The Taiwan Higher Education Union on Monday accused Ming Chuan University (MCU) of sacrificing its students’ right to education by altering the English-language instruction for first-year students.
The university, which has long emphasized the value that it places on English-language education, in the 2019-2020 academic year changed its English program for first-year students to a combination of self-learning through online videos and weekly lab sessions, during which students would take online tests, the union said.
The change has deprived more than 3,000 students of in-person instruction and of interaction with their teachers, the union added.
Photo courtesy of THE Union via CNA
The online program drew much criticism from students online, the union said, adding that it undermined students' to education, as well as quality of education.
Clifton Hoyt, assistant professor at the MCU English Language Center (ELC) and president of the union’s MCU branch, said that the best way for the center to improve the English program would be to drastically reduce class sizes so that in-person contact can take priority.
“Replacing that kind of face-to-face interaction is going exactly in the wrong direction,” he added.
About 84.7 percent of the 287 MCU students who participated in a survey conducted by the union from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5 last year said they disagreed that the online English program could help enhance their English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
About 81.5 percent of respondents agreed that it would be more accurate to call the online English program an “online testing system,” rather than an “online course,” the union said.
The results also showed that about 89.9 percent of respondents supported a “change to a digital course where teachers instruct students with technology support,” while the other 10.1 percent of respondents preferred to “keep the current test-based online program.”
The university said that years of experience have shown the center that students in traditional instruction can overlook English oral practice.
The use of customized, online teaching materials can make up for shortcomings in traditional instruction and provide students with the opportunity to learn repeatedly without being limited by time or space, it said, adding that face-to-face instruction was taking place at the center, alongside the online courses.
Additional reporting by CNA
This story has been amended since it was first published.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS