Speakers
ABSTRACT
This presentation reports the results of a Kakenhi project by researchers at 5 prominent universities who sought to answer 4 questions: How can Japanese students’ academic English skills be improved to meet MEXT nationwide objectives (Browne 2019, 2023), support English-Medium Instruction (EMI) courses within universities (Underwood and Glasgow, 2019), prepare students for overseas study in English-speaking countries, and enhance Japan’s overall global competitiveness in language proficiency? Transitioning from communicative-based instruction to comprehensive Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) curricula is one promising solution. This presentation describes the extensive 4-year reform of a 1st-year program of 250 students at a major university. It describes the rationale behind the reform, challenges faced, innovative approaches implemented, and significant outcomes achieved. Rather than relying on standard communicative textbooks, the program transitioned to a coordinated CLIL curriculum across six weekly classes, focusing on liberal arts content in sociology, economics, earth sciences, biology, health and medicine, and natural history. The new curriculum resulted in 100%-140% higher TOEFL ITP score gains compared to the previous curriculum, along with high levels of student satisfaction. Materials developed for the curriculum are designed for adaptation by other universities facing similar challenges and will soon be accessible online.
KEYWORDS
CLIL
University Curricula
Japanese Universities
Japan Higher Education
| TITLE | CLIL for University Curricula: A Promising New Shared Resource |
|---|---|
| RELEVANT SIG | College and University Educators (CUE) |
| FORMAT | Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation (25 minutes, including Q&A) |
