ABSTRACT
"Lost in Citations” is an audio journal that was started in the spring of 2020 to create a platform for academics whose opportunities to contact other researchers in various fields had been curtailed by the restriction of the COVID-19 outbreak. What developed were a series of narratives based on the backgrounds of the interviewees and the interactions of their reports with subsequent interviewees. This chapter includes one of these narratives in relation to World Englishes, Global Englishes, English as an International Language, English as a medium of instruction, and other sociolinguistic concerns covered in six of our most popular interviews and how their contents link together to form a up-to-the-minute picture of the state of these interlinked fields of research. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online EMI (English as a medium of instruction) lectures have recently dominated tertiary education. The current study aimed to explore how undergraduate students coped with this new ‘norm’ through exploring their use and perceptions of listening comprehension strategies (LCS) in online EMI lectures, and the extent to which LCS use depends on the students’ general language proficiency and language exposure. A total of 76 English majors completed a language proficiency test, an LCS inventory, and a language exposure survey. Additionally, 60 of the participants answered eight open-ended questions on their perceptions of LCS in online EMI lectures. The results of this mixed-methods approach showed that students used a wide variety of metacognitive, cognitive, and socio-affective strategies to comprehend online EMI lectures. The students also seemed to be aware of the particularly challenging nature of online EMI lectures, and thus took several measures before, during, and after class to facilitate comprehension. Additionally, the results showed that the students’ choice of LCS is partially dependent on their English language proficiency and exposure in terms of watching videos, listening to audio, communicating on social media, and socializing in English. The results are interpreted in light of the study context and the existing literature. Pedagogical implications are provided. Copyright © 2022, IGI Global.
ABSTRACT
Recently, Taiwan's higher education has been impacted by COVID-19 and the necessity of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). In 2018, the Taiwanese government approved a roadmap for the development of a bilingual nation by 2030. This resulted in a renewed focus on EMI. However, the fluctuating surges of COVID-19 have caused university classes to shift from face-to-face to online. To assess its effectiveness, the current paper describes the quantitative and qualitative experiences and challenges associated with a blended EMI course within a private Taiwanese university. The data was collected from the students in the spring semester of 2020 (40 students) and 2021 (23 students). Overall satisfaction rate is calculated at 4.13; indicating that the transition from face-to-face to online has not affected the students' overall satisfaction with the course. In addition, interviews and focus groups respondents pointed out the importance of a student-centered course approach and the opportunity to practice English in order to improve their competitiveness. While the flexibility offered by the blended learning approach during COVID-19 has given students more freedom to learn at their own pace. Lastly, in times of uncertainty, a careful pedagogical design will help to make the learning process fruitful and sustainable.