Apr 19,2023

THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH MAJOR

Dr. Tran Thi Thuy, Duong Minh Tuan (MSc), Nguyen Hai Khoa (MSc)

The Center for Training Graduate Outcome Standard and Human Resources Development

1. SHAPE FOR DEVELOPMENT

Multilingual proficiency has shown a more significant role in integration and development in the modern world. Being proficient in languages also creates more career opportunities, helps develop expertise, and affirms personal styles due to the fact that language is one of the effective tools for easing communication and information conveying. Among the 6,500 languages recorded, English is one of the most widely used languages with nearly 1.5 billion users and only about 360 million English native speakers. English is used in most fields, including science, aviation, computers, diplomacy, tourism, and communication. The important role of English in the new social context gears the English Department of the Center for Training Graduate Standards and Human Resource Development towards developing English language programs to train and develop human resources with good English proficiency to serve the needs of integration development in the Mekong Delta region and across the country.

English lecturers have learned from major universities in Vietnam, universities in Can Tho city, and in the Mekong Delta region with similar socio-economic conditions so as to develop a comprehensive English language training program. The training program outline is selectively designed so that learners can master Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing skills, gain the socio-cultural knowledge of English-speaking countries, and compare and contrast it with the culture of the Mekong Delta and Vietnam.

That English major students are strongly believed to be far more proficient in English makes us design the training program focusing on interaction in English through listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The modules and teaching methods have been developed and inherited from experienced teaching staff to meet the output standards of the training program as well as maximize students' English language proficiency. Many translation modules are established in the program according to experts’ consultations, especially translation courses in different specialized fields. This arrangement helps our students become accustomed to how English is used in various authentic working environments after graduation.

The training program has a research-oriented design to develop students' scientific research capacity, as well as English language and cultural knowledge. Companies and businesses are considering scientific research as one of the key jobs. Our English major students are instructed in scientific research methods, as well as guidance on the process of completing scientific research. They also have the opportunity to practice scientific research through writing essays and graduation theses.

One of the most important criteria of the English language training program is building a friendly, positive, learner-centered environment. All modules, teaching and learning activities, lectures, and textbooks are designed to lead learners to self-study with the support of lecturers and their peers. Lecturers simultaneously organize many activities to help students improve their working in groups, giving presentations, solving problems, planning, and critical thinking. Moreover, these activities are integrated so that students can experience the implementation process and upgrade their English proficiency.

After-class activities are designed to help our students learn and play simultaneously. A monthly English-speaking club (ESC) is organized so that students have the opportunity to participate in games and entertainment activities in English to practice their English skills and relax. The club organizers will create content including cultural traits in order to expand our students' cultural knowledge if the ESC events coincide with major national holidays or worldwide cultures. The activities of the ESC club are not only for students majoring in English but also for students of all disciplines at Nam Can Tho University (NCTU).

The Leaders of NCTU and the functional departments always provide timely support to the process of shaping and building the English department. The support is a great source of encouragement and helps us initially make the English major of NCTU become one of the top choices of Can Tho City, the Mekong Delta region, and the whole country.

2. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR ENGLISH MAJOR

2.1 Teaching staff

The team of highly qualified teachers with solid pedagogical skills and dedication to the profession is an irreplaceable contribution to the development of the English major at NCTU. The Department of English currently has 30 full-time lecturers achieving master's degrees in principles in English teaching methodology, and have participated in pedagogical refresher training courses and obtained certificates for test making as well as speaking and writing assessment. Sustainable development needs to be directed correctly. Therefore,  when initializing the process of establishing our English language training program, the faculty has determined that teaching is not just about imparting knowledge to students, but the core value of education is creating motivation, arousing passion in learning for students, and orienting them to be able to steer their boat on their own journey of knowledge creation. Also, teachers have to be intellectual and moral examples for students to follow.  Those good students who need good teachers require English teachers to constantly improve their professional knowledge and teaching skills for the common purpose of helping learners to progress in both learning ability, attitude, and self-efficacy. Professional development activities are also considered necessary tasks. All lecturers of the English department have participated in scientific research, developing lectures, and writing textbooks.  Some lecturers participated and reported at domestic and foreign English teaching seminars. These activities help enhance the teaching quality of lecturers and contribute to the development of the English language major in particular and NCTU in general.

2.2 Facilities

The NCTU has invested in modern facilities and equipment so as to enhance the training quality. All English classrooms are equipped with sound systems and projectors to create favorable conditions for teaching and learning, so lecturers can easily apply information technology in teaching so that their lectures can attract the students’ attention effectively. Our modern learning environment provides learners with meaningful lessons. Students can also study on their own or in groups at the school's electronic library after class. The library provides a full range of monographs, e-books, computers, and the Internet to serve the different learning needs of students. NCTU is going to put into use multimedia classrooms with modern equipment to create the most favorable conditions for students majoring in English to develop their language skills.

2.3 Extracurricular activities

Students have to spend time and effort in order to achieve their goals of mastering the English language. Learning takes place not only in the classroom but also outside the classroom, and learning must go hand in hand. The center also regularly organizes extra-curricular activities for students, such as English-speaking clubs or Webinars in order to inspire the students. English Club is a monthly event that helps our English major students improve their English proficiency and communicate with students from other majors. Webinar is one of the extracurricular activities that receive a lot of attention from students. This activity helps students practice soft skills such as presentation and debate skills under the guidance of experienced instructors. Students also have the opportunity for experiencing different aspects of English such as learning about common English accents and the culture of English-speaking countries. Students majoring in English are also given the opportunity to practice speaking English on familiar topics with students from the joint program with MUST (Malaysia University of Science and Technology)

2.4 Connecting with Businesses

Vietnam is being in the process of development and international integration. The domestic labor market desperately needs human resources who can speak English well. Therefore, training must satisfy the labor needs of domestic and international markets. In order to help students majoring in English to be able to find suitable jobs after graduation and easily adapt to the working environment in the integration period, the training program is required to have content matching the goals of companies. In addition, students majoring in English also have the opportunity to have direct conversations with business leaders through job fairs and career counseling organized by NCTU. Students can build a personal development plan to achieve their future career goals. They have to attend courses providing additional skills such as soft skills and vocational skills designed to satisfy social needs and the job market in Vietnam and the world. Experienced and qualified experts, officials, and leaders are invited to give them an authentic experience. Hopefully, the English language major is hoped to be one of the strategic majors in the overall development of the university in order to supply qualified human resources to the labor market in the future.