Prospect and case study of english-medium instruction of transportation courses in taiwanese universities

This paper is aimed at investigating the curriculum development and learning effectiveness of English-medium instruction (EMI) courses in the field of transportation. The data were collected via document analysis, a case study, and interviews. Findings of the study indicated the following characteristics regarding the trend of transportation EMI curriculum development: (1) students can choose the language of instruction; (2) the continuity of an EMI course is determined by its content and instruction; (3) shipping and air transportation departments place more emphasis on English for Specific Purposes courses; and (4) EMI courses are offered primarily by junior faculty. The results of the case study indicated that the students held a positive attitude toward EMI. They did not make noticeable progress in their English speaking proficiency, but they did improve their listening and reading. To improve the effectiveness of EMI courses, instructors should employ multiple teaching strategies to enhance classroom interactions and guide students to preview and review the content. At the conclusion of this study, the authors proposed six directions for transportation EMI course implementation. This was the first EMI study focusing on a specific field, and also the first collaborative investigation conducted by a content teacher and an English teacher. The findings will shed some light on EMI curriculum design and policy making.