From 8 September to 30 September, 2021, nine Gifu University professors from the faculties in Engineering and Applied Biological Sciences took part in an online training program in English-Medium Instruction (EMI), which was provided by English Language School, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta (UofA), Canada.
Normally, the EMI program is delivered face-to-face at the UofA. However, due to the global mobility restrictions from COVID-19, the EMI program was conducted online from 2021. It was the second time for Gifu University professors to participate in this program.
Participants took two courses, each of which included seven sessions involving 120-minute synchronous instructions per session through Zoom video conferencing platform.
(1) Course I: Introduction to EMI (Total: 7 days)
This introductory course focused on the foundation for understanding and practice of teaching and learning in EMI context. The topics included: how students learn, introduction to student-centered learning and active learning, the keys to and attitude for EMI by non-native speakers of English. In addition, the cutting-edge techniques for developing intelligible pronunciation in English were delivered.
(2) Course II: Instructional Design Basics for Higher Education Contexts (Total: 7 days)
This course focused on the components of effective instructional designing (i.e. lesson planning) for the higher education classroom. The participants gained experience in writing appropriate learning outcomes, designing student-centered learning activities, assessing student learning, where discussions were held among the participants using Zoom. Moreover, the participants were acquainted with up-to-date online tools useful for student-centered learning and efficient assessment. Finally, each participant provided a micro-teaching in their respective areas of expertise and obtained valuable feedback from their UofA instructors and other participants.
Participants from GU and UoA
Some participants said that they would like to make the most of what they have learned through the EMI program. This EMI program helped participants to learn the valuable knowledge and skill for facilitating classroom teaching in English.
Participation in this program will be valuable for training and nurturing highly-skilled global professionals in Gifu University, facilitating classroom teaching involving Japanese and international students studying together in higher education, and increasing the English language and pedagogical proficiency of Japanese instructors involved in the International Joint Degree Programs with international partner universities. The participants will take part in the sequel online training program in English-Medium Instruction in March, 2022.
