Taiwan’s government has set its goal for Taiwan to become a bilingual nation in 2030, and its plan to meet this objective includes special EMI funding to universities to enhance local students’ English language skills (the so-called ‘BEST’ plan). This presentation provides an overview of the International Forum, an EMI initiative at National Sun Yat-Sen University during the 2022-2023 academic year. Built around the concept of affinity spaces (Gee, 2013), the International Forum was designed to integrate the international scholars and students on campus with the wider academic community, while at the same time offer local students and scholars a useful and motivational context to use English. This presentation will discuss the outcomes of the initiative at the one-year point, identifying the affordances for community building and English language use provided by affinity spaces like the International Forum. It will also address specific challenges that impede the success of such initiatives and put forward possible solutions for overcoming such challenges.

Authors:
Thomas Hayward, National Sun Yat Sen University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Thomas Hayward is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at National Sun Yat Sen University in Taiwan

See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule

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