Abstract:

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has gained prominence in recent years in the context of global higher education. Defined by the use of English to teach content courses in non-Anglophone countries, EMI has grown exponentially across international universities. This growth has been driven by the recognition of the major role played by English in the sharing of worldwide scientific knowledge, as well as its value in increasing employability in a variety of sectors. However, despite the rapid rise of EMI course offerings across continents, relatively little has been written about how universities are preparing their faculty to address the challenges of teaching complex disciplinary content in English to students with variable proficiency.

Responding to this gap related to faculty professional development in EMI, this presentation will describe an innovative faculty EMI certificate program aimed at promoting effectiveness and innovation in EMI teaching for faculty at a STEM-focused university in Taiwan. The program is centered around core concepts in teaching and learning as a foundation for guiding teacher choice-making in course and lesson design. To illustrate the contextually-responsive features and impact of this professional development curriculum, we will present data from the needs analysis, design, and implementation phases of the program. More specifically, we will show how the conceptual foundations of Vygotskian Educational Psychology provide faculty with the tools to generate refreshed forms of teacher reasoning, including a re-conceptualization of the role of English in the classroom—not as a set of language structures, but as a tool for learning and engagement with specialized course content. Analysis of teaching observations, faculty interviews, instructional coaching sessions spread out over several months, and faculty-produced teaching materials, will demonstrate how EMI faculty in the program translated educational concepts into effective communicative practices in their local classrooms, promoting greater and more visible student engagement, as well as improved content learning in and through English. Based on the success of this program in promoting teacher innovation and effectiveness in EMI, we conclude that EMI teacher preparation can usefully be framed as a longitudinal and developmental process, and that individualized instructional support can serve as a potent catalyst for meaningful changes in faculty teaching practices in EMI. Implications for future EMI faculty professional development initiatives will be discussed, with recommendations for EMI stakeholders including administrators, faculty, and students.

Keywords:

English-medium Instruction, Faculty Development, Teacher Training, Internationalization, Pedagogical Innovation, STEM Pedagogy.