 2018, the Taiwanese government approved a roadmap for the development of a bilingual nation by 2030. This resulted in a renewed focus on EMI. However, the fluctuating surges of COVID-19 have caused university classes to shift from face-to-face to online. To assess its effectiveness, the current paper describes the quantitative and qualitative experiences and challenges associated with a blended EMI course within a private Taiwanese university. The data was collected from the students in the spring semester of 2020 (40 students) and 2021 (23 students). Overall satisfaction rate is calculated at 4.13; indicating that the transition from face-to-face to online has not affected the students’ overall satisfaction with the course. In addition, interviews and focus groups respondents pointed out the importance of a student-centered course approach and the opportunity to practice English in order to improve their competitiveness. While the flexibility offered by the blended learning approach during COVID-19 has given students more freedom to learn at their own pace. Lastly, in times of uncertainty, a careful pedagogical design will help to make the learning process fruitful and sustainable.

Keywords: Taiwan; blended learning; student-centered; pedagogical design; English as a medium of instruction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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