Balancing Competing Needs among Stakeholders: Lessons from the Self-access Language Learning Centre (SALL) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)

Kwan-Yee Sarah Ng,Yang Gu

doi:10.37237/070105

Abstract

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), referred to as ‘University’ or ‘CUHK(SZ)’ hereafter, is a newly established private university located in the Longgong District of Shenzhen, which is a special economic zone in the southern part of China. Its first batch of about 300 undergraduate freshmen, all majoring in Business Administration, commenced studies in September 2014. The Self-access Language Learning Centre (‘SALL’ or ‘the Centre’ hereafter), as a unit under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS[1]), was put into trial operation from 6th March to 4th June 2015 to explore students’ needs and preferences in self-access English language learning. The purpose of this progress summary is to delineate and analyze the trial operation. It is divided into two major sections. The first section is a brief description of the 3-month trial operation and evaluation whereas the second section details recommendations for the future development of the SALL and other self-access centres also needing to address conflicting needs among stakeholders.

Highlights

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), referred to as ‘University’ or ‘CUHK(SZ)’ hereafter, is a newly established private university located in the Longgong District of Shenzhen, which is a special economic zone in the southern part of China
This progress report records the preliminary conceptions of a self-access language learning centre for CUHK(SZ)
The highly positive student responses confirm that the Selfaccess Language Learning Centre (SALL) is steered in the right direction

Summary

Background

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), referred to as ‘University’ or ‘CUHK(SZ)’ hereafter, is a newly established private university located in the Longgong District of Shenzhen, which is a special economic zone in the southern part of China. Activities: Objectives, types, rationale and enrollment Based on initial, informal interviews with students who clearly believed their greatest weakness and need was to have continually enhanced competence to converse with people from different cultures using communicative English, instead of only focusing on academic English as indicated by the SHSS, the Acting Director proposed a primary mission which was “to develop students’ intercultural and communicative competence for a globalized environment” (as seen on the SALL’s webpage) with an aim for long-term skill development To this end, the SALL upheld two principles when designing activities: 1. It is worth-noting, that only one out of the eleven referred students responded and attended all of the ten referral lessons despite their lecturers’ strong and repeated recommendations

Participants in individual consultations

Conclusion

Notes on the contributors