NTNU Selected by Ministry of Education as Key Cultivation University for Program on Bilingual Education
On September 2nd, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education announced that NTNU is selected as Key Cultivation University for the Bilingual Education for Students in College.
The Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College was launched by the Ministry of Education this year to elevate the overall international competitiveness of Taiwan higher education. Six bilingual benchmark universities and 30 bilingual benchmark colleges are expected to be established by 2030, with at least 50% of their second-year students reaching English proficiency of CEFR B2 level or higher. Also by 2030, at least 40 universities and colleges are expected to have 80% or more of their English subject courses taught with English as the medium of instruction (EMI), i.e., taught solely in English.
The team of EMI instructors and bilingual education experts at NTNU provides a strong advantage in carrying out this program. In 2021, NTNU was ranked by Times Higher Education as 20th globally in Education. In the same year, QS World University Rankings by Subject ranked NTNU 28th in Education and 53rd in Linguistics. In addition, NTNU has been collaborating with the British Council on EMI teachers training since 2017.
Due to the pandemic in 2020, teachers were encouraged to take the Certificate in EMI Skills at Cambridge Advance Online and establish EMI groups to support each other in the practice of teaching in English. NTNU continues to recruit foreign teachers or teachers with EMI skills to better equip other instructors. The University is set to start English teaching courses on three levels to gradually increase the English academic literacy of students, from English for General Purpose (EGP), English for Specific Purpose (ESP), to EMI Professional courses.
The Office of Bilingual Education will be set up at NTNU later this year as a platform for promoting EMI courses across departments, taking on the responsibility of integrating feedback and forming strategies. Its English academic and literacy center will field inquiries such as academic writing in English, research ethics, and international research communication. NTNU is proud to be home to many current and future international students by actively building a global-minded campus that is truly international.