<#310 News Focus>
Lectures in English Face Problems
By Kim Na-yeon, Guest Reporter
The number of CNU’s English-language courses has increased. According to the statistics from Division of Academic Affairs at CNU, in 2008 the number of courses conducted in English was 99, in 2009 it was 130, in 2010 it was 182 and this semester it reached 267. Its purpose is to make the school more competitive and global, nevertheless another critical factor is to rank high among the universities in Korea, as one of the criteria is the number of classes in English. It gives rise to skepticism toward the efficiency of English-language curriculum, for the change is radical. It’s doubtful whether instructors give lectures in English comprehensibly and whether students follow them.
The first problem is that students may not fully comprehend the classes given in English. According to a survey conducted by Hankyoreh21, a weekly Korean journal, found that about 60% of the university students who have taken English-language courses could understand less than half. How about our CNUians’ voices? Kang Dong-he (Sophomore, Dept. of Mechanical Systems Engineering) complained that his class, which is conducted in English, is hard to understand and that the course progresses slowly. As a result, he is considering not taking one again. Secondly, it may lead to inactive discussion in the class. Even though students can express their opinions in Korean in detail, because of the language barrier, they may not dare to speak their views in English. It provokes stagnancy of interaction between students themselves and the professor, which causes the quality of the class to decline. Lastly, professors may find it hard to deliver lectures on the subject matter, therefore some of them instruct mostly in Korean. A student who is taking two lectures given in English in this semester said, “Both of the professors have spoken in Korean without asking the understanding of the students. In one of the classes, only the terms and several test questions are done in English. And the other one is the same as the normal lecture in Korean.” It is a weighty problem especially for foreign students who take lectures in English for better understanding. Actually, the majority of the students have a hard time keeping up in class.
However, it is important to note that there is a need for courses provided in English. Lee Yae-jee (Senior, Dept. of Law) said, “I took a course on International Human Rights. It was effective because the concepts which come from America are more understandable when they are explained in English rather than awkwardly translated into Korean.” This suggests that understanding concepts in English can facilitate learning depending on the subject. Additionally, it is a fact that English ability plays a crucial role in employment due to globalization. Nearly all recently graduated job seekers are required to submit an official test score of English proficiency such as TOEIC or TOEFL. Some of them are even asked to demonstrate the ability to actively communicate in English. In this current English-highlighted atmosphere, exposure to English in the classroom might be a good opportunity, particularly for students who opt not to go abroad for English study because of the financial burden. Finally, the number of foreign students will be increasing. They may be desperate to have English-language instructions to follow the classes.
Nevertheless, there are several measures that CNUians can take in order to solve the problems of courses offered in the English language. CNU is obliged to guarantee good quality classes in English to meet the demands of students. In fact, some professors may conduct lectures in English out of obligation as the number of classes held in English affects the evaluation of each department by University administration. And some professors may teach in English for financial advantage. CNU must find solutions to solve these problems. Meanwhile, professors need to take the general English level of the students into consideration. For the sake of their comprehension, they should put efforts such as grouping students based on their English abilities , explaining in Korean when necessary, and so on. At the same time, students ought to prepare thoroughly for the classes. Noh Seoung-hee (Professor, Dept. of English Language & Literature) said, “Although I let students know the topics to study and discussion questions beforehand, it was very difficult to get voices from the students.”
The bottom line is that all CNUians must be reminded that the acquisition of academic knowledge is the first concern and English is just a tool when it comes to lectures given in English.
김나연 객원기자
tribune@cnumedia.com