scholarly journals An Investigation into the Current Business English Curriculum Design and Instruction Practices at Yangtze University

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Li Yan
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Current Development ◽  
Business English ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
English Major ◽  
Current Business

<p>This paper starts with the disciplinary features of Business English and analyzes the current development of a Business English major at Yangtze University. In the light of requirements of Business English major and the features of cross-discipline, this paper studies the educational model of Business English major at Yangtze University in terms of curriculum setting, teacher development，practical courses and language courses development．</p>

scholarly journals The English Communication and Learning Needs of Master of Business Administration Students and Curriculum Development at a Chinese University

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401983595
Author(s):  
Qing Xie ◽  
Jie Chen
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Business Administration ◽  
Master Of Business Administration ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Business English ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
English Students

This study investigates the communication and learning needs of Master of Business Administration (MBA) business English students and their perceptions of effective curriculum design. The research instruments are two-stage surveys of 99 MBA students from a public university in China. The results of the study show that English is not extensively used in the workplaces of MBA business English students, and that the majority of them use Chinese. Most English usage occurs in foreign businesses. The most difficult skills for MBA business English learners are found to be oral communication and listening comprehension. However, there are still very strong needs for further improvement in English communication. For the MBA business English courses, oral communication activities, especially with expatriate teachers, are particularly needed. The MBA business English courses should connect with real-world practice and be relevant to job and business needs. This study has significant implications for MBA business English curriculum reform in both Chinese and international contexts.

scholarly journals Questioning the notion of ‘professionalisation’: LANSOD contexts and the specific case of a musicology undergraduate programme

2020 ◽  
pp. 71-98
Author(s):  
Aude Labetoulle
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Design ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Professional Needs ◽  
University Courses ◽  
The Future ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Undergraduate Programme ◽  
Professional Aspirations ◽  
The University

In Chapter 3, Aude Labetoulle addresses the challenge of designing courses that meet the needs of learners whose major is not languages in French universities – a sector usually referred to as ‘LANSOD’ (LANguages for Students of Other Disciplines). University language requirements are typically related to the increased importance of ‘mobility’ and ‘employability’. Yet, French universities seem to struggle with the design of language courses that are relevant to the future professional needs of learners. To explore this issue, Aude Labetoulle first investigates how ‘professionalization’ has been progressively defined and implemented by French universities and stresses the tensions underlying the various interpretations of the ongoing movement toward the ‘professionalization’ of university courses in France. She then analyzes the specific case of a LANSOD undergraduate course at the University of Lille (France) and demonstrates how complex it can be to design an undergraduate English curriculum relevant to learners’ future professional needs when learners have different disciplinary backgrounds and professional aspirations. This study provides LANSOD course designers with an approach to curriculum design and evaluation that addresses these challenges and offers transferable tools to, generally underprepared, LANSOD teachers.

scholarly journals A Brief Exploration of the Development of Business English Major in China — Challenges and Opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1293
Author(s):  
Bayan Ruan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Business English ◽  
Need Analysis ◽  
Analysis Theory ◽  
Major Development ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
English Major ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
At Will

The issue of Business English (BE) Major development is currently being discussed hotly in China since it has been officially approved by Chinese Education Ministry about twelve years ago. This paper takes a historic overview and explores the reasons about why BE major is necessary in China’s higher education institutions, including discussion on BE’s definition in China context, its relationship with English for Specific Purpose (ESP). Through combining ESP’s popular theory – NAT (need analysis theory), the paper concludes problems raised during the development of BE major in China, including disputations about its curriculum design, learners’ dissatisfaction, and BE teachers’ professional development. Further application discussion on NIT’s BE major (Ningbo Institute Technology, Zhejiang University, where the author is working at) will also be shown in the later part. This paper suggests to design curriculum that are suitable to China’s different levels of universities rather than to merely learn from good universities either abroad or domestically. The paper then calls for a further exploration specifically in terms of improving curriculum design and BE teachers’ professional development.

scholarly journals English Major Undergraduates’ Needs and Perceptions of Business English Activities and Resources in a Chinese University

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 757
Author(s):  
Qing Xie
Keyword(s):  
International Education ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Business English ◽  
Main Research ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
English Major ◽  
Communicative Teaching ◽  
English Major Undergraduates

This article explores English major undergraduates’ views on business English skills and topics, and investigates their perceptions of the meaningful activities and resources in one Chinese university context. The main research instruments are questionnaires containing rating and open-ended questions, and researcher’s participant observation with 149 English major undergraduates enrolling in Business English courses in 2016. The results show that participants most often require improvement in note-taking skills, public speaking and need to learn business communication topics. Participants value communicative teaching methodologies, including role plays, oral presentation, theme-based discussion, games and group work. Participants more often rely on electronic media resources, such as videos, internet and mobile applications than the print media resources such as library, books and dictionaries. This study serves as basis for further business English curriculum development and resources provision in the higher education setting. The study also indicates the potential for business English resources development and exploitation in China within the international education environment.

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