COLLEGE ENGLISH TEACHNG AND THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION

DINGFANG SHU

Shanghai International Studies University E-mail：Shudfk@yahoo.com

One of the most serious problems with college English teaching（CET）in China is that it lacks clear or realistic objectives.For many universities or colleges，CET only serves the purpose of helping the students to pass College English Test Band 4 or Band 6，which means that most，if not all，students do not learn English for any practical purposes.To enhance the international standing of Chinese higher education，we need a radical change that sets CET as a tool for the internationalization of higher education in China.We need to modify the existing programs of study to enable both Chinese and foreign students to take courses offered in English，or creating new degree programs that are internationally-oriented and recruiting international students and faculty.Offering degree programs in English will not only attract more foreign students and scholars to the country，but also help dissuade high-caliber Chinese from going overseas，where many seek better professional and/or academic opportunities.The author proposes that，as a first or preparatory step towards internationalizing（or Englishizing）some of the degree programs and making English an indispensable tool for the students to complete their college education，we can modify the existing CET programs into English for Academic Purposes（EAP）courses，or offer foundational courses with English as a medium of instruction in the first academic year and prepare them to take the other program courses in English in the following years in college.In this respect，the Ningbo Nottingham University EAP Model may provide us with some valuable insights and practical reference.

INTRODUCTION

In this paper，I would like to address three issues that relate to the topic of internationalization of higher education and CET or college English teaching in China.The first issue is“what”：What is meant by“the internationalization of higher education（IHE）”?And what has CET to do with internationalization of Chinese higher education（ICHE）?The second is“why”：Why do we need to internationalize our higher education?And why is CET important to IHE?The third is“how”：How should CET adapt to the new orientation?

What is meant by IHE?And what has this to do with CET?

According to Erling and Hilgendorf（2006），the internationalization of higher education basically involves the internationalization of the faculty，the courses，or degree programs，and the students.Obviously，these three aspects of internationalization are interdependent：The internationalization of students，to a large degree，depends on the internationalization of the courses or degree programs，and these in turn，are dependent on the internationalization of the faculty，which is crucial for the internationalization of both the programs or courses and the students.

In the most important sense，the purpose of the internationalization of a university is to provide the most up-to-date professional education for its students：the best facilities，the best service and management，the best researchers and teachers，the state-of-the-art courses，etc.And thisis realized by utilizing all the possible resources worldwide.And its services should be accessible to everyone around the world.

One important precondition for this internationalization process is that everyone participating in this process should share the same language，that is，there should be a lingua franca for both management and instruction.In the United States and U.K.and other English-speaking developed countries，where higher education is highly internationalized，English is the lingua franca.And we may even say that English is perhaps one of the most important contributing factors of this internationalization process.In countries where English is not spoken as a native language，for example，Germany，Holland，Denmark，etc.the internationalization of higher education then first means Englishization（Erling and Hilgendorf 2006），especially as a means of instruction.There might be people who do not like it，but that’s how things stand at the moment.“In effect，German policy uses English in order to help improve the overall standards of universities and to make them more attractive to foreign students（Erling and Hilgendorf 2006：7）.Swaan（2001：182）paradoxically notes：“The more languages，the more English”，an observation that has particular relevance for the language policies in EU with its current numbers of 29 member states and over 20 official languages.This de facto role of English as a key language in the context of the EU is also reflected in the domain of higher education（Erling and Hilgendorf 2006：4）.

So，if China wishes to internationalize its higher education，one of the basic requirements or precondition is that a certain percentage of the degree programs should be offered in English.There might be people who argue that language may not be the key to the internationalization process，and there are people who even claim that they expect Chinese to replace English as the most important international language in the next 10 to 20 years.But at the moment，the sad truth is：no English，no internationalization（De Wit 2002；Huang 2006）.

Then what is the relationship between CET，or college English teaching and the internationalization of Chinese higher education?To put it briefly，CET should serve the purpose of internationalizing our higher education.To be a little more specific：College English teachers should be part of a faculty that uses English as a medium of instruction，and they should help create degree programs in English that aim at an internationalized student body and most important of all，they should prepare the students for these programs where English is required as a basic surviving skill.

Why do we need to internationalize our higher education?

The goals of modern higher education

Here we are not going to talk about the basic functions of higher education，but some remarks by the American scholar Ben Wildavsky（2011）may provide us with some insights：The success of America as the world’s No.1 power largely depends on an unending supply of high-caliber talents who are the product of the internationalization of American higher education：Every year，some of the best students from all over the world are attracted to American universities，where they receive the best college education and then after a few years they are recruited by some of the best American companies to work in the most highly developed areas and their work will contribute to the further successes of these companies，and to the success of America as a whole.①According to the Kauffman Foundation，a very high percentage of Silicon Valley firms and high growth firms，have immigrants as founders or co-founders，and a number of those immigrants came to the States through the universities.

So the success of the United States as the world’s No.1 power to a large extent builds on the success of American universities.And the success of American universities no doubt is the result of their policy of internationalization.

The U.K.，Australia，and many other European countries like Germany have obviously realized this and they have been working hard to catch up in the internationalization of their higher education.It seems that the U.K.is more interested in the revenue generated by its international recruitment of students than attracting the best brains from elsewhere.However，for Germany，to turn from“brain drain”to“brain gain”has been an explicit national policy since the early 1990s and to compete with the U.S.to attract the best students from around the world has been one of the most important motives behind the internationalization or Englishization of its higher education.

The EU example

Following the economic and political unification upon the signing of the Treaty on European Union in 1992，officials responsible for education policy in many European countries sought to establish a more uniform system of higher education throughout the continent.This decision led to the signing in 1999 of the Bologna Declaration，originally endorsed by education ministers and officials from 29 European countries.The Declaration’s basic goal is to ensure greater compatibility among educational institutions across Europe，which in turn will hopefully enhance the international attractiveness of higher education on the continent，make education more sensitive to the economic needs of European countries，and increase the employability of graduates.And research indicates English has evolved into the default language of communication between EU member states（see Cenoz and Jessner 2000；Wright 2004）.“More and more universities are beginning to offer programs in English because mobile students are often unable to follow courses in the language of the host institution”（Mackiewicz 2001：1）.

Trends of internationalization in Asia

Between November 13 and 14，2010，presidents of some 80 universities from over twenty countries gathered in Guangzhou，China，at the“Asian University Presidents’Forum”to discuss how Asian universities can catch up with American and European universities.“We need an Asian Bologna Declaration”was one of the most important consensuses that the presidents reached at the conference.In fact，in the past 20 years or so，universities in Singapore and Hong Kong have already been adopting a policy of internationalization of the faculty and offering most of their degree programs and courses in English，attracting more and more overseas students.

The Chinese government initiatives

In 2001，the Chinese Ministry of Education（MOE）issued“Some guidelines on raising the quality of undergraduate education in colleges and universities”，which called for using English or other foreign languages as a medium of instruction for some of the programs or courses.“In accordance with the requirements of‘Education for modernization，for the world and for the future’，and in order to meet the challenges of economic globalization and technological revolution，undergraduate education should create conditions to teach common-core or subject courses in English or other foreign languages.Bio-technology and information technology，and finance and law，which are much needed after China’s entry into WTO，could take a pioneering lead and try to make 5%-10%of all its courses taught in English.For universities and majors that are not ready to teach directly in foreign languages，they could try to use Chinese and English simultaneously to gradually switch to foreign languages.”“For fast developing，internationally comparable areas and subjects such as information and life sciences，original textbooks that are up-to-date and reflect latest developments in the area（s）can be directly adopted.”So，from the official point of view，English is an expedient medium for college students to acquire up-to-date knowledge of a certain scientific field，especially those where new advances are continually being made and where China is fast catching up.

Some local educational authorities are also encouraging universities to offer coursesin English.For example，the Shanghai Education Commission（SEC）issued“SEC Guidelines for 2011 Model University Englishtaught Curriculum and Courses”，which states that

The implementation of EMI courses is expected to help universities to design curriculum models that are compatible with world's advanced teaching ideas and teaching methodology，that are realistic in China and that can serve as examples or models for others to follow，and to enhance their ability to attract foreign students，to promote the internationalization of education and to play a role in developing students'ability for academic exchange，cooperation and competition.

The plan for 20l l is to list 50 EMI courses for funding support，with emphasis on the universityspecific or leading courses，encouraging information，finance，law，life sciences and other subjects to introduce world's most advanced teaching contents.

In fact，the central government has also set some clear objectives for higher education in the next 10 years.In theNational Medium and Long-term Plan for Educational Reform and Development（20l0-2020），it is claimed that

We should“attract more first-class specialists and scholars to teach，conduct research and management in China，and to bring in high-level overseas talents and academic teams.We should also introduce high-quality textbooks into China，increase the percentage of overseas faculty in universities，and attract more overseas students to return to China to work for the country.

We should increase the number of foreign students studying in China.We should increase the amount of scholarships，give priority to students from developing countries and optimize the structure of foreign students.We should implement preparatory education and increase majors and subjects taught in foreign languages and improve the quality of foreign student education.

Obviously，these objectives correspond closely to the major contents of the internationalization of higher education.The document further states that

We should learn from internationally advanced educational ideas and experiences to promote our educational reform and development，and enhance the international standing and competitiveness of our education.In order to meet the needs for the country's economic and social opening up to the outside world，we should cultivate a large number of internationally-oriented talents who have global visions，complete knowledge of international norms and who are capable of participating international business and competition.②

To cultivate“internationally-oriented talents who have global visions，complete knowledge of international norms and who are capable of participating international business and competition”，one of the prerequisites is that the students should be able to speak at least one foreign language，and be able to learn about the international norms and rules of conduct with the help of their proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

From the above government documents and guidelines for higher education，it is clear that both the central and local government authorities are fully aware of the urgency of internationalizing higher education in China.However，at the university level，it seems that few universities have fully realized what internationalization means or what role CET may play in bridging the gap between an internationalized university and one which only serves as a preparatory school for world’s first-class universities.Firstly，few universities are offering full degree programs in English；or even if they do，they do not really know what that should bring，except the number of foreign students in their university or the increase of some revenue in the school budget；secondly，in universities that are reluctantly implementing the MOE guidelines for EMI courses，not enough support is given and no effective evaluative process exists.Lacking clear objectives and owing to various difficulties or setbacks，these courses gradually phase out rather than getting strengthened.Thirdly，CET is never given the status it needs or deserves in preparing the students for taking courses directly in English and little attention is paid to the training or development of the college English faculty.CET is，in most cases，positioned only as something to help the students to pass CET Band 4 or 6.But as to what these certificates mean，no one seems really to care.Some universities even dismiss CET as something that is dispensable to a student’s university education.

How can CET contribute to the internationalization of higher education in China?

What can CET do to accommodate the changing scenario of higher education in China and the needs of national development strategies?In my view，there are at least four important steps that we can take to reshape CET both theoretically and practically：Reorienting its role in the internationalization of Chinese higher education，incorporating CET with some of the university foundational courses for college freshmen and sophomores，providing ESP courses and offering degree programs in English.

Reorienting CET within Chinese higher education：EAP

If we divide Chinese universities into three categories，the so-called 985 universities，211 universities and other universities and colleges，the 985 universities are no doubt among the best universities in China and the Chinese Ministry of Education has allocated the lion’s share of the government funding to these universities.These 39 universities should not only serve the country’s economic and social development with their research，but also produce the best educated people for the country since the top 10 percent of all high school graduates have all been admitted to these universities.But the fact is that many of these universities have only turned into preparatory schools that prepare students for admission to graduate schools in American and European universities.③According to one recent survey，Beijing University and Tsinghua University have become the No.2 supplier of Ph.D.applicants to American universities，only after the University of California，Berkley.In a sense，these universities are not fulfilling their missions or obligations to the nation：They cannot even retain the best talents of their own country，let alone attract the best brains of the world to China.

It is also becoming increasingly clear that the best universities in mainland China are lagging behind universities in Hong Kong and Singapore.One important factor is of course that the latter are getting more and more internationalized，especially in the way that they are managed and governed，and the former are getting more and more rigid in both administration and the courses and programs offered.

So for Chinese universities to have a proper place in the world and in their own country，they will sooner or later have to be internationalized.As we have discussed above，internationalization to a large extent means Englishization.But of course，it does not mean we have to Englishize all the degree programs.To achieve a 10 percent internationalization of the students，we can internationalize 10 or 20 percent of the degree programs.To retain and attract the best students from within and without China，we need to internationalize the best programs first.But according to reports，very few Chinese universities，except some Chinese medical schools，are offering their best programs in English.This means that international students have to learn Chinese before they can be admitted to these programs.And this is obviously a big hurdle for those who have only learned English as a second or foreign language but want to receive their college education in Chinese universities.

I have often been asked by some scholars who agree with me on the need of internationalizing the best universities in China，“But how about students in other universities or colleges?What do they study English for?Should they also take English as something to prepare them into EMI programs?”My answer is yes and no.Yes，because even though these students do not have the immediate need or opportunity to study in the EMI programs in their own universities or colleges，they may still need English to pursue further studies in other universities after their graduation，e.g.MA or Ph.D.program where English may be required as a medium of instruction.Even if this may not be the case，as a university student，the major purpose of his learning a foreign language should be to help him academically，or to engage in international exchanges at a higher level，rather than using English as an ordinary traveler or businessman.

In the preface to a recently published handbook of foreign languages learning for high government officials，the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin（2011）listed three objectives for Chinese officials to learn English and we believe these should be the goals of college English teaching：1）We should respect the diversity of the world，understand and learn from other civilizations around the world，and promote and strengthen the exchanges between different peoples of the world.To achieve this，we should try to learn foreign languages.2）We should introduce Chinese culture and Chinese national spirit to the world，and build a deeper and wider foundation for international understanding of China.To achieve this，we should try to learn foreign languages.3）We should introduce the basic situation of China to the outside world，let the world know the development path，goals，and direction the Chinese people adhere to so as to create a favorable international environment for the development of China.To achieve this，we should try to learn foreign languages.

To achieve these goals，CET should obviously try to help students to reach a level they can conduct academic exchanges with people from all over the world.We should not only help the students to use English to learn the best experiences of other nations，but help them to use English to diffuse the best of China to the world.

Incorporating CET with foundational courses

Since the degree programs offered in English are not exclusively designed for international students，the Chinese students could also participate in these programs to benefit from the internationalized faculty and courses.What CET should do is to smooth them into these programsin terms of their study skills in English.

In this respect，the University of Nottingham，Ningbo，China（UNNC）has offered us a good example.Since UNNC offers its degree programs in English and most of its students are Chinese，the first year is devoted to helping students to adapt to the all-English system.The courses offered include：EAP courses and some foundational courses，distributed over three blocks：Block 1，Block 2，and Block 3.

Block 1 includes“Academic English language classes”and“The Making of Modern Britain-Lecture Series”as shown in the table below：

Block 2 includes：

Written Communication and Study1；Oral Communication and Study1；Quantitative Methods；British Culture and Media；Introduction to IT.

Block 3 includes：

Written Communication and Study 2；Oral Communication and Study 2；Introduction to Foundation of Social Science：Qualitative Research Methods；Cross-Cultural Communication；Introduction to Business Studies；Contemporary Film Studies.

Following the UNNC model，CET could be designed as a course to help students survive academically，rather than something only to help the students to pass a test.CET should be designed to help students to succeed academically，using English as an added resource，in addition to their native language.To achieve this，we could follow the UNNC model to offer EAP courses in conjunction with some foundational courses in English，which could include introductions to the Chinese cultures or other cultures of the world，e.g.Chinese philosophy，contemporary Chinese literature，etc.

Offering ESP courses jointly with teachers of special subjects

ESP had a booming period in China in the late 1980s.Some universities even set up special programs that offer ESP degrees.But now it almost completely disappeared in some Chinese universities，both because the students are not prepared for these courses in terms of their English proficiency and because the teachers have difficulty in delivering these courses clearly or effectively in English.

According to a recent study of ESPin a prestigious university in Zhejiang，④ESP is not taken seriously by the university or the students for various reasons.One of the reasons for the waning of interest in ESP in Chinese universities is that it is not given a proper place in the university curriculum.In other words，ESPis taught mainly as something to improve students’English rather than a transition to enabling students to attend courses in English.Another important reason is that qualified teachers and suitable materials are scarce and no special incentive is offered to those who do a good job.

Encouraging English teachers to work for degrees in other subject areas and then teach in those areasIn some universities，some English teachers choose to earn a degree in other areas like economics or business.But they often remain English teachers and have a difficult time in getting promoted as a result of their mixed identity.If they wish to be promoted as an English teacher，they need to have publications in related areas.Since they have degrees in other areas，their publications are mainly in those areas.But they are often not recognized in that area since they are only teaching English.In fact，they should be encouraged to teach those subjects，taking advantage of their English skill and their training in other subject areas.In German universities，some English majors usually choose to work on two degrees，one in English，the other in a special subject area.For example，at Mannheim University，some English majors choose to earn a second degree in economics，since Mannheim University ranks first in economics in Germany，and some of these students choose to teach a foundational course in economics to undergraduates after their graduation.

Raising the English requirement at university admission

There is another thing we might consider doing in order to improve CET：raising the threshold English requirement at the admission stage.This will not only help improve the overall proficiency level of freshmen，but also help reorienting English teaching and learning in high schools，where English is perceived by most students as a stepping stone to college，but not for actual use.

CONCLUSION

The internationalization of higher education is becoming an irreversible trend.In a certain sense，IHE means the use of English as a medium of instruction for at least some degree programs or courses.This actually brings a great opportunity for College English teaching in Chinese universities for reorienting their goals and objectives：preparing students for taking courses in English，or completing their college education at least partially in English.To achieve this goal，College English should be focused on developing students’study skills in English，and then to help the students to smooth into EMI programs or courses through ESP or other such courses.

NOTES

1 http：∥www.zaobao.com/special/forum/pages8/forum_zp100805.shtml

2National Medium and Long-term Plan for Educational Reform and Development（2010-2020）.

3 http：∥news.china-b.com/bjdx/431267.html

4 Li Ying.（forthingcoming）.An Investigationinto ESPCourses at Zhejiang University.

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