Capitalizing on CUHK International Students to Learn about English Language Education and Use across the Globe: A Simple and Sustainable laH Initiative
Principal Supervisors

'Professor TSANG Wai Chung Arthur
(Department of Curriculum and Instruction)
Professor AUBREY Scott
(Department of Curriculum and Instruction)
Duration

1 year 7 months
Approved Budget

HK $73,992
 
  • Abstract

Abstract

The present project responds to the call for internationalization at the programme, faculty and university level by addressing the second objective of the guidance note – “activities that facilitate the internationalization of curriculum (IoC)”. In an effort to equip our students in the BA (English Studies) & BEd (English Language Education) Co-terminal Double Degree Programme (henceforth: ELED students) (i.e. pre-service English teachers) with a more international vision and updated knowledge of English language use and education globally, we intend to work with the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) to capitalize on the international student body who can share their experiences and knowledge with our students and teaching staff. Through exchange, both international students, local students and teachers are benefitted, realizing a key spirit of Internationalization at Home (IaH). The input from the international students will enable teaching staff to revisit course- and programme-level curricula in the light of IoC. The event, if run smoothly, will become part of a regular programme activity and the materials generated (see below) can be incorporated in various courses. As an initiative, we intend to run two one-day events in Spring 2021 and Spring 2022. 10-20 international students from different continents will be recruited. They will share the English language education system and how English is used in their countries. Local ELED students will also do similar sharing. The one-day event will commence with these sharing sessions, akin to an informative symposium, followed by a large lunch gathering. In the afternoon, OSA and our programme will hold a number of activities to promote intercultural exchange so that both international and home students can learn from each other via authentic interaction. The afternoon session will also function as a compulsory pre-immersion event for third-year ELED students, with sharing experiences providing the basis for a goal-setting written reflection before they participate in an 8-week overseas immersion experience. In the long run, this event does not incur any cost. It is hoped to be a simple and sustainable exemplar for other programmes.