When participating in international conferences overseas, many Japanese researchers find it necessary to become confident in using English to express their opinions and discuss them with other participants. With this in mind, Tohoku University in autumn launched a new course aimed at helping students to develop the skills necessary for effective participation in international meetings. Unusually, the university has entrusted every aspect of running the course to an outside organization.
The Sendai-based national university started the new course in October last year, holding it every Saturday through December. Two native-speaking instructors were in charge of training about 70 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
On one Saturday observed by The Yomiuri Shimbun, some students were coached on avoiding repetitive body language, while others were told to make more eye contact with audience members while speaking.
During the all-English course, the participating students set out their opinions on specific themes they were interested in before discussing them with others. The two instructors taught not only pronunciation and proper wording, but also body language aimed at enabling the speakers to convey their opinions more effectively.
"It's totally different from the lecture-style courses I usually take," said Fumie Nagai, 20, an economics major and one of the participants in the course. "I believe this training helps me acquire practical English skills."
Places in the specialized course are limited in number, and open only to postgraduate students who scored at least 700 points in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) or undergraduate students who scored at least 550.
Before the launch of the course, Tohoku University also offered another one on practical English, but that was self-study based, requiring students to practice listening comprehension using computers. The e-learning course was open to anyone, with no particular requirements for participation.
The new course has been contracted out to the Kanda Gaigo educational group in Tokyo, which is known for its training in specialized aspects of English. The group runs several organizations, ranging from a vocational school to a school that offers training programs for businesspeople.
The two instructors were dispatched from Kanda University of International Studies, one of the institutions that the group runs in Chiba.
Tohoku University decided to go down this path after concluding that it did not have the technical know-how to help students develop practical skills in English. The university decided that it would be more effective to seek cooperation from an outside organization with a proven track record in this field.
The university also decided to bear all costs associated with running the course, charging no fees to the participating students.
In another case of entrusting outside organizations to run an English course, Tokyo University's Faculty of Engineering has had one language course run by an English conversation school since 2005. Open to juniors and seniors, the course charges tuition.
Takao Sakamoto, head of Tohoku University's Center for the Advancement of Higher Education said: "It's quite natural that we bear all the costs because it's a mission for [a provider of] educational services to support already competent students in trying to develop their abilities further."
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20070201TDY14002.htm
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