Reform Exploration on College English Courses in Application—oriented Institutes

王飛燕

【Abstract】In this paper， the background of the reform of College English shows that the College English Teaching in China is in an important transition period. And then， a detailed explanation of the concept and classification of ESP is shown in the paper. By learning from other colleges and universities， the paper finally puts forward the curriculum system of EGP， EAP and general English according to the actual situation of Nantong Institute of Technology （NIT）.

【Key words】College English Courses； The Case Study

Introduction

Entering the 21st century， China is playing an increasingly important role in world economy. Under this circumstance， China has been in urgent need of comprehensive talents with high language quality and firm professional knowledge. Then the task of talents cultivation fell to colleges， especially application-oriented colleges.

Where is the way of College English education in China？ At present， there exist different opinions in the academic community. A common one is to carry out General English teaching for the purpose of cultivating students' cultural quality and improving students' English comprehensive application ability. （Zhou Haiyan， Zhou Jinghui， 2009）. Furthermore， Cai Jigang （2011） put forward that College English teaching should transfer to English for Specific Purposes （ESP）， especially English for Academic Purposes （EAP）. There is another kind of view， namely， Basic English， General English and ESP go hand in hand， which is the main idea of Wang Shouren （2013） .

1. Basic terms

English for Specific Purpose （ESP） is the English course that is related to a particular occupation or subject， which is based on the specific purposes and needs of the learner. According to different purposes， ESP is divided into English for Academic Purposes （EAP） and English for Occupational Purposes （EOP）. Then Jordan （1997） subdivided EAP into English for Specific Academic Purposes （ESAP） and English for General Academic Purposes （EGAP）. The former is a kind of English teaching with the content of a particular discipline， while the latter focuses on the training of oral and written communication ability in academic fields. According to the statement of Dudley-Evans and St. John （1998）， EGAP can be served by language teachers， but for ESAP， its best to be taught jointly by language teachers and professional teachers.

2. Current English curriculum system in NIT

Nantong Institute of Technology（NIT）is a full-time application-oriented college， with a total of 10 departments. The purpose of the college is to cultivate high-quality applied talents in technology and management fields. The College English curriculum system in NIT can be classified into two categories： compulsory courses and optional courses. The former consists of EGP （four semesters， 15.5 credits） and professional English （one semester， 2.5 credits）； the latter are mainly test preparation courses （for CET4/CET6 or other English rank exams） in the form of public elective courses. In first academic year， English teaching focuses on laying the foundation. Students who passed the CET4 can choose exemption from college English course or continue CET6-centered course learning. Those who failed to pass the exam will be obliged to attend CET4-centered class in their second academic year.

3. Reform of English curriculum system in China

National Program for Medium- to Long-term Educational Reform and Development indicates that undergraduate education should meet the needs of the national， social and economic development， and cultivate a number of international new talents. Based on this premise， colleges and universities in China have put forward the requirements for the ability of students' ESP， especially EAP， and adjusted the English curriculum system.

In Fudan University， foreign language curriculum system is divided into five parts， namely， EGP courses， EGAP courses， ESAP curriculum， language culture courses and second foreign language courses. In addition， there are foreign language environment platforms， such as College English proficiency test platform， etc. Ocean University of China opens EAP course with marine characteristics for students. Wuhan University divides English courses into basic courses and expansion courses （EAP）. Grounded on specialties， college English course is designed to be 7 course packages in Nankai University， so that students choose on their own.

4. College English curriculum planning in NIT

Based on the experience of other colleges and universities， with the actual situation of NIT， the author puts forward the following proposals for the reform of College English Curriculum in NIT： Regional differences result in uneven English level. That makes it necessary for students to accept the EGP course teaching. For those who have passed CET4， the college will continue to carry out EGAP course to cultivate academic English skills. For the purpose of expanding students' horizons and improving their cultural quality， language and culture courses need to be included in the college English teaching system.

Considering above circumstances， suggestions concerning reform in English curriculum system are as follows： 1） As for compulsory course， EGP course of two academic years will be adjusted to EGP+EGAP. EGAP course will be arranged in the second year. Students passing CET4 in first semester can choose CET6 course in the second semester. Professional English will be arranged in the third year， and its teaching period will be increased as well； 2） As for optional Courses， general education courses will be provided in the 7th semester. New materials will be selected to help the students increase cross-cultural communicative competence. For those who failed to pass CET4 in the first academic year， they can attend CET4 optional course.

Conclusion

Under the backdrop of globalization， if college English continues to be located in the EGP teaching， it will surely die out gradually. In order to enable the high-level talents to come up with international standards， College English teaching has to transfer teaching focus from EGP to ESP， especially to EAP， positioning in the cultivation of academic English skills that students need in the professional learning and future work.

References：

[1]Hutchinson，T.&Waters，A.English for Specific Purpose：A Learning-centered Approach[M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，1987.

[2]Jordan，R.R.English for Academic Purposes：A Guide and Resource Book for Teachers[M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，1997.

[3]Cai Jigang.What Leads the Way of College English Teaching in China[M].Shanghai：Shanghai Communication University Press，2012.