Professional Development for EMI: Exploring Taiwanese Lecturers’ Needs

Abstract

Taiwan, like many Asian nations, has been an active promoter of EMI as part of a drive to internationalize its higher education sector. The push to implement EMI at a quick pace creates a need for teacher support, as lecturers adapt their courses to the new medium of instruction. This situation presents an opportunity for Anglophone nations to provide EMI teacher training within a fully immersive environment. This chapter provides an analysis of the current state of EMI in Taiwan and the place of the lecturer within it, as well as common solutions and professional development responses to the challenges posed by EMI. The chapter then examines the case of a professional development program for Taiwanese university lecturers at an American university, examining the preparatory work undertaken to ascertain the participants’ views on EMI as a policy (both institutional and national) and practice in the context of Taiwanese higher education, and to understand their perceived needs in relation to short-term training in an overseas Anglophone locale.